Ah! I enjoyed this story so much, actually. The writing was gorgeous and poetic, and the dynamics were complex + very raw. On top of that, I really enjoyed the lore + horror imagery. This is definitely a book that's re-readable. A win for horror/tragedy fans like myself. I can't wait to buy it when it officially comes out. 🤠 (In fact, I've already pre-ordered it.)

Kelly Andrew does it again. This book is everything--spooky, dark, romantic, atmospheric--and ties together perfectly with Andrew's gorgeous prose. I want to literally eat her words with a spoon and let them take over my body. I love the Whispering Dark tie-ins as well--this installment expands the world and makes me that much more excited for whatever comes next.

The language in this book is just delicious. The language is so visceral and really crafts the rot taking place in the house, the farmland and also in Wyatt's relationships. Kelly Andrew is an excellent writer who really brings you into her world.

I loved the complicated dynamics between Wyatt and Peter, and the addition of Jamie added more layers. I think where I struggled a bit was in the middle, when it just seemed like Wyatt and Peter were going in circles around each other. And then in the last third, some new characters, or only briefly mentioned characters, got brought in a way that suddenly made them crucial to the plot. It did not feel authentic, and felt like the author was trying to piece all these ingredients together but it did not come out in a cohesive dish.

Overall I give this a 3.5 rating, rounded to 4 stars. The problems with pacing and plot warred against the rich description, the VIBES, and the intriguing characters in reviewing the book. I recommend this to anyone who loves dark fantasy or "horror light."

Solid 4.5 read for me. It was so close to 5 stars but I tripped up on some of the unreliable narrator stuff and a bit of an unbalance in the story but honestly that was mostly minor (and that's from someone who usually dislikes unreliable narrators)

Wyatt has returned to her family home in rural Maine. Her father has died and she plans to burn the farm to the ground. Her mother had taken her away a handful of years ago leaving Wyatt angry with her father. But when she arrives, she finds her childhood friend, Peter, chained up in the basement, suspended from the ceiling, left for dead. Only Peter can't die. Her family and the magical cult that grew up around them has been ritualistically murdering Peter for more years than Wyatt can wrap her head around.

Peter (Pedyr) should have died back in the colonial days but his father made a deal with the darkness in the woods and he was revived, made immortal but his deaths feed the beast as well. They're trapped together. Peter is now as old as he's ever been allowed to get (late teens)

The story is told in alternating points of view (his and hers) going back and forth between present day and their childhood along with the third kid in their trio: James, the wealthy boarding school kid who summered there with them. Both boys had their crushes on her. Wyatt had no idea the destruction she wrought when she was taken away.

Now the monsters in the wood want out into the world and with Wyatt's father dead and his magic failing, it falls to her and the boys to stop it. Only there's something wrong with her magic and she has no desire to learn what her father did to keep back the dark (hint, the title of this book is fitting).

I think, for me, one of the scariest parts of horror as a genre is there is no guarantees everyone will make it to the end. In romances you know they'll get their happy ever after. In mysteries, the sleuth will solve the case. In horror, we expect people to die (the last girl isn't a trope for nothing). Truthfully no one should survive this book. The horror both interesting and just that dangerous.

It's not the first time (even in the last few months) I've read the horror from the woods. That's a trope in and of itself, but it is done very well here. I very much liked Peter. Half the time I wanted to slap Wyatt hard but she does rise to the occasion. What I tripped over, isn't so much the unreliable narrator (both are) in so much as around mid way we learn that Wyatt is magic on both side and boom, suddenly there's this whole other side of the family who becomes important with now warning and that bugged me.

Overall, I did really love this (and wow, that cover!)

I laughed. I cried. I screamed. I had the sudden urge to fall in love with an eldritch terror.

This book exists in the same universe as the whispering dark - and there’s even a few small cross overs! It is much more of a gothic horror where whispering dark was a gothic dark academia. This book is SPOOKY, but it’s a great intro into more horror adjacent stories with a lush setting, amazing characters and a goat.

I've actually been done with this book for a while now but I had to let it sit and resonate with me because this book's prose and ending stuck to me and really REALLY injected itself into my system. This book was melodic with bite and was tragic but sweet. It hurt, but it felt transpondent. When Peter died, actually ACTUALLY died a part of me went with this character. I was so happy that the author decided to resurrect Jamie because if they hadn't I don't know where I would be because I grieved *so* many times for Peter but when it was final it wasn't grief, it was heart sorrow. For me this hit hard because personally my mom was really sick my whole life and almost died 3 times and when she did? I felt like Wyatt. It wasn't real. She would come back from it. But she didn't. Peter didn't. I can't give this book enough stars and enough public image. I will be telling EVERYONE I know about this book. BRAVO Kelly, BRAVO!

Add me to the list of people crying their eyes out upon finishing this book. "Your Blood, My Bones" is a haunting masterpiece that left me emotionally shaken and utterly captivated. Kelly Andrew's writing is nothing short of phenomenal, with her ability to craft vivid visual scenes matched only by her talent for instilling an unsettling and creeping dread that resonates in the very marrow of your bones. Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heartbreakingly amazing!! I didn’t want to stop reading it. I am really hoping to get a physical copy so that I can do a reread. That’s how much I enjoyed this! Will be recommending to all of my friends!

This book had me bawling my eyes out at one o'clock in the morning. The pain of that ending is something I will never get over. But WOW what an experience. The writing is just phenomenal. I hang on Kelly Andrew's every word in this. Not only her ability to set a visual scene, but to create unsettling and creeping dread you feel in your very bones. But where it really took my breath away was her ability to write and convey and express feelings that I would never have had the language to articulate. Just absolutely immaculate.

Wyatt Westlock hasn't been home in five years, and she intends for her homecoming to be nothing more than a goodbye--she has every intention of setting the place ablaze and never looking back. But on a last walk through the place, she discovers her childhood friend, Peter, trapped in the basement. And over the next few days, she begins to realize that her family's history is much darker than she ever realized. As the nearby forest grows closer and the wards around the house begin to fail, Wyatt and Peter try their best to harness Wyatt's magical powers to save themselves and the house. But the secrets--Wyatt's, Peter's, and so many more, including those that belong to the land itself--stand in their way, growing into monsters of their own.

Your Blood, My Bones is hauntingly beautiful (and beautifully haunting). I'm an absolute baby when it comes to horror, but I couldn't put this down. I loved the characters and the magic and the prose--truly everything about this book. I hadn't read Kelly Andrew's first book but I will be doing that immediately.

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.

Your Blood, My Bones, by Kelly Andrew, is a dark paranormal romance about three childhood friends who struggle to survive the sins of their fathers. The book is separated into three parts. Part 1: The Homecoming introduces Wyatt Heath, who returns to her family’s farm after her father’s death, and uncovers a horrifying secret that had already claimed the lives of both of her childhood friends. Part 2: The Stranger shows exactly what it takes to keep the dark at bay, and the horrors lurking within said darkness. Part 3: The Solstice illustrates the light beyond the shadows, and how, despite everything that’s happened, Wyatt and her friends are still willing to sacrifice their own selves so that the other may live.

Pedyr’s monster was my favorite character. I loved its sinister presence, and how I had to keep questioning whether or not it was on Wyatt’s side, or even Pedyr’s for that matter. I also enjoyed how it tricked me into thinking it had a humane side, before showcasing the violence within. Speaking of which, I also liked Pedyr’s POV, no matter what light he was in, cowardly or otherwise, as well as the relationship he shared with Wyatt and James. It was parasitic, a sense; despite the bond they shared, Pedyr was supposed to give Wyatt up so that he could join his mother, and James was supposed to sacrifice Pedyr for the sake of his own life. It was a promise that the monster had taken advantage of, and when none of the three could fulfill it, it came crumbling down. In my opinion, it was a rather excellent demonstration of how we inherit our parents’ burdens, and one that I’d like to see more of.

Regardless, I especially liked this parasitic relationship extended to the cult and their barbaric practices. It’s the age old lesson that no one seems interested in learning; absolute power corrupts absolutely. It happened when the cult attempted to take control of the forest, when they used Pedyr to further their own cause, and though they may have stopped for a short period of time, they were still ready to continue, if only for the sake of their own egos. It seemed that Wyatt’s father had a point, when he asked his own daughter to bury the legacy they left behind. And another thing; typically, fathers want the family name to continue, even if said fathers were awful to their children. Moreover, as elegantly put in American Horror Story: Coven, parents see their deaths in their children. But Wyatt’s father had something different in mind. He put Wyatt’s safety and well-being above his own memory. It’s a terrifying thought, especially when you’ve thought about what you wanted to leave behind (or if you’ve engaged in existential therapy at all), so it was a brave thing he did.

That being said, I could’ve done without the romance, and the relationship between Wyatt and James was more than a little off-putting in my opinion. Still, I enjoyed the book, and would give it a 4 out of 5 stars

After reading The Whispering Dark, Kelly Andrew became an autobuy author for me and I was so excited to hear Your Blood, My Bones is set in the same world (and we got some cameos!). When I got approved for the NetGalley e-ARC, I immediately started reading it (sitting on the entrance line at NYCC lmao)!

This book was as perfectly dark and bittersweet as I expected. Wyatt, Peter, and James peeled back the sinew of my heart and nestled in together for a bloody lodging. It’s actually hard to write this review without spoilers because in order to describe the love and friendship between these three I have to reveal the longing between immortal Peter and witchy Wyatt, and the heartbreak knowing that one of them must die to save the other–and the world. James, the faithful, British best mate who betrays his father for the love of his friends, and who in turn is victimized by the man who was supposed to care for him, finds redemption through Wyatt’s unbelievable power and together, the friends stop the encroaching eldritch darkness, making every sacrifice along the way. As per TWD, this story isn’t completely calamitous though, and those who survive leave us with a bittersweet conclusion that is the best one could hope for in a world of human sacrifice and the unbreakable bond between true friends and true love.

YBMB is, of course, all the stars, and all the tears, and all the feels.

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC!!

That ending broke me, I was not expecting that at all! This book was an absolute gem! I haven’t been left speechless by a book in a while!!

Your Blood, My Bones was beautiful, spooky, and tragic! The writing in it was so beautiful; Kelly Andrew words were simply just perfection!

The characters were so fleshed out and Wyatt reminded me a lot of myself. The world building was just chef’s kiss as well.

This book gave me goosebumps but in the best way possible!!!

I loved the book as an early twenty year old, but I would recommend it for some of my older students I stead of my middle school students because of some of the writing takes a little more effort to understand.

Overall, it’s a great tie in to The Whispering Dark, but stands out enough to where it can be it’s own stand-alone novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Scholastic Press for letting me review an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a 3-3.5/5 stars for me. I really wanted to love this story, but did not feel connected to the story or characters. It took me until about 35% of the book to feel rooted in the world. I did like the ending. While this book was not for me, I do think it would be an enjoyable read for anyone wanting a gothic, horror, fantasy read.

“𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙘𝙧𝙮.” 🪓

This book. This beautiful, tragic, devastatingly perfect book…
I am completely, and utterly broken. 😭

“𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚? 𝙊𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪?”

Let me start by saying I don’t usually read horror. I’m a baby. 😅 But this book, gripped my soul from the start. 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿. 🤯 It was creepy at times, but I couldn’t put it down. I could tell within the first 20 pages that it was going to be a 5 star read. 👏🏼

“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝘼𝙈 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙪𝙥 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙄 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚”

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴- Easy, it felt instinctual. I don’t know how she made it seem so real without intense info dumping. I felt like I was there.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀- Multi-dimensional. I felt like I KNEW them.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲- Slow and intense. It was just enough. I was on the edge of seat, crossing all of my fingers, and toes for them.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽- Heartbreakingly perfect. They became my best friends.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲- Beautiful, descriptive, and easy to read.

I feel like I just woke up from a fever dream, and I’d like to go back to sleep. I’d like to go home. 🥺❤️

⭐️ 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀
⭐️ 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻
⭐️ 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘆
⭐️ 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽
⭐️ 𝗥𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀
⭐️ 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 & 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲
⭐️ 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰
⭐️ 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁
⭐️ 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆
⭐️ 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰
⭐️ 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗲

Kelly Andrew is a new instant buy author for me. She’s a freaking genius. Stop reading my review, and go pre order this book. NOW!

𝗧𝗟𝗗𝗥
The book has ripped my soul in half, and rendered me speechless. It was magical, whimsical, thrilling, and absolutely perfect. You NEED to read it.

And to Kelly I have only one thing to say…
𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗦!! 😳😭🤣

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher, for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

i will read anything kelly andrew writes! i loved this book so much! more detailed review to come :)

Numerous plot twists and vivid detailing keep the reader engaged, as do well-developed characters, though the main character was somewhat clueless. There's a lot of back and forth with the past and present. Normally I really enjoy that, but it was a bit jarring on occasions. and I had to flip back to see if I missed something. I liked the fact that the author didn't feel the need to have a HEA ending.

Hm. I am sitting here. Listening to quiet and sad music and feeling quiet and sad.

I didn’t realize when I picked this up that it is definitely a horror novel. I don’t know that I’ve really read anything in this genre before, which is wild, but also I’m glad this was (probably) the first. There is some romance, but around that, it’s creepy and horrifying consistently. As someone who doesn’t like those feelings, I swear it was not bad. It was super well done. I imagine in a novel full of darkness and trauma, you need something strong to burn through all that heaviness and fear, and James, Peter, and Wyatt’s bond felt like Inosculation. By the end, I believed that they were like three trees that had grown together and merged into one. That removing any one from them would be like living life thereafter with only ⅔ of your body.

SPOILERS:
Did Pedyr die thinking Wyatt was about to be killed or forced into a similar life of slavery? Did he die thinking his sacrifice was in vain? Did he die on this side of the “sky” and live on the other? Did the beast find him in that place? What about James? Did he live forever thereafter and watch Wyatt grow old and die? Did his body rot and collapse or did it gain some kind of magical powers? Did he even survive the day? What about Wyatt? How do you recover from Trauma like that? What do you do forever after with that amount of power curdling in your veins? Are there other gateways? Other beasts? Or was there always only one? Was there any fallout during the night of the open gate when some things DID come through? What happened to the Widow?

I have so many questions. But I only care to know the answers because they (Peter, Wyatt, and Jaime) were so real. It all felt real. The lonely property in Maine, the cairn of stones on a lonely grave, the weirdo protective mama goat, the many different facets of terrible fatherhood…this story was told WELL, and the author took care to make sure there weren’t too many unbelievable plot holes.

Highly recommended to people who can handle a bit of fear and trauma and sadness and complex relationships with some very fucked up shit… this is the best book I’ve read yet from Netgalley.


Review posted to Goodreads.

3.5

I was granted the opportunity to read and review Your Blood, My Bones as an ARC. This is an honest review ans reflects my thoughts and opinions on the writing of the book.

I loved Kelly Andrews "The Whispering Dark" and was excited to get to read more of her work. While I didn't hate this I found it difficult to get through the first half. Really the first quarter as Wyatt makes a lot of really ridiculous decisions.

Over time, the story improves. More answers are provided, the characters develop, and we even see some familiar characters (If you read The Whispering Dark). I do want to make sure I state that I'm a big fan of Kelly Andrew's writing style. It's so descriptive and beautiful that I really feel immersed in the story. That doesn't mean, of course, there aren't a few holes.

What I liked: Other than the writing style I did enjoy James' character. I liked seeing the cameo of the characters I loved in the last book. I liked the variety of creatures.

What I didn't like: there are a lot of unanswered questions for a standalone and some things that couldve been acknowledged or addressed sooner. Wyatt also makes some stupid decisions.

There are some Spoilers Ahead so to tie up the review: I liked it. I didn't love it. Do I think someone else will enjoy it? Yes. Absolutely.

For example: there's a phone on the farm that doesn't work. Somehow she is able to get a call on it. But it isn't said that she attempted to try to use this phone afterwards until way later.

Then there's the Bone collector who she tries to invite in which makes no sense to me.

Then there are some Spoilers ahead:

Then there's: why does she have this raw magic? How does James' body grow to that of an 18 year old if he's dead? If he didn't actually die then how did he end up buried? Why did her mother wait so long before someone actually did something? Why didn't Joseph tell Wyatt that Peter was dead? He could've used it as fire to have her kill him sooner? Why does her blood rot things but her power raw can grow AND rot? 🤔

So many questions.