Part horror, part romance, part mystery, part heartache. Hauntingly beautiful writing- I underlined most of the book! Tragic characters (and Peter Pan references!). And that ending... it's really hard to write a coherent review of an unique story, but if any of this sounds good, you must go pick up a copy!

Oh, I am so miserably sad at finishing Your Blood My Bones by Kelly Andrew! This was such a great and heartbreaking YA horrormance. It grabbed me by the throat within the first few pages and never let go.

When I first decided this up, I was intrigued by the cover and thought the synopsis sounded interesting. I imagined a cult and star-crossed romance. What we get is and isn’t that. Yes, there is a cult. Yes, there are star-crossed lovers. But what we actually get fells so much bigger and intrinsic to youth. The universal idea of desperately wanting to go home and never being able to reach that place you need, even if you can physically. The concept of home being more than a place, but the people that make it. Wyatt returns home after the death of her father. All she wants is to torch the place to the ground and move on with her life. Instead, she finds Peter, the boy she was in love with as a child, waiting for her. The angst is incredible in this book. If you can’t stand that, then you might not want to pick this up. From the very beginning we understand that this is likely not going to end well. Despite how much they love each other, love isn’t always enough. Love can’t solve everything, no matter how strongly you want it to.

What really is interesting is how this is written. It is very clearly in three acts. We start at Wyatt’s childhood home and the struggle between wanting to be together and wanting to go home. We then move on, having seemingly solved this problem only to have a third act heighten everything we were warned about in act one. I really loved this because it didn’t draw the story out. We learned a bit more about the world. We were given hope only to realize just how futile it was. It really did put us in Peter or Wyatt’s shoes (depending on just how hopeful you were as you read this.)

Your Blood My Bones by Kelly Andrew absolutely is one of those books that you buy a physical copy of just so you can highlight and annotate the heck out of. The prose is so beautiful and the emotions so raw, I absolutely recommend this for someone looking for YA horror and romance. The horror is innate in the beauty and a natural consequence of love and home.

Kelly Andrew’s Your Blood, My Bones is a masterfully crafted novel that intertwines the ethereal and the corporeal in a spellbinding narrative. From the first page, Andrew captivates readers with her lyrical prose and richly drawn characters, inviting them into a world where the past and present converge in hauntingly beautiful ways.

I will read anything she writes.

Your Blood, My Bones was just a beautifully descriptive book. The imagery throughout was amazing. It was imbued with such deep emotions the reader couldn’t help but relate in some way to. It was an amazing read. 5/5

This is a lyrical, dark romance with gorgeous prose! I highly recommend it for readers of eerie and gothic tales without a happy, tidy ending.

As with her debut, Kelly Andrews has woven a gorgeous, lyrical story that tugs at the heart. I adore this writer's poetic prose, and the setting is absolutely incredible. I am a sucker for childhood friends so this was right up my alley. I loved the romance, the friendship, and the creepiness of the horror elements was just top-notch. Bravo!

5/5 stars!

[Please mind the author's content/trigger warnings, including murder, child abuse, religion/religious cults, blood, gore, spiders, and more.]

It's been several weeks since I finished this book, and I've been struggling with exactly what I want to say. Normally I try to do a weighing of pros and cons with my reviews and write something lengthier, but I think for this I'll keep it short.

This book did me emotional damage unlike anything I've read in a long time. The setting, the prose, the characters, and the slow unfurling of the final confrontation has sat with me daily since I finished the book.

The one thing I wish was different was the ending. While I understand narratively why it had to be that way, it just didn't feel FAIR. And I think that was the point - none of what happened to the characters was fair.

Even with how upset I was with the ending, I still immediately picked up Kelly Andrew's first book as soon as I finished YBMB, and I've already preordered her third book.

5/5 Stars, I highly recommend (but don't say I didn't try to warn you)! As a bonus, if you want to hurt even worse, I recommend listening to Taylor Swift's Peter while reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a free digital ARC for my honest review!

In Your Blood, My Bones Kelly Andrew draws you into the world of Willow Heath - the mysteries, the dangers, and the close-knit friendship of Wyatt, Peter, and James. The POVs of Wyatt and Peter weave together well, mixing present and past in a compelling and propulsive narrative. I really liked Wyatt's story and watching her come into her power (I'm a sucker for a girl finding her strength and being a badass while doing it.) Peter and James are also both sympathetic characters in their own ways. And I wanted more James!
However, the ending where the book fell apart a little for me. As the action ramped up, my interest waned. Maybe it was because I found some parts confusing and others unsatisfying. Maybe it was because I put the book down and then picked it up 3 days later, forgetting what was going on at a key moment. However, my feelings about the ending did not take away from my enjoyment overall. It's haunting and atmospheric and perfect to read on a dark, hot summer night.

DNF at 34%. Not bad by any means but just not for me.

This is a collection of well-written, vibe-y scenes, but the characterizations and plot are kind of thin? I feel like we're missing a lot of the connective tissue to make this a full-fledged story. By the 1/3rd mark, I should care about (a) the characters or (b) the plot. Ideally both! But I just feel kind of meh about everything.

Thank you netgalley for this arc. 3.75 stars. I was planning to round this up to four stars, but the ending has me piassed so no😒SPOILERS AHEAD:


I really liked the aesthetic of this book. The area, house, nature. For some reason, possibly that it was in normal book formatting on Netgalley (I get migraines from white pages) I had a hard time getting through it. I ended up really liking Pedyr’s character and rooting for him, just for that ending to happen. It felt extremely unsatisfying and a little bit pointless. So —- was back.. I was glad his real not demon type version of himself was a good character, but for why? Why did he get to return, but not Pedyr. I feel like it could’ve been wrapped up better/in a way he could’ve survived that event. Like it felt like Wyatt put in this work to go through disliking him then learning who he was and trying to save him and in general loving him as she once did—and even more—just for him to stop existing. Bring ma boy back bro!! I am not content!

I loved this book! It's so engaging and whimsical. The writing is superb. I enjoyed the characters. I'd love to read more like this!

Kelly Andrew knows how to scare you, break your heart, and put it back together all within one story, which is a talent that not many authors can execute perfectly, but somehow, she does. Your Blood, My Bones was heartachingly beautiful, chilling, and thrilling. Just like it's predecessor, The Whispering Dark, I couldn't put it down.

Thank you so much Kelly and Scholastic for this ARC!

dnf at 37%

I love this author's writing, however both this and her debut feel like 3rd drafts for me. It feels like the groundwork is all there but t's missing the filler to make scenes connect and to keep the mysteries in my mind. Checkov's gun is gathering dust while I'm trying to understand how we got from the last chapter to this one. Definitely a lot of potential since there are many lines I found really good, just not for me, I guess.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew in exchange for an honest review. This book is an amazing gothic romance/thriller. I really enjoyed the relationship dynamics between Wyatt, James and Peter. The storyline left pieces in the imagination of the reader, which I really like. I found myself rooting for the character doing the narrating, as it kept switching perspective. This is a wonderful read and I highly recommend.

I’m for sure a sucker for a good cover and the cover of this book just draws the eye. It speaks of darkness and the promise to a monster waiting within it.
I started reading this book with the intent of reading it in chunks but that went right out the window with my reading of the first page. I was sucked into this mysterious story with a girl who goes to burn down her old home but finds a person from her past shackled in the basement. As she finds out more about who and what this stranger is, she begins to unravel a dark history that is finally about to come to fruition.
For sure was a breath of fresh air from what I had be reading prior to picking this book.
Dark, Mysterious and a really character driven story.
I would have love a little more character development on the side characters. Just to feel like a more rounded cast. Outside that I for sure enjoyed it and was left satisfied (while a little bit sad) at the end.
Would I recommend it?
I would! If you want a to switch up what you are reading. This book is a great switch up.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book. My review is a honest reflection of my feelings towards this book.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster, and I loved every minute of it. It is one of those books that you think of even days after finishing and I wanted to reread this book the minute I finished the last page.

I loved that this book had a little bit of everything in it. There was the romance between Peter and Wyatt and although it was obvious they both had feelings for each other, you never knew if Peter would act on those feelings or decide to kill Wyatt for his own benefit. I also liked the mystery and the paranormal aspect that surrounded the Wyatt Farmhouse. I was captivated by the characters that showed up, never knowing if they are friend or foe.

Kelly Andrew is an author that I will need to keep following. I loved The Whispering Dark when it was released in 2022 and Your Blood, My Bones will definitely be on my top 10 for 2024.

Your Blood, My Bones is out now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Books for the opportunity to review Your Blood, My Bones. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

<b><i><u>please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers</b></i></u>
<i><u>I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. </i></u>
<b>HEA:</b> no, not a romance and not a traditional HEA
<b>POV:</b> multi 3rd person POV (Wyatt, Peter/Pedyr, James)
<b>spice:</b> not spicy, a few kisses and some pining
<b>TWs:</b> housefire (non-fatal), torture, murder, possession, gore, animal death (not detailed, but on page), poisoning, cults, zombie-vibes
<b>standalone:</b> yes
<b>final thoughts</b>: this book was a wild ride- it was so good, and it’ll definitely stay in my mind for a while. While there is a lot of pining, I wouldn’t consider this book to be a romance BUT it was an incredible read. Lots of dark, gothic, horror elements with amazing imagery.
You know that part in a book where your brain says, “OMG I UNDERSTAND THE COVER AND TITLE NOW!”? I gasped out loud when it clicked for me. I would shelf this as “middle grade”/young adult but this is a story that can easily be enjoyed by adults due to the horror themes throughout the book. The characters were great, the imagery was gripping, and the story will stay in my mind for a while to come. Highly recommend for anyone who likes paranormal gothic stories about young adults

read this book if you love

😬 angst
🥰 nicknames
🏝️ forced proximity
🤫 hidden secrets
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters
🖤 dark
🧠 “it’s always been you”
🪄 magic
❓ mystery
🔮 paranormal
🌀 plot twists
🗡️ revenge
2️⃣ 2nd chance romance
🧙‍♀️ witches
🌍 world building
☠️ “touch her and die”

A Peter Pan retake, and I was hoping to love it more, there’s a dark force that lives in the forest outside her house that haunts her. Peter is cursed and the only way for him to break the curse is to kill his childhood friend Wyatt. The story moved along slowly for me, and I give it 4 stars.

I’ve read this authors debut novel, The Whispering Dark, and immediately knew that I’d want to read everything she writes. Your Blood, My Bones is a dark and beautiful story. The writing was exquisite and evocative. It pulled you into the setting and atmosphere and emotions of the characters so well.

This was at once a darkly romantic but unsettling tale that was impossible to put down. I’m always a sucker for vivid scenery and Kelly did great with making the reader feel stuck on the farm as well. But what really stick with me was the history these characters have together. Plus I’m always looking for more found family trope in books and this one delivered. Also, the ending as usual was bittersweet (which is my favorite kind). Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys a bit of horror, fantasy and romance all in one.

I’m already looking forward to the authors third novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
A Peter Pan retelling but make it New England cryptid horror with a writing style that feels like the love child of Leigh Bardugo and Maggie Stiefvater with none of the finishing bite. You’re gonna hate the ending.

Pre-reading:
Based on the fact that this is a YA magical realism book, I think I’m going to hate it. But like she’s a book box pick, and I like to be a current girly. Maybe she’ll surprise me. You never know.

Thick of it:
Opening with liefer to mean rather in a YA is WILD behavior.

liefer

It’s the way I didn’t know what a jerrican was until very recently, and I am 26 years old.

Oh no, a cat book. (It was not. I'm just traumatized.)

Prediction: the boys are ghosts (Girl, basically.)

Chantry

I went into this book with a bad attitude. It’s well written. I’m interested.

Her tears were useless? Please tell me girlypop has not been raped. I’m tired, publishing industry. I’m real tired.

Camphor

There’s some serious vocab in this book.

Atkins

It reminds me of Starling House.

God, I wanna be toxic. I hope this is a love triangle.

Raven Boysy

Thaumaturgy

This is eerie. Good job, YA.

Oh, I’m so in on this enemies to lovers. Fucking absolutely.

Thank you, god, for making them 18 and adults.

Susurrus

New England supremacy

There's something a little Alex Sterny about it too.

I love a deal with a devil. Please make the demon monster sexy. (…honestly- I know, I know. Samantha, jail.)

Oh girl, I’m so interested.

Frozen watermelon is terrible.

Oh no, did girlypop get raped at a house party? Y’all I’m tired. Everything I pick up is rape. I’m so tired. (It’s not on page. We’re safe.)

Does she think she’s a monster because she turned her would-be rapist into like a mushroom or something because I swear to god. (Girl, basically.)

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so genuinely threatened by a YA book. Or like at least not in a long, long time.

Here’s the thing: James and Peter-both incredibly privileged white boy names. I am confusing them so much. I feel like James should be the blonde and Peter should be the British one. I don’t know why. I just do. Why couldn’t you make his name like Johnny or something farmy and make it easy on me? (Because it’s a Peter Pan retelling and editing Sam has just made the connection to James Hook. I’m an idiot.)

Don’t tell me he’s got a knot inside of him. I’ve read Bride.

Oh wait, I get it. Lost boy Peter. That makes so much sense. That’ll help me keep them straight. (And somehow I still didn’t pick up on James Hook until I finished the book.)

This audiobook narrator is a 10 out of 10. He’s selling it. This man’s creepy. I haven’t been freaked out by a YA in years.

Could we have our first good book of the year? (Yeah, yeah I jinxed myself. I know.)

How could they just leave a little boy out in the Maine winter? What the heck? If you’re cold, they’re cold. Bring your demons inside. Are you kidding? New England loves a demon.

Oh, homeboy’s got them mommy issues. I’m afraid lol

Oh, so her dad wasn’t willing to kill the little demon child, but he was willing to abuse him for years and years. That makes sense.

That sounds like a threesome right there, Bestie. (There are so many of these types of lines in this book, and it's such a tease.)

Detritus sin

That was so effective at warping what was a sweet childhood memory into something oh so sinister. Well done.

antimacassars

Hear me out: not a lot of time is passing for the actual plot of the story, but it still feels like a very fast paced book.

finial

I feel like she and Peter are obviously gonna get together, so is James the beast? (I nail books, guys.)

architrave

lally column

Didn’t Peter say the phone goes to nowhere? I’m so sus of the phone and James. (And for good reason, girl.)

I can’t believe we’re only 20%. I feel like I’ve read so much.

I absolutely love cauliflower, but since when is hash cauliflower a thing in farmstead Maine?

Goddammit, girlypop definitely got attempted raped. I don’t wanna read that. (And you don't have to.)

If her dad is dead, and Peter was in the basement, who was taking care of the animals? (She’s got a lot of plot holes, gal pals.)

This book is wild. I am live laugh loving.

Is James in the unmarked grave? (Yuuup.)

Oh my god, I’m totally right. James is dead.

Oh. I understand the title now. Wow, this is dark. Good job.

This is very Leigh Bardugo and also Maggie Stievater.

agita

This book makes me so nervous. It’s so good at it. It’s so well-paced.

Oh, they’re ~flirting~

Everyone in all these books always knows how to resuscitate people. I don’t know how to do that. I could not do that in an emergency. I’ve been trained, like at least more than once. I cannot.

Why does her dad have so many of her mom‘s clothes lying around the house if she hasn’t been there in over five years? (Plot hole)

Oh, it’s working. I like them. I like this dialogue. I like this book. (I really thought.)

If your man tells you he’s going to kill you in real life, run away so fast. If it happens in a book, you should probably get married.

This book doesn’t read like YA. With the way that the characters act, I feel like they could be in their 20s, and then we could do with a little more romance, a little more smutty aesthetic. But like at least they’re legal adults this time around. I’m very thankful for that. I just would prefer a mental picture of a 20-something-year-old farmboy shirtless and cutting wood rather than an 18-year-old, and even then I’m just like that is a baby. That is a child. I’m so fucking old.

He does keep saying she’s dead already, so what if they’re red-herring me and she’s dead in the forest? But like I’m pretty sure it’s James dead in the forest.

Who stocked the house with food? I know she said there wasn’t much, but how was there anything edible? (Plot hole.)

Why is he doing yard work? What does it matter? (Plot hole.)

Oh no, they specifically brought up that cats go away to die. Oh no, the cat’s gonna die, and the demon’s gonna get it. Oh no. (Not quite.)

rancor

Between the narrator's whispering and the descriptions for this book, it’s so creepy. It’s doing so well.

It’s the way I was fully convinced this book was getting ready to end, and we’re not even halfway. Gimmie the fucking love triangle. I’m gonna live laugh love, baby. (It's the way I read these reactions back to edit them and like you can hear the joy in some of them and then watch it die 🫠)

James Campbell is the love child of Gansey and Darlington.

Throuple, Throuple, Throuple

I hate when books drag out characters’ #TragicBackstories especially when it's rape.

Title drop

calcareous

politesse

tremolo

Shoat

Where they getting all these beds?

I don’t like that the monsters are all essentially the same monster just like wearing someone else’s face.

The inaction is also getting to me. Like they’re all just resigned to being in the house. We’re getting a lot of the same conversations over and over again. And like the answers to the withheld/unfinished conversations because secrets seem very obvious. Also, how do these bitches keep falling asleep? I’d be piss my pants scared. I couldn't sleep in this!

I know the solution isn’t gonna be all of them in a devil’s threesome because this is a YA, but like why notttttt. I've been so good. I've finished so many books I didn't want to.

Ossified

These boys are allergic to shirts. What is this, Twilight?

Necropolis

Did I mention that this book is an Arthurian legend book too, and I still haven’t read King Arthur?

Oh god, she's a spider, isn't she? (Yup.)

Camphoraceous

This is the most successful YA horror that I’ve read. It’s more successful than a lot of the adult horror that I’ve read.

A girl who could rattle the dead is very Alex Stern and I think SJM has a rattle the stars line.

Here’s the thing: I just want the rapist ex hallucination to be all you did this! and have miss girlypop spin around and be like and I’d do it again, bitch. (This doesn’t happen, and that is a crime.)

Part three has absolutely lost me. (It’s the beginning of the end for my enjoyment.)

I like the British spawn of Satan.

This back half is losing me.

You married into it, bitch. You had to know your boyfriend was doing human sacrifice using little boys long before you got pregnant. Don’t act all innocent. What do you mean?

Her mom sucks.

I feel like this book is pretty plot holey, but I was willing to suspend disbelief for the vibes, but now we’re really falling apart.

dehiscence

palimpsest

Why even bother to keep James’ death a secret then? Like that’s so dumb. You didn’t even kill him.

Peter, ya ain’t killed anyone, so I’m glad you think you’re this bloodthirsty little fuck. You’ve literally killed no one.

They like keep building up girlypop’s #tragicbackstory, and it’s literally just gonna be that her high school boyfriend tried to rape her so she drowned him with some plants. (Unconfirmed but like what else would it be.)

Let it be forgotten? I don’t think so. I think you should suffer consequences for your actions of torturing a little boy.

Oh, we’ll ride it. (Samantha, jail.)

So if you know you die in the dress, why not just get rid of the dress and then you can’t die? (Literally so dumb.)

Don’t have sex while she’s got a gaping chest wound. Come on.

hassock

I was like why do these characters feel like cameos and it’s because they are. They’re the characters from her first book.

We went from Ninth House’s deliciously gory darkness to like firmly YA in this back half, and I’m not enjoying it.

This book needed an edit with more structure.

This is the climax of the novel, and I’m bored.

Guys, just share

What do you mean they only brought enough for eight hours? Come on now. Also, how is the man supposed to sleep? He’s supposed to wake up and puff on an inhaler every two hours? That’s not livable.

No one thought to use a splash of the alcohol to sterilize the needle after we just went to the hospital for not using a sterilized needle? OK.

That’s not kitty. (That is kitty. You were so wrong, Samantha.)

miasma

The book: they’re just friends
All the Kindle Girlies: they’re boyfriends

The author: haha get it. Didn’t you take innocent childhood baths with your friends?
All the Kindle Girlies: they all need to smash

Why is she still in this stupid dress? Everyone needs to be in fucking athletic wear for this shit. We’re not facing down Satan in a Coachella fit. Come on.

I genuinely can’t tell if the author is being horny or if it’s all accidentally horny.

heddle

laconic

Just make out, you losers

inosculated

Detritus sin again

Why let them go? I hate YA books. Kill the villains for ffs.

This had damn well better not be how it ends.

tracery

That’s how it ends! How garbage! What

Literally all book: he’s gonna die
Sam: pfft no he’s not
Peter: dies
Sam: surprised Pikachu face

Well, that’s how you spit in the face of a four-star opener and get it to the point where I’m like I hate this ending so much it’s two stars.

I’m sitting here like what do you mean that’s the ending? What do you mean?

Oh, I’m pissed.

Give me fewer plants, more throuple.

Everyone’s so blasé about it too. What do you mean?

Jesus fuck I can’t wait to see that insurance audit.

Post-reading:
You ever have an ending wreck your experience with a book and now you’re like how do I rate this fairly?

The first half of this book is an atmospheric four-star read similar to Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House and Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys.

And then it absolutely falls apart.

Let’s talk about the good things first because when we get to the bad, I’m gonna start getting ranty.

The first half of this reads like an incredibly mature YA. It’ll give you a serious vocab workout. It is loosely a Peter Pan retelling, and all those references were so fun. He climbs in her window for stories, she kinda gets drowned by mermaids, he can’t grow up, he’s got mommy issues, his bestie James is a klepto-one might even call him a pirate.

What I applaud this book most for is that it was genuinely creepy. I listened to the audiobook for this and the narrators absolutely killed it. There will always be something chilling about going out into the New England woods and getting a good dose of psychological horror while you face down a mimicry monster. There’s gore. There’s bugs. The author’s writing is so visual, so it plays like a movie in your head while it touches on these horror movie clichés. It’s a good ass time. I wanted more. I think the first half of this is so well-paced. I think the story unspools in a way where you’re constantly going what the fuck is going on? I have to keep reading to find out what’s happening.

And this cast absolutely oozes chemistry. They have snappy banter. I bought the romance instantly.

And now let’s get into what I didn’t like. The fact that that cast isn’t a throuple is a crime. An absolute crime. You can probably blame the book’s YA rating for that. You can also blame the fact that I am a horny bitch for why I’m considering it a sin.

The pacing grinds to a halt in the back half of this book. We really lose the plot.

The audience has cousin side characters just dropped on them that they have no chance of connecting with or recognizing unless they’ve read the author’s first book. The main character’s mother’s behavior makes absolutely no sense. How are you just abandoning your teenage daughter to fight a hell beast? You don’t wanna at least chaperone? How are you cool with your daughter touring inherited property by her lonesome?

The world-building goes from being delightfully mysterious to outright sloppy because you realize that you’re not going to get any answers to the questions that the world poses. There’s no real magic system in place. The main character is overpowered and has no rules regarding her magic. You’re forced to just go along with it for the vibes if you want to have any chance at enjoying this book. The monsters feel incredibly threatening at first, and then they all feel exactly the same. Every single monster’s power is creating an illusion. That’s lame. Give me some variety.

It flat out doesn’t make sense that Jamie’s body would be healed, even if the beast demon leaves him. Also, how did it age him up? He died at age 14. How is he 19 years old now? Do you mean to say he aged in hell? Because if you can age in hell, couldn’t you age to death in hell? And what comes after you die a second time?

The book has so many plot holes like that. It doesn’t make any sense that girlypop is able to find a wardrobe on the farm. Who stocked that pantry? Who cared for those animals? Because it wasn’t Peter. He was trapped in the basement.

The book spends a lot of time talking about a triggering incident for the main character, but then never gives us confirmation about what actually happened. It felt like a cheap way to sidestep rape. Which then leads to another plot hole. How are the police just chill not investigating girlypop if something happened to her ex-boyfriend? In fact, police and authority figures seem to be completely absent from this world. How on earth could they show up at the hospital with a gaping chest wound and be released the same day? The paperwork alone would take you hours, and there’s no way they wouldn’t put every single one of these characters on a psychiatric hold.

And listen, when it comes to these magical realism books, I will suspend my disbelief if there’s gonna be payoff. This book doesn’t satisfy. I hated the ending. I don’t like that Peter died. Or at least died for good. It seems like the characters give up too easily. There’s been so many death loopholes. You’re telling me you couldn’t find one more so that our romance could last? And sure maybe it fits the Peter Pan retelling if he dies, but we’re already taking a lot of liberties with the story. You can give your YA readers the happy ending.

But instead, all these characters are so blasé and resigned to the ending. It doesn’t even wrap up nicely. How are you gonna explain this fire to the insurance audit? What about the dead bodies absolutely littering the property? You can’t tell me the fire’s gonna take care of that, and you can’t tell me they’re gonna burn down 65 fucking acres in Maine and no one‘s gonna notice. In this economy?

This book just had so much potential, and I think that’s why it’s so frustrating. I was enjoying it so much when I picked it up. And then the back half soured me on it to the point that I almost don’t wanna recommend it. I would give the author another shot. Her writing style reminds me of Bardugo and Stiefvater, who I love. It’s also a very similar book to Starling House, but I hated that one too. I think it shares a lot of the same flaws.

I just think this book tried to do too much, too fast, and too sloppily. She could’ve used another year to cook. It needed to be refined to focus on what was working for it. The horror aspects and the ensemble’s chemistry were carrying this book. The ending disrespects all of that.

I think if you like YA horror, then you should give this a shot. And then, if the ending pisses you off too, you can come to the comments and commiserate.

Who should read this:
Peter Pan Retelling fans
Magical Realism fans
YA horror fans
Stiefvater fans
Bardugo fans
Starling House fans

Do I want to reread this:
No, it pissed me off

Similar books:
* The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater-magical realism, found family, one of my besties is dead, no plot just vibes
* Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo-dark academia, magical realism, my boyfriend’s a demon
* Starling House by Alix E. Harrow-nearly the same book, YA magical realism, Alice retelling, gothic romance, my boyfriend’s going to sacrifice himself to a demon like a dumbass
* Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou-dystopian urban fantasy, YA romance, I’m cursed to kill my boyfriend
* Godly Heathens by H. E. Edgmon-queer YA magical realism, displaced gods
* The Book of Love by Kelly Link-ensemble cast, magical realism, demons want to kill my sister
* The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo-historical magical realism, my boyfriend’s a demon
* Masters of Death by Olivie Blake-ensemble cast, urban fantasy, romantic, my boyfriend made a deal with a demon
* The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young-cozy historical thriller, magical families making everything way harder than it needs to be
* Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs-ensemble cast, magical realism, family drama
* The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi-gothic romance, no plot just vibes
* Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah-YA midwest gothic, magical realism, family drama, plant horror