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

Kelly Andrew's second YA fantasy/romance/horror novel is beautifully written and deeply moving. I went in fairly blind to what this story would be about and I am so glad I did. I had no idea what to expect but I was enthralled at every turn. The story revolves around 3 main characters and POV's in two timelines. In the present, Wyatt returns to her family home after the death of her father to burn the place down, only to find Peter, one of two friends who would visit every summer, still there under, well- let;s just say interesting circumstances. There are many secrets Wyatt discovers about Peter, the farm she grew up on, and the reason for her father's yearly summer event that put the three kids together in the first place. To understand her present, we also get flashbacks to Wyatt's past, growing up and looking forward each year to spending the summer with her two friends while the adults did there thing.

I was impressed with how Andrew was able to weave the tow timelines together to make the reveals she makes at just the right timing. I loved the way this novel examines nostalgia and childhood, with the dissonant memories of their experiences as adults. There is a cruelty to the story that is balanced by a genuine connection and friendship amongst the three main characters that become a family for each other in the midst of being ignored by the adults that should know better. In short, I loved this book and hope others will read it and be just as moved.

OH MY GOD! Kelly Andrew delivers yet again. I was hooked on this book from start to finish, I could not put it down. I loved the little cameos from some familiar faces. The ending made me absolutely bawl. I have said it before and I will say it again, I will read anything that Andrew releases and I can't wait for her next book.

A bit disappointed as I had sky high hopes for this one. I think this book suffers from great-ideas-poor-execution syndrome. Everything was there for a compelling and emotional story, but the pieces just didn’t fit right. I didn’t feel any connection to the characters and when the ending happened, it was expected and left me with little impact. Also, the world building really could have used a little more attention. We don’t know why so much of what happening is happening, or even what certain fantastical creatures are/their motives/etc. beyond “evil.” Wyatt having the perfect magic ready at any point with no reason system/rules/limitation in place, and with no real training, becomes an all powerful witch. It just felt like eve try thing was way too convenient and lacked depth.

arc disclosure
I received an advanced copy of this book to give my honest review. Everything in this review is written in my own words for no other compensation than the e-copy of this book. For more information on my review policy, click here.

intro
This was my first read by Kelly Andrew. I have to admit, the cover immediately drew me in, and then I read the blurb and knew I had to read it. Fantasy? Check. Creepy aesthetic? Check. Friends-to-enemies-to-lovers vibes? Check, check, check!

So, did this book live up to the hype I built up in my head?

thoughts
This book was [mostly] a pleasant surprise. It was wonderfully written with some lovely prose that I greatly enjoyed reading. I love fantasy and paranormal, so the premise of this story was right up my alley.

I’m not really sure what my final thoughts are on this book. I enjoyed it, but it had a few issues. For one, just like some other reviewers have said, I felt like it was too long for the amount of story that was included. I also wish the past and present timelines were a little more clear, because jumping between the two was incredibly confusing.

Peter’s story line was super intriguing, but I wish it’d been more fleshed out. The only answers we got for sure were that he was an immortal and it was because of a deal his dad made. And he was somehow from among the stars, but we have no context of his homeland nor do we understand why his dad made this deal in the first place other than they were starving. But why were they starving? What happened to this “home among the stars?” I think this may be alluding to a super loose inspiration from Peter Pan, but I wish we had a little more answers and some more details so we could understand the motivation better.

bullet points

* the monsters in this book were genuinely creepy and a couple times what I was reading gave me a chill I wasn’t expecting!
* Peter was a walking red flag and I loved it.
* since I didn’t read the first book Kelly wrote, I had no prior attachments to or expectations for Wyatt’s friends and the way they were introduced to this book was kind of jarring. They were just all of the sudden there. Maybe if I’d read the other book, it wouldn’t have felt so out of the blue, I’m not sure.
* this has no merit to the story whatsoever, but this is absolutely one of my favorite covers ever. It’s gorgeous!


final thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed this book as a whole, but I’ve gotta admit…the ending almost ruined it for me. Oftentimes the ending will either make or break a book, and this one kind of broke the book in my opinion. This will not be a re-read. Honestly, if I’d known how the book was going to end, I probably wouldn’t have ever picked it up to begin with. If you have book ending anxiety, I have a spoiler tag below that you can click on. Otherwise, that’s all I’m going to say about it. (I took the spoilers out of this review. If you want to read them, feel free to visit my blog)

The first half of this book was absolutely worth the read and I don’t regret it. The angst, the first love, the will-they/won’t-they, the sort of love-to-hate-back-to-love emotions, the creepy atmosphere, the crazy powers…all of that was great and based on that, I would have thought this book was going to become one of my favorite reads of the year.

Unfortunately…
I keep going between 3 stars or a little higher…because if I were basing my rating purely on the ending, I would’ve given it a 1. This is the kind of ending I hate and avoid like the plague. However, in the end I decided to rate this book as 3 stars, maybe even 3.5, because I did think it was beautifully written, the story as a whole was great, and I hope the author continues to write many more books in the future.
And as always, if this book sounds appealing to you, please do not hesitate to pick it up and read it for yourself. This is simply my own authentic opinion 🙂

Thank you, NetGalley and Kelly Andrew for the e-ARC of this book!
final rating
3.5/5

Kelly truly outdid herself with this one. Has great appeal not only for the teens it was written for but also crossover appeal for adult readers who loved her first book. She continues to impress with strong prose, atmosphere, and characters.

If I could give this novel an infinity amount of stars I would. Wyatt, Pedyr, and James lead the readers through a spine tingling, gut wrenching story of betrayal, hidden secrets, and heart break. Kelly Andrew has crafted a novel full of nostalgic yearning paired with an immersive creepy setting that left me staring into the ether as I tried to wrap my brain around the unpredictable final chapters of the book. You absolutely need this novel in your life.

Dual POV, Found Family, Haunted Forrest, Forced Proximity, Cottagecore Horror

Loved this one! I’m always such a sucker for YA so this one was perfect for me!
Left me wanting more🥰

I was so excited when I received an arc of this one through NetGalley and boy was I even more so once I started reading it! I was entranced from the first page. Wyatt, Peter and James were all such messy, flawed and beautiful characters. I loved their dynamics and I was impressed with the magic system. The ending broke my heart and left me in tears but it was worth every bit of ache to read this story.

The gothic voice in this book is top tier, which shouldn’t be a surprise after her first book, but I’m still blown away by the detail that goes into the language and descriptions.
I was questioning how this story would end until the last page. Just all vibes and suspense for days.

Set in the same universe as the author's 2022 debut, [book:The Whispering Dark|58760656], <i><u>Your Blood, My Bones</u></i> is an atmospheric tale centered around a dark family legacy. It's the author's tribute to times immemorial and the versions of ourselves we leave behind in those memories. It's also deeply haunting and romantic, the gothic/horror vibes even stronger than the author's debut. It is also about deep bonds and lasting friendships, of sacrifice and dark secrets, and a little bit about immortality.

The plot is interesting, although at times horrific, but I definitely stayed for the beautiful, descriptive prose.

So, if you're looking for a paranormal YA romance with gothic/horror vibes, look no further!

I'm looking forward to future works by Kelly Andrew - in her Owlcrate interview, she said that her next book is her most romantic to date yet and is also set in the same universe as [book:The Whispering Dark|58760656] and [book:Your Blood, My Bones|124932778].

This book was a really strong idea with a little bit of a mediocre execution. I loved the setting of Willow Heath and the interesting variety of monsters and hell beasts that crept into it. The magic system was also interesting, but felt very rushed in places. The addition of other magical human(oids) towards the end really threw things for a loop. In addition, Wyatt’s motivations were not always clear and often felt muddled and unrealistic. Overall, this was an ok book, but not one that really blew me away. I would love to see more in this world with a bit more editing and character development to really sell the story.

**Thank you so much Scholastic Press and Kelly Andrew for the arc! All words and thoughts in this review are my own honest opinion!**
Posted to: NetGalley, Goodreads, and The Storygraph
Posted on: 27 April 2024

3.7 (rounded up to4) out of 5 stars.

Phew, okay this took me much too long to get to and even longer still to finish. I feel like if this book had been with me more consistently, I may have been less critical of it? And I say this lightly because it still got 4 stars based off my rating scale, but I have a lot of thoughts floating around about it.

To start, this isn’t my first Kelly Andrew book. I got a copy of ‘The Whispering Dark’ when it first released (I received it through Illumicrate and my sister through OwlCrate so we buddy read it). It was never finished though, and this was before I knew about DNF’ing, book slumps, reading slumps- all that jazz. So when I saw this title and read the bio, I was a little worried about trying another Kelly Andrew book since I hadn’t finished the first one. I’m really glad I read this though, because while I have my qualms about it, it was a really lovely read!

On a more critical note, the characters sometimes had annoying habits. There were also times where they fell a little flat to me or just lacked a little something that would’ve made their role in the story hit *more*.
Another thing was that I think I got lost a bit in the plot? Some things happened that kind of felt awkwardly placed or solutions just given for the sake of finding an out??
Again, it took me longer to read this book than usual, so I feel like I’ll have different opinions on this when I go back to read it and actually finish it in my usual reading time (a week, give or take. Not a whole month..)

What I *loved* about this book was the writing in some places. It was pretty, it was meaningful, it added a little depth to the flatness I found. I saved a lot of quotes from this because there was just *something* about the rotting, about the decay, and how Andrew describes it. The writing style wasn’t one of my favorites, but the things being written were- does that make sense?

Overall, it was a nice read! I did enjoy it, and I did decide to keep my OwlCrate copy of it. I think the magic used was also interesting to me, but at the heart of it, the struggles and the growth of the main cast had me.