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jjames_mal's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This YA southern gothic follows Shady Grove, as she grieves the death of her father, and figures out her complex feelings both for her best friend Sarah, and Cedar, a dashing cowboy musician. Oh and also her dad left her a fiddle that can summon the dead, which she sure wants to use to prove her brother's innocence after he gets accused of murder, you know casual ya paranormal stuff.
The writing in this book is what really sold it for me. I think it's a general rule that gothics need to be moody and poetic and Erica Waters really delivers. This book also eloquently deals with grief and family, which was really necessary to tell a story like this. Finally, I'm just a sucker for some cool ghost mechanics. I love the ways authors interpret ghosts, and Shady Grove's fiddle was a great fresh take, recommend to all ghost literature enthusiasts.
The writing in this book is what really sold it for me. I think it's a general rule that gothics need to be moody and poetic and Erica Waters really delivers. This book also eloquently deals with grief and family, which was really necessary to tell a story like this. Finally, I'm just a sucker for some cool ghost mechanics. I love the ways authors interpret ghosts, and Shady Grove's fiddle was a great fresh take, recommend to all ghost literature enthusiasts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Suicide
Minor: Infidelity and Confinement
spiritedfaraway's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I read this book in a day or two. It is very atmospheric and I needed to know what was going to happen next. However, there was something, and I think it was the romance aspect of it, that kept bringing me out of the book. I know I say this a lot, but there are just some books I think would be better if the romance was minimized. And this is one of them. It didn't really vibe with the rest of the book, which was a shame. The themes of grief and death and moving on were amazingly done though. I'm definitely going to be checking out the author's other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Drug use and Self harm
This book is very much about grief and moving on from the death of a parent.
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