Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Ghost Wood Song

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

4 reviews

henrygravesprince's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Two things before I get into my thoughts on the book itself. Firstly, I do want to say that I feel like this book was kind of shallow in its portrayal of Orlando, a Cuban boy who is supposed to be the protagonist’s best friend (but barely gets any screentime), and it comes across as tokenizing or box-checking instead of an actual effort to represent Cuban people well or accurately. The white lady narrating the audiobook putting on the particular accent she did for Orlando’s dialogue only made it seem worse, I’m afraid. Second thing: I understand why people call this Appalachian—it deals a lot with Appalachian folk songs, doesn’t frequently mention location, and lots of people see Appalachia and the rural south as synonymous—but it’s worth noting that this takes place in Florida, so while this is a rural American south story, to call it an Appalachian book isn’t entirely accurate. Also, worth noting: the audiobook narrator says Appalachia wrong.

Now, those things aside, I found this book to be an interesting examination of addiction and cycles of trauma through a Southern folk magicky sort of lense. I also found the usage of some Southern Gothic elements in a YA sort of reskin really interesting; the book does not “feel” Southern Gothic, and I wouldn’t really class it as that genre, but it does a good job of incorporating elements such as the representation of society through individuals through the setting and complex Southern family dynamics, unearthing family secrets and trauma to put them to rest once and for all. I’m curious to see where the author’s style developed from this debut and if it continues in that trajectory or not.

Also, spoilers ahead, but for anyone interested in reading this but the love triangle resolution is important to the decision, the protagonist, Shady (who is bisexual), does end up with

the boy and the sapphic love interest ends up with a different girl (their sexualities are not specified but at least one of them is implied to be a lesbian)

Content Warnings

megelizabeth's review

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

This didn't end up being quite what I was expecting, but it was surprising in the best way. It's overwhelmingly a story about grief, family, trauma, and sacrifice, with elements of mystery and magic, and it really captivated me. It's beautifully-written with a wonderfully strong atmosphere, and I adored the sibling and family relationships. I liked the romance too, and I appreciated the backstory around the protagonist's previous 'almost' relationship and the depth that this adds to the developing romantic plot. I also really loved the threat that music weaves throughout the story and the way it ultimately reflects the redemption occurring. There's a lot going on in this book, but it doesn't feel like too much (although it's definitely heavy just because of the subject matter, so do be warned), and I'm really glad that I read it.

Content Warnings

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book is atmospheric in just the right ways. The premise drew me in right away, with music and ghosts and a mystery at the heart of the story. For me, this is what carries the story. Waters excels at writing this world and pulling the reader into this southern gothic mystery.

However, I felt like the story itself got a little muddy in the middle of the book. There is a fairly large cast of characters, and many of the side characters aren't fully developed. I wanted to see more from Shady and her friends, to help flesh out the story a little more.

Content Warnings

madarauchiha's review

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad slow-paced

Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 my about / byf / CW info carrd: https://uchiha-madara.carrd.co/ 💜 💙 💚 💛 🧡 ❤️

minor emetophobia, child death, child abuse, death, suicide,

medium teen pregnancy, classism, snakes, drug dealing, possession, insects, marital infidelity, car crash, discussion of off screen rape attempt, lesbophobia,

major repeat unreality, insects, body horror,

Note: two mention of nooses. Not in a anti black racist context, per se.

Notes: the main female character is bisexual and not lesbian. This is not a lesbian or wlw romance at all. There is lesbian romance but it's post relationship and in the background. All the characters are white except for some token browns. One token brown has an abuelita that warns him about magic and is also somehow a bruja? Wow gee what rep / sarcasm. It was not diverse beyond a three white gay children.

It was ok. The writing was acceptable and pretty at times. There's some decent quotes if you wanna make lil gifs or graphics for your social medias. Nothing to write home about really. The plot was ok. I could kinda guess what was happening before it happened. It's a very basic YA novel.

Content Warnings

More...