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achay91's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Blood
chris_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Characters confronting trauma through magical means is my favorite genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, and Car accident
Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Drug use
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
pan_to_ffel's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Child abuse, and Child death
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual assault
madarauchiha's review
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
โค๏ธ ๐งก ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ my about / byf / CW info carrd: https://uchiha-madara.carrd.co/ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐งก โค๏ธ
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.
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
Graphic: Body horror and Homophobia
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Police brutality, and Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism, Police brutality, Rape, and Sexual assault
nytephoenyx's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I think that GHOST WOOD SONG should get some brownie points for being unique and interesting in theory, but as a story, this one failed to draw me in. The characters were closed off, the protagonist succeeded without any true struggles or setbacks, and the descriptions were bare and failed to be immersive. Going in, I was thrilled that this was a ghost story, but that's just its secondary purpose. GHOST WOOD SONG is a story about family and loyalty and any ghosts you find along the way are more tools to drive this purpose than meaningful hauntings.
This is the type of book I'd recommend to someone looking for a book that's a *little* spooky, but not too much. It's a good seasonal read, but it's a bit slow. The tempo doesn't flux and the action never really rose. It's not a book that kept me on the edge of my seat. However, the ghost-raising fiddle was an interesting idea, and I don't think I've ever read a book that sent so much love out to bluegrass, so it has some unique elements going for it. Not for me, but maybe someone else will like it.
This is the type of book I'd recommend to someone looking for a book that's a *little* spooky, but not too much. It's a good seasonal read, but it's a bit slow. The tempo doesn't flux and the action never really rose. It's not a book that kept me on the edge of my seat. However, the ghost-raising fiddle was an interesting idea, and I don't think I've ever read a book that sent so much love out to bluegrass, so it has some unique elements going for it. Not for me, but maybe someone else will like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Infidelity and Child death
Minor: Alcoholism
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