Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Ghost Wood Song

it took a while for this book to get going— like, a while— but once it got going i didn’t want to put it down. i wanted to know what happened.

it’s not a book i would pick up a second time, i don’t feel the need to re-read it, but i don’t regret having read it once. it was a good ghost story, it certainly kept you wondering.

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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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.

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margotnelson's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This book was so captivating and atmospheric, the perfect story to get lost in. So many threads weave together and keep you hooked—from dating to murder to family secrets, it's all here. It's dark and sad, dotted with moments of sweetness and characters you quickly get attached to.

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madarauchiha's review

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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.

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nytephoenyx's review

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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.

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