Reviews with content warning for Murder - Ghost Wood Song

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

12 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

abilyeu's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This was an amazing book that had me absolutely enamored once I got past the first quarter of the book, which felt pretty slow.
This book follows the story of Shady Grove, a young girl plagued by family secrets. When the secrets threaten her brother, she races to find her dad's fiddle. Why? Because it can raise ghosts, and she needs to know what happened. She doesn't realize she's getting more than she bargained for by picking up that fiddle....
I loved the character development throughout this book, and I even really enjoyed the addition of love interests. I found most of the characters incredibly endearing, and I'd definitely recommend this book. I could definitely foresee some of the ending coming... but definitely not all!

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

sorin_books27's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious relaxing sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

bookabooroo's review

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This book touched me. It's main character grieves and processes the death of her father with music and a discovery of community, and helped me to do the same. It's has a beautiful ghostly quality. I highly recommend listening to the songs and artists referenced throughout the book as you read - a very cool 4-D story experience I've never enccountered before.

Content Warnings

chris_reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

pan_to_ffel's review

Go to review page

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

birdieblue's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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.

Content Warnings

andatherrin's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

ecn's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

More...