lisashelves's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
laroris's review against another edition
2.0
I had very high hopes for this book, not only because I liked Wilder girls so much, but also because this one sounded even more like my type of thing. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this very much. I was bored through most of it and for a book that’s pitched as a horror novel I didn’t find it very horrifying. I don’t think the characters were meant to be very likable so that didn’t bother me. What took the rating down all the way to a two-star was ultimately the ending witch I just didn’t like at all. All in all, I am disappointed but will continue to pick up Rory Power’s books in the future.
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
1.0
Disclaimer: I received this audiobook from netgalley and the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Burn Our Bodies Down
Author: Rory Power
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 1/5
Diversity: lesbian main character
Recommended For...: horror fans, young adult lovers
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: YA Horror
Recommended Age: 16+ (language, gaslighting, slight romance/sexual content, gore, violence, death)
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 352
Synopsis: Ever since Margot was born, it’s been just her and her mother. No answers to Margot’s questions about what came before. No history to hold on to. No relative to speak of. Just the two of them, stuck in their run-down apartment, struggling to get along.
But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Pointing her home. Only, when Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for.
Margot’s mother left for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what’s still there?
The only thing Margot knows for sure is there’s poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she’s there, she might never escape.
Review: This was literally the worst book I read in 2020. The book was horribly paced and the build up to the book took 80% to get to. There was no horror moments, the subplot was too on-the-nose, and the book spent too much time on useless dialogue than on making a creepy atmosphere. The conclusion was lackluster and I literally begged people for the ending to avoid listening to this book anymore. The author should have focused her time in creating the atmosphere and in creating moments that show the true twist at the end instead of it all coming out at the last 20% of the book. I will say that the narrator did great with the book and did great to try to create the missing creepy atmosphere, but she couldn’t carry the weight of the book that the author dumped on her.
Verdict: It needed a lot of work.
Book: Burn Our Bodies Down
Author: Rory Power
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 1/5
Diversity: lesbian main character
Recommended For...: horror fans, young adult lovers
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: YA Horror
Recommended Age: 16+ (language, gaslighting, slight romance/sexual content, gore, violence, death)
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 352
Synopsis: Ever since Margot was born, it’s been just her and her mother. No answers to Margot’s questions about what came before. No history to hold on to. No relative to speak of. Just the two of them, stuck in their run-down apartment, struggling to get along.
But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Pointing her home. Only, when Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for.
Margot’s mother left for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what’s still there?
The only thing Margot knows for sure is there’s poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she’s there, she might never escape.
Review: This was literally the worst book I read in 2020. The book was horribly paced and the build up to the book took 80% to get to. There was no horror moments, the subplot was too on-the-nose, and the book spent too much time on useless dialogue than on making a creepy atmosphere. The conclusion was lackluster and I literally begged people for the ending to avoid listening to this book anymore. The author should have focused her time in creating the atmosphere and in creating moments that show the true twist at the end instead of it all coming out at the last 20% of the book. I will say that the narrator did great with the book and did great to try to create the missing creepy atmosphere, but she couldn’t carry the weight of the book that the author dumped on her.
Verdict: It needed a lot of work.
burstnwithbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this a lot more than I expected - for some reason, I had the impression that this was a boring contemporary. I can assure you that it definitely has the usual Rory Power weirdness, and I did quite enjoy it. I didn't like it as much as Wilder Girls, but the writing was still fantastic in this book, and it was a super unique premise. I'm excited to pick up anything Rory Power writes in the future!
rose_android97's review
- 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
4.0
caitlynischeckedout's review
3.0
This had potential but for me, it didn’t really do enough to leave a long lasting impression on me.
I think the way the family relationships and dynamics are written is really well done- they’re heavy and do not beat around the bush. The writing style is also beautiful and a bit poetic and I did really enjoy that.
The pacing of this is slow though. It feels like it takes forever to find anything out and at times it was frustrating how little the main character was able to know. Especially when she would talk to people and they would admit they know the truth, they just don’t want to tell her.
Ive also seen this tagged as an LGBTQ+ book and I’m not really sure it should have that tag. The main character mentions liking girls, but no relationships are ever truly formed so if you went into it looking for a LGBTQ+ relationship, I think you would be disappointed with the outcome.
I found this an interesting concept, and I think I would try another of Rory Powers’ books in the future, this one just didn’t wow me.
If you like complicated mother-daughter dynamics, body horror, and don’t mind a slower mystery I would still recommend it.
I think the way the family relationships and dynamics are written is really well done- they’re heavy and do not beat around the bush. The writing style is also beautiful and a bit poetic and I did really enjoy that.
The pacing of this is slow though. It feels like it takes forever to find anything out and at times it was frustrating how little the main character was able to know. Especially when she would talk to people and they would admit they know the truth, they just don’t want to tell her.
Ive also seen this tagged as an LGBTQ+ book and I’m not really sure it should have that tag. The main character mentions liking girls, but no relationships are ever truly formed so if you went into it looking for a LGBTQ+ relationship, I think you would be disappointed with the outcome.
I found this an interesting concept, and I think I would try another of Rory Powers’ books in the future, this one just didn’t wow me.
If you like complicated mother-daughter dynamics, body horror, and don’t mind a slower mystery I would still recommend it.
frostyreadsss's review against another edition
2.25
2.25 or 2.5 stars I think
This book was really confusing, I don't know if it was the actual book or the fact that this was my first ever audiobook. I normally don't listen to audiobooks because I have (undiagnosed) adhd and get distracted easy.
However, even though I was confused the entire time, I still wanted to continue and find out what happened... I can definitely guarentee that the ending was shocking, but also what the hell was going on.
I might have to give the book a second chance so I can read it in paperback, might like it more afterwards but who knows.
This book was really confusing, I don't know if it was the actual book or the fact that this was my first ever audiobook. I normally don't listen to audiobooks because I have (undiagnosed) adhd and get distracted easy.
However, even though I was confused the entire time, I still wanted to continue and find out what happened... I can definitely guarentee that the ending was shocking, but also what the hell was going on.
I might have to give the book a second chance so I can read it in paperback, might like it more afterwards but who knows.
zackarinareads's review against another edition
4.0
This book is about families, cornfields, loneliness, small towns and... things that are just a bit off.
The protagonist Margot lives alone with her mother who never talks about any other part of her family, so one day she decides to run away to her Grandma's farm. Shortly after she arrives there is a fire near the farm that kills a girl, who looks just like Margot...
The tension builds up much more slowly than in [a:Rory Power|17203508|Rory Power|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1544153828p2/17203508.jpg]'s debut "[b:Wilder Girls|42505366|Wilder Girls|Rory Power|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544204706l/42505366._SY75_.jpg|58031034]" and it doesn't get really dramatic until about 3/4 in. Before that the books takes it's time to establish an eerie atmosphere and develop the characters and the relationship between them. The author emphasizes the unhealthy aspects of the relationship between Margot and her mum a lot which kind of drags it in the middle but it didn't bother me too much.
Parts of the book felt like a murder mystery but in the end, it definitely tips into the horror territory, so if you're easily scared this book will probably not be for you if you can handle horror (or are just unreasonably unaffected by it, like me), I recommend it!
The protagonist Margot lives alone with her mother who never talks about any other part of her family, so one day she decides to run away to her Grandma's farm. Shortly after she arrives there is a fire near the farm that kills a girl, who looks just like Margot...
The tension builds up much more slowly than in [a:Rory Power|17203508|Rory Power|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1544153828p2/17203508.jpg]'s debut "[b:Wilder Girls|42505366|Wilder Girls|Rory Power|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544204706l/42505366._SY75_.jpg|58031034]" and it doesn't get really dramatic until about 3/4 in. Before that the books takes it's time to establish an eerie atmosphere and develop the characters and the relationship between them. The author emphasizes the unhealthy aspects of the relationship between Margot and her mum a lot which kind of drags it in the middle but it didn't bother me too much.
Parts of the book felt like a murder mystery but in the end, it definitely tips into the horror territory, so if you're easily scared this book will probably not be for you if you can handle horror (or are just unreasonably unaffected by it, like me), I recommend it!
eviegomez's review against another edition
2.0
Huh. I really don’t know how to formulate my thoughts on this one, it just felt way too bizarre and disjointed for me. I read it almost all in one sitting but at a certain point I just kept going to see if my guess on the ending was correct (spoiler alert: it was and it was much too easy to guess).
Also I feel awkward that i’ve seen it listed on f/f lists because though the main character is a lesbian and there are a couple of scenes between her and another character that I suppose could count as “tension” (though not really in my opinion) nothing happened at all in that regard and I was supremely sad to see how Tess’ “storyline” ended too. [Redacted] after being forced into a terrible sudden impossible pregnancy trope? Not what I want to be reading in 2020!
I will probably be in the minority here, but this was just a big disappointment and I hardly saw the horror aspect of it either and should have definitely been pitched as magical realism instead.
Also I feel awkward that i’ve seen it listed on f/f lists because though the main character is a lesbian and there are a couple of scenes between her and another character that I suppose could count as “tension” (though not really in my opinion) nothing happened at all in that regard and I was supremely sad to see how Tess’ “storyline” ended too. [Redacted] after being forced into a terrible sudden impossible pregnancy trope? Not what I want to be reading in 2020!
I will probably be in the minority here, but this was just a big disappointment and I hardly saw the horror aspect of it either and should have definitely been pitched as magical realism instead.