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monarchsandmyths's review against another edition
4.0
thank you to tantor audio and netgalley for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.
What do you get when you mix Dracula, Once Upon a Broken Heart, and The Honeys, all in a 90s gothic horror novel? This book. Vampires and other strange phenomena plague the idyllic town of Glen Hills, and then 4 teenagers go missing, including our main character Aja's sister. She too will be lured into the direwood, with a week to leave or stay with the alluring vampire forever, til death do them part.
This book is both brutal and made of the inherent softness and heart of being a teenager, all clad in a velvet gothic 90s setting. I wanted to shake Aja for falling for a vampire, albeit not necessarily in the typical boy meets girl infatuation, and yet you can understand her. There are things she doesn't understand, her brash stance of being different leading her to believe that she's alone in that. At its core, DIREWOOD feels like a story about being boxed into people's idea of you, and clawing out of that by any means possible. All with a healthy dose of bug-based body horror.
Though the plot is linear it also strangely feels out of sorts, time becoming warped while reading it. It's a relatively simplistic plot and storyline, all coming together in what I would consider a relatively satisfying ending. Not happily ever after, but as close as reality can get.
Specifically regarding the narration, I largely enjoy any work that Cindy Kay does, providing distinct characters throughout. There were a few times that slowed down when there wasn't an active horror element, but altogether a good listening experience.
If you like horror, want to reminisce about some very specific parts of the 90s, or want a book about discovering yourself and others via vampiric ritual and at-times gruesome body horror, DIREWOOD is definitely worth checking out.
What do you get when you mix Dracula, Once Upon a Broken Heart, and The Honeys, all in a 90s gothic horror novel? This book. Vampires and other strange phenomena plague the idyllic town of Glen Hills, and then 4 teenagers go missing, including our main character Aja's sister. She too will be lured into the direwood, with a week to leave or stay with the alluring vampire forever, til death do them part.
This book is both brutal and made of the inherent softness and heart of being a teenager, all clad in a velvet gothic 90s setting. I wanted to shake Aja for falling for a vampire, albeit not necessarily in the typical boy meets girl infatuation, and yet you can understand her. There are things she doesn't understand, her brash stance of being different leading her to believe that she's alone in that. At its core, DIREWOOD feels like a story about being boxed into people's idea of you, and clawing out of that by any means possible. All with a healthy dose of bug-based body horror.
Though the plot is linear it also strangely feels out of sorts, time becoming warped while reading it. It's a relatively simplistic plot and storyline, all coming together in what I would consider a relatively satisfying ending. Not happily ever after, but as close as reality can get.
Specifically regarding the narration, I largely enjoy any work that Cindy Kay does, providing distinct characters throughout. There were a few times that slowed down when there wasn't an active horror element, but altogether a good listening experience.
If you like horror, want to reminisce about some very specific parts of the 90s, or want a book about discovering yourself and others via vampiric ritual and at-times gruesome body horror, DIREWOOD is definitely worth checking out.
ainun_farhan_zahra's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you so much @netgalley , catherineyuwrites and @tbrbeyondtours for the ARC❤️!
Direwood is a bit different than what I usually read, which is why I was highly excited about it. That and also because I'm MAD about vampires. Aren't they super cool?
I loved the creepy setting, the gradual building up of suspense and navigating through Aja's mindset, how confined she felt in that little town next to her perfectionist sister, a place where she was viewed as an outsider for having Asian roots.
The complexities in relationships always piques my interest in any kinds of books and Direwood was not exceptional. I loved reading about Aja's internal turmoil, how her impression of others were proven false. In her mind, they were living their best lives but reality is what we see with our own eyes might not be true all the time.
On the downside, there were times when the narration felt repetitive and too slow but Catherine's brilliant storytelling undoubtedly makes up for it. As a debut author, she did an amazing job and I would look forward to reading her future novels. Recommended.
Direwood is a bit different than what I usually read, which is why I was highly excited about it. That and also because I'm MAD about vampires. Aren't they super cool?
I loved the creepy setting, the gradual building up of suspense and navigating through Aja's mindset, how confined she felt in that little town next to her perfectionist sister, a place where she was viewed as an outsider for having Asian roots.
The complexities in relationships always piques my interest in any kinds of books and Direwood was not exceptional. I loved reading about Aja's internal turmoil, how her impression of others were proven false. In her mind, they were living their best lives but reality is what we see with our own eyes might not be true all the time.
On the downside, there were times when the narration felt repetitive and too slow but Catherine's brilliant storytelling undoubtedly makes up for it. As a debut author, she did an amazing job and I would look forward to reading her future novels. Recommended.
miyu1339's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
the_resistance_book_club's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
reading_beyond_the_book_cover's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
theb00kcryptid's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? No
3.5
Not bad, as a 90s kid I did love those 90s references but I needed more backstory for like, everyone and everything
enne_deali's review against another edition
4.0
okay. here's the review.
this book was.... interesting. im so surprised i didnt hate it. like i think all of you guys would hate it, because it's just one of those books but tbh, i kind of liked it.
it was the first human/vampire romance book thingy i've read and it was so weird, but why did i not hate it? maybe it was just the way it was written. idk. i think if it was written any differently, i would have HATED it.
but i didnt. i dont know how to explain it.
no, i would not recommend it. not because i didnt like it, but because im pretty sure you wont.
okay bye bye!!!
this book was.... interesting. im so surprised i didnt hate it. like i think all of you guys would hate it, because it's just one of those books but tbh, i kind of liked it.
it was the first human/vampire romance book thingy i've read and it was so weird, but why did i not hate it? maybe it was just the way it was written. idk. i think if it was written any differently, i would have HATED it.
but i didnt. i dont know how to explain it.
no, i would not recommend it. not because i didnt like it, but because im pretty sure you wont.
okay bye bye!!!
lipah's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
indigodrag0n's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Blood