Erica WatersRessenyes

DNF at 16%
I had pretty high hopes for this book (I mean look at that cover, dangit), but unfortunately, the main character comes off as very juvenile for a college student. I think maybe all the marketing that says this is a "dark academia" book led me to believe that it would be more... intelligent. Which sounds harsh, I know, but really. The atmosphere was there, secret society on a college campus, mysterious death - all good elements that just needed more fine-tuning. I won't even say it takes a long time to get started, even for having read so little, most of the major story elements came into play, but I got so tired of the narrator's voice I couldn't keep going.
Others may find this more enjoyable, but I can't help but give it two stars for that phenomenal let-down.

what about these stories constitutes this as “an anthology of folk horror”? i’m confused. not horrifying, didn’t like this book.

Shady Grove wants nothing more than to be a good enough musician to play in a bluegrass band with her friends, and she wishes her daddy’s fiddle hadn’t drown in the lake with him 5 years ago. It was a special instrument that, when played just right, could call the dead, and there’s a good chance Shady would be able to use it since she already can sense the ghosts all around her in her daddy’s childhood home and in the woods surrounding it. That seems an impossible dream, though, until her stepdad is murdered and her brother is blamed. It’s then that the ghosts start calling her to find her daddy’s fiddle, and she’s determined to do just that so she can use it to find out who really committed the crime. But there’s a reason her family hid the fiddle and lied to her about it – the cost of playing it is higher than she can imagine…

This YA novel has it all: bisexual bluegrass-playing teens, multiple murder mysteries, a fiddle that can raise the dead, and spooky atmosphere for miles. What more could you possibly need in a fall read?! I adored it.½

Tara Boone fought for a place at Corbin College hoping to get into the esteemed Magni Viri academic society which provides a full scholarship. However, Tara isn't accepted and is muddling through college with two jobs and a more practical academic track. When one of Magni Viri's star pupils, Meridith Brown dies unexpectedly, Tara is offered her spot. Tara readily accepts, with tuition and board fully covered, Tara no longer has to work and gets to move into Denfeld Hall with the rest of the Magni Viri students. Now, with an automatic friend group and a semi-creepy initiation ceremony, Tara finally feels accepted. She also has a lot more time to work on her writing. Tara begins writing in the middle of the night, in a haze, she barely remembers what she wrote; if it wasn't in her own handwriting, she wouldn't believe it. The writing also seems a lot more like Meredith's writing than her own. Tara begins to believe that she is being haunted by Meredith's ghost and is being forced to finish her story. As Tara learns more about Magni Viri and its members, she discovers something more disturbing about its membership and decides she must free herself from its grasp.

All That Consumes Us is an atmospheric, gothic story set within a college secret society. I was pulled in by the mystery of Magni Viri and their consistency in producing outstanding students. Tara's character is at a point where she is desperate while being resourceful and diligent, making her a perfect target for Magni Viri's deeds. The writing builds the tension slowly as a student dies and Tara finally finds her place and her goals begin to seem realistic, but things simply don't seem right with the students of Magni Viri, their accomplishments or the novella Tara is writing. As Tara continues in Magni Viri, obsession seems to overtake her and she is not herself. The feeling of wanting what you can't have along with slipping from reality permeates Tara as well as Denfield Hall. The quote "...some of the dead don't sleep. They don't rest. They rise up from their graves to steal hours from the living," summarizes the atmosphere. I was really interested in the story that Tara was writing and would have loved to have more history behind that as well as the beginning of Magni Viri. I would have also loved to see some of Tara's writing when she wasn't under the influence and how she infused the emotions she experienced into her craft. Overall, a queer, gothic, ghostly coming of age story with amazing characters.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book! I thought the characters were interesting, and it had a tense, suspenseful and spooky vibe. I did think the romance was poorly done, but overall I did enjoy it. I would recommend for fans of dark YA.

holy shit I finally finished a book. I knew as soon as I started reading this that it would be exactly what I wanted. It's beautiful and haunting and so well done.

3.5/5½

I really enjoyed this- usually I’m skeptical of books over 300 pages, but the author wrote side stories that I was invested in. I actually cared for the characters and wanted to know what would happen and how. I thought it was legit creepy too, and loved how the Frank and Jim story wrapped up, showing that anger and fury can last a lifetime- and maybe beyond. But she shows that with love as well.

These stories were not folk horror. It felt like a was reading short stories that were written with little thought and whipped out as quickly as possible. Couldn't finish it.

Do I need an entire collection with stories that had massive potential but were ruined by ridiculous YA writing and a plethora of ''let's push our agendas'' messages?

No,I don't.

Rochelle, Natasha’s older sister, is missing and when her vehicle is found abandoned on the edge of a local nature preserve, Natasha’s loss turns to burning anger (that is just about borderline psychotic) when the case goes cold. She takes it upon herself to play detective (cue the eyeroll people) and appears at the door of Della, a witch whose family has channeled magic from the Bend for generations, providing spells for the desperate and vengeful. Unbeknownst to Natasha, the witch thinks she knows the beast who’s responsible for the disappearance—mommy dearest, who was turned into a terrible monster by magic gone wrong that also led to the gruesome murder of her Aunt Sage.

Now with a synopsis such as that, you would think I would love this instantaneous, right?

Eh'nt! You're wrong.

Natasha ruined this for me.

She was aggressive, confrontational, entitled and fixated on her missing sister's boyfriend who she believed was responsible for Rochelle's disappearance. Characters like her usually lures me away and destroy most to all books for me. She didn't have any redeemable qualities and she was a down right bitch. I just couldn't find anything remotely likable about her which is a shame because when I read the blurb I was more than excited to read about queer witches, magic, and monsters with a mystery thriller twist. And spoiler alert: can we talk about how when dumb dumb went to Della to ask if she can teach her how to become a witch so she could force Jake to admit he killed her sister and was a serial killer (far-fetched idea she claimed was true), why did Natasha 'magical powers' come out of the woodwork at that very moment when we reached the halfway point? There was no hint at all she could wield magic nor did Della pick up on it. That whole scenario had me scratching my head and at that very moment, I came to realize I just didn't have the willpower to read this anymore.

Della, Miles and Ruby (mother) even her father (not mentioned as far as I recall) were the only standouts of this YA novel and I really like their dysfunctional family dynamic and background story as to what led Della's mother to be locked away. Unfortunately as the story progressed and the more Natasha appeared, I found it difficult to immerse myself in this novel because she is everything I hate in a character and since she is one of the main two, the enjoyment I once had for this started to slowly shimmer.

All in all, if Natasha wasn't there I would have been all over this book. Plus I know for a fact that if I had reached the romance portion of this, I would have surely been gagging. Della and Natasha were total opposites and there was a huge huge lack of chemistry and a strong connection. Their relationship would've been unbelievable and lackluster at best.

Nonetheless the build up and the author's writing style was up my alley so I will definitely read more from her again as long as there aren't any more Natashas or characters similar to her in any of her future works.

This was a highly anticipated read for me this year, and it did not disappoint! First things first. The cover. Absolutely frickin’ gorgeous. It captures the story’s intrigue and grit without being overwhelming or childish. I was swooning the moment I set eyes on it.

Secondly – the story itself. Ghost Wood Song is Erica Waters’ debut novel, classified as a young adult fantasy with LGBT elements. Couple that with an interesting book summary, and you get high expectations from me, myself, and I. Waters took my expectations, blew them out of the water and sent them to outer space, I was that impressed with this book.

Shady Grove is the main character in this story, a teenager who, like her deceased father, can summon ghosts with his fiddle. This inevitably leads to trouble down the road, but she must use these skills to help try to clear the name of her brother, who’s gotten himself into a spot of “accused of murder” issues. This is an incredibly atmospheric and gritty book, the haunting lyricism of the story winding a suspenseful and compelling tale that you just. can’t. put. down.

No matter how much we like each other, sometimes it’s not enough to want to be together.

The book is filled with nostalgia, music, and teenage angst that feels relevant and real, and doesn’t consume the story or become Shady’s identity. Waters drops solid advice and words of wisdom to the reader, which is relevant to ALL ages and made the book feel universal at times. That was probably my second favorite part of the book – the teenage elements were never the main focus of the story. They were introduced naturally, and pulled the reader along without taking away from the main plot.

Bluegrass lyrics are almost always about death, loss, and unrequited love, but the music – the noise we make with our banjos and our fiddles – is joyful. The dead are always with us, even after their ghosts move on, but it’s the life pulsing through our veins that makes the music.

My most favorite part of the story though was how central music was. As a musician myself, I was utterly absorbed in how thoroughly music was integrated into the lives of each character; it moved the plot forward in the best way, and it reignited my love of bluegrass with a fierce passion. Coupled with the lyrical nature of the storytelling and the vivid depictions of the environment, and it transported me directly into the story.

When it comes down to it, this was a solid book with a dynamic cast and imaginative setting. I would 100% recommend this to anyone interested in ghosts, music, and Southern Gothic themes.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An intricate story about family bonds and the ghosts of the past. Family intrigue at its finest, a sister trying to save her brother from murder charges. Experience adolescent relationships in all their messy detail. I can’t wait to read more of her books in the future!

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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This is what evil is - not some unnatural force, not demons or devils. It's this right here - a man clinging so hard to hate it's worth dying for.

It happened again. A book I'll happily recommend to people if they want a spooky, powerful little story, but sadly I don't love it for myself :') I'm really into all the themes it worked with, especially the more complex side of anger and grief, as I don't see that very often. Nor do I read about this corner of Florida with bluegrass, trailer parks, twanging accents, and cowboy boots. That was very different and felt so oddly cozy even in a relatively tense and scary story. The immersion was absolutely top-notch.

But it felt like there just wasn't enough plot for nearly 400 pages. It dragged its feet so much and so weirdly conveniently, that by halfway through I was certain we had to be near the end. The multiple secret reveals felt repetitive rather than complex and intertwined. I just got a little tired.

Regardless. For the setting and the emotional heft alone, recommend it.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I got through NetGalley to review.

Story (4/5): When Shady’s brother is accused of killing her stepfather, Shady is determined to prove her brother’s innocence. To do this she decides to track down her father’s missing fiddle and see if she can call her stepfather’s ghost to her. This was an engaging story with a well done murder mystery as the main driver. Shady’s ability to use her father’s cursed fiddle to call ghosts to her adds a supernatural aspect to the story.

Characters (4/5): I enjoyed Shady and the characters surrounding her. They are all a bit damaged and all trying to eke out a living in poor rural Texas. The majority of the characters are trying to make the best of a non-ideal situation. While I wasn’t particularly drawn to any of them, I did enjoy reading about them...kind of like people are drawn to gape at any disaster in the making. Shady is bi-sexual and this is discussed quite a bit, there is a bit of a love triangle between Shady her best friend Sarah and a boy in another band in town.

Setting (4/5): The book was set in a poor rural Texan town. The setting was fine and did drive some aspects of the story background.

Writing Style (4/5): This book was well written and very easy to read. I had no issues staying engaging in the story and was curious as to how the mystery would play out up until the very end of the story. The whole story is told from Shady’s perspective.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was an easy read that was engaging and had some intriguing supernatural elements to it. The mystery really drives the story and keeps the reader engaged. I like that there was so much in here about playing music as well. While I didn’t love this, I did like it, and thought the way the supernatural aspects were tied to both music and a murder mystery was unique.