I could not stop reading I’ll Make a Spectacle of You. This consistently had me guessing where Zora’s story would go. There’s so much to unpack, but the pacing and the plot of this one keeps unspooling. Keep reading this book review of I’ll Make a Spectacle of You for my full thoughts.
Summary
Zora Robinson is an ambitious grad student at her dream program, the Appalachian Studies at Bricksbury university. When her thesis advisor suggests she research the local folklore about a beast roaming the woods surrounding campus, Zora finds a local population uneager to talk to an outsider.
As she delves into the history of the beast, she uncovers a rumored secret society called the Keepers that has tenuous ties to the beast…and Bricksbury itself. Zora soon finds herself plagued by visions, and her grip on reality starts to slip as she struggles to uncover what is real and what is folklore. But when a student goes missing, Zora starts to wonder if the Keepers ever really disbanded.
There’s something in the woods and it has its eyes on Zora.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I’ll Make a Spectacle of You had me guessing the whole time. While it’s very much an urban fantasy, there’s this air of mystery for the reader. We aren’t sure what is happening with the missing students and this new campus group. There’s almost an investigative angle to the story. Even more so, I’ll Make a Spectacle of You is one of those books where you have to trust the author. There are pieces clicking into place that you aren’t even sure about until the picture comes together. That’s what I mean about the mystery. I’ll Make a Spectacle of You is multilayered and expansive. It’s about how sacrifices are born out of need and desperation until they take on a life of their own.
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The past is uncovered from moss and vines with research, shrouded secrets, and a past which is being hidden from view. The speculative fiction build up is matched by the action which crescendos into a wave. Throughout we witness the speculative tinged glasses on family conflicts, questions of desire, and compromises. While there were moments it almost lost me because of the threads I lost, I ended up enjoying the ending movements. I’ll Make a Spectacle of You has to be trusted. Find I’ll Make a Spectacle of You on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.