If you love haunted houses, horror stories with legends, and secrets between friends, check out Our Wicked Histories. This YA horror delivers an atmosphere steeped in water, reflections, and haze. It balances a haunting atmosphere and fascinating character dynamics. Keep reading this book review of Our Wicked Histories for my full thoughts.
Summary
There’s something in the lake at Wren Hall.
At least, that’s what the locals say. Not that Meg cares much about the rumors. When she’s asked to spend Halloween weekend at the Ireland retreat of the wealthy Wren twins, she recognizes the invitation for exactly what it her last, and only, chance to save her spot at Greyscott’s, the exclusive British art school she attended on scholarship until last summer. Clever, beautiful, and talented, the twins are the pride of Greyscott’s, and kindhearted Lottie Wren was once Meg’s closest friends. But not anymore.
None of Meg’s old friend group have talked to her since she left school—and they especially don’t talk about the incident that resulted in her suspension. Now, Meg is willing to do whatever it takes to earn their forgiveness.
But Wren Hall turns out to be far from the idyllic country manor Meg was expecting. The house is damp and drafty, the mirrors are all covered, and the weed-choked lake is at the center of legends that haunt the property to this day—a tainted legacy the estate seems unable to shake.
The truth is, people aren’t the only ones who keep secrets. Places can keep them too—and Wren Hall is drowning in them. When the past bleeds into the present and ancient sins rise to the surface, Meg must ask herself how well she really knows her one-time best friends…or whether any of them will survive the weekend.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Our Wicked Histories succeeds in the ways it balance this horror atmosphere and a twisty novel about friendship. The desperation for forgiveness which turns into a powerful motivator. Into a quest for acceptance. I’ll get back to the characters, but I want to talk about the atmosphere. I loved the secrets within Our Wicked Histories and the ways you can feel the haunted home, the secrets hiding in the floorboards, from the first page. There’s this captivating and alluring pull into this house with its ceilings, covered mirrors, and lake.
Immediately there’s this almost cloying feeling of unease. Of not only knowing the legends and the myths, but knowing something else is happening. But back to the characters. Meg’s friendships are at the core of this book. Not only does Our Wicked Histories touch upon the class differences between her and her peers, but also this idea of wanting to be part of a group. The group dynamics in a friendship of envy, love, and obsession. There’s all these unspoken sentences which, as soon as someone is kicked out, re-surface. These hidden feelings and resentments.
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With frequent memories, Our Wicked Histories is about chemistry, obsession, and friendship. (The memories made it a bit hard to keep track of in certain places, but they’re also so necessary!) It’s also about what we would do to belong, to feel accepted. Our Wicked Histories strikes a great balance between the horror in the settings, in the deaths and mysteries, and the characters and their motivations. Find Our Wicked Histories on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.