If you are a fan of eerie fantasy stories, you have to read Wake the Bones. The setting is truly something that creeps up on you. At the beginning, I thought, “Okay this is weird, but wait OMG”. And here I am. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
The sleepy little farm that Laurel Early grew up on has awakened. The woods are shifting, the soil is dead under her hands, and her bone pile just stood up and walked away.
After dropping out of college, all she wanted was to resume her life as a tobacco hand and taxidermist and try not to think about the boy she can’t help but love. Instead, a devil from her past has returned to court her, as he did her late mother years earlier. Now, Laurel must unravel her mother’s terrifying legacy and tap into her own innate magic before her future and the fate of everyone she loves is doomed.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: abuse, suicide, drug use, animal death, self-harm, panic attack
Wake the Bones is a book I’ve been intrigued in ever since I saw the cover. Can you blame me? Talk about something that manages to be both gorgeous and unsettling. And that’s kind of the ending vibe of Wake the Bones. This multiple POV debut balances the action and atmosphere with themes about power. Laurel’s returned home, but little does she know that nothing will stay the same. Pretty quickly Wake the Bones becomes haunting – quite literally. But the atmosphere only grows.
It straddles this line between horror and fantasy. Between a world of demons and sacrifices and magic which demands. A magic that rushes over us, pulling us under without our consent, to wash over us. It’s one that hollows us out in what it takes. Returning home, Laurel stumbles back on the drama and dynamics of her friends and this town. But the supernatural won’t let her rest. It’s calling. The multiple POV in Wake the Bones provides almost mini palette cleansers that both illustrate the ways our lives touch others, and our own roles we have to play in this town mystery.
(Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links. For more information you can look at the Policy page. If you’re uncomfortable with that, know you can look up the book on any of the sites below to avoid the link)
Caught between love and our desire to escape, can Laurel save herself and the town? Amidst this thick atmosphere of smothering danger and destruction, can Laurel find her power? The magic of sacrifice to grand dreams and banish nightmares. Wake the Bones is not only full of an eerie sense of danger, it’s also a book that highlights the importance of people who will fight with us and for us. The power we have inside of us and the choices we make of it. Find Wake the Bones on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.