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A review by suspensethrill
Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power
2.0
"If it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."
-Matthew 26:39
WOOF. Gather round, children, and listen to the tale of how my most highly anticipated YA release of 2020 ended up being a flippity flop of epic proportions. (Obviously this is a biased opinion, and one woman's trash is another's treasure, so please check out all the positive reviews as mine remains clearly in the minority thus far.)
I've been sitting here for two days trying to organize my thoughts into a somewhat coherent review, and I'm left with a similar, albeit slightly worse feeling as I had upon finishing [b:Wilder Girls|42505366|Wilder Girls|Rory Power|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544204706l/42505366._SY75_.jpg|58031034] last year. Whenever I read books that feature anything along the lines of fantasy, dystopian, or even historical, I'm of the camp that craves detailed atmosphere and character building; the more the better! And while Power is a phenomenal powerhouse of creating elaborate, intriguing ideas and beautifully oppressive atmosphere, I'm not sure the characterization and pacing are up to snuff here.
"Look at you," Gram whispers. She bends down, kisses the back of my head, and she's holding my shoulders so tight that I can feel bruises setting deep under my skin. I don't mind. It's about time love left a mark on me."
In the same vein as the author's debut, [b:Burn Our Bodies Down|52748041|Burn Our Bodies Down|Rory Power|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573588170l/52748041._SX50_SY75_.jpg|72451374] is horror set in a world similar to our own, but gone bad. Margot has lived on her own with her mom for as long as she can remember, and is forbidden to ask questions about her extended family and where they come from. After she finds a clue leading her to her remaining family, Margot runs away to meet her Gram at the Nielsen farm and hopes to find answers to her many questions surrounding her origins. Shortly after arriving in town, there's an incident that introduces disturbing questions that need answering, and the remaining 70% of the book is us following alongside, curious as to what's wrong with this place.
I won't beat around the bush; the only reason I pressed through this book was to find out if my guess, around the 30% mark, of what was going on was correct. Spoiler alert: it was. This could be chalked up to reading more than my fair share of mysteries, but I felt the clue given after the first major event happens only left a small pool of options, especially knowing that this would fall into the supernatural realm and that we would be thrown a red herring or two before the ending. My main concern is that, while there are ample descriptions of this dry and crumbling small town (which I loved), the dialogue is stilted and many characters and plot threads are introduced that either have little to no bearing on the story, or just provide filling repetition. We are briefly told near the beginning of the story that the MC is either a lesbian or bisexual, but then this narrative is all but dropped for the remainder of the story, other than occasionally alluding to some tension between Tess and Margot. Eli is introduced as a staple in Tess's household, and we are constantly lead to wonder whether him and Tess have a relationship beyond friendship, but again this is never really addressed.
The final 80% truly picked up in pacing, and I loved how this played out, but it felt as though all the gore and shock value was spared until this moment, which gave the book as a whole a very "safe" feeling. I think maybe if a less distracted focus had been set on a few elements of the story, and if I had been able to form any sort of connections to the characters rather than reading about them at surface level, this would have been a 4-5 star experience. This is likely where I part ways with Ms. Power, but I sincerely wish her all the best, and I highly recommend you check this one out for yourself and form your own thoughts about this thought provoking read.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
*Content Warning:Murder and gore (some of this is graphic and descriptive near the end, gaslighting, shoplifting, use of an illegal substance (pertains to the overall plot), arson, suicide.
-Matthew 26:39
WOOF. Gather round, children, and listen to the tale of how my most highly anticipated YA release of 2020 ended up being a flippity flop of epic proportions. (Obviously this is a biased opinion, and one woman's trash is another's treasure, so please check out all the positive reviews as mine remains clearly in the minority thus far.)
I've been sitting here for two days trying to organize my thoughts into a somewhat coherent review, and I'm left with a similar, albeit slightly worse feeling as I had upon finishing [b:Wilder Girls|42505366|Wilder Girls|Rory Power|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544204706l/42505366._SY75_.jpg|58031034] last year. Whenever I read books that feature anything along the lines of fantasy, dystopian, or even historical, I'm of the camp that craves detailed atmosphere and character building; the more the better! And while Power is a phenomenal powerhouse of creating elaborate, intriguing ideas and beautifully oppressive atmosphere, I'm not sure the characterization and pacing are up to snuff here.
"Look at you," Gram whispers. She bends down, kisses the back of my head, and she's holding my shoulders so tight that I can feel bruises setting deep under my skin. I don't mind. It's about time love left a mark on me."
In the same vein as the author's debut, [b:Burn Our Bodies Down|52748041|Burn Our Bodies Down|Rory Power|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573588170l/52748041._SX50_SY75_.jpg|72451374] is horror set in a world similar to our own, but gone bad. Margot has lived on her own with her mom for as long as she can remember, and is forbidden to ask questions about her extended family and where they come from. After she finds a clue leading her to her remaining family, Margot runs away to meet her Gram at the Nielsen farm and hopes to find answers to her many questions surrounding her origins. Shortly after arriving in town, there's an incident that introduces disturbing questions that need answering, and the remaining 70% of the book is us following alongside, curious as to what's wrong with this place.
I won't beat around the bush; the only reason I pressed through this book was to find out if my guess, around the 30% mark, of what was going on was correct. Spoiler alert: it was. This could be chalked up to reading more than my fair share of mysteries, but I felt the clue given after the first major event happens only left a small pool of options, especially knowing that this would fall into the supernatural realm and that we would be thrown a red herring or two before the ending. My main concern is that, while there are ample descriptions of this dry and crumbling small town (which I loved), the dialogue is stilted and many characters and plot threads are introduced that either have little to no bearing on the story, or just provide filling repetition. We are briefly told near the beginning of the story that the MC is either a lesbian or bisexual, but then this narrative is all but dropped for the remainder of the story, other than occasionally alluding to some tension between Tess and Margot. Eli is introduced as a staple in Tess's household, and we are constantly lead to wonder whether him and Tess have a relationship beyond friendship, but again this is never really addressed.
The final 80% truly picked up in pacing, and I loved how this played out, but it felt as though all the gore and shock value was spared until this moment, which gave the book as a whole a very "safe" feeling. I think maybe if a less distracted focus had been set on a few elements of the story, and if I had been able to form any sort of connections to the characters rather than reading about them at surface level, this would have been a 4-5 star experience. This is likely where I part ways with Ms. Power, but I sincerely wish her all the best, and I highly recommend you check this one out for yourself and form your own thoughts about this thought provoking read.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
*Content Warning: