Book Review | Wake the Bones

Laurel wanted nothing more than to escape her past, but following her mother’s death, the sleepy little family farm that she grew up on has awakened. The woods are restless and bones are walking.

Now Laurel must try and unravel her mother’s secrets before they doom everyone she loves.

Wake the Bones by Elizabeth Kilcoyne is a sweltering southern gothic in the vein of Ghost Wood Song or Summer Sons, delving into themes of grief, family, and loss.

What I loved most was how vividly atmospheric the story was. You can practically feel the Kentucky heat, and the nightmare-inducing woods and undead deer almost reminded me of Hannibal.

I understand this is a debut novel, and I definitely think the story’s flow could have been improved. The story changes POVs sometimes mid-scene even though all the same characters were in the same room. This felt disorienting to me since it would take a page or two for me to finally figure out who’s head I was in. Honestly, I wish there had been a character's name under the chapter headers or the POVs had switched less often.

My biggest gripe though is not with the story itself but in how it was marketed. This book is published under a young adult imprint, but it feels much more like new adult or adult since Laura is a college dropout. The main friend group are all 18+ and are explicitly referred to as adults throughout the story. Honestly, I feel what issues they are dealing with would be more relatable to an audience in their 20s or 30s.

Technicalities aside, this book still delivered in the creepy department.

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : July 12, 2022

Publisher : Wednesday Books

IBSN : 1250790824

Pages : 320

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