Burn Our Bodies Down
Burn Our Bodies Down
Author: Rory Power
Published: July 7, 2020
352 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
Ever since Margot was born, it’s been just her and her mother. No answers to Margot’s questions about what came before. No history to hold on to. No relative to speak of. Just the two of them, stuck in their run-down apartment, struggling to get along.
But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Pointing her home. Only, when Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for.
Margot’s mother left for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what’s still there?
The only thing Margot knows for sure is there’s poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she’s there, she might never escape.
Kim’s Review:
I loved Wilder Girls. This one, not so much. While a lot seemed to happen, I felt like I couldn’t get into it. I kept getting distracted by everything else that was happening around me. I didn’t feel very connected to Margot. I really didn’t like her mom. I get that the emotions were supposed to be high and strained, but I felt uncomfortable and exhausted after reading one conversation between Margot and her mom. Normally I like all those raging feelings, but in this case, it wasn’t pleasant at all. While the mystery of the Nielsen family was kinda intriguing, I didn’t like that I didn’t learn really anything until the very end. Normally a mystery will give you little bits as you go along, but this one didn’t. I did guess a part of the resolution, but even then, the ending wasn’t very satisfying. I liked how most of the plot was tied up and explained, it just felt like such a struggle to get there!
I think I would only recommend this book to certain people, but unfortunately, I can’t really recommend it to the general public. I wanted so badly to love this book, I just didn’t.
Purchase Links:
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Jessica’s Thoughts on Wilder Girls
Wilder Girls
Author: Rory Power
Published: July 9, 2019
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: February 10-23, 2020
Jessica’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty’s life out from under her.
It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don’t dare wander outside the school’s fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.
But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there’s more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.
Jessica’s Review:
This is one that Kim read last year and I was curious because of her review, and my library finally received it on audiobook. The premise intrigued me, but the book did not really deliver for me. Instead of being pulled into a situation that is going on 18 months, I would have liked the story from the beginning. I really enjoy books with chaos and I am sure that’s how the beginning of the Tox went.
I just was not attached to any of the girls and really did not care what happened to them. But some of what happens is frightening and definitely not for everyone. Towards the very end I became interested in the story, but that was too far gone.
This was not a bad novel, just not for me.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Author: Rory Power
Published: July 9, 2019
353 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty’s life out from under her.
It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don’t dare wander outside the school’s fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.
But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there’s more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.
Kim’s Review:
This. Cover. I am so in love, I can’t even tell you. And now that I’ve read the book, I love it even more. There’s a girls school on an island; that should be enough for y’all to realize that I was hooked pretty fast. Everything started quickly and the sickness has zombie like qualities, but with a new twist. There was plenty of tension, conspiracy and mystery. I actually hope that there’s a second book coming because I’d love to learn more. My only issue is the hypocrisy of Hetty at the very end. She ends up doing exactly what she accuses others of doing. However, the story itself completely outweighs any problems that arise. This reminds me of a condensed version of The Girl with All the Gifts. It’s actually in my top ten so far for this year. This would be a great one for trying to get teens to read. I absolutely recommend it to most people!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK