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Burn Our Bodies Down

Rory Power (Goodreads Author)

3.64 · Rating details · 5,296 ratings · 1,767 reviews

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Wilder Girls comes a new twisty thriller about a girl whose past has always been a mystery—until she decides to return to her mother’s hometown . . . where history has a tendency to repeat itself.

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 ...more

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ebook, 352 pages

Published July 7th 2020 by Delacorte Press

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Jan 28, 2020 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it it was amazing

Check out my instagram to see my dance moves with this book! 💃🏻📚😂

I’m seeing the stars! THIS IS…. THIS BOOK… THIS STORY… THI…TH…T… I lost the words! Please somebody tell me my lines! Oh boy, weklcjoj4ffejewoi! Oh no, I lost my cognitive skills! I lost my brain! I lost my mind! I lost my mouth! Oh no, how can drink wine without my mouth? Who is talking now? Did I become a ventriloquist? WHAT THE HELL I JUST READ!!!

I carry three heads right now! I hold something in my hands: a secret recipe of the ...more

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Dec 10, 2019 Kai rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: queer

"It's not love, to give your wounds to someone else."

Rory Power is carving out that space for gritty, haunting, and disturbing, sapphic YA and I love to see it.

I can't tell you what expectations I had for this book but they were met. This cover exudes brittle, burning heat amongst other, darker feelings and I must say that not many covers hit the nail on its head like that. I still can't say that I love the cover - it looks muted and flat? - but it's genius in its own way.

I'm not going to say mu "It's not love, to give your wounds to someone else."

Rory Power is carving out that space for gritty, haunting, and disturbing, sapphic YA and I love to see it.

I can't tell you what expectations I had for this book but they were met. This cover exudes brittle, burning heat amongst other, darker feelings and I must say that not many covers hit the nail on its head like that. I still can't say that I love the cover - it looks muted and flat? - but it's genius in its own way.

I'm not going to say much about the plot because I would immediately give away far too much and you best go into this book without knowing much about it. It's a family thriller/mystery with a twist. Let that be all you know. Now I loved this book because I loved This Darkness Mine and Dig. and it felt like a weird combination of the two. (By the way, if you loved any of these three books, I recommend you read the others as well.)
The most important aspect of successful storytelling are the characters at its heart. At least, that's true for me. I need complex, flawed, interesting characters rather than shallow figures that have as much depth as the next puddle on your sidewalk. And all Rory's characters are super intriguing, their relationships frayed, often toxic, and very well written. Here's one of my favourite lines from the novel:

But she's shaking her heard. "You can't tell me what I meant."
I struggle to take a deep breath. "But it sounded that way to me. Doesn't that matter? Doesn't it matter how you made me feel?"

You see, good intentions are useless when the effect of your words or actions cause pain. Taken out of context, this can be widely applied, especially to conversations about white privilege and racism. Just a sidetone.

There's something about Rory's writing that I can't quite put my finger on. Something that causes an emotional disconnect and therefore fails to captivate me wholly. While I live for the horror and gore, and while I generally enjoy the prose, the words blur together and I often find myself skimming a few sentences before I can stop myself. I also found the ending ever so slightly anticlimactic. There were a few chapters when Rory had me glued to the pages and then, rather than ending with a bang, it was more of a rattle.

Still, it's a deeply fascinating novel, one that I believe would make a perfectly disturbing and moody film. I need it.

Find more of my books on Instagram ...more

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Jul 13, 2020 Riley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sapphic-read

THIS WAS SO WEIRD AND CREEPY AND AMAZING

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Jul 10, 2020 daph pink ♡ rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-mystery-thrillers, genre-young-adult, 3-star, genre-horror, cover-fetish

3.25
It's been 4 hours since I completed the book and I am still lying on the floor and my mind is racing , it's endlessly racing in spirals and flames!

1. Did I liked the book?
no, well idk it was stupid at times but honestly idk.

2. Was it weird?
The weirdest y/a mystery I have ever read , it was not only weird but at times stupid too with its lame plot points and illogical conversations and turns.

3. How about the characters?
I think they were MEDICORE I didn't connected with them but I think w ...more

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Sep 26, 2019 megs_bookrack rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs-read, 2021-mt-tbr-challenge

**3.5-stars rounded up**

I feel like one of the few people left in the YA book world who has yet to read Wilder Girls.

I own it, of course. I mean, have you seen the cover!? I have added it to numerous TBRs since its release, but still haven't picked it up.

When I received an early copy of Rory Power's sophomore novel, Burn Our Bodies Down, I was shocked and elated.

I couldn't wait to pick it up and then, I just didn't. Long story short, I am a horrible reviewer, but if you read my reviews, you pro ...more

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Jun 10, 2020 Chelsea Humphrey rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley, from-publisher

"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 m ...more

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Aug 05, 2020 ELLIAS (elliasreads) rated it liked it

Shelves: thriller-mystery, i-own, 2020-books

MEH.

This book didn’t make any fucking sense.
I feel so stupid after reading this.

More like a 2.5 STARS.

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Jul 28, 2020 Irena BookDustMagic rated it it was amazing

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book.
Burn our bodies down is a masterpiece!!

It reminded me of Children of the Corn (Movie series) so much with the very similar atmosphere and small town vibe (and corn), but the story was very different and oh my God, it was soooo good.

I have to admit that it wasn't the love at first sight.
The writing style was great, and it kept me reading and reading (plus I loved Power's debut Wilder Girls), but Margot was not the character I would root for, and her reading about h ...more

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Aug 14, 2019 Tucker (TuckerTheReader) marked it as not-released-tbr

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction

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Aug 05, 2020 Kelli Wilson rated it it was ok

One might say: There are different levels of different.

Read this book and you might say: Out of the box that is within a circle.

Just let that sync in. Go ahead, take a minute. Read it again.

Out of the box that is within a circle.

Now follow the number trail down. You will get it at the end.

5

4

3

2

1

And Snap! Now you have all the answers! It all makes sense, right?

WRONG!!
I can come up with a fancy looking phrase and dress up the experience, but if it is gibberish, it is still just gibberish no matter ...more

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Dec 07, 2019 Amy Imogene Reads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, arcs-reviewed, read-in-2020, ya-comtemporary, ya-speculative

Fires, secrets, mothers and daughters, the ties that bind and the ties that break, and sinister overtones come out to play in Rory Power's tour de force sophomore novel.

Writing: ★★★★★
Plot: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★★★

Margot and her mother could be sisters, they look so much alike. Margot doesn't see this as a compliment. Her relationship with her mother, Jo, is anything but sister-like—it is one of flight, fight, and fear. Margot's mother has been running from something all of Margot's l ...more

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Jul 17, 2020 Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: queer

I went into this one with pretty low expectations because Wilder Girls didn't really work for me, but somehow I still came out of it feeling disappointed. This had all the makings of a book I should love: queer characters, rural small-towns, strained mother/daughter relationships, but something about this really just didn't click for me. I feel like I never really got to know the main character, which kept me from bonding to her or the story or honestly caring about anything that happened. I ...more

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Jun 14, 2020 Elle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, 2020

Well this one definitely threw me for a loop. I‘ll admit I was pretty cocky and thought I knew exactly where this book was headed, but even when I was on the right track, I got the degree very, very wrong. At one point when I was maybe halfway through reading I commented on Chelsea’s status update that I was “waiting for everything to go off the rails”, and through time and space Rory Power HEARD me and decided to grant me that request. Be careful what you wish for, y’all!!

The story starts with Well this one definitely threw me for a loop. I‘ll admit I was pretty cocky and thought I knew exactly where this book was headed, but even when I was on the right track, I got the degree very, very wrong. At one point when I was maybe halfway through reading I commented on Chelsea’s status update that I was “waiting for everything to go off the rails”, and through time and space Rory Power HEARD me and decided to grant me that request. Be careful what you wish for, y’all!!

The story starts with 17 year-old Margot and her mom, Josephine, barely getting by in their small apartment and meager income. Beyond poverty, there’s a massive amount of simmering tension between the two of them, at near-constant risk of erupting. Eventually this leads to Margot seeking out the family that her mother has always kept hidden from her.

I’m always down for a complex family dynamic. I appreciated the relationship between Margot, her mother and grandmother, Vera, and loved dissecting what each microaggression (or full-on aggression) lobbed at one another meant. There were plenty of secrets that we get to uncover along the way, especially since none of the women are particularly forthright.

“Does understanding her mean I have to forgive her?”

I also adored Power’s writing. She captures these really specific, human moments between her characters just beautifully. My Kindle copy is filled with highlighted passages, and I’m guessing anyone who’s had even a somewhat-toxic relationship with a family member will be struck by her insights. I ended up skipping Wilder Girls last year and clearly that was my mistake. I know people were guuuushing about the cover, but I hope that the book itself ends up being just as engrossing.

That said, I still feel like the story was missing something. Parts just felt underdeveloped. Tess was promising, but both her and Eli seemed like they were added as a means to and end. I never quite understood Josephine, and I think some of her ‘quirks’ needed to be explained a little more. It felt a bit rushed, especially by the end, and I wish Power had taken more time to elaborate on this really creative premise. And it felt pretty dark for a YA novel; I get that the heroine is a teenager, but I don’t know if I would market this to teenagers. In all, there was a lot of good stuff to work with, but it still felt unfinished. I am absolutely interested in reading more from her, though, and I can’t wait to see what she puts out next.

*Thanks to Random House Children’s & Netgalley for an advance copy! ...more

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Jan 28, 2020 Ash rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of Dark Places and Sharp Objects

Shelves: read-2020, 5-stars, arcs, mystery, top-2020, lgbt-main-character

One of my top 10 books of 2020!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was hesitant to request this one, given the mixed reviews of Rory Power’s debut novel, Wilder Girls, which I haven’t read. Now I’m considering giving it a try, because this book? This book is a masterpiece. The older I get, the harder it is for me to find young adult fiction that still appeals to me, and I feel a little giddy every time I get to One of my top 10 books of 2020!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was hesitant to request this one, given the mixed reviews of Rory Power’s debut novel, Wilder Girls, which I haven’t read. Now I’m considering giving it a try, because this book? This book is a masterpiece. The older I get, the harder it is for me to find young adult fiction that still appeals to me, and I feel a little giddy every time I get to add a new book to my list of YA favorites.

Burn Our Bodies Down comes right out of the gate with a startlingly realistic portrayal of abuse and neglect. Protagonist Margot’s mother is an infuriating character. It wrecked me to witness how Margot’s toxic upbringing impacted every aspect of her life. I especially appreciated how Power explored the way abusers use gaslighting to win arguments and make their victims doubt their own experiences and reality.

Power gives us a well-written, relatable protagonist in Margot. She was remarkably sympathetic and refreshingly complicated. Her first person narration had me experiencing the story as she experienced it, feeling her emotions along with her, desperate to find the truth just like she was. Margot is a lesbian, and her sexuality was never the focus of the story, instead just one part of what made her, her. It felt so natural and right.

Overall, Burn Our Bodies Down is incredibly well-paced, with short chapters and a great flow. Power uses the small town setting of Phalene and the interactions between her characters to build a growing sense of unease, a feeling you can’t shake but you can’t pin down, that something is off. I kept wanting to shout, “WHAT IS GOING ON?” and I had to keep reading until I found out. And the ending… wow.

This book has the potential to appeal to a wide audience, including adults who don’t usually go for YA. I only had one minor complaint. I’ll keep it vague to avoid spoilers, but there’s a part in the story where Margot reads someone’s diary entries, and the writing style of the entries, with no capitalization or punctuation and lots of repetition, was annoying. But there weren’t too many entries and they were mostly very short, so I haven’t let it affect my rating. ...more

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Oct 04, 2019 Rory Power added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

content warnings available here: https://itsrorypower.com/books/burn/

always updating - if you find something is missing from this list, please let me know via my website
...more

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Jul 28, 2020 Camilla rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs, audiobook

3.5 stars!

This was such an interesting read.

Burn Our Bodies Down is my first Rory Power and it was really surprising. I don't read as much YA as I used to, but the thought of YA Horror was very appealing to me and that's why I requested the audiobook from NetGalley.

This starts with Margot living with her mother, and they have an unstable relationship. When Margot discovers that she has a grandmother, she escapes town and goes to her grandma's farm. Coincidentally, the plantation is burning w ...more

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Aug 02, 2020 Nazanin rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, mystery, 2020

3 Stars

Margot is a seventeen years old girl who lives with her mother in a small town. They are isolated and she doesn’t know any of her family members, she even doesn’t know about her father. And whenever she asks her mother about them, she shuts her down. So after finding a trace of her grandmother, she decides to take the matter in her own hands and go after her lineage. She runs away from home but after she finds her Grams something feels wrong, but what?

Burn Our Bodies Down was my first rea ...more

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Aug 30, 2020 Bookishrealm rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, books-read-in-2020, ya-mystery, ya-horror

Yo what the fuck did I just read??

I was provided a finished copy of this book for review by Underlined. All thoughts are my own.

Content Warnings: emotional abuse by parental figure, violence, death, gore, teen pregnancy

I have never in my entire experience of reading YA read anything like this book. I mean I'm still genuinely attempting to figure out where Rory Power got this whole idea/concept from. I'm going to try to write this review in the most concise manner because I don't want to spoil Yo what the fuck did I just read??

I was provided a finished copy of this book for review by Underlined. All thoughts are my own.

Content Warnings: emotional abuse by parental figure, violence, death, gore, teen pregnancy

I have never in my entire experience of reading YA read anything like this book. I mean I'm still genuinely attempting to figure out where Rory Power got this whole idea/concept from. I'm going to try to write this review in the most concise manner because I don't want to spoil ANYTHING for anyone. This is one of those books where I think that it's best that you go into it blind. Burn Our Bodies Down is the second book from Rory Power. I had not read her first book Wilder Girls so I was excited to check this one out especially when I heard it was like a mix of horror, mystery, and thriller. It centers around a young girl by the name of Margot who has a very toxic relationship with her mother and knows absolutely nothing about her other family members. She seeks to find solace and an identity through discovering more about her family, but of course when she takes that journey she ends up learning a lot more than she bargained for.

While I feel the need to hold off from saying anything regarding the plot of this book I definitely have a lot to say about the writing. I really enjoyed it. Power writes in a way that keeps the plot moving. If you've followed me for anytime on GR then you know that I'm super critical when it comes to pacing because I have a short attention span. By page 85 Power threw in a plot twist that I did not see coming. I just felt engaged the entire time while reading this book and it explains why I finished it over the course of 2 days. Power also has the ability to keep you guessing until the very end. I mean this book is weird. There's no other way to put it and when you get to the end Power will have you questioning everything that you thought you knew and understood about these characters. It was strange, but beautifully done.

I also appreciated Power's ability to craft such important discussions into a book that seems to be defined as both a thriller and a horror. Emotional abuse by parental figures is a huge theme in this book. Power seamlessly wove in discussions regarding generational trauma caused by emotional abuse and how it's hard to break that cycle when the affected person doesn't seek the healing and counseling needed to help themselves. I didn't expect that going into the book. I knew that Margot and her mother were going to have a difficult relationship but I didn't expect the commentary. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book and I'm hoping to see more of those important themes and discussions in her other books.

My recommendation is that you go into this book blind and that you don't do too much reading about it. It's strange, but stick with it because that ending....it had me blown away. ...more

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Apr 06, 2020 Elle (ellexamines) marked it as tbz

Shelves: x-tbr-lgbtq, x-tbr2020, x-tbr-authors

okay but am i the only one who sort of likes this cover

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Jul 06, 2020 destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries] rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-reads, young-adult, owned-ebooks, review-copies, rtc, diverse-reads, horror

This was legitimately incredible. Such a wild, strange, eerie ride and I loved every moment of it. RTC

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Oct 19, 2020 Sara rated it really liked it

I had no idea what was happening throughout most of this book but I had a thoroughly good time reading it!

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Oct 11, 2020 Lucy Tonks rated it really liked it

Shelves: murder-mysteries-thrillers

"There is a stranger with my face"

What the hell just happened? This was book full of so many twists and so many mindblowing moments and I cannot believe what I just read. I won't like, I think I prefer Wilder Girls to this book, but it still and amazing and twisted book and I cannot wait to read more books by Rory Power.

In this book we follow Margot as she wants to learm more about her family. Ever since she was born, it's just been her and her mother. Nobody else, just them. But one day, she f ...more

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Aug 06, 2020 Hannah Greendale added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, young-adult, mystery

Aimless and detached from start to finish.

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Jun 20, 2020 Ari rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-arc, 2020-reads

BLOG | Instagram | Twitter | Amazon | Waterstones

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

How to keep a fire burning.
How to stitch a fight up until it's only a scar.
That's the kind of thing you learn with a mother like mine.
Mostly, though, you learn how to be loved without proof.

A book lover often has a difficult time reading the books that they're interested in. Just when the opportunity arrives to finally dive into that story you've been wan BLOG | Instagram | Twitter | Amazon | Waterstones

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

How to keep a fire burning.
How to stitch a fight up until it's only a scar.
That's the kind of thing you learn with a mother like mine.
Mostly, though, you learn how to be loved without proof.

A book lover often has a difficult time reading the books that they're interested in. Just when the opportunity arrives to finally dive into that story you've been wanting to read for months, about five other books release and you once again fall behind. That's why, despite the popularity of Wilder Girls last year, I never had the chance to enjoy it. Seeing a new and upcoming release from Rory Power seemed like the perfect opportunity to become acquainted with her imagination.

The writing itself is very good. There are no hiccups, no floundering about, and it flows smoothly. Rory Power gets to the point that she wants to make without beating around the bush. I really wanted to enjoy this story, however, and sometimes we want something so strongly that it slips away.

While the writing is straightforward, the pace was not. The novel took so long getting to the meat of the plot that I got slightly bored along the way. I didn't really connect with any characters except our lead, something that is at times the case often when a book is written in first-person. I felt for Margot and her plight. That's one thing that can be said for this book: you feel the desperation, frustration, and need coming off this young woman to have the love and family that she has wanted her whole life. It screams out through the pages.

Was the true horror and mystery of it all worth it when it finally arrived, however? Yes, it absolutely was. There is something sickening, twisted and disturbing about the history behind the horror of Margot's family. And for that, this book is well worth the read. That something so seemingly small would make me feel as uncomfortable as it did, speaks well for the way that the author unfolds it into the rest of the writing. But it arrived quite late, and developed far too fast for me to properly enjoy.

Burn Our Bodies Down has a Stephen King-esque vibe that hit me more than once, and I've noticed that other readers have felt the same. It's this nagging little thing at the back of your head that you notice here and there and can't let go of. I appreciated it, even if the whole of it fell a little more off the mark than I'd hoped. There's merit to this novel, I just wish that more of those daunting details which pop up near the end and made me uneasy—while making everything charged and fraught with terrible possibility—had been delivered a little more starkly from the start. ...more

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Jan 12, 2021 Olivia (Stories For Coffee) rated it it was ok

Shelves: audiobook

Well. That was a book I read...

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Jul 11, 2020 Drewthereader20 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs, tbr-shelf, 2020-reads, buddy-reads, audiobook, thriller, 2020-favorites, ebooks

Is july going to have a lot of five star reads? This was my first book by the author and I really want to read wilder girls now! Super creepy and loved it soo much! Also thanks to netgalley and Delacrorte press for sending me an e-arc of this and sorry for the late mini review!(:

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Oct 05, 2020 Sofii♡ (A Book. A Thought.) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2020, contemporary, 2020-releases, mystery-thriller, horror

“I am supposed to be quiet, I am supposed to be good, but I was born at war and I can only keep from fighting for so long.”

WOW, this book, guys, was everything I wanted and more. I can already say that it will not be a book for everyone, I'm sure there will be many polarities of opinions and they'll all be super valid, but I'm happy to be part of those people who have loved it. I adore the author's style, it really resonates a lot with my soul, I adore how atmospheric this book is, and above all the originality of the story and the emotional weight it carries, as well as the complexity of its characters. Incredible work, I don't give 5 stars often, but this book deserves them.

description

5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

you can find more of my reviews & fun content on my blog A Book. A Thought.

In this twisted story full of secrets we follow Margot who has never had the best relationship with her mother, therefore one day she decides that she has had enough of this toxic relationship and all the secrets that her mother has hidden from her, and guided by an old photograph she has found, she leaves her house on the way to Phalene, her mother's hometown, to discover where she comes from, desperate to create a connection with a family she has never met. But once there, Margot will begin to understand why her mother escaped from there so many years ago, and soon she understands that she may never leave.

This book is made just for me, I love every vibe that came to me while reading it, it's super creepy and you have that feeling of discomfort while reading it, but also you felt very intrigued to know what's happening since the plot is super uncertain in the beginning, and then it takes really wild shapes, which I love. It's also super atmospheric, it's a book that transports you completely to another place and even to another time, it feels kind of historical although it's not really. I love the small-town vibes, where there are many secrets and lies and strange conspiracies happening, it's my jam & I loved how the plot developed, .I think it's very well thought out, there's a lot of work put here and it shows, the author has a brilliant mind that managed to inspire me a lot to continue writing my own project Reading this book was a very strange, but incredibly exciting and compelling experience, it has some grotesque and twisty scenes, but if you've read Rory Power before you know what you can find and it's like her unique style. I loved it, I think from my heart that it's an incredible work, I'm very excited to read whatever she has planned for us in the future.

Of course, the writing style is super captivating, it envelops you in a way where you can read many chapters without even noticing it, and that's obviously due to the great talent of the author when designing and writing her stories. I love how easy it was to read, even though it feels complex at the same time, the author struck a fine balance between plot and characters, making the latter incredibly complex.

description

This book is highly focused on super toxic family relationships, so I want to note this in case it's triggering for you, it also contains gory and graphic scenes.
The relationships in the book are extremely interesting to read and follow, they develop a lot throughout the plot and it was very interesting to explore them further. Especially Margot's relationship with her mother Josephine, whose relationship is charged and marked by many secrets and things that aren't said, but then as you learn more about them and their stories, you understand on a deeper level what's really happening, and that was very well done, I loved it. Another relationship that I found interesting was that of Margot with Vera, her grandmother, I can't share much of this relationship, but it was so incredible, it shows a special vulnerability in both characters, they're so different, but at the same time very equal in certain aspects & Last but not least, Margo's relationship with Tess, it's brilliant, it's adorable at times, but it also shows an honest and new bond for Margot, I'll tell you more about the characters below, but I wanted to highlight the relationships that the book focuses on because I think it's the most important thing and the relationships that have the most weight in this story.

The characters as such are incredible and you can see the work in each of their personalities. Margot's a great main character, she has grown up with many insecurities and fears due to the lack of care and love on the part of her mother, so seeing her grow and evolve made me very happy. I think that showing such a vulnerable character with so many problems to connect and communicate was super intense to read and gives another tone to the story, and a greater impact on the development of it, I was all the time on her side and although I didn't I agree with each of her decisions, I understand where it comes from and that most of her actions and decisions are taken for her need to be loved, cared for and accepted in a family. Then we have Vera and Josephine, characters with a very dark veil over them, many secrets and extremely manipulative personalities, but extremely interesting to follow, as well, these characters keep you on the edge of your seat and you never know what their true intentions are until the end, what I loved & Tess, is great, I think this character came into Margot's life to give her a little light, hope, and fun, you know? and in the book we see the beginning of a beautiful friendship that marks Margot in unimaginable ways, she's a great character to explore within this type of plot.

There's no romance as such in this book and I liked that very much, it focuses 100% on family dynamics and personal development and searches for the truth, as well as many other very creepy things that I cannot explain lol. There are some friendships happening and we know that this can be as or even more significant than a romance, and in this book it undoubtedly is, it's a beautiful and super important complement.
One aspect that I loved to see is that Margot is lesbian and seeing this character expressing how she feels about this was very well explored, especially because I like that there's a sapphic character that it's not involved in a romance, you know? It's not necessary for a person to be involved in a relationship with someone to know who you are and how you feel and that's fantastic.

description

This book has an extremely different and unexpected twist, that I don't want to even hint at because I don't want it to be ruined for you, but I do want to share that I think it was very unique, and I know it won't work for everyone, but it did for me. It's weird..... sooooo weird, so be prepared to have thousands of theories and still be surprised in the end.

I think I mentioned this briefly before, but this book is set in a small town where there are several farms, called Phalene - Fairhaven, and the small and somewhat old towns are the perfect settings for this type of plot and I hope you agree with me on that because I love them completely. Margot's grandmother has a farm and it's there where most of the events take place, and let me tell you, I grew up part of my life as a child on a farm since my grandparents live there, and there's nothing more creepy than a farm on daylight, I just saying lol. Amazing choice of setting, I loved it.

I loved the ending, I think it is extremely unexpected and very rare, but in the best way, at some point, I may have thought it would happen, but I discarded it because I couldn't understand how the author would tie all the loose ends that this story has, but she did it in a brilliant way. I feel good about Margot's ending, I think I would love a sequel just to know what will happen now with the characters and how everything will develop, it's such a unique plot but the characters get my applause, especially Margot, I love how her development towards the end lit a fire inside her and I adored follow her going through everything to find out the truth about herself and her family lineage. Parts of the ending really shocked me because of how shocking they were, just WOW.

description

Obviously, I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to read something extremely unique and original, with a very creepy vibe, full of secrets, lies, mystery, and suspense. I also recommend it if you want to read about morally gray characters, you know that I love that and this book has them all, but also the characters are very complex and unpredictable. It's a story focused on the family and on self-discovery and self-development, but it also focuses a lot on giving the reader some impact and high tension, reading this book is quite an experience and I know you cannot miss it, I simply loved it.
The complexity of the plot, the characters, and the creation of the setting and the vibe are perfect. I LOVED IT and although it's not for everyone, I hope you can enjoy it too, especially if you have enjoyed the author before.

First Thoughts 10/05/20

I loved this book SO much!! *screaming with excitement*
I'm super excited right now, I'm so glad I gave the author a second chance because even though I liked Wilder Girls, this ONE IS PERFECT FOR ME. I love her writing style. I LOVE how atmospheric this story is, I love how weird it gets while you read it, it's a very weird book, but I was expecting it and it's also very addictive and I couldn't stop reading it, it's amazing.
I LOVED it and the paced was perfect. ...more

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Jul 21, 2020 Cortney LaScola - The Bookworm Myrtle Beach rated it liked it · review of another edition

While I didn't enjoy Burn Our Bodies Down nearly as much as Wilder Girls, I still thought it was a decent book.

I could have done without Margot's constant internal monologue analyzing EVERYTHING everyone said and did. It made the book feel really repetitive, and it just made me annoyed with her character. I wish the author had taken all of that and expanded on the mystery instead. The last 75 pages were great, but I wanted so much more.

Still a solid 3, but considering how much I loved Wilder Gir ...more

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Feb 14, 2020 Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) rated it liked it

Shelves: arc-book-read, kindle-books

This was...bizarre to say the very least, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but, I'm not sure all the craziness and weirdness completely worked for me. The writing was fabulous and I really did enjoy something original, especially in this genre so bonus stars for that.
Overall, not a bad story just different in ways both good and bad.

*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.* ...more

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Jan 16, 2021 jesse📚 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I’ve had a copy of this book since… June 2020. I read the first chapter and I decided to put it down because the lighter thing was so bizarre.

But… whoa that was such a wild ride. Just… why did I put it down?

What the hell. I still have to wrap my head around this book.

So Margot Nielsen is a girl living in a small city with her mom. She doesn’t know anything about her family and whenever she tried to ask her mom, her mom just went straight up batshit. She decided to take matters to her own hands a ...more

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About Rory Power

Rory Power

1,883 followers

Rory Power grew up in New England, where she lives and works as a crime fiction editor and story consultant for TV adaptation. She received a Masters in Prose Fiction from the University of East Anglia, and thinks fondly of her time there, partially because she learned a lot but mostly because there were a ton of bunnies on campus.

She is represented by Daisy Parente at Lutyens & Rubinstein and Ki ...more