Review Detail

The Gravewood infuses paranormal dystopia with lurking horror and survivalist paranoia, in a snappy, bittersweet saga of desperate teens trying to make the best of the terrible hand they’ve been dealt. In a post climate-crisis world where small towns fend for themselves, Shea makes a deal with the notorious vampire leader in the woods to secure her supply of hearing aid batteries, a rare commodity in the tenuous remains of civilization. Her alternating comfort with and dread of silence play a key role in many scenes, lending to the overall air of suspense that’s effortlessly cinematic.

Although the initial wave of YA paranormal craze passed me by, I was quickly all in on this duology. Maybe it’s Lysander’s penchant for literary allusions - supported by artful word choice throughout - and the way he and Shea intentionally push each other’s buttons. Every member of the core cast is a study in “toxic but I love it” and “would stab you but would also stab whoever hurts you”, and the non-stop sharp retorts keep the relationships from feeling overwrought. Cue all of the lingering looks, entering the room at just the wrong moment, and friends who aren’t afraid to call it out how it is. Dramatic? Oh yes. But in a tasty kind of way.

The romance is an enjoyable constant simmer. Tension is the word, culminating in fraught kisses. The horror elements lean more toward suspenseful scares than gore.

Later reveals aren’t necessarily a surprise, and Shea can be more stubborn than sensible, but I enjoyed this book back to front.