• Michelle

ARC Book Review: Ghost Wood Song

4/5 Stars.

Ghosts, and fiddles, and Southern Gothic themes? Oh heck yes! I devoured this book and was left blown away by the unique and beautifully written story.

Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters follows Shady Grove as she struggles through unhappy home situations and ventures through the pull to play music her father once did, all the while still trying to heal from her father's death. I really enjoyed how the author handled the portrayal of grief and loss, especially from a teenager's pov.

The magic in this story was creepy but thrilling to read all the same. The ghosts, the fiddle, the eerie songs that played out through the woods and called to Shady...it was both eerie and exciting, like your instincts know there's danger and darkness ahead but everything else within you longs for that awful thrill of exploring it. This is all because the writing is beautiful. The style perfectly adapts to rise and fall of the plot. It gets lyrical and dramatic at intense moments, but then it changes to easy and relaxing tones when it's a calmer scene. The world is so deep and complex with its magic, and it really shines through with the author's writing style.

The romance does not take the forefront of the story. It does feel like a natural feature of the plot instead of it feeling like two separate stories you're trying to read, and it did bring some lightness to a story that does contain dark themes. For me, the romance was a bit messy, but that's what you get sometimes with love triangles. I enjoyed the sibling and family relationships much more because they were realistically flawed, but despite all that the love and support of family was still present.

This book is going to keep haunting me like a ghost until I can get my hands on a physical copy when it's published.

I received an early copy from the publisher via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Ghost Wood Song releases July 14th, 2020! Follow the author

Where to purchase:

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Book Depository


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