Buy: Amazon
Review
3 stars
The first book in The Gravewood series, this is a post-apocalyptic YA vampire romance with great characters and an intriguing setup. I loved the nostalgic feels, and I enjoyed this book.
Shea is doing her best to survive in her messed-up reality, and she has made a deal with the mysterious leader of a vampire gang, Lysander. When her best friend goes missing, she asks Lysander for help and he agrees as long as her missing friend’s older brother (Shea’s childhood crush and a military sharpshooter) takes out his evil enemy. So, together with Shea’s other bestie, the group set out on a journey to find her friend and track down the bad guy.
It’s a good setup, and I enjoyed learning about the world, and how the vampires and the post-apocalyptic setting came to be. I liked Shea as a character. She’s smart, brave, and very relatable, but it’s Lysander who stole the story for me. Broody and mysterious, he has a fabulous sarcastic streak, and there are so many questions about him – some of which are revealed throughout the story, others which I’m sure will be explored more in future books. The book is written in dual POV from Shea and Lysander, and I really liked getting both of their perspectives. The author does a particularly good job of keeping so much about Lysander a mystery to set up reveals later in the book.
There is some romance, and a cliched love triangle between Shea’s loyal, good-guy childhood crush, and the mysterious vampire bad boy. Again, it’s established well, though there’s not really much happening on that front just yet.
This book has all the nostalgia of the YA paranormal craze of the early 2000s, and I happily lost myself in exploring this new world. It’s interesting and exciting, and there are some darker vibes, and I was easily sucked in. Things slowed down in the middle though, and it felt a bit repetitive. Then the ending comes out of nowhere, and the lack of build-up for some of it lessened the impact of what was probably meant to be a big moment. There are some interesting twists and reveals, though, and I’m curious to see where the story goes from here.
3 stars.
I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Elizabeth Robbins and, to my surprise, Andrew Eiden (Teddy Hamilton). They do a great job, and I enjoyed listening to this one.
The Gravewood
The Gravewood (#1)
Review
Buy: Amazon
The Hollow King (#2)
To be released 6 April 2027