Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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?
This is such an eerie and odd little read that I surprisingly thoroughly enjoyed. It grabs your attention right away due to how intriguing it is and how fascinating Margot is as a main character.
I don’t really know what I was expecting when I started this book but it wasn’t what I got at all. Burn Our Bodies Down is for a specific kind of reader much like Rory Power’s previous novel Wilder Girls. Due to enjoying her previous novel I had to give this one a go.
This book is incredibly spooky and kept me tense the entire time that I was reading it. There are no jump-scares or over-dramatisation but the lingering horror throughout this book is so much that I’m extremely glad that I didn’t read the before going to sleep.
Much like Wilder Girls, I did not really connect with any of the characters in this book. This is through no fault of the author or her writing. In fact, I feel she did this on purpose to let the horror elements of the book shine through.
The writing of this book is whimsical and intriguing but the pace of the book doesn’t match that. The main part of the story seemed to take ages to get to and I found myself getting quite bored at parts. But, one thing that keep me interesting an had me on edge was how much you feel the frustration, desperation and need that radiates out of Margot. It screams out of each page and I really enjoyed that.
When a book and just tiny details in its writing make you feel as on edge and as spooked as Burn Our Bodies Down did then, it is one that I’ll be recommending a lot. If you are in search for a truly horrific and twisted story, then this is the one for you! Burn Our Bodies Down is well worth a read!
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