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Ghost Wood Song
Sawkill Girls meets Beautiful Creatures in this lush and eerie debut, where the boundary between reality and nightmares is as thin as the veil between the living and the dead.
If I could have a fiddle made of Daddy’s bones, I’d play it. I’d learn all the secrets he kept.
Shady Grove inherited her father’s ability to call ghosts from the grave with his fiddle, but she also knows the fiddle’s tunes bring nothing but trouble and darkness.
But when her brother is accused of murder, she can’t let the dead keep their secrets.
In order to clear his name, she’s going to have to make those ghosts sing.
Family secrets, a gorgeously resonant LGBTQ love triangle, and just the right amount of creepiness make this young adult debut a haunting and hopeful story about facing everything that haunts us in the dark.
If I could have a fiddle made of Daddy’s bones, I’d play it. I’d learn all the secrets he kept.
Shady Grove inherited her father’s ability to call ghosts from the grave with his fiddle, but she also knows the fiddle’s tunes bring nothing but trouble and darkness.
But when her brother is accused of murder, she can’t let the dead keep their secrets.
In order to clear his name, she’s going to have to make those ghosts sing.
Family secrets, a gorgeously resonant LGBTQ love triangle, and just the right amount of creepiness make this young adult debut a haunting and hopeful story about facing everything that haunts us in the dark.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published July 14, 2020
133 people are currently reading
19916 people want to read
About the author
Erica Waters
6 books620 followersErica Waters is a lifelong Southerner who now lives in Salem, Massachusetts. She writes dark fantasy and horror for young adults. Her second novel, The River Has Teeth, won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel and was also an Indie Next pick and a Kirkus Best Young Adult Book of 2021. Erica’s other works include Ghost Wood Song, The Restless Dark, and All That Consumes Us. She is also a contributor to the bestselling folk horror anthology The Gathering Dark. You can visit her online at ericawaters.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 678 reviews
May 23, 2025
**4.5-stars rounded up**
M-O-O-D. This book is a complete mood and I loved it!!
Shady Grove is a fiddle-playing high school girl, who has been struggling since her father's untimely death.
Her mother has since remarried and her step-dad, Jim, has a contentious relationship with Shady's older brother, Jesse. This makes life at home far from peaceful.
Shady finds respite practicing her fiddle in the woods surrounding their trailer; at least for a while. Cue creepy woods scenes.
She's also in a band with her best friends, Sarah and Orlando. While Shady enjoys playing with them, she really wants to play just bluegrass, the music she was raised on, but they have a different opinion; especially Sarah.
Making matters worse is the fact that Shady and Sarah were an almost couple. It never ended up happening and now it feels like there is a giant elephant in the room every time they are together.
When they compete in an open mic night and a boy in a rival band catches Shady's eye, it seems like things may finally explode with Sarah.
Shady hardly has time to focus on that however, when something much more serious happens.
Her brother, Jesse, gets arrested; accused of murder.
Shady recognizes her brother has a temper and admittedly, he hasn't been in the best place mentally as of late, but she also knows he could never do this.
Remembering the stories her father used to tell her, how he could channel spirits by playing his fiddle, Shady decides there's only one thing for her to do.
She needs to find her Dad's fiddle and raise the spirit of the person Jesse is said to have killed. That way she can ask him what happened to him and use that knowledge to help free Jesse. Sounds fairly simple, right?
This novel has so many elements that I traditionally love.
There's the storyline featuring music and musicians, a murder, a haunted farmhouse, long-buried family secrets, a beautifully-constructed love triangle for our bi-girl protagonist and a haunting, gritty setting.
Tie all of this together with Erica Waters exceptional writing, how could I not absolutely love this story?
I was drawn in from the very start. Some of her descriptions of music, what it is like playing music, the way it can overtake your body; gahhhhhh, it was so well done.
The murder mystery was interesting and just added another level to an already intriguing tale.
Additionally, I loved how Waters weaved in the lore surrounding Shady's family and their obviously haunted property. Shady's Aunt Ena was one of my favorite characters.
Then there's the overriding grief that permeates throughout this entire story. It's morose, it's lyrical, it's so many wonderful things.
I do recognize this story will not be for everyone, but for me and my tastes, it was close to perfection. I would respectfully and lovingly refer to this as a type of Hillbilly Noir. It's enchanting and I can't get enough of it.
I cannot wait to check out more of this author's work! If I love any of it half as much as this one, I will be a happy girl.
M-O-O-D. This book is a complete mood and I loved it!!
Shady Grove is a fiddle-playing high school girl, who has been struggling since her father's untimely death.
Her mother has since remarried and her step-dad, Jim, has a contentious relationship with Shady's older brother, Jesse. This makes life at home far from peaceful.
Shady finds respite practicing her fiddle in the woods surrounding their trailer; at least for a while. Cue creepy woods scenes.
She's also in a band with her best friends, Sarah and Orlando. While Shady enjoys playing with them, she really wants to play just bluegrass, the music she was raised on, but they have a different opinion; especially Sarah.
Making matters worse is the fact that Shady and Sarah were an almost couple. It never ended up happening and now it feels like there is a giant elephant in the room every time they are together.
When they compete in an open mic night and a boy in a rival band catches Shady's eye, it seems like things may finally explode with Sarah.
Shady hardly has time to focus on that however, when something much more serious happens.
Her brother, Jesse, gets arrested; accused of murder.
Shady recognizes her brother has a temper and admittedly, he hasn't been in the best place mentally as of late, but she also knows he could never do this.
Remembering the stories her father used to tell her, how he could channel spirits by playing his fiddle, Shady decides there's only one thing for her to do.
She needs to find her Dad's fiddle and raise the spirit of the person Jesse is said to have killed. That way she can ask him what happened to him and use that knowledge to help free Jesse. Sounds fairly simple, right?
This novel has so many elements that I traditionally love.
There's the storyline featuring music and musicians, a murder, a haunted farmhouse, long-buried family secrets, a beautifully-constructed love triangle for our bi-girl protagonist and a haunting, gritty setting.
Tie all of this together with Erica Waters exceptional writing, how could I not absolutely love this story?
I was drawn in from the very start. Some of her descriptions of music, what it is like playing music, the way it can overtake your body; gahhhhhh, it was so well done.
The murder mystery was interesting and just added another level to an already intriguing tale.
Additionally, I loved how Waters weaved in the lore surrounding Shady's family and their obviously haunted property. Shady's Aunt Ena was one of my favorite characters.
Then there's the overriding grief that permeates throughout this entire story. It's morose, it's lyrical, it's so many wonderful things.
I do recognize this story will not be for everyone, but for me and my tastes, it was close to perfection. I would respectfully and lovingly refer to this as a type of Hillbilly Noir. It's enchanting and I can't get enough of it.
I cannot wait to check out more of this author's work! If I love any of it half as much as this one, I will be a happy girl.
August 2, 2020
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Thank you Edelweiss and HarperTeen for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
This is what evil is--not some unnatural force,
not demons or devils. It's this rigth here--
a man clinging so hard to hate it's worth dying for.
Worth risking the lives of his wife and his child.
Worth seeing a bullet fly into his brother's brain.
Worth everything.
I came across Ghost Wood Song and I was soon lost. I am absolutely and easily smitten by a pretty cover, it will turn my head every single time, and this is one gorgeous cover. How could I resist finding out more about the book?
But then... Wait now, this is a Gothic story with a Southern twist? Well, I'm sold.
Only a few chapters into this novel, and I was hooked. At the center of this tale is Shady Grove (a name I adored from the get-go), whose father has died a few years prior; she now seeks his special fiddle after her brother gets into enough trouble to warrant her need to become involved. This fiddle, she believes, holds the answer to helping her older sibling, especially since it raised ghosts for her daddy until the day he himself passed from this world.
That alone should be interesting, but what I most loved about this book—and what drew me in time and time again—was how well Erica Waters allows the reader to become lost in the haunting and rural setting. With its surrounding forests, lakes and old houses, creeping vegetation and nearby whispers, you see ghosts at every corner. It was so easy to sink into the story and follow along with Shady and her friends while she raised ghosts and fought to keep herself alive.
Unfortunately, I think it's those same characters who made my love at first sight falter a few times. It's not that they're a weak cast. They're charming. Shady is smart and kind, protective and easy of manner unless you speak ill or go after someone she loves. But the rest kept mostly to the surface. It was as if, lest they were needed to make a point to the story, they were tucked away in the background. Even during scenes in which there were more than two characters present, it was not rare to notice that besides the two who were mainly in conversation, the others would be forgotten in narrative. It's not a huge detriment to the story, and alongside Shady, Frank and Jesse are intriguing because they're part of the big mystery behind everything going on. But I wanted the others to have a pull from me as well.
The pacing is fast, and you don't have much time to become bored with any goings on. There were some scenes that lacked the nostalgia and eerie notes that echoed throughout, which pulled away from total immersion on and off. Don't get me wrong, not every single instance needed to be full of spirits, and cold spots, and scary footsteps in the middle of the night. Yet, now and again, the dreary atmosphere with which the novel began, would slip before catching itself right before going over completely. Once that happened, it wasn't difficult to get sucked back in.
Ghost Wood Song is a charming story despite the sadness of its premise. The family bond portrayed is strong, and hopeful—it's inspiring. There are a few darkly atmospheric moments that are no less meaningful for being expected, and the inclusion of music added a layer that was as gripping as I expected it to be. It certainly prompted me to learn some new music that I likely wouldn't have come across on my own.
That's always a great day: when a book offers you a novel thing to enjoy in life.
Thank you Edelweiss and HarperTeen for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
This is what evil is--not some unnatural force,
not demons or devils. It's this rigth here--
a man clinging so hard to hate it's worth dying for.
Worth risking the lives of his wife and his child.
Worth seeing a bullet fly into his brother's brain.
Worth everything.
I came across Ghost Wood Song and I was soon lost. I am absolutely and easily smitten by a pretty cover, it will turn my head every single time, and this is one gorgeous cover. How could I resist finding out more about the book?
But then... Wait now, this is a Gothic story with a Southern twist? Well, I'm sold.
Only a few chapters into this novel, and I was hooked. At the center of this tale is Shady Grove (a name I adored from the get-go), whose father has died a few years prior; she now seeks his special fiddle after her brother gets into enough trouble to warrant her need to become involved. This fiddle, she believes, holds the answer to helping her older sibling, especially since it raised ghosts for her daddy until the day he himself passed from this world.
That alone should be interesting, but what I most loved about this book—and what drew me in time and time again—was how well Erica Waters allows the reader to become lost in the haunting and rural setting. With its surrounding forests, lakes and old houses, creeping vegetation and nearby whispers, you see ghosts at every corner. It was so easy to sink into the story and follow along with Shady and her friends while she raised ghosts and fought to keep herself alive.
Unfortunately, I think it's those same characters who made my love at first sight falter a few times. It's not that they're a weak cast. They're charming. Shady is smart and kind, protective and easy of manner unless you speak ill or go after someone she loves. But the rest kept mostly to the surface. It was as if, lest they were needed to make a point to the story, they were tucked away in the background. Even during scenes in which there were more than two characters present, it was not rare to notice that besides the two who were mainly in conversation, the others would be forgotten in narrative. It's not a huge detriment to the story, and alongside Shady, Frank and Jesse are intriguing because they're part of the big mystery behind everything going on. But I wanted the others to have a pull from me as well.
The pacing is fast, and you don't have much time to become bored with any goings on. There were some scenes that lacked the nostalgia and eerie notes that echoed throughout, which pulled away from total immersion on and off. Don't get me wrong, not every single instance needed to be full of spirits, and cold spots, and scary footsteps in the middle of the night. Yet, now and again, the dreary atmosphere with which the novel began, would slip before catching itself right before going over completely. Once that happened, it wasn't difficult to get sucked back in.
Ghost Wood Song is a charming story despite the sadness of its premise. The family bond portrayed is strong, and hopeful—it's inspiring. There are a few darkly atmospheric moments that are no less meaningful for being expected, and the inclusion of music added a layer that was as gripping as I expected it to be. It certainly prompted me to learn some new music that I likely wouldn't have come across on my own.
That's always a great day: when a book offers you a novel thing to enjoy in life.
January 16, 2020
Waters' debut is a true Southern Gothic, striking the perfect balance of atmospheric chills, dark familial secrets, and a yearning for the warm comforts of home. I could hear the cicadas' call and feel the smothering humidity, even as I shivered!
April 1, 2023
3.5 stars
March 9, 2025
“Come on, baby. This is part of it. You can’t turn your face from death ’cause it’s always gonna find you.”
This book felt like The Civil Wars and Taylor Swift playing by a lake at dawn.
Don't question it.
This book felt like The Civil Wars and Taylor Swift playing by a lake at dawn.
Don't question it.
July 19, 2020
3.5 stars
Ghost Wood Song is an entertaining magical realism novel that’s an easy read, ideal for a lazy Sunday afternoon. It's not scary ghost story, in case you're wondering. I highly recommend the audiobook.
Ghost Wood Song is an entertaining magical realism novel that’s an easy read, ideal for a lazy Sunday afternoon. It's not scary ghost story, in case you're wondering. I highly recommend the audiobook.
August 6, 2022
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Shady Grove (mc) is bisexual.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
▷ Representation: Shady Grove (mc) is bisexual.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
July 27, 2018
I absolutely loved this creepy, atmospheric, lyrical book. The characters jump off the page and the resolution is SO satisfying.
October 20, 2022
⤏ DNF 62%
I lost 8h of my life listening to the audiobook and it's one of those times when I REGRET IT.
I'm so glad I didn't buy the book. I was super excited for it when I've read the synopsis because it sounds really interesting.
Unfortunately it wasn't what I expected at all.
She has a mistery to solve, so she can get her brother out of trouble. She hopes she can do it by speaking with ghosts.
This girl has no experience dealing with ghosts, but she tries anyway and of course she gets in a lot of trouble. Surprised? Not me.
Her friends are all boring characters, and some of them have shitty personalitie. To be honest, I didn't like ANY of them, not even the MC.
Not to mention there's a love triangle in this book and it's soooo annoying! What's worse is that Shady can't decide who to be with.
One moment she says X isn't good for her, the other she's almost pleading for X's forgiveness.
Oh give me a BREAK!
Oh and there's this ghost she calls "shadow man". He is apparently a bad ghost who wants her dead.
We don't why or who this shadow is but I don't care anymore.
So yeah, no. I'm done with this.
I lost 8h of my life listening to the audiobook and it's one of those times when I REGRET IT.
I'm so glad I didn't buy the book. I was super excited for it when I've read the synopsis because it sounds really interesting.
Unfortunately it wasn't what I expected at all.
She has a mistery to solve, so she can get her brother out of trouble. She hopes she can do it by speaking with ghosts.
This girl has no experience dealing with ghosts, but she tries anyway and of course she gets in a lot of trouble. Surprised? Not me.
Her friends are all boring characters, and some of them have shitty personalitie. To be honest, I didn't like ANY of them, not even the MC.
Not to mention there's a love triangle in this book and it's soooo annoying! What's worse is that Shady can't decide who to be with.
One moment she says X isn't good for her, the other she's almost pleading for X's forgiveness.
Oh give me a BREAK!
Oh and there's this ghost she calls "shadow man". He is apparently a bad ghost who wants her dead.
We don't why or who this shadow is but I don't care anymore.
So yeah, no. I'm done with this.
![Profile Image for Namera [The Literary Invertebrate].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1647896333i%2F31792110._UX200_CR0%2C96%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
November 22, 2020
ARC received in exchange for an honest review - thank you!
I usually begin new (especially debut) novels with high expectations, and then I’m almost inevitably disappointed (see The Nameless Queen, as one example among many). This time was sort of the opposite. I requested the ARC from Edelweiss on impulse, with no real belief it would be very good since the blurb is so vague, and it turned out to be AMAZING.
Seventeen-year-old Shady Grove Crawford lives in a trailer in Florida with her mother, stepfather Jim, older brother Jesse, and younger half-sister Honey. Life has been difficult since her father William died in a car accident four years ago. Shady is haunted by rumours that her mother and Jim were having an affair, and it’s led to Jesse and Jim having an antagonistic relationship which fills the trailer with aggression. Her best friend Sarah also seems unwilling to admit that there’s sexual tension between them. They’ve formed a band together with their other best friend Orlando, and the three of them are struggling for musical recognition.
Shady’s problems aren’t confined to the physical plane. Her father had a fiddle which could raise ghosts, and though it was supposedly lost with him, she can hear it playing from the woods at night – calling to her, begging her to come and take it up. She knows the fiddle is bad news and it wrecked her daddy’s life. But the music runs in her blood too, and she doesn’t think she’s strong enough to resist the fiddle’s siren call.
When Jim is murdered and Jesse is blamed for it, Shady realises there’s no point in resisting the fiddle. She needs to get it back so she can call up the ghosts who’ll be able to clear Jesse’s name. Helping her is charming cowboy Cedar Smith, who’s making Shady forget about emotionally closed-off girls like Sarah.
So, the thing which makes me gush about this book so much is that the writing is wonderful . Genuinely amazing. It’s evocative and lyrical without being purple, a perfect complement to the story being told. The wistfulness of Shady’s narratorial voice brilliantly calls up all the images she’s describing. The writing style also adapts itself to the demands of the plot – it gets tense at suitably dramatic moments, then relaxes back into languidity when atmosphere is taking precedence over action.
The romance was pretty damn amazing too . Though there’s ostensibly a love triangle, aka Shape I Loathe, I wouldn’t really say it ever develops properly; the person Shady will pick is obvious from the beginning, and it’s apparent that she’s made the right choice. Also yes, Shady is bisexual, which added a good deal to the love triangle itself.
My only nitpick would be that I’d have liked the side characters to be a little more fleshed out. I don’t mean they were flat, because they weren’t at all. In fact, I felt like I got to know them very well. But things like – what’s Cedar’s family situation like? What about Orlando’s? This is a very Shady-centric story, which isn’t a bad thing, but more details would have been appreciated. I'd also really like to have seen Shady confront her mother at some point about her past.
According to Goodreads, this is the first of a series, so perhaps we’ll learn more in the sequel – though I really think this book is perfect as a standalone.
Overall
Only decided to read it because Shady Grove is one of my favourite songs (especially the Doc Watson version!) so I was intrigued to see a YA story about bluegrass music. Turned out to be the best book I’ve read all month.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
I usually begin new (especially debut) novels with high expectations, and then I’m almost inevitably disappointed (see The Nameless Queen, as one example among many). This time was sort of the opposite. I requested the ARC from Edelweiss on impulse, with no real belief it would be very good since the blurb is so vague, and it turned out to be AMAZING.
Seventeen-year-old Shady Grove Crawford lives in a trailer in Florida with her mother, stepfather Jim, older brother Jesse, and younger half-sister Honey. Life has been difficult since her father William died in a car accident four years ago. Shady is haunted by rumours that her mother and Jim were having an affair, and it’s led to Jesse and Jim having an antagonistic relationship which fills the trailer with aggression. Her best friend Sarah also seems unwilling to admit that there’s sexual tension between them. They’ve formed a band together with their other best friend Orlando, and the three of them are struggling for musical recognition.
Shady’s problems aren’t confined to the physical plane. Her father had a fiddle which could raise ghosts, and though it was supposedly lost with him, she can hear it playing from the woods at night – calling to her, begging her to come and take it up. She knows the fiddle is bad news and it wrecked her daddy’s life. But the music runs in her blood too, and she doesn’t think she’s strong enough to resist the fiddle’s siren call.
When Jim is murdered and Jesse is blamed for it, Shady realises there’s no point in resisting the fiddle. She needs to get it back so she can call up the ghosts who’ll be able to clear Jesse’s name. Helping her is charming cowboy Cedar Smith, who’s making Shady forget about emotionally closed-off girls like Sarah.
So, the thing which makes me gush about this book so much is that the writing is wonderful . Genuinely amazing. It’s evocative and lyrical without being purple, a perfect complement to the story being told. The wistfulness of Shady’s narratorial voice brilliantly calls up all the images she’s describing. The writing style also adapts itself to the demands of the plot – it gets tense at suitably dramatic moments, then relaxes back into languidity when atmosphere is taking precedence over action.
The romance was pretty damn amazing too . Though there’s ostensibly a love triangle, aka Shape I Loathe, I wouldn’t really say it ever develops properly; the person Shady will pick is obvious from the beginning, and it’s apparent that she’s made the right choice. Also yes, Shady is bisexual, which added a good deal to the love triangle itself.
My only nitpick would be that I’d have liked the side characters to be a little more fleshed out. I don’t mean they were flat, because they weren’t at all. In fact, I felt like I got to know them very well. But things like – what’s Cedar’s family situation like? What about Orlando’s? This is a very Shady-centric story, which isn’t a bad thing, but more details would have been appreciated. I'd also really like to have seen Shady confront her mother at some point about her past.
According to Goodreads, this is the first of a series, so perhaps we’ll learn more in the sequel – though I really think this book is perfect as a standalone.
Overall
Only decided to read it because Shady Grove is one of my favourite songs (especially the Doc Watson version!) so I was intrigued to see a YA story about bluegrass music. Turned out to be the best book I’ve read all month.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
July 28, 2020
"I wait with the trees and the ghosts, trembling in the warm spring air, my body tuned to a frequency that only sounds like white noise, empty static to my mind. No matter how hard I listen, the silence never resolves into melody"
*ARC provided on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*
An eerie debut about a girl desperate to save her brother and a fiddle that raises ghosts.
SUMMARY
Shady Grove grew up in a house full of ghosts, and when her father played his fiddle he could call forth these spirits. After his death, his fiddle disappeared with him, but Shady is still haunted by its sound.
When Shady's brother is convicted of murder, she knows that the only way to find out what really happened is to raise the ghost of the person who died. But finding the fiddle is only one part of the difficult journey, because the fiddle's magic comes with a price and Shady may not be prepared to pay the cost.
REVIEW
I didn't realise that this was a magical realism novel, and was at first surprised by the modern setting. However, I found that Waters managed to seamlessly blend the magic into her contemporary novel to create a somber and spooky atmosphere.
While this book wasn't a perfect five-stars, it is still a novel that I enjoyed and would recommend to others. (side note: I YouTubed what fiddle music sounded like as I read this book and it is really cool.)
I really appreciated the social commentary on abusive households, grief, and sexual identity. Our main character, Shady Grove, is a bisexual cis-female. She is both in love with her female best-friend, but also falling for a boy who makes her feel loved. I though that Waters handled this love-triangle(?) beautifully, because it felt equal on both sides. I also think that the love-triangle showed Shady's growth throughout the novel and her development mentally.
A large part of the novel focuses on Shady's grief. Her father passed away in a car accident a few years back, and both herself and her brother are dealing with their grief differently. The journey of Shady becoming entangled with her father's magical fiddle and slowly being sucked into the darkness it harbours shaped her story beautifully. I was intrigued by the fiddle's magic and how it drew its power. The eerie atmosphere the fiddle invoked was creepy and the ghosts were weird but interesting to learn about.
I also loved the topic of friendship and love that this book brought forth. I dont want to go into too much detail here to avoid spoiling parts of the novel, but I think that Waters did a great job at showing the different personalities between all the characters and how they function better as a whole. Plus, reading about how they play their instruments and sing together felt special.
When I read the synopsis about Shady's brother being convicted of murder, I was intrigued. I did not see who would die coming and thought that surprise was well executed. I had my own inklings as to who really killed that person, and I was correct but not for the reason why. There are a lot of secrets woven within this story and it makes me excited for what Waters writes next.
Overall, a wonderful read that would be perfect for a stormy winter night in the woods.
Trigger Warnings: Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse, death of a parent, car accident
*ARC provided on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*
An eerie debut about a girl desperate to save her brother and a fiddle that raises ghosts.
SUMMARY
Shady Grove grew up in a house full of ghosts, and when her father played his fiddle he could call forth these spirits. After his death, his fiddle disappeared with him, but Shady is still haunted by its sound.
When Shady's brother is convicted of murder, she knows that the only way to find out what really happened is to raise the ghost of the person who died. But finding the fiddle is only one part of the difficult journey, because the fiddle's magic comes with a price and Shady may not be prepared to pay the cost.
REVIEW
I didn't realise that this was a magical realism novel, and was at first surprised by the modern setting. However, I found that Waters managed to seamlessly blend the magic into her contemporary novel to create a somber and spooky atmosphere.
While this book wasn't a perfect five-stars, it is still a novel that I enjoyed and would recommend to others. (side note: I YouTubed what fiddle music sounded like as I read this book and it is really cool.)
I really appreciated the social commentary on abusive households, grief, and sexual identity. Our main character, Shady Grove, is a bisexual cis-female. She is both in love with her female best-friend, but also falling for a boy who makes her feel loved. I though that Waters handled this love-triangle(?) beautifully, because it felt equal on both sides. I also think that the love-triangle showed Shady's growth throughout the novel and her development mentally.
A large part of the novel focuses on Shady's grief. Her father passed away in a car accident a few years back, and both herself and her brother are dealing with their grief differently. The journey of Shady becoming entangled with her father's magical fiddle and slowly being sucked into the darkness it harbours shaped her story beautifully. I was intrigued by the fiddle's magic and how it drew its power. The eerie atmosphere the fiddle invoked was creepy and the ghosts were weird but interesting to learn about.
I also loved the topic of friendship and love that this book brought forth. I dont want to go into too much detail here to avoid spoiling parts of the novel, but I think that Waters did a great job at showing the different personalities between all the characters and how they function better as a whole. Plus, reading about how they play their instruments and sing together felt special.
When I read the synopsis about Shady's brother being convicted of murder, I was intrigued. I did not see who would die coming and thought that surprise was well executed. I had my own inklings as to who really killed that person, and I was correct but not for the reason why. There are a lot of secrets woven within this story and it makes me excited for what Waters writes next.
Overall, a wonderful read that would be perfect for a stormy winter night in the woods.
Trigger Warnings: Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse, death of a parent, car accident
November 24, 2022
Many times while reading this, I was in the mind of this being a novel inspired by the song: The Devil Went Down to Georgia. And let me tell you I was here for this.
Strengths: The music. Oh lordy, the love of music was good. I wish I could have heard some of it, though.
The family drama! Well done. This was well-detailed and developed
The Characters of the family: again, this went hand in hand with the family drama
Shady Grove as a narrator and character, was well written
The setting. I could the trees and the areas where the book took place.
The biggest weakness for me was the romance. If less time was spent on this, it wouldn't have been as big of a deal, unfortunately, there was much of the novel devoted to Shady's desired crushes, and it just didn't work well.
The first build-up of both romances was done well, but then it felt muddied and less edited. This took away from the novel as a whole with how much time was devoted to it. It felt like maybe this section of Shady changed many times throughout editing without ever fully being realized.
Erica Waters is superb at paranormal, but someone underdeveloped in terms of romance writing. I, too, have this issue, and I get it, but it doesn't make it go away.
Some of the quotes I enjoyed
“I scream until I am no longer a girl, no longer flesh and blood, but only sound and terror hurtling through the night.”
“Bluegrass lyrics are almost always about death, loss, and unrequited love, but the music – the noise we make with out banjos and our fiddles – is joyful. The dead are always with us, even after their ghosts move on, but it's the life pulsing through our veins that makes the music.”
Overall I am stuck between a 3-3.5 stars. It was good, much to love. Wish I could have cut most of the romantic scenes that detracted from the main plot and didn't have much to add.
Strengths: The music. Oh lordy, the love of music was good. I wish I could have heard some of it, though.
The family drama! Well done. This was well-detailed and developed
The Characters of the family: again, this went hand in hand with the family drama
Shady Grove as a narrator and character, was well written
The setting. I could the trees and the areas where the book took place.
The biggest weakness for me was the romance. If less time was spent on this, it wouldn't have been as big of a deal, unfortunately, there was much of the novel devoted to Shady's desired crushes, and it just didn't work well.
The first build-up of both romances was done well, but then it felt muddied and less edited. This took away from the novel as a whole with how much time was devoted to it. It felt like maybe this section of Shady changed many times throughout editing without ever fully being realized.
Erica Waters is superb at paranormal, but someone underdeveloped in terms of romance writing. I, too, have this issue, and I get it, but it doesn't make it go away.
Some of the quotes I enjoyed
“I scream until I am no longer a girl, no longer flesh and blood, but only sound and terror hurtling through the night.”
“Bluegrass lyrics are almost always about death, loss, and unrequited love, but the music – the noise we make with out banjos and our fiddles – is joyful. The dead are always with us, even after their ghosts move on, but it's the life pulsing through our veins that makes the music.”
Overall I am stuck between a 3-3.5 stars. It was good, much to love. Wish I could have cut most of the romantic scenes that detracted from the main plot and didn't have much to add.
Read
September 30, 2020DNF : not the one for me
Was 3 hrs into the 9 hr audiobook and still don't care. I feel sad to let this one go because this has a very good writing style and has an amazing bisexual rep. But I don't want to waste my time with a book that is clearly not my cup of tea.
Was 3 hrs into the 9 hr audiobook and still don't care. I feel sad to let this one go because this has a very good writing style and has an amazing bisexual rep. But I don't want to waste my time with a book that is clearly not my cup of tea.
August 29, 2020
3.5*
The story was good , i just didn't care much about the characters , or the writing itself .
The story was good , i just didn't care much about the characters , or the writing itself .
Want to read
October 8, 2019Well I'm 100% buying that cover
July 28, 2020
DNF 40%
Лесбийский хоррор с привидениями легким движением руки превращается... превращается... в семейную драму, школьный contemporary и православный гет.
Тьфу.
Прекрасные, меланхоличные и криповые описания перемежаются куцыми диалогами ниочем. Призраков мало, зато много школоты. Экшена, юмора, интриги, дружбы, харизматичных персонажей нет. Есть хорошая семейная драма, рефлексия над потерями и местечковые нравы хутора на двести человек.
Вначале героиня юстится по своей подруге, но на 20% появляется Он: богатый, веселый, популярный и картонный красавчик. И сразу становится ясно, что с лесбийством нас опять прокатили.
Я на всякий случай открыла финал - и решила завязать.
Лесбийский хоррор с привидениями легким движением руки превращается... превращается... в семейную драму, школьный contemporary и православный гет.
Тьфу.
Прекрасные, меланхоличные и криповые описания перемежаются куцыми диалогами ниочем. Призраков мало, зато много школоты. Экшена, юмора, интриги, дружбы, харизматичных персонажей нет. Есть хорошая семейная драма, рефлексия над потерями и местечковые нравы хутора на двести человек.
Вначале героиня юстится по своей подруге, но на 20% появляется Он: богатый, веселый, популярный и картонный красавчик. И сразу становится ясно, что с лесбийством нас опять прокатили.
Я на всякий случай открыла финал - и решила завязать.
September 22, 2021
2.5 stars ｡･:*˚:✧｡ This story was just okay. Not much really happened for how long it was, I did like the mentions of grief but I just didn’t connect to the characters or story. In my opinion all I can said was it was okay. I do recommend the audiobook though, I think it’s the best way to read this story.
August 25, 2020
An enjoyable and adequate ya gothic contemporary that had its ups and downs and couldn’t really settle on what it wanted to be.
Shady grove is still reeling from her father’s death years ago when another blow befalls the family. The only thing that can save her family? Her dad’s missing magic violin that can call ghosts.
This novel had more romance and very very typical ya love triangle that I wanted or expected, and which I ultimately didn’t really enjoy as its not my thing.
The characters however were well fleshed out and we really got a chance to see each of the friendships and relationships contained within the book. This book also wasn’t all sunshine and roses but did highlight and tackle tougher issues such as grief, death and internalised homophobia.
This was okay, but boy did it take me a while to plough through.
Shady grove is still reeling from her father’s death years ago when another blow befalls the family. The only thing that can save her family? Her dad’s missing magic violin that can call ghosts.
This novel had more romance and very very typical ya love triangle that I wanted or expected, and which I ultimately didn’t really enjoy as its not my thing.
The characters however were well fleshed out and we really got a chance to see each of the friendships and relationships contained within the book. This book also wasn’t all sunshine and roses but did highlight and tackle tougher issues such as grief, death and internalised homophobia.
This was okay, but boy did it take me a while to plough through.
July 26, 2020
2.0 this had the potential to be something entirely beautiful but it fell flat on its face. It needed wayyyy less filler and way more back story content. This could have stood as an excellent short story if you pull out all the filler.
A book continued to open up story plots with immense story backdrops and then provided little to no content about it. Which ended up being the only thing I cared about since the characters were completely dry and typical teenagers to the exception of attempting to believe a group of high school kids from Florida all play the banjo/fiddle and other odd instruments. I'm sorry but no.
This was compared a lot to the bone houses and I completely agree 100%. That was another book that could have been the most amazing thing and ended up being a wet noodle.
A book continued to open up story plots with immense story backdrops and then provided little to no content about it. Which ended up being the only thing I cared about since the characters were completely dry and typical teenagers to the exception of attempting to believe a group of high school kids from Florida all play the banjo/fiddle and other odd instruments. I'm sorry but no.
This was compared a lot to the bone houses and I completely agree 100%. That was another book that could have been the most amazing thing and ended up being a wet noodle.
April 3, 2020
Ghost Wood Song manages to capture aching truths about bisexuality and growing up in a difficult family, and marries them to a sumptuous atmosphere, ghost-lore, and well-earned twists...the result is intoxicating and fabulously creepy. The author's characters are deep and complex in a way that never detracts from the pace, and I'll definitely be reaching for it to re-read in the future. All the stars.
December 20, 2019
Beautiful, atmospheric, with a complex mystery driving its central plot, GHOST WOOD SONG is a must read in 2020. An absolutely fantastic debut!
June 19, 2021
4.5 stars!
June 29, 2020
Ghost Wood Song is an example of magical realism at its finest! What I loved about this story was the bond of music that the central characters shared, and how they take their art out into nature and then the stage and just play together.
The main character, Shady, is a fiddle player and she lost her father four years ago in a car accident. Now his fiddle, which has the magic to summon ghosts, is needed to clear her brother's name of a murder, and put the family's secrets to rest once and for all. I wasn't sold by the cohesiveness of the story in the very beginning. Something seemed to be missing. However, I really enjoyed the writing, the representation, and the magic in the story, and I wanted to see where the music would take the characters so I am glad I stuck with it. Overall, I would call this read a 3.5 but I rounded up to a 4 because I did like the ending.
The main character, Shady, is a fiddle player and she lost her father four years ago in a car accident. Now his fiddle, which has the magic to summon ghosts, is needed to clear her brother's name of a murder, and put the family's secrets to rest once and for all. I wasn't sold by the cohesiveness of the story in the very beginning. Something seemed to be missing. However, I really enjoyed the writing, the representation, and the magic in the story, and I wanted to see where the music would take the characters so I am glad I stuck with it. Overall, I would call this read a 3.5 but I rounded up to a 4 because I did like the ending.
May 25, 2022
If it wasn’t for the love triangle I’d give this book all the stars, so instead I give it 4.5 ⭐️
Aside from that, I really liked the book. Loss and forgiveness are the main themes of the novel and the story reflects how everything isn’t always black and white. Shady is the main character, she’s disaster bisexual who’s crushing on two people at the same time. As if that wasn’t enough drama she also has to figure out a mystery to save her brother. A mystery that involves ghosts and family secrets. Ones that unravel everything she thought she knew about her parents and brother.
Shady’s investigation helps her learn to see beyond the surface and understand that there’s more than one aspect or reason to any situation. By the end she’s able to forgive and find closure❤️🩹
Would recommend ✨
Aside from that, I really liked the book. Loss and forgiveness are the main themes of the novel and the story reflects how everything isn’t always black and white. Shady is the main character, she’s disaster bisexual who’s crushing on two people at the same time. As if that wasn’t enough drama she also has to figure out a mystery to save her brother. A mystery that involves ghosts and family secrets. Ones that unravel everything she thought she knew about her parents and brother.
Shady’s investigation helps her learn to see beyond the surface and understand that there’s more than one aspect or reason to any situation. By the end she’s able to forgive and find closure❤️🩹
Would recommend ✨
December 8, 2020
A bit disappointing, but alas, mystery isn't my favorite genre. This really needed more ghosts. That would've saved it quite a bit!
September 14, 2024
this is one of those times when i read a ya book and i go... i'm not the target audience for this one. it doesn't happen with all ya books, but occasionally (not at all a knock on the book!) there is one that reads a little younger, or has certain themes that i just go, hm, not for me.
this book is gonna be fantastic for a teenage bisexual who likes spooky things. unfortunetly, i am an adult lesbian. i didn't care at all abt shady and cedar's romance, and wanted her to work it out with sarah somehow or get together with rose the whole time. plus... i think i get frusturated sometimes with how much ya seems to like, be required to have a side romance story when a story doesn't rlly call for it?? like, shady is GOING THROUGH IT with her family, and that's what drew me to the book, and every time they paused for the romance stuff i lost a little interest. i don't think it was necessary. you could have taken out her romance issues with sarah, and left cedar just a new friend and the story would hardly change.
it was a perfectly fine debut, but coming off the other book i've read by erica waters (a fantastic ya sapphic dark academia that i loved listening to the audiobook last year) it left me a little dissapointed.
i think other ppl would love it, but it was just fine/not quite for me, unfortunetly. on a real scale it's like a 2.5, but that feels mean bc it was def a case of "oh, this was not written with me in mind, and the ppl it's written for will probably have a great time".
this book is gonna be fantastic for a teenage bisexual who likes spooky things. unfortunetly, i am an adult lesbian. i didn't care at all abt shady and cedar's romance, and wanted her to work it out with sarah somehow or get together with rose the whole time. plus... i think i get frusturated sometimes with how much ya seems to like, be required to have a side romance story when a story doesn't rlly call for it?? like, shady is GOING THROUGH IT with her family, and that's what drew me to the book, and every time they paused for the romance stuff i lost a little interest. i don't think it was necessary. you could have taken out her romance issues with sarah, and left cedar just a new friend and the story would hardly change.
it was a perfectly fine debut, but coming off the other book i've read by erica waters (a fantastic ya sapphic dark academia that i loved listening to the audiobook last year) it left me a little dissapointed.
i think other ppl would love it, but it was just fine/not quite for me, unfortunetly. on a real scale it's like a 2.5, but that feels mean bc it was def a case of "oh, this was not written with me in mind, and the ppl it's written for will probably have a great time".
June 18, 2020
Thank you Edelweiss and the publisher for the chance to review this title.
GHOST WOOD SONG is the hauntingly gay murder mystery with a fiddle that calls ghosts from the afterworld that you want to read. Like now.
I requested GHOST WOOD SONG purely on the cover. It offered an atmospheric jaunt through one girl's life of love and loss. Shady lives in a trailer in Florida with her mom, older brother, step-sister, and step-dad. Life for Shady hasn't been easy since the tragic death of her father and the fact that her father's best friend married her mom not long after. The past creeps up on them slowly but surely and when tragedy strikes, Shady turns to her father's old fiddle to solve a murder that Jesse is accused of. PLOT TWIST, the fiddle is blessed...or cursed, however, you want to look at it, and is able to summons spirits. Let's tack on some sexual tension with Shady's best friend Sarah, and a cowboy hat toting boy named Cedar and we got a recipe for some draaaaaama.
What I loved most was the RAVEN BOYS type vibe I got from reading this novel. I know the synopsis recs SAWKILL GIRLS and BEAUTIFUL CREATURES but I didn't get a hint of either of those in this one. Nevertheless, it's still a fun book. The writing was amazing. Waters has a way of making her prose flow so smoothly and haunting that it doesn't feel forced or purple.
The romance was sweet, but not without its troubles. Looking from afar, you could see this as a love triangle, but Shady is just getting to know who she is. As a bi girl, she's navigating her feelings like walking on hot coals.
Let me state this clearly: SHADY IS BISEXUAL and whoever she ends up with is A-OK. Don't be mad, though.
Overall, this was a solid debut with a plot-driven story sure to captivate audiences.
GHOST WOOD SONG is the hauntingly gay murder mystery with a fiddle that calls ghosts from the afterworld that you want to read. Like now.
I requested GHOST WOOD SONG purely on the cover. It offered an atmospheric jaunt through one girl's life of love and loss. Shady lives in a trailer in Florida with her mom, older brother, step-sister, and step-dad. Life for Shady hasn't been easy since the tragic death of her father and the fact that her father's best friend married her mom not long after. The past creeps up on them slowly but surely and when tragedy strikes, Shady turns to her father's old fiddle to solve a murder that Jesse is accused of. PLOT TWIST, the fiddle is blessed...or cursed, however, you want to look at it, and is able to summons spirits. Let's tack on some sexual tension with Shady's best friend Sarah, and a cowboy hat toting boy named Cedar and we got a recipe for some draaaaaama.
What I loved most was the RAVEN BOYS type vibe I got from reading this novel. I know the synopsis recs SAWKILL GIRLS and BEAUTIFUL CREATURES but I didn't get a hint of either of those in this one. Nevertheless, it's still a fun book. The writing was amazing. Waters has a way of making her prose flow so smoothly and haunting that it doesn't feel forced or purple.
The romance was sweet, but not without its troubles. Looking from afar, you could see this as a love triangle, but Shady is just getting to know who she is. As a bi girl, she's navigating her feelings like walking on hot coals.
Let me state this clearly: SHADY IS BISEXUAL and whoever she ends up with is A-OK. Don't be mad, though.
Overall, this was a solid debut with a plot-driven story sure to captivate audiences.
January 5, 2020
A beautiful, musical story about the power of love and grief.
April 9, 2020
3.5/5
Huge thanks to the publisher via Edelweiss+
for the eARC! This in no way affects my review
Ghost Wood Song is a story about love and loss, the stages of grief, music and ghosts, secrets, and family. It is a sibling bond so strong that old secrets are dug up and put to rest in order to save each other. It is a father and daughter relationship so pure that regardless of any misdeeds or secrets, they still care for and support each other. It is a boy wrongly accused of murder and a girl who would do anything to prove his innocence. Ghost Wood Song is all of this with a bit of romance and friendships, a girl torn between her best friend and a boy she only recently started getting to know, and another girl who wants her best friend but is so hung up on her ex and past emotional trauma that she can't stay committed to a choice.
Shady Grove, or Shady as everyone calls her, lost her father four years ago and still can't get over the fact that he is gone. He was her role model, her teacher, her father, the one she looked up to the most and learnt to love music from. He taught her how to play the fiddle, showed her some secrets of the magic it holds and the ghosts it calls. Her whole family still hurts from his absence, however Jim (her father's best friend, and now her mother's lover) is there to fill the spot and provide for them.
Jesse, Shady's brother, is always arguing with Jim and getting into trouble, changed into an angry and bitter young man. But everything changes for him when he is accused of murder, and despite how protective and kind he is to his sister, most people believe he really is capable of such violence. Shady is possibly the only person on his side, and despite the fact that he makes her promise not to go searching for their father's fiddle and getting answers from ghosts, Shady just can't shake off the fiddle's calls or her brother's looming guilty sentence. So no matter what she finds out about her brother, Shady will do whatever she can to prove his innocence.
no matter what he lied about, no matter what he did. Like Mama said, that's what you do for family. You love them and take care of them, not because they are always good or right, but because they belong to you.
The descriptions of the music are absolutely beautiful! I adore the detail in tone and atmosphere, how the player's emotions can change how the music sounds while they play. Shady used the music as a kind of therapy, to let her frustration and sadness out, to get lost in the memories of her father teaching her songs to play. She craves the music and it really shows in the writing, with how she handles her instrument with care and constantly wants to play, to hear the music she makes. Sarah used music to fill the silence, and Orlando uses it to be closer to his family.
Daddy's fiddle drew ghosts like hummingbirds to nectar. Mine only reminds me of everything I'm not, everything I'll never be.
However, Shady sometimes has to work through some pretty rough emotions, having to deal with not only her father being gone but also her brother most likely going to jail, not to mention that her crush and best friend Sarah can't seem to make up her mind on whether she wants to be with Shady or not. Which, I do want to point out, felt a little lackluster? I personally did not feel the attraction or chemistry between Shady and Sarah, and felt it ended too quickly? Shady mentioned many times how much it hurt her to have Sarah show interest and then either ignore her or pretend nothing happened, and then Shady is given a choice that she seems to make pretty easily (we never really got an internal or external battle of feelings to show why she chose who she did). Regardless, I like that they were still able to be friends and that we have bisexual as well as lesbian characters.
But the memory crept in with the music, clawed and fanged. I close my eyes and let it rip me open.
In her mission to save her brother, Shady comes across some buried secrets and long ago memories most feel are best forgotten. The author not only gives us eerie, dark secrets and scary ghosts that wish only harm, but also provides a message and reassurance, that so long as we face things head on and get it out of our system, things won't be so bad; it will be a little easier to deal with.
All this family ever does is bury its secrets, and yet they keep climbing out of the dirt and sneaking up on us. Maybe if we just dig them up and face them, they can't hurt us all so much. Maybe if we speak them out loud, they won't have so much power over us.
Overall, I really liked this! It was atmospheric and eerie at times, full of so many good lessons and strong family/friendship bonds. I do recommend giving this one a try if you enjoy reading about ghosts, family bonds, and light murder mystery (I say light because it was mainly focused on ghosts and getting information from them rather than investigating people and their motives).
Please be advised that these quotes are taken from an ARC and may not be in the published copy.
Huge thanks to the publisher via Edelweiss+
for the eARC! This in no way affects my review
Ghost Wood Song is a story about love and loss, the stages of grief, music and ghosts, secrets, and family. It is a sibling bond so strong that old secrets are dug up and put to rest in order to save each other. It is a father and daughter relationship so pure that regardless of any misdeeds or secrets, they still care for and support each other. It is a boy wrongly accused of murder and a girl who would do anything to prove his innocence. Ghost Wood Song is all of this with a bit of romance and friendships, a girl torn between her best friend and a boy she only recently started getting to know, and another girl who wants her best friend but is so hung up on her ex and past emotional trauma that she can't stay committed to a choice.
Shady Grove, or Shady as everyone calls her, lost her father four years ago and still can't get over the fact that he is gone. He was her role model, her teacher, her father, the one she looked up to the most and learnt to love music from. He taught her how to play the fiddle, showed her some secrets of the magic it holds and the ghosts it calls. Her whole family still hurts from his absence, however Jim (her father's best friend, and now her mother's lover) is there to fill the spot and provide for them.
Jesse, Shady's brother, is always arguing with Jim and getting into trouble, changed into an angry and bitter young man. But everything changes for him when he is accused of murder, and despite how protective and kind he is to his sister, most people believe he really is capable of such violence. Shady is possibly the only person on his side, and despite the fact that he makes her promise not to go searching for their father's fiddle and getting answers from ghosts, Shady just can't shake off the fiddle's calls or her brother's looming guilty sentence. So no matter what she finds out about her brother, Shady will do whatever she can to prove his innocence.
no matter what he lied about, no matter what he did. Like Mama said, that's what you do for family. You love them and take care of them, not because they are always good or right, but because they belong to you.
The descriptions of the music are absolutely beautiful! I adore the detail in tone and atmosphere, how the player's emotions can change how the music sounds while they play. Shady used the music as a kind of therapy, to let her frustration and sadness out, to get lost in the memories of her father teaching her songs to play. She craves the music and it really shows in the writing, with how she handles her instrument with care and constantly wants to play, to hear the music she makes. Sarah used music to fill the silence, and Orlando uses it to be closer to his family.
Daddy's fiddle drew ghosts like hummingbirds to nectar. Mine only reminds me of everything I'm not, everything I'll never be.
However, Shady sometimes has to work through some pretty rough emotions, having to deal with not only her father being gone but also her brother most likely going to jail, not to mention that her crush and best friend Sarah can't seem to make up her mind on whether she wants to be with Shady or not. Which, I do want to point out, felt a little lackluster? I personally did not feel the attraction or chemistry between Shady and Sarah, and felt it ended too quickly? Shady mentioned many times how much it hurt her to have Sarah show interest and then either ignore her or pretend nothing happened, and then Shady is given a choice that she seems to make pretty easily (we never really got an internal or external battle of feelings to show why she chose who she did). Regardless, I like that they were still able to be friends and that we have bisexual as well as lesbian characters.
But the memory crept in with the music, clawed and fanged. I close my eyes and let it rip me open.
In her mission to save her brother, Shady comes across some buried secrets and long ago memories most feel are best forgotten. The author not only gives us eerie, dark secrets and scary ghosts that wish only harm, but also provides a message and reassurance, that so long as we face things head on and get it out of our system, things won't be so bad; it will be a little easier to deal with.
All this family ever does is bury its secrets, and yet they keep climbing out of the dirt and sneaking up on us. Maybe if we just dig them up and face them, they can't hurt us all so much. Maybe if we speak them out loud, they won't have so much power over us.
Overall, I really liked this! It was atmospheric and eerie at times, full of so many good lessons and strong family/friendship bonds. I do recommend giving this one a try if you enjoy reading about ghosts, family bonds, and light murder mystery (I say light because it was mainly focused on ghosts and getting information from them rather than investigating people and their motives).
Please be advised that these quotes are taken from an ARC and may not be in the published copy.
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