*4 stars*

This was wonderfully creepy and atmospheric. Filled with sapphic love and pining, and an interesting exploration of grief.

I loved the gothic setting and the slow burn of creepiness and secrets. The relationships between the characters felt so real and they were nicely fleshed out (no pun intended). I also really loved the chapter headings I thought they were really fun. I did think the ending felt a little rushed. I feel like it could have benefitted from a little more time spent on the reveals and motivations of some of the characters. I would have liked it to explore the more horror aspects of the story but I can understand why it was kept a little lighter as it is a Young Adult novel. Overall the atmosphere and representation were wonderfully done and I would recommend it to fans of slow burn gothic horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley attempts to deliver a haunting tale, but falls short due to its overwhelming similarity to the works that inspired it, The Turn of the Screw, and its tv adaptation, The Haunting of Bly Manor. Rather than carving its own path, this novel treads too closely in the footsteps of its predecessors, resulting in a disappointingly derivative narrative.

From the moment I delved into the story, I couldn't shake the feeling of déjà vu. The premise, centered around a governess caring for two troubled children, echoes The Turn of the Screw with unsettling precision. The familiar elements of a mysterious employer and children with dark secrets are regrettably recycled, leaving little room for originality or surprises.

Furthermore, McCauley's portrayal of the characters in All the Dead Lie Down felt like a copy-and-paste job from The Haunting of Bly Manor. The governess felt like a carbon copy of a character we've seen before. The children, seemingly innocent yet harboring sinister tendencies, came across as uninspired replicas of their counterparts in the aforementioned works. As a reader, I longed for depth and individuality, but instead found myself immersed in a shallow reflection of past characters.

While it's not inherently wrong for authors to draw inspiration from literary greats, All the Dead Lie Down's lack of originality undermines its own potential. By failing to bring anything fresh to the table, the novel leaves readers with a lingering sense of disappointment. It's disheartening to witness the potential of a promising storyline squandered by its reliance on well-trodden paths.

In conclusion, All the Dead Lie Down disappointingly fails to distinguish itself from the works that clearly influenced it, The Turn of the Screw and The Haunting of Bly Manor. The unoriginal plot and characters inhibit the novel's ability to captivate and engage readers. I hoped for a fresh and innovative take on the haunted governess trope, but sadly, this book did not deliver.

I’m going to admit that I was very bored most of the time but it still wasn’t a bad book, if that makes sense. Much more fantasy oriented than I expected instead of horror but since it’s YA, I should’ve known that. I wish it was spooky thought because it wasn't at all, it just felt rather stereotypical and flat. I also do feel like she was trying to make it like a lot of other stories. I liked the sapphic romance though!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

This was so promising! I was really enjoying it until the midpoint. The midpoint reveal felt like it came out of nowhere—though that could also have been the writing. Yes this is YA but the writing is inconsistent. Some lines are beautiful but most of the dialogue is painful.
The other reveals in the second half felt just as clunky and shoehorned, and the antagonist/villainy in the end was very disappointing. Just felt weak and not thought out very well.

All the Dead Lie Down is a modern gothic novel with a gorgeous, creepy atmosphere and deep complex characters.
After the death of her mother, Marin Blythe receives a surprising invitation from Alice Lovelace—an acclaimed horror writer and childhood friend of Marin’s mother. Alice offers her a nanny position at Lovelace House, an estate on the coastal line of Maine. She accepts the job of watching over the two girls and looks forward to meeting the writer of her favorite books. Arriving at Lovelace, she understands where the ideas for the stories come from, the old estate seeps with tension and pockets of fear. Plus, the two girls are peculiar. One buries her dolls at the on-site cemetery and the other pulls pranks to scare her off. Unexpectedly, the older sister returns home. About Marin’s age, Marin is drawn to her. She can’t decide if it’s because Evie is peculiar or if Marin has a desire waking within her. But then things get even weirder with the older sister home. What is going on at Lovelace? Are Alice’s horror stories true?

I enjoyed this goth horror/romance. Kyrie McCauley creates a landscape that drips in shadows and creepiness. Unlike some of this genre, this moves from practical horror to the supernatural; the danger is otherworldly. McCauley paces this book almost perfectly drawing you further into Marin’s life at Lovelace. You become invested in all the characters as twists and turns delve more into their psyche and life circumstances. The horror becomes all-encompassing, and the tension builds beautifully as the reader’s heart races.
But there is one issue. I would forgive this issue but it’s a large oversight of the rules that McCauley herself created. Without going into detail and spoiling the book, the rules of life and death and beyond are clearly set out and the characters’ actions followed this throughout the book. But the biggest twist of all breaks these rules. There is no explanation why the rules would be changed in this instance. I find this a huge oversight by the author making me think she can set up a beautiful atmosphere and enthralling story but can’t land an ending.

I must grin at the beautiful use of the title “All the Dead Lie Down”. You won’t truly appreciate it until you read the book. Hopefully, you can put aside the rule-breaking and enjoy this gorgeous gothic story.

This was a great atmospheric horror, with a nice build up to the reveals. The setting is on the coast of Maine, in a centuries-old gothic estate that I would love to visit. It has multiple graveyards, a greenhouse, and direct access to the beach so what else do you need??

The beginning is a little slow paced, but we're getting to know Marin and the Lovelace family and see that something isn't quite right. Marin's relationship with the younger girls was pretty cute and I liked seeing them bond and start to trust each other.

Marin enters a romance with the oldest Lovelace daughter and I probably could have done without it. The girls do have a couple nice moments, but I didn't feel like it added too much to the plot other than a bit of drama.

I was pleased with the twists and the direction this went. As things ramped up, I started reading faster to find out what was going on and how things would conclude. I thought the end was pretty satisfying and this is a fun sapphic horror.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Katherine Tegen Books and NetGalley for the copy

Pitched as The Haunting of Bly Manor meets House of Salt and Shadows, All the Dead Lie Down is a title with a romantic gothic plot line that immediately grabbed my attention when I noticed it on NetGalley. However, this book unfortunately ended up not being for me. While the book feels quite slow overall, I appreciated its easy prose and enjoyed reading from the main character’s point of view.

An aspect that took me out multiple times was that the teen characters often had dialogue that made them sound much older, while the children characters were more inconsistent, at times seeming very much their young age and other times sounding more like teenagers. The time period and general setting also felt vague and hard to pin down. I assumed it was present day, especially since there is a line referencing the band, Paramore but then other little details like how they dressed, manner of speech, and way of life felt archaic at times.

Another disappointing element was the forced romance. The main character had little chemistry with the love interest, other than immediately being obsessed with her lips and acting like a lovesick puppy the minute she showed up.

Overall, I feel like the synopsis didn’t match what the novel actually delivered and I was expecting something much more atmospheric and creepy. All The Dead Lie Down might be something I’d recommend to a reader who had never read in the paranormal realm before but other than that, I’d say skip this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Katherine Tegen Books for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for review.

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC for review!

I was first drawn to ‘All The Dead Lie Down’ because of the hauntingly beautiful cover. I just love the cover. Also, when a book is said to be ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ meets ‘House of Salt and Sorrows’, I’m going to want to read it! The story definitely reminded me a little of both, but it also felt different and unique.

I loved the setting of this book. I think the coastal Maine setting added the perfect atmosphere to the story. There was a gothic tone throughout the book that I really loved. You have the gothic house, the creepy children, and some strange happenings going on that made this a very chilling read. I loved McCauley’s writing and I flew through this book.

I definitely recommend this book, especially If you’re looking to read a creepy paranormal romance. The story focuses a lot on the budding romance between two of the main characters, Marin and Evie. I thought the relationship between the two girls was very sweet, even though it did seem like they fell for each other rather quickly.

I knocked off 1/2 a star because I did guess a major twist in the plot early on. However, I did really enjoy this story and I look forward to reading McCauley’s next book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

“Cordelia never seemed to worry, so Marin did it for her.”

4.5 stars

At the start I wanted Marin just to leave, she was working herself to death for nothing. Aside from that, it builds just like a gothic horror, with a little love story between the oldest daughter and our MC. I wanted more earlier about Alice, but I appreciated the time spent developing the daughters and Marin. Great writing with a satisfying ending. If you are looking for a good sapphic gothic horror I would give this one a try.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc.

This book was delightfully gothic and spooky and, as strange as it sounds, I loved the way this book handled gore. Its way of describing it, often comparing it to mundane, or even beautiful things, made it even more jarring.

Definitely a book I recommend reading.

When I was younger l loved spooky gothic like stories. Without fail those stories had some creepy children that made me wanna sleep with the lights on. That’s what drew me in at first for this book: the nostalgia. The synopsis made me think of books I used to love and I am grateful to give All the Dead Lie Down a go.

The first chapter had me nervous that this was gonna be a lot darker than planned. I won’t ever stop thinking about the bird, that will probably haunt me. The descriptions of animals and gore really had me squeamish at times. But I will say I thought there was a nice balance of the book staying true to horror but also still being ya. The book was darker than expected but it’s definitely not the darkest ya or horror book I’ve read. Like I said there was a nice balance.

The characters were odd and immediately you feel something is up. I did enjoy that aspect. You never fully knew what to expect because everything just felt weird. The mystery was present because it was hard to tell what was more odd from everything already being being off kilter.

Overall, I did enjoy this read. I did have problems with the flow because it didn’t feel smooth during times. Marin would suddenly talk about the past out of nowhere then you’d go back to the present. That happened quite a bit and it was like random at times. The details weren’t always there and that had me struggling creating any sense of timeline. No complaints about the horror aspects, those were delivered nicely.

The premise behind this book was good. Marin is invited to be a nanny for two young girls in a creepy old house in the middle of nowhere that belongs to her favorite horror author. It comes as no surprise, then, that creepy things keep happening, and its not just the girls pranking her to get her to leave. Something is not right with the house, the area, or the people involved.

I felt like this book had a lot of promise. It was a creepy setting and weird things kept happening. The imagery was good and the author used a wide range of senses in her descriptions, which helped lend realism to the story. Wren had that touch of evil, Thea the sweet innocence, and Evie the collected calm, which was a combination that worked well.

I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would because I had a hard time with Marin. Things kept happening and she would brush it off for weeks until it caught her attention again. We aren't talking little things, but huge, story changing things. Things that a rational person would have been like 'nope, I'm out of here!' I also felt that other than with Thea her relationships with all the other characters in the book were implied rather than built, which made some of the interactions feel forced. The elements of the story didn't feel like they flowed well together, which really downgraded the scary factor in the book.

More like a 3.5 or possibly slightly higher, but not quite a 4. I feel like it relies fairly heavily on the comparison to the Haunting of Bly Manner, but that isn't entirely unjustified. There were moments that felt bleak, spine chilling, and ominous. The house felt claustrophobic and I am pretty much always down for an exploration of a dysfunctional family grieving in their own ways. To me, creepy kids also enhances the eeriness of a haunted house rather than distracts from it, but I could see people not liking that aspect. There were a few pacing issues that honestly made the book drag in some aspects. The beginning and end were thrilling, but the middle felt so much loner than it actually was. There was also a bit of insta-love - which I think makes sense for the YA genre but it isn't something that I particularly enjoy a ton. I really liked it, though, and found the eery, claustrophobic atmosphere to be one of my favorite aspects.

Unnerving, twisty, and atmospheric, ‘All the Dead Lie Down’ by Kyrie McCauley was absolute YA Gothic Horror perfection. Super creepy with great characters and the edge-of-your-seat-tension, I absolutely loved (and was terrified by) this book and highly recommend it!

I had no idea where this book was going to take me, but in hindsight the title should've given me a hint. I liked Marin from the beginning. I was so invested in her and her relationship with Wren and Thea that I almost forgot this book had romance, While I loved seeing Marin and Evie’s romantic relationship develop, I equally enjoyed the friendships she was building with the girls. As well as queer rep, this book also includes anxiety representation. Her anxiety was portrayed perfectly in my opinions and experiences. I very much related to her descriptions of anxiety spirals and panic attacks.

Every time a twist was revealed I was surprised, but the foreshadowing was excellent. Lines that I assumed were just world building turned out to be very relevant later on, and several moments I audibly went "Oh!"
I was a little worried I’d have lingering questions as the end grew closer, but it tied everything together nicely.

Overall, I loved the book and recommend it to anyone who wants a spooky mystery with found family, anxiety rep, and sapphic romance.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book, but I absolutely fell in love with all the characters! For me, it was the perfect mix of horror, magic, and queer romance. I'm now intrigued to read more from Kyrie McCauley and I can't wait to recommend this book at my library!

I absolutely loved this horror novel laced with gothic vibes! I never knew I would like this eerie tale as much as I did.

Marin Blythe has just lost her mother and is alone, no money and nowhere to go. She is then invited to Lovelace Mansion...the home of her mother's old friend that just so happens to be filled with secrets waiting to be revealed. The mansion is typical for one in a horror movie, creepy groundskeeper, family cemetery, and a dark forest.

As Alice works on her novel, Marin is given the task of looking after two of her three daughters. The third...Marin is hopelessly attracted to. Full of unfolding family secrets, this novel is one that any horror fan will devour.

The characters are very well developed and I love that they all have their own distinct personalities. It allows us to really connect to each one as we move through the story. I really enjoyed Wren and Thea. Their pranks and childish antics made me smile yet as a parent I rolled my eyes at the same time. The detail in the writing is great, not overwhelming but allows you to clearly see and understand what is happening.

The world building was well done, the story taking place in modern times. And as we move through each chapter the suspense keeps building, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. Thankfully there is a good climax to the story at the end. McCauley did a fantastic job at keeping a steady pace through the novel. It did not feel as though it dragged on which can happen when an author is trying to make a large climatic ending.

This is a must read for any horror fan, especially if you are looking into something more YA.

Decent retelling of A Turn of the Screw for modern times. Still very much a haunting story but is able to at least have fun with the concept and be interesting enough to keep my attention throughout the pages.

3.5⭐️

If you are looking for a eerie young adult book to enjoy this summer look no further!

My favorite thing about this book was unwravelling the mystery behind the creepy encounters at Lovelace manor! It was perfectly spooky for those who enjoy a creepy atmosphere, but isn’t overly scary. I also enjoyed the anxiety rep and the queer romance which we always love.

I think the relationships could have been further explored, but overall this was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ebook in exchange for my review.

All the Dead Lie Down—Kyrie McCauley

Looking for a way to ease the sorrow of her mother’s untimely death, Marin Blythe accepts her mother’s childhood best friend’s invitation to tutor her daughters at Lovelace House. Alice Lovelace, also Marin’s favorite horror novelist, and her three strange daughters—one Marin feels helplessly attractive to—are quick to expose their obsessions with death to Marin. Following soon after are the odd occurrences of random dead animals, burying dolls, and Alice’s temperamental moods wings. As weird as things are, Marin can’t help but feel drawn to the happenings—not to mention the eldest daughter, Evie.

Marin knows Evie is at the heart of the mysteries and is beginning to wonder if she is too. Maybe even what happened to her mother could be connected? Maybe even what happened to her mother could have been because of the Lovelaces?
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Loved this so much!! What a beautiful, ephemeral atmosphere McCauley created! The whole setting of Lovelace is like a gothic wonderland: creepy old house, cemetery, dark woods, a turbulent sea, and best of all: DEAD THINGS! I immediately fell in love with Marin & Evie, the whole Hallowell/Lovelace family dynamic, and all the strange incidents at the house. The family mottos of “memento mori/vivere” were really brought to life when it came to Thea’s “funerals” and also like the weird surprise in the clams! And man, Alice’s madness was a real trip! I was on the edge of my seat at the end, desperate for all the girls to be okay. What an incredibly imaginative retelling of classic horror with a beautifully tender sapphic romance thrown in. This book has everything and so much more. highly recommend and will certainly keep my eye out for its pub date!