Ann Aquire’s highly engaging Heartwood Box is not a horror novel, but there is much to enjoy in a teen thriller which blends elements of science fiction, messages passing through time (in the Heartwood Box) and an outstanding female leading character in Araceli Flores Harper. This spunky teenager finds herself living in a tiny town with her ancient great aunty Ottillie as her parents are going to be travelling and working abroad whilst she does her final year at high school. Upon arrival Araceli notices missing posters all over town and soon realises people have been disappearing in this town for twenty years, including the husband of her great aunt.

The clever plot has several different layers; first up, Araceli is half-Mexican in a town which is incredibly white and so it has interesting things to say about race. The teenager also likes to dance and tries to get on the dance team. Along the way the novel convincingly tells a teenage story of a girl trying to fit it and her developing friendship with the nice boy who lives across the road, who also happens to be the sheriff’s son. I loved the way these two characters bounced off each other! As the disappearances continue Araceli finds a freaky way of writing to an American soldier who has just shipped to France way back in 1917 and much of the plot focusses on this crazy development. It could have been something out of the X-Files, but I found it worked very well and the relationship between Araceli and her great aunt was perfectly pitched. Although anyone could read this book, it may appeal more to girls and it does take its time getting going, so patience is required as it moves from drama to thriller. Make sure you hang around for the knock-out ending! Perfect for anyone aged thirteen plus.

Teenager Araceli Flores Harper's parents have a dangerous job that resulted in them sending Araceli to live with her Great Aunt Ottilie and her outdated, presumably haunted Victorian house. Tia Ottilie lives in a small town where the local stay in after dark, steer clear of the woods, and disappear into thin air. The plan was simple. Araceli would go to high school and get ready for college. Tia Ottilie's husband has been gone for 20 years, but she still leaves food for him on the table. Strange things go in in this little town and it seems like no one is doing anything to find the missing people from town. Araceli finally gets to meet one of her longest--virtual--friends and is quickly inducted into a small friend group. One of her new friend's little brother is among the missing while another one of her friend's dad is the town sheriff.



Araceli thought her aunt was strange, leaving food out in the house for his husband that was missing. Turns out, it's a common thing around the small town. People have come up missing but it's like they never left. The lab hidden away in the woods seems to be the likely culprit, but there is no proof. Araceli, coming from two great reporters, takes matters into her own hands to find the missing and find out why.



Tia Ottilie gives Araceli free range of the attic and tells her if she finds anything worthwhile, she can keep it. Araceli is magically drawn to a heartwood box. At first, we all think it's just a box. Turns out, this box is more than an ordinary box. It's a prototype for moving things across time. Araceli finds a letter hidden in the box and decides to write back for a school project. When the letter comes up missing, she thinks it's a prank.



Araceli is a different character. I loved so many traits about her, but I didn't fall in love with her. I loved her determination to get to the bottom of the disappearing act of the population. I wasn't a fan of how she put everyone and everything at risk for a love that was long gone.



Logan, the Sheriff's son, is almost the best character from the book. He had a harsh upbringing. He brushes everything off by acting out in a way no one would ever be able to tell what was actually going on.



As much as I want to say the friend's group didn't have much personality, I think the author did a great job at peppering in personalities for the characters that had much smaller roles.



Verdict: This was a decent book. If you liked the movie The Lake House with Sandra Bullock, you will like this book. In many ways, this book reminds me over the movie and the characters even bring the movie up.

Imagine moving to a new town where people disappearing is so common place that residents have to warn each other not to follow the lights in the woods.

Such is the case with Araceli Flores Harper. After a childhood of following her parents around from dangerous situations usually involving civil unrest abroad, Araceli will spend her senior year living in the United States with her aunt so that she can get herself in position to attend college. What she encounters is disappearing people (including her great uncle), a huge research facility with seemingly sinister plans, and an antique box the inexplicably connects her to a soldier about to ship off for World War I.

Aguirre did an admirable job writing the character of Araceli. Often authors make teenagers in fiction more like adults- how an adult thinks a kid or teen would behave.. I think Aguirre really nails the difficult task of writing a character that acts like a teenager and is struggling with that teenage to adult transition. As such I suspect some readers may find Araceli unlikeable. After all she is judgmental, condescending, self-centered, and fairly unpleasant. Then again, she has been uprooted from a life she is familiar with to live with an unknown relative in a tiny town and she is scared and angry. She is angry with her parents for shipping her off and angry about having to live in America with a stranger. You can see those sparks of maturity and awareness outside of herself even if she continues to struggle with those concepts- a very teenage response for sure.

Pros: Araceli is a real teenager at least from her behavior and thought processes. The timeslips/lights are interesting concepts that I would have liked to see the author investigate more. Her physical descriptions were excellent and she kept the story moving.

Cons: Aguirre took on a great deal of things in this book and I don't feel like any of them got the time they deserved. It was promoted as a dark, romantic YA suspense novel with a SF edge. Not much of that came across in great depth. Yes there were dark elements, but they were rushed and not explored well enough to maintain the creepy factor. Yes, there was a 'romance', but it really came out of nowhere and wasn't believably developed. Her overall concept was good but she tried to add too many elements and they all suffered for it.

It isn't a bad read, but I do think that the teaser blurb is misleading.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and MacMillan Tor in exchange for my honest review.

I was intrigued by the synopsis for 'Heartwood Box'. It's rare that you pick up a YA novel and have no idea what to expect, so I was excited to see where this would go.

Aguirre has taken on a truly ambitious concept here, and there are many different layers to the central mystery. This is both the novel's strength and its weakness. I appreciated the complexity, but it's too much for a standalone. There's simply not enough time to develop the competing strands of contemporary lit, historical romance, supernatural mystery and crime thriller, and everything ends up a little half-baked. I was impressed that Aguirre manages to tie all the threads together pretty satisfyingly at the end, but I wanted more – more thrills, more creepiness, more mystery.

I also wanted to love Araceli, but I never really warmed to her. She has all the makings of a strong, interesting heroine, but there's something about her voice that's a little stilted and unnatural. She has an interesting back-story, but with everything else that's going on, her character is never properly developed. Her romance storyline also needed more build-up to be believable.

'Heartwood Box' was a unique read. I loved the ambitious concept and the unpredictable mystery – I was just a little disappointed in its execution.

I really wasn't sure what I was expecting when I began to read Heartwood Box, but I think compared to the summary I was expecting something a lot different. I also am not the biggest contemporary fan. I love fantasy and science fiction and things with heavy world building. So it was a little different reading something that takes place in the real world. Heartwood Box also takes place in New York, so I was really intrigued with that aspect. The only thing that got me through reading Heartwood Box was the need to know what the mystery behind the town was. Other then that there wasn't much. I wasn't really invested in the story or the characters.

The biggest thing about Heartwood Box that sticks out to me that on the first page Araceli mentions how she took the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) to the small sleepy town in which her great aunt Ottilie lives. But later on in the book it is mentioned that this unnamed sleepy town is about a half hour away from Silver Lake, New York which is ALL the way upstate in New York. Which is nowhere near Long Island. 336 miles away to be exact and 6 hours away. So, you're probably like: "Amber what is the point of this?" Well, Araceli technically should be taking Amtrak to get to her aunt's town. The LIRR is strictly Long Island, it runs from Manhattan and all the way to Long Island's Eastern tip (Montauk.) Basically, there is no way that the LIRR got Araceli from JFK airport to her new home 6 hours upstate. This little bit just annoyed me because it is something that is easily looked up and over looked. But this is part of New York and how you get from point A to point B. I feel like in this aspect at least there wasn't research done. Now, you're like: "Amber, this really isn't a big deal." But it bothered me.

I couldn't connect with Araceli. I found her to be whiny and a bit selfish. I don't know if this has to do with that I don't read contemporary often so I am not use to characters who actually act their age and are still in high school. But I found her immature and only out for herself. I also feel as if as a character I didn't really know her, I knew she moved around about once a year and her parents sent her to live with her aunt while the investigated civil unrest in Venezuela. But that is about it.

The only part of the novel I really enjoyed was the mystery aspect. Why can't she go into the woods? What are the lights? Why are people dissapearing? Why are there people wearing bio-hazard suits in the woods of the town? I wanted the answers to these questions and that is why I kept reading on rather then straight up DNFing it. I hate writing negative book reviews, but I also know that I am not going to love every single book I read. I am not saying that I though Heartwood Box was horrible, but there are a lot of things that could have changed or worked differently. This book and I just didn't mesh well and that's all there is to it really.

I think the cover and all the creepy vibes this book is giving out is wrong. This is just not that book at all and I really think it should have a different cover because it feels like a lie. Going into this I expected and thought I was going to get a horror? So much of this book is really just the classic YA book I've seen countless times, it wasn't even creepy. Sure, it goes places later that I didn't expect but it didn't manage to wow me with it (maybe because it went places I didn't like.)

In the summary this book says it is "dark, suspenseful, and romantic". I didn't get that at all. It isn't dark, the romance is lackluster, and suspense? There was too much school stuff (dance team, learning to drive, shopping) in here and it was never suspenseful.

This romance was kind of funny because all it ever is, is a couple letters back and forth. I didn't think the letters even went that deep but suddenly they were in love and couldn't live without each other. It was too fast! There was even kind of a love triangle and I wasn't a fan of any of that. While I thought the idea of the romance with the letters was sweet, it just came out of nowhere.

I'm glad this didn't have a cliffhanger/leave things unfinished but it was a miss for me.

This was my first book by Ann Aguirre and I definitely want more! Kept me intrigued until the very end! I read this in one day and I hope to read more of her books!

Araceli has traveled the world with her parents. She is ready to let them go on without her, so she has asked her great aunt to take her in. As the plot progresses we learn that things aren’t as they seem. The first thing Araceli notices is that there are “missing” posters all over the town. Even Aunt Ollie is stuck in the past because her beloved husband just disappeared. As she makes new friends, she learns that their loved ones had also disappeared. Then, while investigating her apparently haunted house, she finds a box. In the box, she puts a letter for an English assignment. The letter disappears, and in its place is a an answer. Oliver is a solider in WWI, who connects with Araceli right when she needs someone to listen and be there for her. How can this be? Aguirre writes a very difficult storyline between past and future, with a suspense story line, and a setting a lot like Stranger Things.

Work such as this makes me sad that the author won't be writing any YA for the foreseeable future. My mind, like my heart, is racing.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of HEARTWOOD BOX by Ann Aguirre in exchange for an honest review. Araceli Flores Harper’s parents are always in the middle of and sometimes the cause of foreign political troubles. Eventually, Araceli’s parents decide to send her to live with her Great Aunt Ottilie, so Araceli can finish high school in safety. However, the first thing Araceli notices when she arrives in the tiny town is all the MISSING flyers. It turns out, Araceli is in more danger than ever. When one of Araceli’s new friends joins the MISSING, Araceli, her parents’ daughter, develops a plan to stop the disappearances. Meanwhile, Araceli begins communicating through time with a WWI soldier.

I enjoyed this book. I’m a fan of Ann Aguirre’s science fiction series YA novels. I like Araceli and enjoyed the story. I recommend this book to fans of Ann Aguirre, of time travel tales, and of mysteries with paranormal or science fiction elements.

I am a fan of Ann Aguirre and I think Heartwood box was a great story from start to finish. While I was reading I felt like at times I was reading two separate stories that came together for a beautiful ending, Great characters that you cared about and a story that had me hooked from the start. Can’t wait to read Ann’s next book.

The first time I saw this book, I expected this would be a dark romantic fantasy or even a fantasy paranormal romance novel. Later, I noticed there had been elements of science fiction and historical fiction. I decided to give this book a shot because of the interesting premise. Needless to say, it definitely wasn't what I was expecting.

There were some things I both liked and disliked in this book. I also read the epilogue and it basically addressed what didn't work for me. Again, I did liked the premise but I just had some issues with it (opinions).

What I liked:

The historical fiction and science fiction aspect was blended in such a way that was satisfying and intriguing. It kept me wanting to read more of the book.

The ending, I liked. It packed an emotional punch, however there was also something I didn't like about the ending. I felt that the ending was too convenient. It was like everything just magically worked out. Knowing that there had been a science fiction element in this book (more like time travel), you'd expect there to be different possibilities (both good and bad). The result (ending) just wasn't compelling enough for me. I felt that things just magically became better and I don't know why. 

What I didn't like:

I felt that the author held back on this book. I felt that this book had a lot of potential but it was lacking. For instance, the letters from the past (from World War I), the historical aspect in this book, seemed pretty modern to me. I expected the author to use terms that were used during World War I but it just wasn't the case. Making the letters in the first half of the book sound modern. I think this is a minor issue and can be ignored, but I just thought it would've been better if there was more creative effort with the stories (e.g. by using lingo that was common in a different era). Now, all the characters sounded the same regardless of what time they were from. Then it also seemed random how the author finally used slang terms in the letter around 61% in the story? I honestly just couldn't take this book seriously. I understand it's fiction but I expected to be completely immersed in this fictional universe. Unfortunately, it just wasn't the case.

This book was said to be a "dark romantic suspense YA novel." Well, this definitely wasn't dark and suspenseful. But I suppose anyone can have different opinions on the romance. For me, the romance didn't work either. There just wasn't enough time to develop the romance for both potential ships. Yes, there was a love triangle in this book. I unfortunately did not ship anyone with the main character. It felt very much like "insta-love." The characters paired with the main character were so much better than her. The boys deserved more, honestly. 

Also, I felt that the main character had been sort of manipulative and kind of a mary sue. There was a part in this book where she accidentally hurts someone and another person gets hurt but she quickly moves on from those events. I was so confused. Additionally, she was someone who knew what to say at the right time, or knows what to do at the right time. She was also able to trick an adult!

Anyway, this book was getting ridiculous the more I read it.

This book suffers from telling instead of showing. There was a lack of substantial backstory despite numerous backstories throughout this novel. You'll read more about why Araceli knows what she knows (by observing her parents) but the fact that she was able to pull things off so easily (like she didn't get hurt or anything) just wasn't convincing to me. Those people around her got hurt except her? She didn't even struggle (except emotionally)? 

But I guess, the minor thing that ticked me off the most was when the main character uses words you don't expect a teenager to use. Just imagine, the main character's first language isn't English (just making a guess here). She's lived her entire life outside of the U.S., but she uses words like "ergo," "dwindling," "verbiage," and "prognostication" in her POV. Who even thinks like this? Who even is this girl?  I know this is fiction and she's not real, but this story isn't really compelling. :(

Again, this book wasn't for me. I'm giving this 2.5/5. I thought it was okay but I didn't like the story enough to give it 3 stars.

***My review will be posted on July 4, 2019 at http://bookscoffeeandrepeat.wordpress.com

This is the first book I've read by this author and certainly won't be the last. It took me a few days to really get into it because it was creeping me out. I loved the creep factor, the letters and the mystery behind it.

Basically I don’t know how you wouldn’t not like this book. It’s amazing like all of Ann Aguirre’s other works. This one didn’t let me down and I read this is in one sitting. Unable to put this down! Good luck getting anything done!
Thank you to publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Heartwood Box
Author: Ann Aguirre
Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller (Some Sci-fi Elements)
Publication Date: July 9th, 2019
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: "A dark, romantic YA suspense novel with an SF edge and plenty of drama, layering the secrets we keep and how appearances can deceive, from the New York Times bestselling author.

In this tiny, terrifying town, the lost are never found. When Araceli Flores Harper is sent to live with her great-aunt Ottilie in her ramshackle Victorian home, the plan is simple. She'll buckle down and get ready for college. Life won't be exciting, but she'll cope, right?

Wrong. From the start, things are very, very wrong. Her great-aunt still leaves food for the husband who went missing twenty years ago, and local businesses are plastered with MISSING posters. There are unexplained lights in the woods and a mysterious lab just beyond the city limits that the locals don't talk about. Ever. When she starts receiving mysterious letters that seem to be coming from the past, she suspects someone of pranking her or trying to drive her out of her mind. To solve these riddles and bring the lost home again, Araceli must delve into a truly diabolical conspiracy, but some secrets fight to stay buried..."

My Review:

I was excited for this book because 1.) Look at that cover! and 2.) The synopsis just draws you in. For the most part I was pretty pleased with this book and only had a couple issues with it overall.

The writing at first wasn't something that I liked but as the book went on it got better and with that I was drawn into the plot more. With the plot comes mystery and suspense. There are unique sci-fi elements included which have to do with time that I really enjoyed. It was probably my favorite part actually. Another interesting thing about the plot is that it leaves you to speculate a lot up until the very end when it comes to the disappearances and the plot twists that are introduced. Nothing is ever given away.

As for the characters, I'm not sure I really ever connected with Araceli or any of the other characters but it didn't stop me from getting into the plot. Usually I need that connection but am glad it wasn't the case for this particular book. Araceli is like any regular teen. She loves social media and doesn't always make the best decisions, especially in a town that has major secrets. There isn't much character development, but again, it doesn't take away from the plot in any way.

My issue that I faced, besides the writing in the beginning, was the stereotyping of southern people. I understand that with the history of the US and racial issues they are still deeply rooted today, I still felt uncomfortable with how the author chose to write two different instances. They could have been said more tactfully to get the point across without being quite stereotypical. I am sure others won't have this same issue but as a reader it is important to talk about how books make you feel and that is what I am doing here. You can take it with a grain of salt.

Even with the couple issues I had, it was still a good read and kept my attention throughout the book. I am of course hesitant and worried about this review being taken in the wrong context and if you would like to discuss it further feel free to comment! I love to hear others opinions on topics.