Cover Image: Burn Our Bodies Down

Burn Our Bodies Down

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Member Reviews

This was such a strange book, but in a good way. I really love the way that Rory Power writes - you think you’ve got it all figured out and then NOPE. This isn’t to say that I didn’t guess a few things right, but man, there were certainly things I didn’t see coming.

TW: dead bodies, death, emotional abuse, body gore

Thanks to the publisher for sending an e-Arc my way! All opinions are my own.

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As a fan of Wilder Girls, I was very excited for Rory Power's next book. It did not disappoint! It was chock-full of that eerie and unsettling feeling that pervaded Wilder Girls with a little extra mystery vibe thrown in. The final reveal is delightfully creepy and weird in a great way. From the blurb I did not at all get that the book had a supernatural element, so that affected my experience. The story felt so grounded from the well-detailed characters to evocative imagery, that when the fantasy/sci-fi element came in I was a bit thrown. But then got on board and loved the concept!

I felt the middle dragged a bit, since there was really only one overarching mystery thread to unspool and so I felt all the reveals kind of piled on top of each other at the end. For a thriller, the writing was also a bit more lyrical than I was used to so it felt a little repetitive at times story-wise. And since the story veers so wildly out of reality I felt a little cheated that the mystery wasn't one I could've solved on my own. I also would've loved Tess and Eli to have been a touch more developed.

Overall, a weird read I recommend!

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Young Adult fiction at it's best! Beyond that...Is it Sci-fi? Mystery? Wow, I spent the entire book trying to figure out what exactly I was reading. Really well done, kept me guessing to the end. A very good kind of different!

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Margot has always wanted to know about her family. Her mom won't talk about anyone else, and their life is barely held together. When Margot discovers a photograph with her grandmother's phone number, she leaves home to learn more about her mother's past. What she discovers along the way is nothing like she thought.

Burn our Bodies Down has an interesting mystery premise, but it took a really long time to get going. The relationship between Margot and her mother is strange, and wasn't resolved in a complete enough fashion for me. The ending was more than just unexpected--it seemed to come out of nowhere without enough backstory to hold it all together. This one was just too far out there to really work for me.

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"If it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."
-Matthew 26:39

WOOF. Gather round, children, and listen to the tale of how my most highly anticipated YA release of 2020 ended up being a flippity flop of epic proportions. (Obviously this is a biased opinion, and one woman's trash is another's treasure, so please check out all the positive reviews as mine remains clearly in the minority thus far.)

I've been sitting here for two days trying to organize my thoughts into a somewhat coherent review, and I'm left with a similar, albeit slightly worse feeling as I had upon finishing Wilder Girls last year. Whenever I read books that feature anything along the lines of fantasy, dystopian, or even historical, I'm of the camp that craves detailed atmosphere and character building; the more the better! And while Power is a phenomenal powerhouse of creating elaborate, intriguing ideas and beautifully oppressive atmosphere, I'm not sure the characterization and pacing are up to snuff here.

"Look at you," Gram whispers. She bends down, kisses the back of my head, and she's holding my shoulders so tight that I can feel bruises setting deep under my skin. I don't mind. It's about time love left a mark on me."

In the same vein as the author's debut, Burn Our Bodies Down is horror set in a world similar to our own, but gone bad. Margot has lived on her own with her mom for as long as she can remember, and is forbidden to ask questions about her extended family and where they come from. After she finds a clue leading her to her remaining family, Margot runs away to meet her Gram at the Nielsen farm and hopes to find answers to her many questions surrounding her origins. Shortly after arriving in town, there's an incident that introduces disturbing questions that need answering, and the remaining 70% of the book is us following alongside, curious as to what's wrong with this place.

I won't beat around the bush; the only reason I pressed through this book was to find out if my guess, around the 30% mark, of what was going on was correct. Spoiler alert: it was. This could be chalked up to reading more than my fair share of mysteries, but I felt the clue given after the first major event happens only left a small pool of options, especially knowing that this would fall into the supernatural realm and that we would be thrown a red herring or two before the ending. My main concern is that, while there are ample descriptions of this dry and crumbling small town (which I loved), the dialogue is stilted and many characters and plot threads are introduced that either have little to no bearing on the story, or just provide filling repetition. We are briefly told near the beginning of the story that the MC is either a lesbian or bisexual, but then this narrative is all but dropped for the remainder of the story, other than occasionally alluding to some tension between Tess and Margot. Eli is introduced as a staple in Tess's household, and we are constantly lead to wonder whether him and Tess have a relationship beyond friendship, but again this is never really addressed.

The final 80% truly picked up in pacing, and I loved how this played out, but it felt as though all the gore and shock value was spared until this moment, which gave the book as a whole a very "safe" feeling. I think maybe if a less distracted focus had been set on a few elements of the story, and if I had been able to form any sort of connections to the characters rather than reading about them at surface level, this would have been a 4-5 star experience. This is likely where I part ways with Ms. Power, but I sincerely wish her all the best, and I highly recommend you check this one out for yourself and form your own thoughts about this thought provoking read.

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Rory Powers does it again. Last year I read The Wilder Girls, and while I was hoping it would be a series (because I didn't think I got enough closure) I was super excited to read Burn Our Bodies Down!
Power's writing always has a mystery that surrounds the story and tends to have a weird, mutation type answer. The same can be said for this book. We meet Margot, our protagonist during the summer months. She's lonely, lost, and struggling to feel loved by her mother. She also has no idea where her family comes from or even if she has any other family. When she finds a picture with the phone number of her 'Gram', she sets out to find the place where she belongs.
Upon her arrival a fire breaks out in the field's of her family and a girl, who looks remarkably like Margot, is killed in it. When the police start investigating, they come to Margot to help uncover what her family has been hiding. What Margot finds will throw her life for a loop and even the life of her new found friend. I really don't want to say to much more than that because it's really better to read this book with an open mind but that ending, mind blown.
Powers has really stitched together a greatly bizarre family dynamic tale. She perfectly captures the 'complicated' relationship between Margot, her mother, grandmother, and the rest of the 'family'. Ugh it extremely hard to describe this book without spoilers, fyi!
If you like Stephen King's creepy vibes mixed with some 'Children of the Corn' and a bit of chaos then this book is perfect for you!

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Burn Our Bodies Down. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books. Huge thank you to Delacorte Press for my Advanced Copy.

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I'm calling it now this book is going to be just as divisive as Wilder Girls. Rory Power has such eerier and atmospheric writing that leaves you compelled. Also, those corn fields.

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This book was fantastic. Another amazing novel by Rory power. She built this book like a fire. Starting small and bringing it to a blaze. I would highly recommended if you enjoyed wilder girls to read this! A great teen read that can be enjoyed by many! Kudos again to the author for another enjoyable ride! Can not wait to purchase a hard copy!

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Burn Our Bodies Down follows a teen named Margot. For her entire life it’s only been her and her mother…no one else. Anytime Margot has questions about her relatives, she never gets any answers. All she wants is to know her family and their history. So when she finds a photograph from her mother’s past she decides to take advantage of it. She ends up going to the town where her mom was raised, but she has no idea what secrets she is about to uncover.

This may be weird to say, but I love Rory Power’s brain! She comes up with the most bizarre ideas and somehow just makes then work. I honestly have no idea how she does it, but I can say with certainty that I will read anything and everything she writes.

Burn Our Bodies Down was so dark and very twisted. It definitely has an eerie vibe to it. The story went in a direction I was not expecting whatsoever. I tried to guess what was going to happen but oh my, I failed miserably. The author throws in these little clues along the way and you think you may know what they mean, but nope you would be wrong!

With fascinating twists and turns, I devoured this book. It had me on the edge of my seat. I felt like I was right there with Margot as she discovered the shocking secrets of her family. I honestly couldn’t get enough of this story.

I loved our main character Margot. She hasn’t had the easiest life. Her and her mother Jo do not have the healthiest relationship. Jo is actually pretty toxic and she literally had no business raising a kid. Through the book, it’s easy to tell just how much Margot’s upbringing negatively impacted her. I was rooting for her so much though. I wanted her to find the answers that she needed. Margot goes through A LOT in this story and I love how determined and strong she is.

Overall, I loved everything about Burn Our Bodies Down. It was strange but in the best way possible. I highly encourage you to add this to your TBR shelves. You won’t regret it!

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Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

Margot is a 17 year-old living with her mother who yearns for a deeper family connection than her mother is able or willing to give her. When she finds a connection to an unknown grandmother, she takes it and runs with it.

Phalene is a where her mother grew up. It's strange and strange things happen as soon as Margot arrives.

With twists and turns and a lot of introspective, one thing Margot remembers is to keep the candle burning.


I had a little bit of a hard time getting into this book as I wasn't quite sure what was going on for the first few chapters. But the author does a good job of keeping you in the loop through what Margot learns about her family.

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Well this one definitely threw me for a loop. I‘ll admit I was pretty cocky and thought I knew exactly where this book was headed, but even when I was on the right track, I got the degree very, very wrong. At one point when I was maybe halfway through reading I commented on Chelsea’s status update that I was “waiting for everything to go off the rails”, and through time and space Rory Power HEARD me and decided to grant me that request. Be careful what you wish for, y’all!!

The story starts with 17 year-old Margot and her mom, Josephine, barely getting by in their small apartment and meager income. Beyond poverty, there’s a massive amount of simmering tension between the two of them, at near-constant risk of erupting. Eventually this leads to Margot seeking out the family that her mother has always kept hidden from her.

I’m always down for a complex family dynamic. I appreciated the relationship between Margot, her mother and grandmother, Vera, and loved dissecting what each microaggression (or full-on aggression) lobbed at one another meant. There were plenty of secrets that we get to uncover along the way, especially since none of the women are particularly forthright.

“Does understanding her mean I have to forgive her?”

I also adored Power’s writing. She captures these really specific, human moments between her characters just beautifully. My Kindle copy is filled with highlighted passages, and I’m guessing anyone who’s had even a somewhat-toxic relationship with a family member will be struck by her insights. I ended up skipping Wilder Girls last year and clearly that was my mistake. I know people were guuuushing about the cover, but I hope that the book itself ends up being just as engrossing.

That said, I still feel like the story was missing something. Parts just felt underdeveloped. Tess was promising, but both her and Eli seemed like they were added as a means to and end. I never quite understood Josephine, and I think some of her ‘quirks’ needed to be explained a little more. It felt a bit rushed, especially by the end, and I wish Power had taken more time to elaborate on this really creative premise. And it felt pretty dark for a YA novel; I get that the heroine is a teenager, but I don’t know if I would market this to teenagers. In all, there was a lot of good stuff to work with, but it still felt unfinished. I am absolutely interested in reading more from her, though, and I can’t wait to see what she puts out next..

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Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

My Reactions:

My Attention: the mysteriousness of the story pulled me along but I got frustrated at some points

World Building: story takes place on a farm

Writing Style: definitely felt all of Margot’s despair, distrust, and her neglect

Bringing the Heat: it brings literal HEAT, and I mean from a fire 😟

Crazy in Love: nope none

Creativity: okay the truth that is revealed in this story is creative and…strange

Mood: unsettled

Triggers: toxic family relationship, death

My Takeaway: I think I’m still processing this – but my takeaway? Family secrets suck. 🤷🏻‍♀️ And the truth needs to come out before healing can take place.

What I Liked:

*This story was different and I didn’t expect the direction it was taking at all. There is an interesting twist in the story that surprised me. The author did such a great job really keeping me guessing until the end.

*It definitely had a creepy factor to the story and it kept me on my toes trying to guess what was going on. Grandma was creepy but the horror emerges at the ending of the story. It was more like a mystery/thriller than horror.

*Margot is a complicated character. She’s a teenager that has been absolutely neglected by her mother. So when Margot leaves to find out more about her “family”, she realizes there are so many secrets to uncover about her mom’s past. Margot makes many hard decisions in the end, but she had to – the secrets were getting out of hand.

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:
*The first half of the book holds all the mystery and it was slow going. I kept wondering what could be happening on this farm? Why is the community so secretive about the Nielsen family? I had many questions. It was frustrating because no one would talk and I felt like the story wasn’t getting anywhere.

*Margot’s grandmother…she made me go hmmm all throughout the book!

Final Thoughts:
This story explores the dysfunctional family and secrets that can tear a family apart. I enjoyed it because it was different, strange and the truth that was revealed was horrifying. But I also thought it was just okay and maybe I spent more time trying to make sense of some things that happened in the story? I have mixed feelings about this one but I think many people who enjoy a young adult thriller will enjoy it.

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Modern gothic horror for teens that explores the brutal dance of dysfunction that can develop between mother and daughter. The heroine, Margot, lives on a knife's edge with her emotionally distant and manipulative mother, Margot is always watching out for the next explosive fight while longing for some other family member to whom she can truly belong. When she stumbles upon an old photograph and calls the number on the back, she finds her Gram, waiting to hear from her. But when Margot runs away to her mom's home town, it quickly becomes evident that maybe her mom kept her secrets to herself for a reason. As a reader, I felt like the plot stalled out a bit once she settled into the town, but the constant tension kept me going. My favorite element was the realistic writing of Margot's thoughts and reactions as an emotionally abused person, which also kept the sense of horror quite tangible. Wilder Girls was a book that got under my skin and with this second novel, I can easily say Rory Power is one of my favorite authors.

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Wow. Wowowow. I thought I was ready for this book when I opened it, and it turned out I was not. BURN OUR BODIES DOWN is a beautiful and horrific look at Margot Nielsen’s family secrets, and of digging so deep into them that she finds something she couldn’t have predicted.

For about 75% of this book, Rory Power feeds you little morsels of information, and at times, it feels agonizingly slow, like you have to claw for everything this book will give you. It leaves you exhausted and exhilarated at once, and you can tell that it’s all going to culminate into something huge.

And boy does it.

I devoured this book in a few evenings of reading, and on the last day, I couldn’t put it down even for a second. Once you get past 75%, this book wrenches you forward as Margot spirals down through the holes in her family’s story. You start piecing it together as she does, and once you figure it out, you can’t help but sit there with your jaw dropped (or yelling, because I yelled a lot). So many moments after this point in the book had me shouting in the middle of my living room.

I didn’t want for much from this book that it didn’t already give me. Complex characters, an exploration of what it means to be yourself when you’re dealing with intergenerational trauma, learning to become a person outside of what your parent(s) made you...the story centers heavily on Margot to a point where it feels like most of the world is inside her. And I think that’s significant, because Margot is discovering herself as she discovers her family’s secrets and the world beyond the one her mom built for her. There’s a lot to unpack in BOBD, but you can’t help but try once you’ve read it. It’s an incredible book and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers that center around knowing about and guessing at family secrets but getting WAY more than you bargained for.

Also, corn. I definitely did not bargain for this much corn, but there’s a reason it’s called corn book.

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Honestly I got about 20% into this book and it just wasn't holding my interest. There was a bit of intrigue with why Margot and the girl in the cornfield looked exactly alike but the story was just taking too long to go anywhere. I would still probably recommend this title to the right reader.

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I’m not sure how much I can even say about this book without giving too much away. It’s almost better to go in blind, which is what I did, and it was a great choice for me.

The Characters:
1) Margot. She’s 17 years old and knows almost nothing about her family and its history. She’s curious and is willing to break her mother’s rule to find out where she came from and to find the place where she belongs.
2) Jo, Margot’s mother. Let’s see, she’s cold, distant, secretive, manipulative, territorial about her past, and absolutely infuriating.
3) Vera, Margot’s grandmother. At first, she seems more willing to show Margot some affection, but she’s also a bit stingy with the details, adding to Margot’s disillusionment.

The Plot:
Again, I can’t say much. I guess it’s about Margot’s journey for truth, but it’s also about SO MUCH MORE!! Read it. Just read it, and you’ll see.

My Thoughts:
Questions, questions, questions. I had so many questions throughout the majority of this book, and Rory Power makes you wait to find your answers. Normally, I would be a little frustrated by this, but not this time. Power’s writing style makes up for everything. She kept teasing me with her siren call of words to continue with the story and to keep the pages turning. Her style is crisp and sophisticated without being flowery. It’s pointed and personal. She creates this atmosphere that is so mysterious and ominous, while also being subtle and serene at the same time. That probably doesn’t make any sense, but I don’t even care.

Overall, I kinda loved this book! We learn things and figure out the mysteries right along with Margot. Because of this, we can identify with her. We feel her frustrations, her curiosities, her disappointments, and fears on a visceral level.

I wish there were something I could compare this book to so you’d have a better idea of what you’re getting into, but there isn’t. This one is unique. I can only ask you, maybe even beg you, to try it for yourself. It’s worth it!!

Enjoy.

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Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power is a YA Feminist Horror novel and follow up to last year's Wilder Girls. I found it very atmospheric, creepy and a more subtle horror novel than Wilder Girls, (which I enjoyed but was left confused about parts) Burn Our Bodies Down was significantly better in that respect. I didn't feel like I didn't really "get it" like I did with Wilder Girls.
Burn Our Bodies Down has creepy Children of the Corn vibes, messy complicated mother/daughter relationships, passed down trauma, horrific family secrets, murder and fires.
It's a solid horror novel without being overly graphic or bloody. Definitely recommend if you Enjoyed Wilder Girls or are looking for something creepy in your YA.

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This book crackles with pain and tension, layers of grief and family stitched together. I’ll have a hard time getting this story out of my head. With a fierce pace and searing writing, Power excels at this stripping her characters down and examining their humanity in was that you can’t look away from as a reader. I know readers with difficult relationships with their parents will find themselves - and perhaps a step towards something like healing - in this book.

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I finished this one a few nights ago and I'm still processing how I felt about it. I can see why people really love this story and the concept is cool, but it just didn't "wow" me. If you like a lot of introspection and question after question after question with a creepy vibe, you'll really enjoy this one. It just wasn't a great fit for me, just a middle of the road read.

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This book got off to a slow start. I wasn't able to get into it until after the first 20% but after it, the story was an intense roller coaster. It was incredibly entertaining. I felt for Margot, both her mother and her grandmother are terrible people. I like that we get to understand why they are the way they are, but it doesn't excuse them from their actions as I feel that a lot of books do. I like that Margot didn't quite forgive her mother for being terrible but at the end they were working towards working together right.

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