I was pulled in right off the bat. It is a mix of mental health, and girl empowerment. There are family secrets, a bit of mystery and magic and a touch of horror.

This one is so hard to review, as it is not what you expect. The characters were vivid, though dark. All of them are quite manipulative. But we don't know their motivations, well except for Margo. She feels alone, lonely, and wants to know more about where she comes from. Doesn't everyone?

When Margo finally takes things into her own hands, and goes digging for her family history, she finds a grandmother. She seems nice, and Margo cannot understand why her mom kept away all those years. But the price of finding her grandmother, was finding a girl's body.

The twisty end was wow. The gruesomeness of it all, and the layers of the characters on which it was all built.. ugh. It just made my jaw drop. The characters were real. The grandmother with her coldness and harshness, but still showing that motherly side of her, even if just for a moment. The broken mother, who is so so troubled, but still calculating and strong even if misunderstood. And then we have Margo, who's young and naive, but still so determined and strong to finally stand up for herself.

I dunno, peeps. This was exactly the dark weird, with a side of girl power I needed.

So, I finished this in one evening. Lots of emotional abuse and gaslighting and then we get some horror on top of the mystery at the end. I found it to be a decent read, but nothing I need to revisit.
Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.

My first read form this author and I was amazed by the writing and the pacing of the book. Loved it many twists and turns.

This was so creepy and I think the author did well at slowly delivering the clues to how the story would unfold, keeping the reader engaged along with the protagonist.

DNF

When I read Wilder Girls last year it was a big disappointment for me but I still wanted to give Powers another chance. However.......this one still wasn't the best. The narrator's voice really didn't jive with me and I couldn't get into the story at all. I don't think I'll be reading any more books by this author

The first thing I will admit in this review was I was not a huge fan of Wilder Girls. Now you may ask so why pick up Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power? Well, again, this young adult horror sounded really good so I figured I would give the author another shot as I did find some things I liked and that I thought had potential.

Burn Our Bodies Down introduces readers to Margot. Margot has spent her young life in the care of her mother, or is that caring for her mother? Regardless, as soon as Margot gets a hint of more family existing she packs up her things and heads to the small town, Phalene, that she thinks she is from. Once arriving Margot starts getting the sense that this is not the happy little place she pictured it would be and things are just not right in Phalene.

Well, I will say my three and a half stars for Burn Our Bodies Down is an improvement over my feelings for Wilder Girls. I did think this one had a rather creepy setting and story that kept me engaged while reading. But, I also found that the story wasn’t that surprising to me when I got to the end of it, perhaps again simply because I read too much but still disappointing. Since I did like this second attempt more than the first I would probably give the author another go as it is rather hard to surprise me with horror these days.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

BURN OUR BODIES DOWN is a darkly layered chilling story. Power creates a narrative that is both addictive and eerie pushing the boundaries of what mystery and horror can be.

I’m sorry . . . what. the. fuck. did I just read? This was weird. Without a doubt the weirdest damn thing I’ve ever read. And I enjoyed it!

There wasn’t a lot going on that made sense overall. I think the story wasn’t fully hashed out, but it kept me intrigued enough to keep reading at least.

There’s definitely some weird shit going on. The ending was creepy, too. Essentially, we follow Margot as she embarks on finding out about her family because her mother hasn’t told her anything . . . and for good reason, due to the weirdness!

We spend most of the book trying to figure out what is odd about this farm that Margot’s grandmother lives on, why the people hate her grandmother, and why other little odd things are happening.

I keep saying weird . . . there’s no other way to describe it. It’s weird! Not in a good or bad way, but more in a “I need to know why” kind of way. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have finished this book.

This book was weird and I guessed the ending about half way through. I rounded it up a star because it did keep me interested for the most part and I wanted to know how this was all going to end.

Did not enjoy this book. Author's voice just doesn't work for me.

The characters never felt real, and the story didn't grab my attention.

Overall, this book is three stars for me. The story was well done but the characters lacked something. I did enjoy the story because it was so weird, not scary but odd. Which I like. There was some really strange stuff that happened in this book and I'm not totally sure what happened, but I liked it! That's it. I liked it.

Weird. Weirder. Weirdest. This book was fricken weird. While I admit, it was a bit better than Wilder Girls, it was still so dang weird. Children of the Corn meets Us? I'm still not even sure what exactly I feel about the story but it was definitely unique and I kept me engrossed.

I wanted to love this after enjoying Wilder Girls but sadly, I wasn't as impressed. It was weird which I didn't mind but it never pulled me in the way Wilder Girls did. There were lots of secrets and family drama but it felt repetitive and I ultimately found myself just wanting to know what the hell was going on so I could be done with it.

I felt for Margot, her emotions and the issues with her mother felt raw and real. The mystery was interesting and definitely different and the magical realism aspect was intriguing but I couldn't help the feeling that I wanted just a bit more of it.

I enjoyed this, just didn't love it. The last third was really good but the middle definitely dragged for me. Overall, if you enjoy a creepy, suspenseful, slow-burn read that skirts the line of horror I'd definitely say to give this one a try.

I decided to give this book a try, even though I didn't enjoy Wilder Girls. However, once again, I couldn't connect with the characters or the writing style. I think Power's writing style just isn't for me, and that's a shame. It's definitely a me thing, and I'm glad there are people who connect with her stories.

This one just didn’t work for me. It’s hard to nail down what it is. I will say, based on what I’ve heard from others and other reviews I’ve seen, that this book will definitely find its place with others. That’s said, I’d definitely try out another book from this author.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and she is relatively new. Her debut novel was Wilder Girls, which was published in 2019. I was initially drawn to Burn Our Bodies Down because it was listed as a YA thriller. Netgalley also provided me with an ARC if I would provide an honest review, so I decided to read it. Also, the book has such a beautiful cover, and I appreciate it even more after having read it. At the very beginning, the reader discovers that the main character, Margot, lives an unusual life and has a bizarre relationship with her mother. This is such a great beginning because it draws the reader in immediately in wanting to know more about why this is so. Then, we learn that Margot’s mother has been keeping their family past a secret. Margot is tired of all the unanswered questions and not knowing her family, so she decides to leave her mother and return to the town that her mother has so desperately tried to keep away from and forget. Once Margot arrives, she begins to have more unanswered questions, but she’s determined to find the answers. The mysterious question for Margot and the reader is, “Why did Margot’s mother run away? Did she do something awful at Fairhaven or did something awful happen to her?” This book starts off like a weird mystery and becomes creepier and spine-chilling as the mystery unveils itself. I’m so glad I gave this book a chance because I truly enjoy a good thrill!

This book felt like it dragged on forever. I feel like it could have been a lot shorter than it was. I was quite bored for most of the book, which made me feel unmotivated to finish it. I think that it had potential but it just definitely was not for me.

5 stars. I loved this one! Creepy, nonstop terror, and confusion in cornfields. Review to come.

Due to being a high school teacher, I have been falling behind on reviews. Here are my initial thoughts.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastic story. The plot is so well thought out.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

I love a good thriller and if you add in some relevant historical aspects, I'm a sure-fire reader. Well written and addictive. Will be purchasing for the library's collection!