This was not the book for me. I called it a small-town family mystery before I started it, but that’s not quite right. It’s a farmhouse family mindfreak. Except without the excitement and longing to know that comes with a typical mindfreak. I’m not going to say the ending didn’t make sense, because it was explained, but it also didn’t seem to matter to the story at all?

Usually if there isn’t much of a plot I would like character development. I didn’t really see much of either. This book is set over the course of about three days, in which Margot goes to her mother’s hometown to figure out what happened in her mom’s past. Because her mom refused to say a word about it her whole life. The day she gets there, she finds something really disturbing and just is okay with it and continues to suck up to the grandma whose land it happened on while knowing her grandma is blatantly keeping secrets from her.

The whole book had themes of codependency and really toxic family values, which get remedied in the end. It’s not inherently bad to have those themes in a book, but seeing a main character pick being wanted over being safe multiple times is kind of upsetting. And there were some good lessons regarding that - “you don’t have to stay somewhere just because you’re wanted” is an almost exact line from the book. Just sucks that it took til 78% into the book for her to learn that.

The writing was easy enough to read; the imagery for the setting was definitely there. The book gave me a dusty summertime feeling. I’m glad there was lesbian representation in the main character, Margot. The mystery’s resolution was wildly boring and I don’t understand the audience for this book.

Content warnings for gore and gun stuff

We are one of the most complex things on the planet, so why do we build boxes and force ourselves to fit them when it comes to media? No one is just one thing, we are all an amalgamation of our choices, and desires, fears, and anxieties. Tropes are built around common patterns, but sometimes when they're everywhere you turn, we get into the rut idea that we need to conform to those tropes to be successful.

Recently, however, I have had the great pleasure to be on a streak of reading trope-breaking stories. More specifically, books centered on incredibly complicated, usually anger-driven women. Women fueled by spite and survival instinct, who don't have a lot of time to be the sugar-sweet innocents they might be expected to be. They break boundaries in their own worlds, and show readers that it's okay - even necessary - to break boundaries for ourselves. Breaking is part of the building that shows us who we are.

Rory Power's Burn Our Bodies Down is a veritable tapestry of complicated, troubling, self-serving, fiercely protective women. To read it is to be immediately swept into a Gothic, sprawling family drama all brought to its boiling point in Margot, a young woman on the hunt for answers about her roots. For as long as she could remember, it's always just been Margot and her mother. Their relationship is love wrapped in thorns, dependence, and fear. Margot's mother is secretive about her past and forceful in her belief that her and Margot are all they need to survive. Fed up with the lack of answers, spurred on by an explosive fight and a clue from a pawn shop, Margot goes hunting for the family she never knew and finds far more secrets than she bargained for.

An atmosphere that slowly weaves its tendrils around you the further you go into the haunting town of Phalene, inexplicable tones of Wicker Man and Children of the Corn all blended in with a bit of We Have Always Lived in the Castle make for an unforgettable read steered along by an equally unforgettable narrator in Margot. Rory Power's sophomore offering showcases her strengths beautifully. Burn Our Bodies Down is an intense examination of family, connection, and finding meaning in identity told through an unconventional labyrinth of one woman's mind as she simultaneously learns and unlearns everything she thought she knew. The only constant is uncertainty, and fire.

Keep the fire burning, it's the only thing keeping us all alive.

Margot's family has a secret, a secret so deep that not even Margot knows it, but she's going to find it, even if it means leaving home to do it. Margot travels to her mom's hometown, Phalene, and to the house where the grandmother lives that she's never met and doesn't know. As soon as she arrives, her family's farm is burning and a girl is dead. The thing is that this is the second fire this farm has suffered, the first happening right before her mother left home for good. So, why did her mom leave home never to return? Are the two fires connected? And who does the dead girl belong to? Margot is going to find out.

I love mystery/thriller books, as well as YA novels. I thought that overall, this book was pretty good. I enjoyed most of the writing and the author's style of writing. I did feel like the book lacked direction and plot development at times and more could have gone into action to move the story along. I didn't like how the reader found the answers to solve the mystery (through someone's diary) and wished that that information would have been revealed with more excitement. This book lacked the a-ha moment for me, which was disappointing.

I would recommend this book to young adult readers who enjoyed series such as Twilight.

Remember when I read Wilder Girls last year for mine and Rachel’s buddy read and well, it basically ruined me because OMG I FELT DUPED?! Well I was genuinely shocked that I got approved for the eARC for Rory’s second book, 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧. Let me say this, not as and as Wilder Girls, but also just as unsatisfying to read.⁣⁣
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It’s the story of Margot, who lives with her shell of a mother and has no idea of where she came from or who her extended family is. She does know that her mom makes her keep a flame burning at all times, but who knows for what reason. One day Margot happens upon a clue that will lead her to her grandmother, still living in her mother’s home town, and there is a mystery surrounding her family.⁣⁣
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Sounds good right? It was compelling and once I got into it I couldn’t put it down (much like Wilder Girls)...but I swear the “mystery” and intrigue around what’s going on was SUCH A LET DOWN (just like Wilder Girls). My brain concocted all of these conspiracy theories that were much more interesting and ultimately I was left just feeling frustrated that I sat through the story for that payout at the end.⁣⁣
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One thing that I will give credit for is it being a horror YA...the gruesome horror parts were spooky and unnerving and not something we usually get in YA...and one thing I want to call out (AGAIN) is the barely there “but we’ll totally market it this way” LGBTQIA+ rep. Just like Wilder Girls, there is a passing moment of “OH WAIT MAYBE THE MAIN CHARACTER ISNT STRAIGHT” only for it to be never brought up again and almost felt like an afterthought for marketing. If your going to give rep, GIVE US REP!⁣⁣
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Would I pass on this, probably, but is it the worst ever? Nope. 𝘚𝘦𝘦: 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴.⁣⁣

Such a let down. I really loved Rory's writing in her debut, but the ending let me down so I hoped that the ending of this one would be more enjoyable. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The gruesome and harsh writing that I loved so much was missing from this one. The small-town setting just led to a really slow book that was, in my opinion, too drawn out. With the mystery aspect of the main character's family, it felt like not enough was given to the reader to make the book seem interesting and gripping. The ending was so rushed too. So much information that I would have liked to receive throughout the book left me honestly confused. The whole reason I kept reading was to find out what was actually happening with the Nielsen family, but, after finishing the book, I'm still pretty confused. I get why everything happened, but it was so rushed and detailed were skimmed over quickly that the pacing choices for the ending just confused me. Overall, I'm pretty disappointed and enjoyed Wilder Girls way more, despite hating the ending of that one too.

Margot lives only her mother and doesn't know any of her family. Her mother has some odd behaviors and is neglectful sometimes. After Margot finds an old photo with a phone number, she reaches out to her grandmother and hitchhikes to see her. Right after she arrives, she meets a few local teens who hear about a fire at her grandmother's. Margot sees something shocking and unexplainable in the fire. I was intrigued by the mystery of what Margot saw in the fire and was curious why so many in the town didn't like her family. I felt the middle of the story was too drawn out and I skipped a lot of it to get to the end. I felt the story could have incorporated more horror to make the story more interesting.

This was definitely one of the strangest and yet captivating books I have read in awhile. I love Rory Power's writing style and the short chapters make it read quickly. I am still puzzling through what I just finished but I really enjoyed it. First Wilder Girls and now this... I can't wait to see what she does next! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was not what I was expecting. But damn did it deliver. I didn't even read the description of the book, just went with the fact that it was Rory Power and wasn't disappointed. It was suspenseful and mysterious, and just kept moving.

Rory Power’s novel Burn Our Bodies Down takes a multi-generational, dysfunctional family relationship and turns it on its head. The main character, Margot, is a teen on her journey of self-discovery, within the confines of a particularly secretive childhood. Detailed character development creates a believable midwestern town.

Burn Our Bodies Down is a YA mystery thriller with a strangeness to it. Think Twilight Zone or X-files episode in terms of the oddities throughout. This is Rory Power's second novel. Fans of Wilder Girls will be thrilled with where Power goes next. Burn Our Bodies Down may have a slightly more horror feel than her first novel, but readers will be hooked!

Margot feels trapped with her mother and never receives any answers about her mother's past. So when she comes across a clue leading her to her mother's hometown, she takes it! What Margot doesn't realize is there is a reason her mother never talks about her past and sometimes it's better to leave it behind.

The story is well-written and full of twists. The character development is excellent. Highly recommended to readers looking for an original YA thriller with strong doses of horror. Be sure to check out Burn Our Bodies Down today!

This was a very strange book. I really was not expecting the turn that it took in the last part, but honestly I don't know why I'm surprised by anything Rory Power does after reading Wilder Girls. I love the mother-daughter relationship that the book portrays. Margot and her mom have such a complicated and nuanced relationship, and It was very well written.

After reading Wilder Girls last year, I knew that Rory was not about to give us a quick and easy read. I was very well prepared for a rollercoaster of a story, and that is exactly what you get from Burn Our Bodies Down!

When this book opens up, you have no idea what road you are going to go on. All we know of our main character, Margot, and her current life is that her mother is very toxic and abusive, and Margot is willing to do anything to get out of that situation. She is desperate for love and a family. 

So, when she finds a connection to her grandmother buried deep within her mother's belongings from her past, Margot jumps at the chance to escape the years of neglect and torment she's suffered. 

But, when she gets to Phalene, she is thrown into much more than she ever expected.

I think what appealed most to me about this book was just how eerie it was the entire time. I truly felt like I was watching a horror movie. It is full of suspense and plot twists. It was paced perfectly- the chapters are short and quick, but the prose was still incredible, and the tone of the story was very somber. 

But more than that, it was such a tragic story, too. Margot was a really well-developed character with so many different sides to her. We can see how her upbringing has affected her, through the constant battle she has inside of her mind. Both her mother and her grandmother also have such interesting and intricate histories, and I really enjoyed learning about the complicated lives of the Nielsen family. 

I will admit, for the first half of this book, I wasn't sure if I was going to give it 5 stars or 2. The reader has no idea what is going on throughout the majority of the book; we are completely out of the loop just as Margot is. At first, this was frustrating to me because I was worried that we would get the same unresolved ending as Wilder Girls (and while I loved that about her debut novel, I did not want to get the same ending in this one). 

Luckily, we got the perfect ending for this story! I realized that the beauty of this book is that you are not supposed to understand what's happening--- And that's okay. All will be revealed eventually. 

This novel was truly a work of art, and I could go on about it for days. 

If you are looking for a dark, twisted, but beautiful story, this one is for you!

I had not read the author's previous work. I just requested this one because I thought the premise sounded interesting. This was a wild ride. We meet Margot who lives with her mother Josephine who refuses to tell her anything about her family and has a bizarre set of rules for Margot to live by. Margot decides to strike out on her own to find her family but once she does she stumbles onto even more secrets and strange occurrences. This book was a mix of strange/thriller/horror rolled into one and I could not have fathomed the direction this book was going. It was satisfying but also left me wondering what in the world did I just read? Interested in go back and reading her 2019 release Wilder Girls now.

“How to keep a fire burning. How to stitch a fight up until it’s only a scar. That’s the kind of thing you learn with a mother like mine. Mostly though, you learn how to be loved without any proof.”

Margot's life has never been easy, and her mother has never been perfect. Margot is aware of these things and wonders what happened to make her mother the way that she is. Since Margot was born, it was always just her and her mother. Margot possesses no answers to the questions she has about her past and this isn’t enough for Margot, anymore. After she discovers a photo with an address and telephone number to her grandmother's home, she decides to go to her mother’s hometown to uncover some answers. Once there, she discovers some tragic and deeply buried family secrets.

I loved this book. From page one it was beautifully tragic and had a creepy factor that kept me interested and wanting to read until the very end to learn all the Nielsen family drama.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Delacorte Press for the ARC of Burn Our Bodies Down in exchange for my honest review.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really really loved this book. Like Wilder Girls the writing is beautiful even when depicting really upsetting apricots? How does Rory Power do it? Incredible!

The book starts with Margot and her emotionally abusive mother who warns her to always leave a candle lit. Margot, through a spoilery series of events ends up living with her mysterious grandmother right in time for another fire! Another, you say? Yup! Margots determination to find out whats going on leads the reader through some pretty heady stuff.

Intense and beautiful and tragic is what this book is.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

This book was so good that I immediately bought Rory Power's previous book (how did I miss her?!?). The pacing was PERFECT; the creep-factor/normal balance was PERFECT; and the ending did mess up the book! It's been a long time since I felt that way about a book I was reading/read. I found myself recounting the plot of this book to some folks recently and it sounded like a horror/crazy scenario type book, but the actual experience reading the book was well-balanced, not over the top, and really unrevealing until you really get far along and you are hooked in the story. There was a "Children-of-the-Corn" element, combined with mysterious fires in a literal cornfield, creepy secretive grandmother, suspicious town, babies born with no parents, weird discolored water and produce, and some good old mother-daughter relationship drama. This book was just so good, I wish I hadn't read it so I could pick it up and experience the whole thing all over again.

A slooooow burn that never quite sparks.

"Blood on Nielsen land. Give it enough, and it might give something back."

Seventeen-year-old Margot Nielsen lives with her mom Jo in a run-down apartment in Calhoun, Nebraska. For as long as Margot can remember, it’s only been the two of them – which maybe wouldn’t be so bad, if her mom wasn’t so strange, so distant, so emotionally withholding. In addition to tiptoeing around Jo’s fearful-avoidant attachment style, there’s a laundry list of weird rules that Margot has to adhere to in order to keep the peace. Chief among them: always keep a candle burning. The fire will save you.

"The flame jumps up, stands steady and stark. My hand used to shake when I did this, but it doesn’t anymore. No nerves as I hold the fire to the wick until it catches. No fear as I let the lighter go out, lean in to feel the heat on my skin. This is the part that matters to Mom. Watching me. On good days it comes with a kiss to my temple, with her favorite rule whispered in my ear. On most days it comes with nothing at all. Just the feeling that this is a test, somehow, and I’ve only barely passed."

Margot learned long ago not to ask about her family: not her father, and certainly not her grandparents. So when a chance discovery gives her an address and a phone number, Margot grasps at the apparent lifeline. She flees Calhoun, and Jo’s cruel indifference, for the opportunity to start over with her grandmother Vera at Fairhaven, the Nielsen family farm.

Margot’s arrival in Phalene is, ahem, portentous at best. Within minutes of setting foot in the town square, Margot learns of a massive fire – at the Nielsen farm, no less.

And it’s the second one in a generation. “A new fire for a new Nielsen,” as Theresa Miller – Phalene’s golden child and Margot’s apparent new bestie/partner in crime – proclaims.

AND there’s a body smack dab in the center of it. A corpse that wears Margot’s face.

With Tess’s help, Margot must get to the root of what’s rotten at Fairhaven – all while negotiating Vera’s own sickly sweet Southern brand of cruelty, and evading the Phalene police, who suspect Vera of arson and/or murder, and see Margot as their best chance of catching her. But the truth threatens to unravel Margot, and how could it not? Spoiler alert: things get pretty bonkers.

I really enjoyed Rory Power’s debut novel, WILDER GIRLS, and was hoping that she’s bring that same fierce feminist energy to BURN OUR BODIES DOWN. And, to be fair, she does. But B BURN OUR BODIES DOWN is a much slower burn that never quite sparked for me. The ending is inspired, but the buildup sapped most of the joy out of the discovery.

There’s a lot of creepy, gory weirdness to love here: Margot’s mother’s Bible, and the cryptic, frenzied diary entries scribbled in the margins. The mysterious twin and doppelganger(s). The scorched apricot grove, and the ghastly fruit it produces. The sickly, misshapen corn. The spontaneous pregnancies (the ultimate in body horror, imho). The gruesome murder scene next door. Illicit farming practices. The association of women and nature in a way that feels like the inverse (or perversion?) of ecofeminism. But it takes sooooo long to get to the denouement, and until then you’re just left flailing, with no idea how everything clicks into place.

The climax comes around the 80% mark – which is pretty standard, now that I think about it. Maybe it just feels a lot longer because there’s so much repetition up to this point? Margot’s inner monologues about Jo and Vera and the importance/danger of family are germane to the story, to be sure; but the frequency and predictability just gets tedious after awhile.

Bottom line: I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it, either. It’s a great idea with a so-so execution that could definitely be redeemed with the right big- or little-screen adaptation. Until then, I’m eagerly awaiting Rory Power’s third book, IN A GARDEN BURNING GOLD.

The first thing that really grabbed me was Power’s writing style. Somehow she made shorter, almost blunt, sentences full of description and impact. Especially when you read and look at a whole paragraph together. It’s hard to find a writer that still comes across as unique or different, even slightly, from what you’ve read before. What I also really enjoyed is that she did a really good job not only of pulling the story together, but dropping clues and hints, but still not revealing enough for the reader to guess anything. Even though it kept me on my toes and guessing, it’s still very different from the other kind of thrillers I’ve read. It’s a constantly simmering thriller.

There was definitely a lot more description when it came to the characters. From Margot to her mom Josephine, to her grandmother Vera, and to her new friend Tess. I’m not really great at picturing characters super well to being with, but all of these main characters felt real and I could imagine them fairly well in my head as I read. I thought Rory Power did a great job capturing the small details that we do everyday, like a head tilt.

I thought the plot was great though once I got to the end, I felt like the story’s real focus was on the characters and what they did. The plot served a purpose, though it did add a lot to the story too. I definitely did not see the ending or what the truth of what was really going on and why Margot’s mother left all those years ago. It was quite the twist. And definitely freaky.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Burn Our Bodies Down.

I honestly never thought I’d write a review like this mainly because I usually get bored with books and end up putting them down before finishing so my review consists of “couldn’t finish this, sorry!” But not this book... I finished this book and I can honestly say I wish I had put it down. I was so incredibly intrigued with the plot and on NetGalley it was one of the most requested books with great reviews so I had to read it. The ending of this book, IMHO is the stupidest thing I’ve ever read!!! I personally do not enjoy anything that is so completely far fetched and when I finally figured out what was going on here I don’t think my eye roll could’ve been any bigger. If I wasn’t at 92% and still hoping that there HAD to be another explanation, I would’ve put the book down. The last two chapters I skimmed just to be able to move on. If you enjoy far fetched plot that a zero percent chance of happening in real life, maybe this is the book for you but it was not to me! I really wish I could get the last 2 days of my life back so I could read a book more worthwhile.