Characters
I'm torn about this one. I really liked the story, but the characters bothered me. I couldn't understand Margot's intense desire to know her family and to know what happened in the past.

Now, not relating to/understanding a character is not a reason to dislike a book. It's physically impossible to relate to every single character in every book you read, because why would you only read books about people like you? However, I didn't sympathise or empathise with Margot. I just felt super detached from her character (probably because I'm an emotionless robot most days).

Her rage and her anger come off as selfish at times, and even though it doesn't invalidate her feelings at all, it just didn't make me feel anything.

Characters = 4

Atmosphere/Narrator
This book is supposed to be a horror, at the very least a thriller, but I wasn't scared. While body horror and gore gross me out, it doesn't necessarily scare me. The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job though. Her voice made the creepy atmosphere come through and the acting was really great.

The last 80% of this book included a lot of the gore and twists. [su_spoiler title="Spoilers!"]The murders at the end certainly added to the shock factor.[/su_spoiler]

I just wish some more creepy stuff happened throughout the book. We do get snippets here and there, but it didn't add enough to the overall feel for me.

Atmosphere = 6

Writing
Rory Power is an excellent writer. Her stories flow really well and read very smoothly. I loved her debut book, Wilder Girls, and her writing has only improved from there. The themes, set-ups and payoffs of this book were done well and I'd read more of her writing.

Writing = 7

Plot
Once again, some of my main issues are with the plot. Mainly the pacing. Almost all of the important action happens during the last 20% of the book, which made the first 80% really boring.

The story has some supernatural elements to it, but it's grounded in reality enough to make sense. The whole plot could also have been solved with a single conversation, which is really one of my biggest pet peeves.

Plot = 4

Intrigue
As I said, I listened to the audiobook version of Burn Our Bodies Down. I was fairly into the story for the first part and the last part. The middle waffled a bit. It was interesting enough to keep me going though, as I wanted to solve the mystery.

Intrigue = 5

Logic
Some suspension of disbelief is required when reading this story, but logically everything makes sense. The story actually touches on some real-life scary things, such as gene manipulation and GMO foods. You are what you eat, kids.

Logic = 5

Enjoyment
Was this the best book I've ever read? No. Was it the worst? Also no. It has some pros and cons, but ultimately I would say it was average and maybe a bit forgettable. However, this book is someone's favourite, so I've linked a 5-star review for you here!

CAWPILE = 4.8/10

Stars = 3

For her entire life it has just been Margot and her mom. No family, no history, just the struggle of trying to get by. But Margot wants more, and when she uncovers an old photo it leads her to a town called Phalene and family secrets that are more than she bargained for.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and author Rory Power for providing me with an ARC audiobook of Burn Our Bodies Down!

I wanted to like this so badly. I really did. I gave it about 40%, and I just couldn't do it. It was so bizarre, but not in a good way. I didn't know what was happening, where this was going, anything. The story line was all over the place and I just couldn't figure out what story was trying to tell itself. Super sad, but this one just wasn't for me.

Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC audiobook!

I received an audiobook copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Burn Our Bodies Down is about a girl named Margot whose mother has kept all of her family and her past a secret from her. Margot then decides that she’s had enough and returns to her mother’s hometown to try and figure it all out.

This is a weird one. Truly weird and out there. But in a way that works for the story. It felt kind of like Sadie meets The Death of Mrs. Westaway all the way until right before the conclusion. The author does a very good job of setting the tone of the book, as does the narrator of the audiobook. There was a somber and chilling feeling the entire time I was listening.

I had to go back and check the genre a few times because I kept changing my mind about what the genre must be as I made my way through: mystery then thriller then horror then back to mystery then a jump into maybe aliens and science fiction?? 😂 This is not a spoiler I promise, just me trying to rationalize everything I was reading.

There’s only a couple of things that stand out to me as things I didn’t like. The first was that it’s one of those books where you truly don’t know what’s going on until the very end, and while I do like a big reveal, I also like when smaller things are revealed along the way. So I felt like it was kind of dragged out. The second thing is there was this weird and kind of annoying repetition through the story, where certain phrases and complaints were repeated quite often. It got a bit tedious for awhile in the second half of the book.

Overall, it was just a really odd, interesting story. The only thing keeping me from rating it higher was just that lull in the middle. I would definitely recommend this for people who like “weird books”, horror that’s not based on monsters or creatures, and mystery thrillers that revolve around uncovering family secrets. 3.5/5 stars!

This novel was filled with so much mystery and intrigue I was kept on my toes the entire time. I couldn’t put it down. The character arc was amazing, really relatable characters. I felt like I was in the story. The overall story left me wanting more.

Hello Gemmies! I have a new book review to share with you today. Please note: I received an audiobook ARC of this book (via NetGalley) from its publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power is a new YA horror thriller. This story was unexpected and full of twists and turns. But I cannot stress enough....this is a SLOW BURN. Like almost too slow. If you can make it to the 60% mark, you will be okay. The world building is super creepy and descriptive. It gave me 70's horror film vibes. The plot was well done, and Rory Power's writing is top notch. One of the main issues for me was I never really connected with any of the characters, especially Margot. I never became invested in her outcome. I have to give this book extra gem points though for the horror elements and creeptastic atmosphere.

Burn Our Bodies Down is narrated by one person Lauren Ezzo. Lauren does a good job of voicing each character. She is able to provide enough distinction between the characters that you can easily tell who is speaking. What really stands out for me is her ability to switch up her pacing to set an atmosphere for the story. There are parts that are very creepy and dark, and Lauren is able to convey that with her voice.

If you are a fan of dark slow burn thrillers with a horror twist then go read this book! This gem published by Blackstone Publishing is available for purchase from all major booksellers. I give Burn Our Bodies Down 4 out of 5 gems. Happy Reading!

Audio performance first: the Narrator was very good, really bringing life and emotional colour to Power's beautiful prose. This definitely works as an audio book.



The story was odd. It's a weird book in the sense of it doesn't seem to be set in our world but the world it is based in is only half a step from ours. While the dusty small town of Phalen is well realised, the rest of the world building is a little thin. The big hurdle for me was the characters shut you out. I wasn't really rooting for anyone. Margo, the MC, is comprised almost entirely of how she reacts to other people and her personality doesn't really emerge until the last chapter. I think this was probably the point since one of the things this book does well is examine difficult and emotionally abusive/ negligent mother-daughter relationships. But it was still annoying that there was nothing to really get a grip on with the MC.



This is horror but it doesn't really set out it's stall until things are resolved. Structurally I felt like I was reading a contemporary YA which was flirting with darkness and then jumped right in for the last three chapters. Basically you're going to spend a lot of the book waiting for the foreshadowing to start paying off and it doesn't really.



For all that the meditation on legacies of abuse and anger, on parent-child relationships and on a metaphorical connection with the earth was well done. It was beautifully written. Power's prose is stunning and that was what kept me listening in the end. The ending is very strange but I enjoyed it. I just wish it had been set up better in the early parts of the book so the payoff felt more satisfying.



Overall a decent horror YA. I see lots of other people love it even if certain things didn't work for me. Worth reading for the prose alone in any case.

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!

Ever since Margot was born, it’s been jist her and her mother. No answers to Margot’s questions about what came before. No history to hold on to. No relative to speak of. But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Only when Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for. Her mother left for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect her from what’s is still there?

Burn Our Bodies Down is a twisty, eerie and weird story that I was not expecting at all, and I just loved it.
This is my second book from this author, I read Wilder Girls and I wasn’t a big fan. I’m so glad I gave this author a second chance, I was hooked since the first chapters and it kept me guessing. It was dark, original, crazy and mind blowing.

Audio: This narrator does an excellent job with this audio. The writing has the character having conversations which bounce line by line between verbal dialogue and mental dialogue. The narrator does an excellent job with it so that it is easily identifiable for the listener which is going on. She also does an excellent job expressing the emotion the character is feeling. She’s shouting, she’s whispering….all are portrayed extremely well!

Story: Okay, literally the only reason I kept listening to this was because I needed to know wtf was going on. This book is GARBAGE…all the women in this are arguably bipolar & wrecks. They flip switches between angry, calm, agony...it’s exhausting & feels like a complete waste of time. WTF is the genre?? The plot kept building & then would plateau again. I had no idea what was going on. Literally took ALL my effort not to DNF. Should've DNF'd...

I did not enjoy this at all. Perhaps I unfairly had high expectations after Power's exceptional debut, but this just felt underwhelming after Wilder Girls.

Well this book didn’t go where I expected.
I didn’t connect with the character of Margot for the first bit of the book, the story seemed a bit mundane but as soon as Margot went to the pawnbrokers I was hooked on the intrigue and it only got stronger as the story unraveled.

I had so many ideas of what was going on but they were all wrong, I really couldn’t have predicted what was going on, don’t want to give anything away so I won’t say anymore on that.

This book has an ominous sinister vibe that i loved. It’s a mystery and a tale of dysfunctional families and more. A slow burner to begin with then fast paced and gripping with layered characters and full of revelations.
YA at its finest!

The audiobook was fantastic because of the incredible narration by Lauren Ezzo. It was an absolute pleasure to hear her. This was a very unique thriller, nothing like I’ve read before. I don’t want to say much about the plot because I don’t wish to spoil it for those who haven’t read it yet. If you’ve read it, you know what I mean. I liked Margot, I liked her curiosity and determination that ultimately unravelled everything. I also liked Tes and I wish she had more scenes. I didn’t quite relate to either though. The climax was riveting and completely tangled in family relationships or the lack thereof. The length of the book as well as the pacing were just right, not too long and neither too short. Overall, a quick gripping tale for thriller lovers.

I'm beyond grateful to have received this audiobook in exchange for a review. However, I'm having a lot of problems accessing the NG app, I didn't realise that I needed iOS 13 and unfortunately, I don't have that. I'm gutted as I'm so excited about this book, but I'll definitely be purchasing and reading soon and if I'm able to download and listen at some point, I'll 100% come back and review!

Burn Our Bodies Down follows Margot, a girl who's grown up knowing nothing of her family outside of her mother- her mother who refuses to speak of the past she ran away from. Margot desperately wants to know what other family is out there for her, and when she finds a key to unlocking a little family history, she takes it and runs.

Margot finds herself in a small town with her grandmother who just as stubbornly refuses to tell her the truth as her mother, attempting to figure out her family history and piecing together all of the clues that seemingly make no sense. But she's not the only one- there are a few police officers in town who want answers, too.

I listened to the audiobook of this one, and overall I did enjoy it. The narrator did a great job of portraying the atmospheric tone of the novel. This being a mystery/thriller though, I did expect to be more on the edge of my seat. It didn't feel like anything was actually going to happen until it finally did.

That said, I can see why someone would really enjoy reading this! The setting and the the characters are all intriguing, and it’s enough to keep you reading while the plot slowly reveals itself to you.

An creepy, inventive story about a family and the bizarre and macabre secrets it keeps, set amidst crackling corn and a creepy old farmhouse.

I went into this one with pretty low expectations because Wilder Girls didn't really work for me, but somehow I still came out of it feeling disappointed. This had all the makings of a book I should love: queer characters, rural small-towns, strained mother/daughter relationships, but something about this really just didn't click for me. I feel like I never really got to know the main character, which kept me from bonding to her or the story or honestly caring about anything that happened. I will say, while the story as a whole didn't super work for me, I did listen to this one as an audiobook and I honestly found the narrator's delivery to be the best part of my reading experience. I would say that if you DO want to read the one, the audiobook would be the way to go. Overall, I found this one to be pretty meh and I don't think I'll be reading more from Rory Power in the future.

At first I was not sure what to think of this book. Boy did that change fast. After the first few chapters I was hooked. Its a very interesting story line, sometimes a bit frustrating but in a good way. The author did a great job presenting such an interesting subject that's imposable and make you feel like it could happen.

I enjoyed the narrator as well. She did a wonderful job distinguishing between the different characters.

This audiobook was received as an ARC from Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

There was something about this book that made it more significant when read the second time and when someone reads it out loud. There were many parts in the story that came out better the second time and were more meaningful than the first time I read this book and I just think that is absolutely amazing. I love the voice of Lauren Ezzo and how she enunciated the key points in the book and really brought to light even more of the relationship between Margot and her mother. I highly recommend getting this audiobook and following along with the actual book to really hear and see the story come to life.

We will consider adding this to our Audiobook collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Big thank you to NetGalley & Delacorte Press for an ALC of this one in exchange for my honest review.

Rory Power's sophomore novel tells the story of Margot, a girl who knows basically nothing about her relatives or family history. She only knows her mother and that is it. Of course Margot has to know more and one day finds a clue that leads her to a town called Phalene & to what Margot hopes are family members.

The narrator for this one did an excellent job. As far as genre for this, I would not say this is strictly a thriller, but more a combination of sci-fi and psychological suspense. I did enjoy the storyline of this one a lot more than Wilder Girls and found it more entertaining. All in all this one gets a solid 4 stars.