I don’t know how I feel about this book to be honest. It was not at all what I was expecting. I liked wil. She’s spunky and determined. I did not love Elwood or the religious heavy elements of the plot. I also think the monster idea wasn’t fully flushed out as much as it could have been

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this book, but the cover (and the author's description alluding to Mothman) captured my attention and pulled me in. Overall I liked the themes of grief, religious abuse, metamorphosis, and love, and thought it was really creative how Arndt pulled it all together. I enjoyed getting both Wil and Elwood's perspectives as they are thrown back together, and how she explored the broken friendship and the ways that they pushed each other away, only to start to reconnect under dire and potentially tragic circumstances. I also enjoyed how creepy the cult itself was, and how venomous the community could be under it's influence. That said, I think that I was a little too caught up in the promise of Mothman, as while I can see how one could describe it that way, it's not exactly Mothman in the sense that many enthusiasts have come to expect and know him. But that is almost assuredly a personal preference, as Mothman as been a special interest of mine for a very, very long time.

TOGETHER WE ROT is an eerie and poignant dark fantasy. With the upcoming Halloween season it may be a good one to add to the seasonal reading pile.

Together We Rot is a YA novel about Wil Greene, a grumpy spitfire who is investigating the disappearance of her mother and Elwood Clarke, the gentle and bug obsessed son of a religious cult leader who is pulled farther into the cult. Former best friends, Wil and Elwood haven't spoken since Wil accused the cult of killing her mother. As a ritual grows nearer, Elwood starts to suspect that he may be the cult's upcoming sacrifice. He, Wil, and their former friends team up to stop the cult and figure out what happened to Wil's mother.

I thought the premise of this sounded interesting and I was drawn in by the incredible cover art! Now after reading it, those are still my two favorite things about the book. For good reason! The premise is really cool. I loved the idea of mixing a mysterious cult with fantasy elements. The book is set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula during the winter, which also adds an interesting layer as you don't see a lot of books set in the UP. The cover art SO AWESOME and would have absolutely drawn me in if I were still a moody teenager. It certainly drew me in as a semi-less moody adult!

The execution of this book left some things to be desired for me. I wish that it had been fleshed out a little more. This book is fairly short, which I thought was okay, but I do think that it suffered from relying on character tropes instead of actually fleshing them out. The main characters are a grumpy/sunshine combination, but to such an extreme on one side and to a lesser extent on the other. Wil is SO abrasive and rude to everyone that I really can't imagine how gentle Elwood ever dealt with her. And Elwood falls over like every other page. Since he's being abused and maybe turning into a sacrifice, I can't really blame him, but the positive parts of his personality are really only described in the past tense. I think this may have worked with single POV but with dual, his parts are just him in distress the whole time. Which doesn't make for the most fun or compelling read.

Overall, I thought this book was fine. It had a great premise, but the execution didn't bring it from fine to great like I had hoped. 3 stars. Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book, my thoughts are my own!

Together We Rot by @arndtskyla is a novella with exquisite creepy imagery. The story quickly became much more than I expected, with an Old Testament-based cult, teenage trauma and a brave love story. Go read it 💙

When Wilhelmina’s mother suddenly vanishes, she suspects the highly unusual Church of Adam and their leader, who happens to be her best friend Elwood’s father, for her mom’s disappearance. As Wil gets closer to the truth, her friend Elwood has to face his own discovery: his fanatically religious community plans to sacrifice him. But Elwood isn’t at all what he seems. And neither is this church.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5
🌶️ 0/5

Tropes:
Friends to enemies to lovers
Magical Adventure
Paranormal Powers

Triggers:
Religious fanaticism
Ritualistic Sacrifice
Body Dysmorphia
Murder
Parental Neglect

My Thoughts:
If you love the 1980’s teens-on-an-adventure feel of “Stranger Things”, you will love this book. Not only is the story delightfully creepy, but the character development and plot twists will keep you on the edge of your seat for all 272 pages! A perfect campfire/ spooky season story!

18 year-old Elwood runs away when he overhears his father talking about sacrificing him for the church he resides over in the Garden of Adam Community, located in the Upper Peninsula. He’s been told throughout his entire life that he’s a burden. He’s been punished and unloved by his parents. 18 year-old Wil is sure that her mother was sacrificed by the church and Elwood’s father. Wil and Elwood help each other hide from danger, investigate the community’s weird happenings, and try to find out what happened to Wil’s mother. Their lives will be thrown into chaos before it's over.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the creepy aspect of Elwood’s family and his father’s effect on the community. The prose represents beauty and pain, hurt and happiness, perfectly. The story was too quick to achieve well developed characters.
Mature content: PG-13 for Underage drinking and smoking, passionate undescribed kissing (PG)
Language: R for 79 swears and 6 f-bombs.
Violence: PG-13 for Bloody sacrificing of a rabbit, sacrificing son by bleeding him to death, father plunges knife into son’s chest.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

Take the teens from Stranger Things, add in a frightening fundamentalist cult, and throw them in a small, snowed-in town during Christmas, and you’ll get an idea of this book. Fans of Shea Ernshaw and Maggie Stiefvater will be delighted.

"Together We Rot" by Skyla Arndt invites readers into a genre-defying journey that intertwines young adult gothic horror, romance, and coming-of-age. As the story unfolds, protagonist Wil Greene's relentless quest to unravel the truth behind her mother's mysterious disappearance leads her to form an unlikely partnership with Elwood Clarke, a young man trapped within a dark family cult. I adore the different personalities; Elwood is so soft and sweet while Wil is so prickly and fearless.

Through Wil and Elwood, the story skillfully navigates the complexities of the small-town experience, tapping into the haunting specters of religious manipulation, the lingering trauma of abusive childhoods, and the grief of a lost parent. Readers are drawn into a world where the darkness of familial secrets collides with the tender emotions of a blossoming romance. The atmospheric and gothic tone perfectly complements the weighty themes at play. As Wil and Elwood uncover chilling revelations, they lean on a group of interesting friends for help; the secondary characters make the world even more immersive.

The living forest and supernatural presence add layers of intrigue, mirroring the inner struggles and traumas the characters are grappling with. There are moments when the prose seems a little excessive, but it is nonetheless highly enjoyable. "Together We Rot" is a testament to Arndt's ability to create a haunting and heartfelt story with a touch of bittersweet. Deeply enjoyed this one!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Penguin Teen for the eARC. This is an honest review.

Together We Rot had some really beautiful writing and some evocative turns of phrase. The book dealt with a lot of difficult themes and events and while I enjoyed the story, I felt that it was missing something. Some of the transitions were really clunky and at times, I wasn't sure who the POV chapter was for as Wil's voice and Elwood's voice were similar at times.

Speaking of Wil and Elwood, while I did like these characters, they didn't seem different enough in their POV chapters and while I thought the switch was necessary in order to move the story along, I would have liked to have seen some different characterization for them. Both of them were angsty teens (for different reasons) and it left a sense of sameness.

The idea of a forest needing sacrifices is as old as the hills and I would have liked to see more background on how the cult became as it was. I also had some issues with the time flow. At times the plot seemed to plod along, and I wasn't sure if we had changed days and other times, I was sure that it was supposed to be same day, and come to find out it wasn't. I chalk those issues up to the clunky transitions between some of the scenes and the formatting of the e-arc itself was godawful. There were numerous times when I wasn't sure which character was speaking.

I didn't really feel a sense of characterization from any of the secondary characters. The story careens around (sometimes literally as it is winter in Michigan) and it felt like Arndt didn't really know what to do with Ronnie, Kevin, or Lucas. And while they were necessary to the climax, I didn't feel like it had to be these specific characters.

Just overall, I really just wanted some more oomph from this book. I think Arndt is a talented writer, but the story needed more growth and stretch to it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for the arc for review purposes.

Thank you to Penguin Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, and Netgalley for access to a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and were not influenced by anyone else. 🪰

There is a backbone to what could be a really interesting story here. But after finishing, I feel like not everything was fleshed out, and I wish the book was actually a bit longer.

I liked how the main characters Wil and Elwood had a complicated past and weren't immediately friends at the start. Wil has accused Elwood's family of being responsible for her mother's disappearance, thereby straining their friendship. There are flashbacks to when they first met leading up to the present day, and I liked reading about how their friendship blossomed into something more.

Wil is strong-willed and independent. She isn't like most YA protagonists in that she is hesitant to look for answers and plunges into the mystery of where her mother went head-on, much to the chagrin of her friends, family, and the community at large. Elwood's characterization was also a nice change of pace for a YA story. He is kind, sensitive, and a nature lover. He expresses his emotions and is rather passive. He felt like a slave to his circumstances, and in a way, it was interesting to see a male character so vulnerable.

All this being said, I felt the plot was seriously lacking. We are told that Elwood's father is the leader of a mysterious church group and that he has plans in mind for Elwood's future that also align with the future of the church. Elwood knows his life is in danger and that the woods outside are calling to him. There are hints dropped throughout that Elwood is changing into something, but we are nevet quite made to see what this is. I wanted more backstory into the church and how it came to be. I wanted to know what was hiding in the woods. I am almost hoping there is a prequel novel coming that explains all of this in more detail.

The writing is solid for a debut, though. The dialogue was believeable, and the pacing was steady. Like I said earlier in this review, I think there is potential here for a really interesting story, but I wish there was more to go on. I hope that in future books, the author takes time to show the reader more of the ins and out of the worldbuilding. I would be interested in reading another book by the author if reviews indicate this.

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Notes
Together We Rot Book Review
73
Because not everything is as it seems.








Song Vibe Check:
"Middle of the night" By : Elley Duhé
"Liar, Liar" By: Dylan & Bastille
"Evergreen" By: PVRIS

NOTE: Thank you to Netgalley for the early copy of this book.

In an attempt to explore new genres, I realized that horroromance is a thing in the literary genre world and after seeing the pretty cover and the summary, I thought I would give it a try. After all, while horror is not my usual genre, I do like my stories to have some romance present. Trigger warning though, this book includes the mention of a cult, sacrifices, etc. so be warned.

I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THE EMOTIONAL WRECK IT WOULD CAUSE AFTER FINISHING IT.

Short summary: The local outsider must team with her ex-best friend/definitely not a crush to uncover the secrets of a cult that may be hiding many more monstrous secrets than they thought.

Long Summary:Wil Greene's mom has been missing for over a year, and the police are ready to call the case closed--they claim she skipped town and you can't find a woman who wants to disappear. But she knows her mom wouldn't just leave...and she knows the family of her former best friend, Elwood Clarke, has something to do with it.


Elwood has been counting down the days until his 18th birthday--in dread. It marks leaving school and joining his pastor father in dedicating his life to their congregation, the Garden of Adam. But when he comes home after one night of after a final goodbye with his friends, he discovers his path is not as virtuous as he thought. He's not his father's successor, but his sacrifice. For the woods he's grown up with are thirsty, and must be paid in blood.


Now on the run from a family that wants him dead, he turns to the only one who will believe him: Wil. Together, they form a reluctant partnership; she'll help him hide if he helps her find evidence that his family killed her mother. But in the end they dig up more secrets than they bargained for, unraveling decades of dark cult dealings in their town, led by the Clarke family.


And there's a reason they need Elwood's blood for their satanic rituals. Something inhuman is growing inside of him. Everywhere he goes, the plants come alive and the forest calls to him, and Wil isn't sure if she can save the boy she can't help but love.

I don't want to spoil anything but I just want to say that Elwood was my favorite perspective to follow even if he had the bigger burden to deal with and him and Wil were just everything to me that I devoured this book in record time and was left with tears by the end. I STILL NEED TO RECOVER BUT SKYLA ARNDT IS NOW ON MY LIST OF AUTHORS WHO I WILL BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR FUTURE WORKS.

But also because now I need more gothic/horroromance in my life. This book will be out August 29 so go preorder now!!


Overall: 5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an eARC of Together We Rot! I was not sure quite what to expect with this book. Paranormal romance/horror is not what I typically gravitate toward, but I have a lot of students who do and honestly, the cover sucked me in. This book was absolutely fantastic! The writing is stunning--vivid descriptions, atmospheric in the best possible way, and I really felt like I got to know the two main characters well despite the short length of the book. The story was captivating from the start, and how could it not be with cults, missing people, and best friends who are in love with each other, but circumstances have driven them apart. Oh, and the forest is possibly alive? I will be purchasing a copy for my classroom immediately and cannot wait to get it into the hands of students! They're going to love it.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was so surprising. It handled grief, the breaking and rebuilding of friendships and familial relationships, and finding oneself during this whole process in a really unique way. Especially while dealing with big feelings. It was definitely a spooky story in spots and I loved that in some places you couldn’t tell if what was happening was metaphorically happening or really happening to the characters. Worth a read for spooky season!

This book was wonderful beyond words. I already preordered it. I just couldn’t get enough of it. I just couldn’t. Skyla is brilliant with words and character building.
Highly recommend this story to anyone who loves all things spooky.
10 out of 10 and then some.

I was lucky enough to get Together We Rot as my first ever ARC and wow am I glad I did. This debut author can write! Her voice throughout the entire story is a whole vibe and I am obsessed. The characters feel real and the story is such a page turner. I really cannot say enough about the voice and vibe of this story. It's earie, dark, creepy and takes place in my home away from home so I really connected with alot of the scenes locations. I absolutely loved this book. Go read it now!!!

Wil Greene's mother disappeared over a year ago and Wil has made it her mission to find out the truth of what happened to her. Wil is convinced that she was killed by the family of her former best friend, Elwood Clarke. Since the police are convinced that Wil's mother simply left town, Wil is the only person investigating. While her investigation hasn't turned up much information, Wil continues to narrow in on Elwood's parents and their church. Elwood and Wil encounter each other at a party where Elwood is trying to enjoy his 18th birthday after sneaking out of his house. Elwood has known his entire life that once he turned 18, he would start his studies to become the new leader of the church. It's not the life he wants, but he doesn't have any choice. When Elwood returns home, his parents punish him for disobedience, but Elwood also discovers the darker side to his parents and he runs away to the only person that he thinks can help him, Wil. Together with three of their friends, Wil and Elwood start to unravel the truth behind Elwood's family, their church/cult, and it's connection to the town. They also discover that Elwood has a secret that is connecting him forever to the town. This is a creepy paranormal story with a friends-to-enemies- back-to-friends/best friends romance.

The story was both beautiful and heart stopping. I enjoyed the small town with secrets as well as a childhood crushes into more.

For a smaller story I felt parts were both rushed and dragged but well crafted plot.

For a debut novel it is really good.

Thank you both to Netgally and the Author for allowing me to read the arc!

What a great debut novel! The students at my school are always clamoring for new horror books; I know they will love this one. Looking forward to procuring it for my library when we place our next order! Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for letting me read this one in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked that not every little detail was spelled out for us in regard to what happened to Elwood and what happened in years past at their church. We get just enough information and exposition to get hooked on what's unraveling as the Scooby Gang of Pine Point, MI follows the clues to help their friend. The book was on the shortish side at 272 pages and I'm glad the author and publisher didn't add another 50 or so to "flesh it out" because that would have been to the story's detriment.

I loved the friendship and romance between Wil and Elwood, LOVED Cherry and Starlight the cat, and also loved how the Michigan snowstorm became something of a supporting character. If you've ever experienced a midwestern winter storm, you know how brutal it must have been for Wil and Elwood to ride a bike through that! I'm shivering just thinking about it. What I loved most about this novel, though, is that it doesn't have your typical Ever After in the Happily or even Sadly sense--it's bittersweet and a tad melancholy, but still lovely in its buggy, branchy way.

This book was amazing emotional rollercoaster. The writing is spectacular and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It was a unique and haunting read great for the fall and Halloween season

3.5 stars

Arndt’s debut novel is nestled in the YA Horror and Lite Dark Romance genres. It tells the story of Wil who has been searching for the whereabouts of her mom for over the past year. She fears her mother was murdered and none other than by her childhood best friend’s family.

That friend is named Elwood Clarke and his parents are members of a cult like church. His life has been planned for him. When El realizes that his father plans to kill him in some sacrificial ceremony the plot really gets going.

I liked Wil and Elwood’s relationship, as well as the other teenagers they were acquainted with that reminded me a bit of the Scooby Gang. The plot was interesting. It had me engaged from the first chapter.

I think this book could have benefited from additional character development. There were parts of the book where I didn’t follow what was going on and found myself going back to see when I missed the progression of the scene. Another round of edits would have helped.

The ending was good. Overall, I liked it. Would read another book with these characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.