*Spoilers*

I tend to rate on the experience/enjoyment of reading the book, so the 2/5 here does not reference the writing or the talent of the author, which was perfectly fine and nicely polished. There were some downright spooky moments that gave me chills. It does however reflect how four major problems I encountered while reading ruined my enjoyment.

The first, Our Wicked Histories could not decide if it was a murder mystery or a paranormal mystery or what. I appreciate a little mixed genre, but the way the plot unfurled these issues felt like you're getting jerked around.

The second was that the "culprit" was telegraphed so badly from scene to scene that there was no surprise when we got to the end. My eARC copy contained a note from the author at the beginning re: writing inspired by the Fall of the House of Usher and perhaps this influenced my suspicions but this ultimately resulted in a thrill-less thriller.

The third was the absolute crime of abusing the "Oh and then I remembered what really happened" trope without any complicating circumstances. Meg could have been drugged. Lottie could have started feeding her the fake story right on the dock. Whatever, just there has to be a reason she has forgotten and then suddenly remembers what really happened. Not that she just comes to three months later when it's convenient for the plot.

Finally, the fact that the author and editorial team didn't catch how it was like two pages between Meg swearing off Seb and then Meg once again cuddling with him on the lake shore at the end was just annoying. Meg just bends to serve the plot as needed over and over again.

YA readers will enjoy the spookiness of this setting, but anyone looking for a tightly plotted mystery should look elsewhere

Thanks NetGalley for the read!

Our Wicked Histories is a mind bending thriller with a hint of the supernatural. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book it was a great storyline that kept you guessing all the way to the end. I love that even though you don’t trust the friend circle it’s convoluted enough you can’t truly guess what actually happened and still in motion. Very well done and crafted. I definitely recommend reading it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

While I loved the moody atmosphere of this book, it was less about ghosts and such than I wanted it to be. More, it focused on a girl pining after a boy. I figured out who was behind a lot of the goings on almost immediately. Also, some of the lore in the book was a little confusing and not fleshed out like it could have been. I've always been fascinated by Ireland and banshees, but this version was different and I don'[t know how well it all fits together. I wanted more depth and substance than I got with this book.

Perfectly creepy and wicked, the story stayed fast paced throughout with no pauses making it hard to stop reading. The banshee lore and the suspense had me in love and a little creeped out from the very start.
The only thing I didn't enjoy was the abruptness of going back to past memories, there were a few times I had to reread a few paragraphs to figure out where / when I was in the story due to only a few spaces between paragraphs with odd structuring.
However, I did enjoy reading the past memories to give more life to these characters, it really helped me to understand the tension and drama within the group, and made me care more when things got heavy, and the action started.
Overall, the atmosphere made this a perfect gothic read.

I’m a big fan of mythology and this story very much felt like it could have belonged in a revamped fairytale while also having that lore lay in the background allowing the reader to wonder if that was another thing to question aka is it a monster or man and I think I loved that most.
The vibes were off the chart spectacular. I love all things gothic and mysterious!

The cover quickly drew me in, but I struggled with the book a bit. I was never really able to fully engage with it. The pace was slower than I expected, and things were a bit confusing, particularly at the beginning. It was hard to keep some of the characters straight because the storyline seemed to just go back and forth with really nothing happening. I did appreciate the spooky vibes and the setting, as well as the ending.

Grab a blanket and make sure you have your nightlight on readers, this book will leave you wanting to pull it over your head to keep the things that go bump in the night away. "Our Wicked Histories" is the perfect blend of gothic horror with symbalance to Poe. I absolutely cannot wait to re-read this story as a one of my spooky reads this October. Suspense, horror, the supernatural, and mythology mixed in with the rich kid story line this is the perfect book for young adults and I will be purchasing a copy for my library and I know it will fly off the. shelves. Well done Amy Goldsmith!

Thank you so much to Random House Children's Books/Delacorte Press for allowing me to read the e-arc of OUR WICKED HISTORIES. This review is entirely my own thoughts and opinions!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

OUR WICKED HISTORIES is a captivating tale of Irish mythology, murder mystery, and the complexities of private school friendships and relationships. Meg is a scholarship student to a prestigious private school and somehow managed to become friends with the "in" crowd at the school—until disaster struck at the Midsummer Ball and suddenly she's at risk of being expelled and abandoned by her friends. When an invitation to a Halloween Party at the Wren ancestral Ireland family home arrives for her, she jumps at it, hoping to be able to make amends with her friends and keep her place at the school secured. What seemed like a weekend of fun, shenanigans and making amends soon turns into a nightmare as Meg begins to uncover secrets and her friends go missing.


MY THOUGHTS:

You ever finish a book and just kinda sit there wondering how the heck you're gonna write a review for this book because it was just so dang good it completely melted your brain into head empty no thoughts only happy 5 star book vibes? Yea, this book did that to me.

From the start, the book captivated me and its pages turned, the harder it became to put it down. It's a multi-timeline story, bouncing between the current events of Meg and crew's stay at the Wren Manor and the past, focusing on her relationships with the circle and how things fell apart. Normally, this form of storytelling can put me off because I get irritated with the constant cliffhangers each timeline is paused on, but I was so invested in how Meg got to where she is and what happened at the Midsummer Ball and what is happening now that the switches in timeline never bothered me. The author also did a fantastic job of tying in the past with the present. Each time there was a switch from present to past, the past almost always tied in somehow to the present, giving reasons to each individual's reactions and relationships with each other. It was incredibly well done and very well thought out.

This is my first time indulging in Amy Goldsmith's writing and oh my goodness, its a treat! She keeps the atmosphere tight, never deviating from the spooky, ominous feeling that hangs over this tale. Even when we delve into the past, the ominous feeling still hangs over it with the knowledge that <i> something </i> happened at the Midsummer Ball and we're creeping ever closer to the reveal as tensions heighten, both in the past and in the present. I greatly appreciated the aspect of the paranormal with the inclusion on the Irish lore of the <i> baen sí</i>. It was just flat out creepy and lended the tale a plethora of nail biting moments.

In regards to the characters, good lord, we've got toxic, self obsessed, desperate, shady, loyal, uppity, over the top, insecure, vapid—all rolled into one discordant group of friends. It makes for fantastic tension as you wonder if the disappearances are caused by one of them or if the legend of the banshee is real. There were really no characters that were misses for me, even if certain personalities irked me.

Overall, this was an AMAZING read for me. My head is still reeling from the ending. Fantastically spooky and the kind of horror I love to treat myself to.

I inhaled this. If I could erase my memory to read this story again I would. I cannot get over Amy’s gorgeous writing like her descriptions are so wildly beautiful I want to cry and sit next to her so she can teach me her ways. I was proper spooked and will probably never look in a mirror again. This spectacularly creepy fast paced story will have you at the edge of your seat. Love, love, love.

Last year I was lucky enough to read an ARC of THOSE WE DROWN, and I was thrilled to get a copy of Amy's second book. Wow, from the cover-- one of my favorites of the year!-- to the premise, I was in. The atmosphere was :: chef's kiss:: and I was scared more than once. Unraveling the mystery kept me flipping into the wee hours of the night, and I really enjoyed the backstory scenes a lot, which made the present narrative slow down deliciously so. Well done, and I can't wait to read what Amy comes up with next!

In our wicked history by Amy Goldsmith we get another banger of Gothic teen horror this time we meet Megan after causing a kerfuffle while attending her summer ball at the prestigious school she attends on scholarship (something no one in the book let you forget.) after three months of not speaking to her Uber Ricch “friends“, Lottie calls and invites her to a Sawin party at there Irish estate and Megan can’t wait to be reunited with the twins Lottie is her best friend and Zeb is her crush. Right after arriving in Ireland the cab driver almost crashes but when Megan sees a girl on side the road crying the cabdriver quickly pulls off and almost denies it even happened. That will not be the last siding of the girl Megan sees and is only the beginning of the weird thing this book becomes. It definitely has a Gothic feel and they were many great things about this book I just thought the summer ball her having to apologize and the whole ghost story was all a bit much. My biggest question is even despite the ending who would want to have these people as friends? Also, they kept acting as if she was a loose cannon but the book I read she was just defending herself… I guess that’s what you have to go through when you are materialistic because that is all she kept bemoaning losing all the luxuries the namebrand clothes and how many times did she walk in the room and we had to listen to how it was the same size of her whole flat. I like the overall story but hate when reading a book and there is no one to root for and Megan is no hero. I mean why would you date a guy that only acts interested when no one is looking? Either way the characters are horrible people but the story is a really good one and if you love ya horror then you’ll definitely enjoy this book I want to thank random children’s for my free arc copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This is the exact kind of genre of book you’d want to read in a rainy day or night with a steaming cup of earl grey and a candle lit. The authors note at the beginning sets the tone, stating that she was inspired by the Irish legend of a harbinger of death and her association with water, which inspired her to create Wren Lake. With comparisons to Poe and Bly Manor, you know before even starting what kind of vibes you’re going to get.

This book started out strong. The bleak setting starts from the first page, down to the weather. I never thought of Ireland as a dark or foreboding place, but the gray skies, constant rain, and “sullen black clouds” make it feel like you’re in a Poe story. The book even takes place during Halloween. Picture twisted elms creating a tunnel leading to a bleak manor covered in moss and ivy, being hit by unrelenting rain and permanent gray skies. For anyone looking for a gothic setting for this next read, this is exactly what you’re looking for. A+ for atmosphere at the beginning because this book starts out very foreboding.

After a strong start, as it continues, it starts to feel more inauthentic. In the sense that, it is trying too hard to be creepy when it really is not creepy at all. The beginning plays up the gothic aspect, building anticipation, but then the bulk of the book becomes just high school teen drama. I found myself getting less and less interested in it all. It kind of gave, trying to feel like Crimson Peak/Bly Manor/Poe but not successfully achieving that. In the end it just ended up being….just okay. If anything it just made me feel like rereading Erin Craig’s sisters of the salt series because those genuinely are fully gothic fiction to the core.

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC of this book!

If the title, cover art, and "Fear death by water" tagline didn't get you interested in this book already, listen up. Private school teens get trapped in an ancestral Irish estate, which includes a lake with partially submerged statues, on Halloween. Loosely based on The Fall of the House of Usher by Poe, this creepy gothic horror was hard to put down. I enjoyed this adaptation of Poe's work more than the Netflix show by the same name. The book time jumps between the current Halloween weekend, and what happened before to cause a rift between the friends. Slowly you begin to piece together what happened, while people start going missing. Our main POV Meg has always felt like the outsider, but in this circumstance it gives her the advantage to figure out the truth. Don't go near the lake.

Gripping and gorgeously written, Amy Goldsmith reinforces her inimitable talent with OUR WICKED HISTORIES. Her latest YA horror-thriller fusion takes readers on a voyage through time, as protagonist Meg works to win back old friends while unraveling the harrowing mystery of Wren Hall — one that ultimately links tragic past with haunted present.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC!

3.75 stars

I really enjoyed the slow burn atmospheric writing. I love rich kid stories and this one was no different. This was spooky and engaging and I think adults and teens will enjoy it equally.

Bly Manor meets Poe in this twisted tale that’s easy to get tangled up in upon reading the first page.

“Our Wicked Histories” details Meg’s fall from grace amongst the upper class peers from her school following an outburst that lead to her suspension. With the gloomy backdrop of an ancestral home her attempts to seek forgiveness are lost against the screams of someone lurking by the lake and when tragedy strikes all eyes are on her to lay blame but is the culprit something far more sinister?

What a great follow up to a debut!

This book has so many fun pieces and unfolds beautifully as we dive into the mystery of what happened at the ball which leaves our protagonist as the outcast and at the same time trying to figure out what is lurking outside. I have always been a fan of unreliable narrators and this book hits that sweet spot and just keeps going and I couldn’t read it fast enough.

With the plot taking place at different points in time we were able to see the layers to this group of people and how they came to be and how they fell apart which made the tension and suspicion so palpable when things took a turn for the worst giving everyone a motive. I really felt like we got a good feel of these characters as we moved through the book making a majority of the twists and turns really pay off.

I’m a big fan of mythology and this story very much felt like it could have belonged in a revamped fairytale while also having that lore lay in the background allowing the reader to wonder if that was another thing to question aka is it a monster or man and I think I loved that most.

This was a really great read and cements that this is an author to be excited about. I can’t wait to see where we may end up next!

*special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

I was completely hooked by this terrifying ghost story, which the author claims was inspired by Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.

Initially, I wasn't sure I would connect to the characters as they are primarily spoilt and rich, but as the larger plot is unraveled via flashbacks, the author cleverly reveals greater depth. These characters are not just rich for the sake of it; there is interesting commentary on classicism present, too.

The rainy Irish setting and rambling run-down house setting are perfection and the part with the ouijaboard early on had me so gripped. There are gorgeous set pieces in the form of costume parties, and I was very intrigued by Seb’s character. I could not predict the twists and the ending left me open mouthed!

Five scary stars.

Oh I loved this one - just a bit too much buildup for me, rounded up to 5 stars.
A gorgeous ode to Poe's House of Usher .
The dual timeline - EXPERT level
Characters - Shady, Vapid, Cringe, Toxic, Discordant and so very petty
Loved the MC - Meg just wants her live to go on after becoming unhinged at the Summer Ball.
Slow build, loved the development of Seb - though the repetition did get tedious. Again the slow build was long.
Creepy twins, creepy house, creepy lake with half submerged statues - LOVED it.

This was a slow read for me, but it did get better at about the halfway mark. I enjoyed the latter half a lot more, but I don't think this is a book I will come back to reread anytime soon.

I did not know what to expect with this read, but it sounded like I would really enjoy it. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting in this novel, and the unreliable narrator added the touch it needed. At first I wasn't sure that I was enjoying the characters, and I had a hard time connecting with them. The flashbacks, which don't always work, really added depth to the characters and I forgot about how much I didn't like them. Really, I think the fact that they're all very normal and not very nice was refreshing. I also loved the lore and the absolute creepiness. This ended up being much more likable once I got to the end. It was the need to know what was happening that made it impossible to put down. I'll be sure to read this author again soon!