Thank you so much to West 44 Books / Rosen Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Araminta lives in a small religious town, her dad runs the church, her mother died due to the beliefs and she herself is about to join the Wailing Women group from the church. All so that she can win her punk rock music festival with her friends and get out of the town.

It was very creative, a whole world of a completely unique small town religion, with very niche view points that must be followed in a strict and certain way. I liked that we got the downside of this religion but also we saw our protagonist starting to understand it as time went by.

Araminta went through a lot within a short space of time, with her loss of her mom still relevant to her as she didn’t know fully what happened, her distant father who prefers the Church to her, her band and the contest they are desperate to win and the lengths she will go to ensure that. The creepiness of the Wailing Women group she joins to get inside information and lastly Douglass her best friend and love, they were so cute honestly.

This is a really great verse book, I think the story worked quite well in this format, with all the religious rules and the song lyrics. It fitted the theme and style so perfectly, the story is really interesting as it’s so multifaceted and you have a lot to explore in a short time frame.

This was a really creative and fast-paced story. So many incredibly poetic lines throughout the entire book. An excellent pick for high schoolers who enjoy musically-themed stories and suspense. Flows incredibly well, start to finish!

Brentom Jackson’s The Way of the Wailing Women is a beautifully written, emotionally resonant fantasy that’s rich in atmosphere but uneven in execution. Its lyrical prose and mythic themes shine, though some characters fall flat and the pacing drags mid-way. A poetic, introspective read—best suited for those who savor mood over momentum.

Araminta – Minty – sees one way out of her town, the town plagued by religious people, and the memories of her late mother. And that way out is to win a battle-of-the-bands affair with her punk trio. But finding the killer lyrics eludes her, so she has a cunning plan – to worm her way into the chanting nuns of the religion, and adapt their song lyrics and persuasive delivery as her own. But the religion is a dangerous place to be, and might fight back…

The odd place they're in, what's more, is not only in the river, like the sirens in "O Brother Where Art Thou?", but in counterpoint to the science of the time, which has everyone desperately trying to keep themselves from being lethally bitten by nasty bugs. No, these women avoid all bug repellent, and let it slide if they end up needing their faith to cure them.

Now, if you can't see this as a rich pudding of ideas, then I've not done my job. This is quite the complex read, especially when you add in all the rest I've not revealed – and the fact that this is a Hi-Lo verse novel, of generous short story length, only adds to the distinction here. As regards that, it, like many seem to do, struggles a little with reported speech, although it drops all the "he saids, she saids" like it drops those interfering page/poem titles. It certainly doesn't read like verse at all, unless it's hitting a seam of assonance, as it often does. What the format brings is an immediacy, a rapidly turning page – but if you need it, no proof that this format was actually called for (other than to pad the pages out to novelistic amounts).

Ultimately this proves to be something designed to discuss the liberty allowed teenagers and other youngsters. I'd certainly welcome them being free to read this most unusual spread of ideas. It makes for a surprising success, with a memorable flavour from the combination of a bonkers amount of disparate ingredients. A tasty four stars.