Synopsis
Aja and Fiona live in Glen Hills, a small town plagued by a mysterious fog. At night it rains black stones and a pair of vampires roams the town. With so many perils lurking in the night, everyone in town observes a curfew. But when her older sister disappears, Aja follows a vampire through the fog and into the forest to find her.
There, Aja discovers the vampires’ lair in a ruined church, filled with her former classmates, most of them turned into enthralled servants. Now Aja, along with her friend Nico and ex-BFF Mary, must face their own differences and work together to escape. But while Aja tries to find and save her friends, her sister, and herself, she must also come to terms with her own secret truth: she’s fascinated by the very monster who lured her in.
Likes
- The descriptions in Direwood were unsettling, but that’s my jam. I want my skin to crawl when I’m reading a scene with bugs, and Catherine Yu was successful at doing that. Since this is a spoilery book chat/review, here’s a passage that had my mouth open.
From the other side of the cage, I can hear the steady pop of eggs hatching all over ••••••• body. White caterpillars wriggle out. And now, she’s finally stirring. •• •••••• turns over slowly in the goopy green fluid. Her eyes widen when she sees us. Pitch black and gleaming. She crawls toward the three of us, sharp teeth clicking. Then she bites down hard on •••••• wrist.
Dislikes
- I don’t particularly appreciate how the author told us everything about the characters and the town. I recall listening to the book’s first part more than once because I didn’t understand why we were there. The book opens with preparations for Fiona’s birthday and then if I remember correctly, Fiona disappears that same day or the same week. That was the hook that held my attention. I was nosy enough to keep reading.
- I was not too fond of the first-person point of view. It added to why I couldn’t get comfortable with any characters. They were all from one person’s perspective, thus making it a tight squeeze for any meaningful character development, and creating one-dimensional characters. How am I supposed to continue caring about someone I’ve never truly met outside of a person’s perception? It’s hard
- The romance was happening, but I couldn’t understand the motive behind it outside of the thrill of embracing danger or simply being under the influence of the vampire. It wasn’t necessary.
What I Wanted More Of
- I wanted the author to give me more of a reason to care about these characters, especially the character in question of being missing. If I don’t know why this person is important through their actions, it proves difficult to understand why I should care because you’re telling me this person is important and not showing me they are.
Questions That Need Answers
- Again, the main question is, why should I care?
- Why should I care about these characters?
- What is the purpose of the caterpillars and the blood-siphoning butterflies?
Who I Would Recommend This To
- I recommend Direwood to anyone who doesn’t care about character work or character development and doesn’t need a plot to get along with a book. If I were to suggest it to anyone, it would be purely for vibes that lean into dark and hazy, not horror. Based on my reading experience, this book was horror. It had more of a Gothic feel. If you are fond of Gothic vibes, Direwood is for you.
I hope this review of Catherine Yu’s Direwood finds you all well.
PODCAST EPISODE
