Well that just thoroughly creeped me out. Rory Power strikes again with a chilling horror novel about familial abuse and the secrets we keep from each other.
My favorite thing about this book was that it didn’t keep the action from me. This is more character-driven, yes, but the twists and turns and mysteries are there from the beginning and usually one has to wait until a third of the book before something gripping happens. In Burn Our Bodies Down, the action starts happening 15% of the way in.
You know something is off right away, you know that Margot can’t trust the people she so desperately wants to connect to, but you understand her needs and so you watch her sink further into something that she should be running as far as possible from.
This story is about Margot and her mom Josephine and all the things Josephine kept from Margot. It shows how no matter how much someone thinks they are protecting someone, they sometimes aren’t and that those consequences could be exactly what you were hoping to avoid. It also shows how the relationships we so desperately want to be filled with love and comfort, can be the ones that hurt us the most.
I’m being vague and I know that’s a little annoying, but I really want to keep it that way. This story lives on you knowing as little as possible. It’s such an intensely atmospheric read (think Jeepers Creepers and House of Wax) that uses the fact that you and Margot know next to nothing as a weapon.
Chilling, creepy, shudder-inducing, this story kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, never truly feeling at ease even after it was over. Highly recommend and I’m so grateful to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for once again giving me the opportunity to read a Rory Power book early.
Just Read It 