Review | The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
Published by Titan Books on the 16th April 2019
This book has one of the most eerie but beautiful atmospheres I’ve ever come across while reading. It kind of reminded me of Sawkill Girls and The Raven Boys with a hint of Stranger Things. Oh and the town this is set in and some of the “political” elements gave me Vampire Diaries vibes, it basically reminded me of everything I LOVE but I didn’t love it just because of that. It was a fresh take on those things with its own back bone, I was very surprised by several plot points and I’m not easily surprised. Every element of the story had so many layers and these characters were realistic even down to their many faults. I loved every messy part of their personalities. And I adored the authors take on grief and heartbreak, (and a few more things that I can’t really mention because they would be spoilers.)
"Branches, stones, daggers and bones,
they locked the beast away."
Blurb:
After the death of her sister, seventeen-year-old Violet Saunders finds herself dragged to Four Paths, New York. Violet may be a newcomer, but she soon learns her mother isn't: They belong to one of the revered founding families of the town, where stone bells hang above every doorway and danger lurks in the depths of the woods.
Justin Hawthorne's bloodline has protected Four Paths for generations from the Gray—a lifeless dimension that imprisons a brutal monster. After Justin fails to inherit his family's powers, his mother is determined to keep this humiliation a secret. But Justin can't let go of the future he was promised and the town he swore to protect.
Ever since Harper Carlisle lost her hand to an accident that left her stranded in the Gray for days, she has vowed revenge on the person who abandoned her: Justin Hawthorne. There are ripples of dissent in Four Paths, and Harper seizes an opportunity to take down the Hawthornes and change her destiny-to what extent, even she doesn't yet know.
The Gray is growing stronger every day, and its victims are piling up. When Violet accidentally unleashes the monster, all three must band together with the other Founders to unearth the dark truths behind their families' abilities—before the Gray devours them all.
The Devouring Gray follows several unique characters and I very much enjoyed the fact that this was truly a gang of people coming together to save each other. This sort of ensemble cast in a book always seems to speak to my soul on some level and this book was no different. They pulled on my heartstrings way too many times to count. However with multiple perspectives there’s often certain characters I prefer and others whose perspectives I don’t care for; but in this case, the authors seamlessly beautiful writing made me fall in love with them all. I actually cared about every single character. Plus the own-voices queer representation made me so happy, and all of the bisexuality was perfection. I was completely immersed in this story and these characters from the first chapter.
“Being invisible when you used to be seen...it's like being dead, but no one mourns you.”
I also just want to mention that the perspectives weren't separated by chapters and this is also something I often find jarring, however if you don't usually enjoy that kind of storytelling I would urge you to still give this book a chance as I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that I loved every sentence. The intertwining of perspectives in this book was the perfect way to go with telling the story and it really made the plot flow in a superbly fast paced but also well developed way.
I couldn’t think about anything else while I was reading this book. I loved the uniqueness of the magical elements and I’m intrigued to see where the author will take the story next. In fact I absolutely cannot wait for more from this series. I would definitely recommend checking it out!
Rating: 89% (4 Stars)
If you're interested, I will be taking part in the instagram tour for The Devouring Gray tomorrow Friday 19th April, where I will be featuring a special Q&A with the author! (Follow me on Instagram: @sophieelaina)
Thank you so much to Titan Books for sending me a copy of this wonderful book!
& Thank you for reading!
- Sophie
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