Review: Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace

Author: Kali Wallace
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: January 26th, 2016
Source: Received for review from publisher via Edelwiess
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

For fans of Holly Black and Nova Ren Suma, a gripping, hauntingly atmospheric novel about murder, revenge, and a world where monsters—human and otherwise—lurk at the fringes.

When seventeen-year-old Breezy Lin wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death, she doesn’t remember who killed her or why. All she knows is that she’s somehow conscious—and not only that, she’s able to sense who around her is hiding a murderous past. In life, Breezy was always drawn to the elegance of the universe and the mystery of the stars. Now she must set out to find answers and discover what is to become of her in the gritty, dangerous world to which she now belongs—where killers hide in plain sight and a sinister cult is hunting for strange creatures like her. What she finds is at once empowering, redemptive, and dangerous.

Tense, complex, and wholly engaging, Shallow Graves is a stunning first novel from Kali Wallace .

I know Shallow Graves doesn't come out until January, but I just had to read it early because... Halloween! :) It certainly did not disappoint when it comes to the creepy factor. That's for sure.

I have to say, I liked it. I'm still stewing on it a bit, because it was so different. I don't read a ton of books like this. I like your mushy romantic type stories. There isn't any romance here, so if your looking for that, look elsewhere.

I didn't go into this story expecting love. I expected a zombie.. a zombie isn't what I got though. I mean, I guess that might kinda be what she is.. but not. Breezy is an interesting creature and I was kinda digging what she could do and sense. I felt so bad for her. I mean, the poor girl wakes up a year after being murdered. That can't be pleasant.

This story is basically about her trying to discover what she is and how she became that way. I'm not lie, there were some slow spots.. but I feel like it was my confusion dragging me down. It was hard to wrap my head around the people/creatures she runs into on her journey. I'm still not sure I've fully grasped wtf was happening, but it was an entertaining ride at least.

I think my biggest problem was... it started out with a certain feel to it. And then all of a sudden, she ends up at this place and it becomes a totally different kind of book than I thought it would be. But it's great for this time of year. There is some creepy shit going on. Overall, I did enjoy the story. Especially for this time of year. :)

About the author:

Kali Wallace studied geology and geophysics before she decided she enjoyed inventing
imaginary worlds as much as she liked researching the real one. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, F&SF, Asimov's, Lightspeed Magazine, and Tor.com. Her first novel will be published by Katherine Tegen Books in 2016. She lives in southern California.

Find Kali:

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