Jaime Reviews ~ Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace
By Kali Wallace
Published on January 26, 2016
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Around the World ARC Tours
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Around the World ARC Tours
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.
Shallow Graves...
Breezy may be dead, but she doesn't look like it. She walks and talks, looks like a teenage girl. But she clearly remembers clawing her way out of her grave, and finding that a year has passed. She can't eat because everything tastes like ash, she doesn't sleep. But sometimes she finds herself surrounded by stars. On a quest to find out the truth, about how she died and what she is, Breezy makes forms some uneasy friendships, and ends up running for her life. Her deadlife.
I enjoyed Shallow Graves for the most part.Breezy was definitely an interesting character, and the other characters throughout the story were all written very well, from the villains, to the friends, and the murderer. Following Breezy as she tries to figure out who she is now, and what she is, kept my interest for the most part. I found my attention waning several times during the story. The pace would be going nicely, and hit a little slump every now and again, but I always got pulled back into the story. The plot is a relatively normal one, with the exception of the MC being dead, but there were times when it hit some high notes. And there were humorous moments, lighter subjects, sprinkled through the book that I definitely enjoyed. My favorite has to do with a certain dietary need for a couple of our characters!
All in all, I did enjoy Shallow Graves. It was a fast-paced, fun story. The ending left a little to be desired as far as a closing, but there is at least a little bit of closure. It feels like it was left open-ended enough to come back to in the future. Kali Wallace has good instincts as a writer, and strength in her characterizations and plots. With a little faster pace, and a few more creepy scenes, this one would have been a hit. While it wasn't a favorite of the year, it was definitely worth the read, and I won't hesitate to pick up the authors next story!
(I apologize if this review isn't the most well written. Next one will be better, I promise!)
