Review: Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace

Summary:

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.

Publication Date: January 26, 2016

Shallow Graves was a strange little book that I enjoyed much more than I thought. It’s definitely a quirky read and a novel where you’re not likely able to guess where the plot is going. The beginning of the novel really grabbed me and I found myself turning pages way into the night to see what would happen with Breezy.

Breezy is a not exactly human creature who finds herself awakening in her grave after a year of being trapped in between life and death. Magical realism novels are definitely hit or miss for me, so I was very happy to find myself loving Shallow Graves. I found Breezy a refreshing main character and I was captivated by her ability to see a person’s murderous past by just looking at him or her.

The middle of the book wasn’t my favorite with the introduction of a lot of characters. The novel started to feel really busy with too many subplots going on at once. The middle didn’t make me give up on the book, but I did feel like it took away from the creepy vibe that had been so apparent at the start of the novel.

The ending was haunting and really brought the book together for me again. I absolutely cannot wait to read another novel by the author. Her writing style did remind me of Holly Black, another author whose work I really enjoy.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!