Burn Our Bodies Down

by Rory Power

"[A] deliriously creepy tale...that'll keep your nightmares up at night." --Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Wilder Girls comes a feverishly twisty thriller about a girl whose past has always been a mystery--until she decides to return to her mother's hometown . . . where history has a tendency to repeat itself.

Ever since Margot was born, it's been just her and her mother, struggling to get along. But that's not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she may have just found the answer: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Only, when Margot gets there, it's not what she bargained for.

As soon as they see her face, everyone in town knows who Margot belongs to. It's unmistakable--she's a Nielsen. And when a mysterious girl who could be Margot's twin is pulled from a fire, Margot realizes that her mother left Phalene for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what's still there?

The only thing Margot knows for sure is there's poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she's there, she might never escape.

Praise for Wilder Girls:
4 STARRED REVIEWS!

"Fresh and horrible and beautiful....readers will be consumed and altered by Wilder Girls."-NPR

"This thrilling saga...is sure to be one of the season's most talked-about books, in any genre."--EW

"The perfect kind of story for our current era."--Hypable

"Your new favorite book."--Cosmopolitan

• ISBN10: 0525645624
• ISBN13: 9780525645627
• Publish Date: 7 July 2020
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Delacorte Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780525645627

Reviews

[roundtableknight]

Like a weak chai tea, it was adequate.

[Amber]

Burn Our Bodies Down is the second book I’ve read by Rory Power, and I’m really wondering if she is maybe just not the author for me. Wilder Girls was enticing but the ending just left me a bit dissatisfied because I was expecting more, and Burn Our Bodies down had such potential to discuss a tense mother-daughter relationship but instead it was a slow burn story that, again, ended kind of strangely?

Also, this author has a real thing for plants.

I will say, though, that the audiobook was really well done. I really liked the narrator for it, which is a surprise to me because I often don’t click with American narrators. So good job with that.

The rest of the book, though, felt very average. I think Rory Power might be better off writing adult fiction where she can really go to town with the horror elements, because Burn Our Bodies Down felt like it barely touched the surface of the true horror vibe it was going for.

As others have said, this is a tough one to review because it’s definitely better that you don’t know much before you go into it.

I was expecting more of a discussion about the mother-daughter relationship in this book, but unfortunately while there was a lot of that in the beginning, it kind of dropped off towards the end and left me hanging.

I would recommend giving Burn Our Bodies Down even if you didn’t love Wilder Girls because the ending is nowhere near as frustrating and if you’ve read Wilder Girls then you’re presumably ready for that kind of vibe, but a tighter storyline. Also, the main character is gay, but doesn’t rush into a relationship! Love that. Overall, this book was just okay, and while I’m glad that I listened to it, I’m not sure I want to pick up any more books by Rory Power as I find her stuff quite underwhelming.

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Burn Our Bodies Down in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Rory Power is back with another standalone novel, Burn Our Bodies Down. Readers like myself fell in love with her writing thanks to Wilder Girls, and this next novel is everything that we could have hoped for – and then some.

Margot and her mother have been a team as long as she can remember. A team of two. No more, no less. Granted, sometimes it does feel like it's Margot against the world (and her mother). But that's just how some families work, right?

Well, here's the thing. Margot has always wanted to have more, have more family, a bigger world, answers. You name it. Now she's setting off (on her own) to get all of that, and it is nothing like she expected. Or hoped.

“I think I'd give anything to know what happened to leave her like this. As long as it's not waiting to happen to me.”

Burn Our Bodies Down is a dark delight, through and through. Margot's journey is far from normal – or peaceful. Yet it is exactly that which pulled me into the narrative, leaving me desperate to learn more about what was truly going on behind the scenes.

I was so extremely excited to get my hands on Burn Our Bodies Down. I absolutely adored Wilder Girls, so naturally, I've been a wee bit desperate to read anything (literally, anything) else by Rory Power.
So did it live up to those high expectations? Yes, a hundred times yes. Maybe it's because I have been getting into more horror lately (while not reading it extensively, not yet at least), but I really loved the vibes that this book gave off.

To be fair, the vibes are pretty amazing. Picture 'Children of the Corn' meets thriller, meets coming of age, and you've got a slight idea of what is in store here. Throw in Rory Power's unique writing style, and you've got a much better idea about what sort of ride you're going to be in store for.
To say that it was a chilling read would be an understatement. This book got pretty dark at times, but in ways that truly fit the narrative. Likewise, this world created was fascinating. I won't say I'd want to live in this small town...(because I wouldn't) but I'd like to hear more about it if that makes sense.

Margot's journey into finding her family and her truth made for a brilliant read. One that was formed through several different layers, adding to the confusions and intensity of it all. I think at the end of the day, that's half the reason why I ended up enjoying it all so much.

One thing is certain, I honestly cannot wait to see what Rory Power is going to come up with next. In the meantime, I might just read Burn Our Bodies Down once again.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

Having enjoyed the author's debut, Wilder Girls (and still wanting that sequel, can we get a sequel, Delacorte? Please and thanks), I was really looking forward to Burn Our Bodies Down, and it definitely did not disappoint! I am going to break it down into what I liked versus just the little things I didn't, so here we go!

The Stuff That Worked:

• ►Holy atmosphere! The author absolutely has a knack for writing eerie, mysterious settings and worlds. It takes place in small-town Midwest, with just the right amount of rurality to make you feel uneasy. Then we segue to a family farm which... look, Midwest farms are just kind of iffy. No neighbors for miles, who knows what you're gonna find in the crops, you know the drill. But even the way the author wrote the characters feels just enough "off" for it to be unsettling. Quite perfect, really.



• ►Obviously, I needed to know what was behind the mystery! From the start of the book, something just was not right in Margot's world. Her mom acted super bizarre, and Margot was so isolated. Then we meet dear old Grandma, and yep, curiouser and curiousier.



• ►It's so family focused, which is refreshing for a horror story. I mean- so often we've got missing classmates or friends or whatever, but in this case, pretty much the whole mystery was interwoven with Margot's family. Not only that, Margot's own focus was very family-oriented. She so desperately wanted to belong, to have a family unit. And sure, she was eager to make friends with peers too, but family was number one.



• ►Things get pretty bizarre and I liked it. I mean. I can't say anything else, obviously, but things take A Turn™ and I am here for those.

What Didn't:

• ►Bits moved kind of slowly, especially at first. I get that we needed to build up Margot's family background and home situation, but it seemed a little longer than necessary? I felt for Margot, but at the same time, I needed some stuff to happen. It was hard to connect to her when we were just living her regular life, so I was glad things got moving after about 20%.

Bottom Line: Atmospheric and family focused, this was certainly a unique mystery that I could not have predicted!

[Nessa Luna]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This has not changed my opinion in any way.

I read Wilder Girls two months ago and enjoyed it but for the ending. I was still very excited about Rory's new book and was very happy when I got approved. I went into this book not having read the synopsis (not that it tells me much) and was quite surprised.

Personally, I think the story starts off alright - I wasn't a huge fan of Margot's mother at all so I was happy when Margot left for Phalene. I did think the first half of the book dragged a bit and had hoped for a bit more action. It was still enjoyable to read, and I loved Tess' introduction. When I got more into the book, I found it difficult to put it down, and by the time the really creepy stuff happened, I just could NOT stop reading. I once again stayed up past my bedtime to finish this book and said 'what the fuck' multiple times towards the end.

Highly recommend if you loved Wilder Girls but wanted some actual closure, highly recommend if you love truly creepy stories.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Last year, Wilder Girls became one of my unexpected favorite books of all time. I am obsessed with weird horror books and Wilder Girls certainly fit the bill. When I saw that Rory Power was writing a new horror novel, I couldn't wait to grab a copy and dive in!

Burn Our Bodies Down follows Margot on her quest to find family outside of her mother, the only relative she's known. As luck would have it, Margot stumbles upon a clue to help her get there and follows it to Phalene, where she finds her grandmother and a town that's wary of her. At first, Margot is thrilled to have found what she's been searching for, but things gradually become more strange as she realizes there's something sinister about her grandmother and their home.

My favorite thing about Burn Our Bodies Down, like with Wilder Girls, is the incredible world building. Rory Power knows how to craft a world that draws you in and makes you feel uneasy from the very start. Even before Margot found her way to Phalene, I was already feeling that creeping sense of dread this author is so great at creating.

While this book did a great job at building tension and creating an incredibly atmospheric world, I couldn't help but feel like it was missing something. The horror aspect I expected took way too long to show up and things were a bit too slow for my taste. I am always here for the super weird, but the delivery of this just didn't hit the same way as Wilder Girls. I think part of my issue is that much of this book feels like your standard contemporary fiction, which isn't something I usually care for.

Still, Burn Our Bodies Down had some wild twists at the end and I definitely enjoyed the creepy farm setting. There were lots of unique ideas here and I'm eager to see what Rory Power writes next!