All These Bodies

I really enjoyed the idea of this book and its plot. I thought it was a very cool concept (kind of wish there was like a prequel from Marie’s POV, that’d be super intriguing to read). The ending was a bit ambiguous, and although I wish a little more set, it was fitting for the book.

Tense and mysterious, this fictionalized account of a string of unsolved murders, a framed (?) girl, and the sheriff’s son who documents her side of the story kept me up well past my bedtime. As a big fan of Blake’s Buffy novels, I’m glad I picked up this one! Though the somewhat open-ended ending frustrated me a bit, it also made sense given the entire novel.

Oh I was so excited for this, so excited when I started but I just feel…let down. It felt like that entire story could have been a small 50 page section of another book or some kind of intro…just nothing happened! It felt like the start of something not a full story. I kept reading and reading, turning the page expecting something exciting to happen and it just didn’t. The ending too, don’t even get me started, it was like reading a whole bunch of nothing for no pay off at all, there was just nothing to it! The ending annoyed me so much, no real conclusion (don’t get me wrong I usually love a cliffhanger), no explanation, just meh. I really hope someone got some enjoyment out of this book, I really do because the writing is great, just there’s no substance! I’ll give it 2* because the idea was there, there was so much that could have been done that just wasn’t! Ahhh I wanted more! The premise is just so good ugh. This just fell so flat for me, it had so much potential but my god…

this was just okay, it didn’t really leave me satisfied in the end and i didn’t feel like i was very invested in the story

I was given the opportunity, by NetGalley and Quill Tree Books, to read an advanced e-copy of All These Bodies by Kendare Blake. All these opinions are my own and have not been influenced by the chance to read the arc. ~ I'll start by saying that this book was well outside my comfort zone, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. It was interesting, a mix of past, present, and future at the same time. Throughout the book, the main character Micheal, tells of things that happened, then immediately goes on to say that later in his world that something else happened. Then it would go back to the current time in the story. The book was written as if he was telling the story after the fact. So it was interesting to get that mixed presence thing, but it actually worked well. It kept me reading and wanting to know how that thing he briefly mentioned would come to be. ~ Another thing that was out of my comfort zone was the fact that this book takes place in 1958-59. I don't usually read historical fiction, but this one was done well. I enjoyed the little moments that pointed to it being in the past. Also not having cellphones and the internet made this story so much more interesting. ~ The final thing that was out of my comfort zone was the fact that this book is a low fantasy, paranormal book. If you are looking for a who-done-it where a normal human is involved, this is not the book for you. Now when I first set out with reading this, I either forgot about the paranormal pieces or was not aware. Anyway, that made for an interesting discovery, and I am not sure that I like it. It was interesting and done well, just not really my thing. ~ With that being said, the mystery aspect was interestingly good. I was kept on my toes, wanting to know what happened and who-done-it. But in the end, personally, I felt it to be a little lackluster and missing something. It didn't really feel like it came to a cohesive ending, it left too much to be discovered. Though, maybe the author is setting up for book two.

Changed my rating from a 3 to a 1 after simmering on it. Definitely deserves a rant. -- Okay, if you are interested in this by the synopsis and the synopsis alone - don't read it. If you like the cover, and want to go in blind - sure, go for it. Spoilers may be present, so read with caution. I'm all for one for dnfing. If a book isn't going my way, or i'm not jiving with it, I'll typically just dnf but this one. I disliked it so much that I had to keep reading. First of all, it's set in the 50's. Idk why the author chose that time period, and I didn't like it. I didn't pay attention to the time period at first, and while reading the way they talked and acted I was like, wtf? You are presented with Marie who is obviously a manipulator and a liar. She draws Michael in and soon enough, everyone who works in the jail is on her side. We kinda get like a romance, situation thing, that honestly just made me roll my eyes. At one point, he tries to break her out of jail and runaway with her. Like really? The sheriffs son, who does nothing wrong is all of a sudden going to break a murderer out of jail and go on the lamb? Kendare had an excellent concept. This would have made for such an exceptional read, with plot twist and turns, but no. She had to, for some unknown reason, blame it on vampires. Yes, actual vampires, and no, this isn't a fantasy or paranormal book. We never see any actual evidence of vampires other than some so called sketches on a tombstone, and this random snake that pops up - speaking of that, we never receive ANY reasoning for this snake. It just pops up twice then boom, gone. Oh, and we never get any answers. That is definitely my favorite part. We literally have no clue who apparently this vampire is, or who Marie works with. It literally just ends with him digging her body up, and you're like "wtf did i just read?" I honestly feel like I was catfished by this book. The cover is amazing, the synopsis is cool, but the inside of it made no sense. It was just a bunch of random thoughts that sounded cool thrown together. If we could have received an epilogue with real answers, maybe this could have been a 2.5 star, but god, I disliked this - a lot.

I just want to say first that I really liked how Blake wrote the crime scene aspect and the way she approached setting the scene in the beginning of the story. I was immediately hooked by the mystery of why the girl was there, who she was, and how she was involved. I also liked the potential that was there with the way the guy was interested finding the truth and writing about it. However, I feel like this potential was wasted by the writer choosing to make the guy become almost 'brain washed' or 'jaded' by this girl and the way she really pulls him all over the place, promising to tell him the truth them not giving anything with substance or relevance, and telling half-truths while taking advantage of his willingness to see the 'humanity' in people mixed with his wish to find the truth. It was really hard to push through this book. It started out really good; there was mystery, suspense, a mysterious 15-year-old girl found covered in blood at a triple homicide. But really soon, after only a couple chapters of the main 2 characters interacting, it was clear that it was just going to end with this boy blindly growing feelings for this random girl who is obviously refusing to talk to anyone but him while never actually REVEALING anything to him. They literally just keep talking in circles with her giving baby hints every once in a while, and then back tracking and going silent. I feel like Blake was trying to make her feel mysterious or just trying to keep the readers curious about the truth, but instead the girl came across as extremely childish by stubbornly withholding the truth and playing games with the narrator. I forced myself to finish the book because I genuinely wanted to see how it ended, but I was disappointed to see the barely three-page conclusion, which felt very rushed, and the accomplice going free because the girl wanted to play mind games and repeatedly tell half-truths while acting like she was the victim the whole time. And it could just be me, but I truly felt that the girl was just way too unrelatable and the guy was way too gullible and jaded by kid goggles that normal 17 year olds generally don't have.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was well written, and kept my interest. I listened via audiobook, and I can't say I was the biggest fan of the narrator, but apart from that, I was enthralled with the story. Definitely one I would recommend as a spooky season read to anyone who enjoys YA.

This book was good but it leaves a lot unanswered. I enjoyed the fact that the main narrator was a young boy rather than a girl like most other YA Novels. Overall it’s a good read, just not great.

I expected more out of this book. There were so many unanswered questions and they book dragged a lot in spots.

I really loved this read. I loved that it was a unique murder mystery with a paranormal possibility. It was a so refershing to have a sole male character and loved the structure of this read looking back on a past. I also love the muder mystery protocal elements and also the teasing of the paranormal elements. It was a super quick read. It was a quite story focusing on only two main characters and the relationship that captured the novel. But I also really did enjoy the side characters. It was super fun and prefect fall read!!

Do you know that one special food that you love but can completely understand everyone else for hating? Because I think this book is my jar of green olives. I pop them into my mouth like gumdrops (i actually don't like gumdrops), and half the population cringes at the sight. But it doesn't matter, because I could eat a jar of their briny goodness every day. That's exactly how I feel about this book. I understand that it's an acquired taste. I understand that the ending will leave a sour taste in many people's mouths. But I also happen to love vinegar. Breaking free from my food analogy for a moment here, I honestly think most people would like the first half of this book. It has great atmosphere, a great setting. 1950s Midwest in September, what more could you ask for? But then it takes a turn, and I was strapped in, ready for the ride. I won't spoil, but I'd just like to let it be known that this book goes in a strange direction and leaves you with more questions than answers. That doesn't always work for me, but in this case it most certainly did. I was tempted to reread the minute I finished this book, but I think I'll save that opportunity for next fall. Because this book was so perfect for autumn. It was so eerie and I found myself more fascinated by every turning page. I feel like there are so many layers to this text that I haven't even scraped the surface of. And maybe some of that is just me projecting, me just searching for a meaning that isn't there. But the fact that it had me searching at all means it succeeded. This is a twisted little story, and one I will most definitely revisit. Something is drawing me back to Black Deer Falls, and I'm excited to one day return.

Really enjoyed this book

*2.5 Didn't hook me like I was hoping it would, but there were some interesting moments.

** spoiler alert ** *2.5 rounded up This book started interesting, but it dragged in the middle. For how short the book was, I felt like I was reading it for much longer. I didn’t like how vague Marie was and the ending was disappointing. Given all this, I’d like to reread it in the future to see if my feeling about it change.

*I was given an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review* Wow, this book was a quick read for me. While I didn't read it all in one sitting, but I did finish it all within 24 hours! I want to start off by qualifying some of my Goodreads bookshelves. Is 1958 old enough to be considered "historical fiction"? I'm not sure, but I feel like yes! I've also tagged this as "mythical-beings" and "paranormal" because the book discusses Vampires, but never really confirms if they're real or not. All These Bodies is the latest from Kendare Blake, and she kills it (literally). In the summer 1958 a gruesome killer plagues the Midwest, leaving behind a trail of bodies completely drained of blood. The book revolves around Michael Jensen, an aspiring journalist whose father happens to be the town sheriff, and Marie Catherine Hale, a mystery girl found at the scene of the most crime. When Marie decides to only confess to Michael, it falls to him to record and dissect her tale. Blakes weaves together a fascinatingly gruesome story that is not for the feint of heart. You'll be spooked and bewildered and unable to take your eyes off of the page. In true cold-case fashion, it's up to you to decide what to believe.