Reviews with content warning for Blood - All the Dead Lie Down

I've been in a reading rut and this sparked my joy again. I absolutely love the haunting feeling every chapter brings. It feels like a lovely mix of Netflix show "haunting of bly manor" and Erin A Craig's book "House of salt and sorrow" but with its own twists and turns. Perfect book to get into the spooky vibes!

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marlellow's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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sophieamreacher's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Really fantastic YA gothic horror. Captivating setting, interesting characters and relationship between them, intense mystery that revealed itself. Subplot of sapphic romance.

Only thing I wished more of was more scene building to really bring the gothic horror of the house together.

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nrogers_1030's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Overall, I liked All the Dead Lie Down. The story itself was intriguing & the tone was consistent. I liked the gothic atmosphere and feel of the story. I felt it was a bit on the slow side so I found myself getting distracted and having to go back and listen again. The narrator (Jeanne Syquia) was great. The twists alone were worth the read.

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horrorandscience's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“Maybe memory was a kind of haunting in itself.”

All the Dead Lie Down is the gothic haunting story I didn’t know I was missing.

Marin Blythe has recently lost her mother, the only person she really had. After living a life of constantly moving, she has the chance to settle down at Lovelace House in coastal Maine, owned by Alice Lovelace, an acclaimed horror author. Alice is not some random woman, however; Marin’s mother Cordelia and Alice actually grew up together. Marin, anxious to a fault, tries to use this to keep a connection to her mother.

Alice’s two youngest girls, Wren and Thea, keep Marin on her toes with seemingly harmless pranks. Soon, the eldest daughter, Evie, comes home, and things move more into scary territory. Not only does the house seem haunted, but the very land itself. Marin sees some things she can’t explain, and doesn’t want to explain. As she grows closer to Evie, Marin has to face her fears in order to stay with this ethereal girl she’s grown fond of.

I originally requested this book because of the cover, but as soon as I read it was being marketed as similar to The Haunting of Bly Manor, I knew I would enjoy it. I didn’t realize it was YA at first, and while I have no issue with YA, I feel it could have gone a little further had it been adult. It still doesn’t shy from the horror, though. Be aware, this book contains a lot of animal death. If you’re squeamish, I would maybe sit this one out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Katherine Tegen Books for the chance to read this advanced review copy. I look forward to reading more Kyrie McCauley in the future.

CW for death, animal death, animal cruelty, death of parent, blood, gore, body horror, panic attacks, mental illness/anxiety, stalking, and emotional abuse

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