*Feature Friday is a meme hosted by The Tattered Page to feature YA books that have not yet been released by reviewing them.
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: September 27, 2016
Pages: 288
Source: ARC
The Story:
Lucy Acosta's mother died when she was three. Growing up in a Victorian mansion in the middle of the woods with her cold, distant father, she explored the dark hallways of the estate with her cousin, Margaret. They're inseparable—a family.
When her aunt Penelope, the only mother she's ever known, tragically disappears while walking in the woods surrounding their estate, Lucy finds herself devastated and alone. Margaret has been spending a lot of time in the attic. She claims she can hear her dead mother's voice whispering from the walls. Emotionally shut out by her father, Lucy watches helplessly as her cousin's sanity slowly unravels. But when she begins hearing voices herself, Lucy finds herself confronting an ancient and deadly legacy that has marked the women in her family for generations.
Rating:
My Review:
When I found out Amy Lukavics had another YA horror being released I lost my shit. I was obsessed with Daughters Unto Devils and recommended it to anyone who would listen.
Tag Line:
Free us or join us.
Opening Line:
Walter the cook killed himself in his little bedroom downstairs, just a few hours after saying goodnight.
Plot:
To be honest, I was a little disappointed with The Women in the Walls. Lukavics' Daughters Unto Devils was so fantastic it set the bar high. The Women in the Walls was not in the least boring but not up to par with Lukavics' debut horror novel.
plot was intriguing. Lucy is home-schooled with her cousin, Margaret, in the huge mansion estate which has been in their family for generations. Motherless since an early age and an emotional cutter, death and blood was not a new phenomena for Lucy. But when her aunt, who has raised her as her own, mysteriously disappears leaving Lucy to deal with her neglectful father, her own emotional issues and her cousin's ailing mental health, by herself, shit gets real. Too real.
Then comes the voices in the walls . . .
". . . I started to hear things. I'm trying desperately to believe that what I heard in that closet had to have been similar to what sometimes happens when you're sleeping at night and wake up to see a shadowy figure in your bedroom, or a tarantula lowering from the ceiling. You're awake but your mind doesn't care; it shows the thing to you anyway, trickery of the mind, a waking nightmare. That doesn't mean it's really there, though." --page 28
The pacing of The Women in the Walls was a little slow, I think. Definitely understand wanting to build tension but there is a thin line between building tension and slowing the story down too much. Amy Lukavics' writing was average, not as authentic as in Daughters Unto Devils but interesting enough. The Women in the Walls' world-building was decent as well. I was able to get into the story and get caught up with the characters and the storyline. I was just severely disappointed with the ending. Not only did the story end on a cliffhanger -- which I despised -- but it was boring considering what I know Lukavics is capable of in her writing. Still, the story was not bad and earned a solid 3 out of 5 Enchanted Roses, rating wise.
All in all, I did enjoy The Women in the Walls. My only regret is it could have been better given what I know of Lukavics' debut, Daughters Unto Devils. Nevertheless, The Women in the Walls is worth reading if you have a thing for YA horror.
Character Breakdown:
Lucy Acosta - She was kind of a stuck up bitch, not going to lie. Definitely, not as mean as her cousin but not very nice.
Margaret Acosta - Mean. Secretive. Jealous. Nutzo.
Here is one of my favorite quotes from The Women in the Walls:
Penelope to Lucy: "People can be happy and sad at the same time," my aunt says. "Sometimes the sad parts just spiral out of control." --page 9 When I found out Amy Lukavics had another YA horror being released I lost my shit. I was obsessed with Daughters Unto Devils and recommended it to anyone who would listen.
Tag Line:
Free us or join us.
Opening Line:
Walter the cook killed himself in his little bedroom downstairs, just a few hours after saying goodnight.
Plot:
To be honest, I was a little disappointed with The Women in the Walls. Lukavics' Daughters Unto Devils was so fantastic it set the bar high. The Women in the Walls was not in the least boring but not up to par with Lukavics' debut horror novel.
plot was intriguing. Lucy is home-schooled with her cousin, Margaret, in the huge mansion estate which has been in their family for generations. Motherless since an early age and an emotional cutter, death and blood was not a new phenomena for Lucy. But when her aunt, who has raised her as her own, mysteriously disappears leaving Lucy to deal with her neglectful father, her own emotional issues and her cousin's ailing mental health, by herself, shit gets real. Too real.
Then comes the voices in the walls . . .
". . . I started to hear things. I'm trying desperately to believe that what I heard in that closet had to have been similar to what sometimes happens when you're sleeping at night and wake up to see a shadowy figure in your bedroom, or a tarantula lowering from the ceiling. You're awake but your mind doesn't care; it shows the thing to you anyway, trickery of the mind, a waking nightmare. That doesn't mean it's really there, though." --page 28
The pacing of The Women in the Walls was a little slow, I think. Definitely understand wanting to build tension but there is a thin line between building tension and slowing the story down too much. Amy Lukavics' writing was average, not as authentic as in Daughters Unto Devils but interesting enough. The Women in the Walls' world-building was decent as well. I was able to get into the story and get caught up with the characters and the storyline. I was just severely disappointed with the ending. Not only did the story end on a cliffhanger -- which I despised -- but it was boring considering what I know Lukavics is capable of in her writing. Still, the story was not bad and earned a solid 3 out of 5 Enchanted Roses, rating wise.
All in all, I did enjoy The Women in the Walls. My only regret is it could have been better given what I know of Lukavics' debut, Daughters Unto Devils. Nevertheless, The Women in the Walls is worth reading if you have a thing for YA horror.
Character Breakdown:
Lucy Acosta - She was kind of a stuck up bitch, not going to lie. Definitely, not as mean as her cousin but not very nice.
Margaret Acosta - Mean. Secretive. Jealous. Nutzo.
"The tiny tapping sounds suddenly turn into violent scratching noises, loud and hard enough that I fear Margaret's nails will rip and snap away from her fingertips." --page 28
Here is one of my favorite quotes from The Women in the Walls:
Lucy: "Margaret is standing at the head of my bed, her face shockingly blank, her eyes wide and her mouth slacked open as she leans over me. Her hair hangs down like a curtain, casting a shadow over one side of her face. I realize that I'm trapped between her and the wall that my bed rests against. The air is stale with my cousin's morning breath.
Enclosed in her fist is a pair of silver scissors, the elongated blades pointing at my throat." --page 44
Meet the Author:
Amy Lukavics lurks within the pine-topped mountains of Arizona, along with her husband and two precious squidlings. When she isn't reading or writing creepy stories, she enjoys cooking, crafting, and playing video games. Daughters Unto Devils is her debut novel.
***Check out Amy Lukavics' website for more information about her and The Women in the Walls: HERE
Happy Reading!
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