Really enjoyed this sequel to BEWARE THE WILD. This time from the perspective of Candy, who can't perceive magic or see ghosts! Great read! ( )

I did not think to imagine that the sequel to one of my favorite books from the past couple of years would be as good as the first book, but damn, BEHOLD THE BONES nailed it. It shifts the main character to the friend of the MC of the first book, and it is so good at everything - plotting, character development, mood and tone, y'know. Plus, like before, Parker emphasizes familial bonds and friendship above romance, and when there is romance, it feels more natural than most novels in the genre and the plot doesn't necessarily hinge on Candy getting with a particular guy, which is always a relief.

Soooo if Sterling was the MC of BEWARE THE WILD and Candy/Candace is the MC of BEHOLD THE BONES, that means that Abigail will be the MC of the third book, right? I really hope so. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A decent companion novel set in a small Louisiana town.

Opening Sentence: Grandpa Craven kicked it the day I was born.

The Review:

Candy Pickens lives in the tiny Louisiana town of Sticks. She’s never believed in the swamp lore that is spoken like religion, but she is about to face a surprise when ghost sightings appear everywhere. Except, she’s the only one who can’t see them, and apparently her touch chases them away, as well as the magical Shine that wreathes through the swamp. When a TV producer moves through town to film their ghost stories, his intentions are anything but innocent, and its up to Candy to figure them out and solve her ghost problem.

This novel was a companion to a previous installment, Beware the Wild. Instead of focusing on Sterling, the story followed Candace, or Candy, as she journeyed a very different adventure. For the most part, I really enjoyed the originality of the story and how the Louisiana swamp factored into the mythology and folklore of the town. Sticks was just your average tiny Southern town – with a nice heaping of ghosts and magic. Again, the rich Southern atmosphere could have been translated a little stronger, but I still really enjoyed how the author played with such eerie swamp elements.

Candy is a very different character than Sterling was. Sterling was more reserved, but Candy is the rebellious one, the one who shakes things up a bit. Her bravado and confidence tended to hide the softer parts of her. I did enjoy how the writing style diversified with a different character, because I hate when one point of view sounds exactly like another character’s (like in Allegiant by Roth). Over the story, Candy grew as a character, and became more selfless and more able to see other’s points of views.

As for the love story, I really don’t know how I feel about that. There wasn’t much focus on the romance, more on the immediate plotline, which I enjoyed. The romance was kind of built in bits and pieces, but wasn’t altogether unexpected. In all honesty, I was entirely uncaring toward the love interest. His character and the romance felt very subpar to me. There was kind of a love triangle, but never a legit one. And then, the ghosts: I liked the idea of Mad Mary. I think the first book carried a more original plotline, and more interesting one, but this second installment managed to take the world from the previous one and expand on it. This helped to explain certain things from the first book so I liked drawing these connections.

Altogether, I enjoyed the characters and development of this story. The plot was interesting and the setting was nicely done, although the tone and atmosphere could have been a bit stronger. It was a decent companion novel, with one of my bigger complaints being the romance, which didn’t interest me at all. I still think the first was better but really liked this one, and I’d recommend fans of the first to go ahead and check out this awesome book!

Notable Scene:

And here I am, the North Star. Brilliant and isolated, orienting everyone but connecting to no one. I am all I’ll ever be and I don’t know what that means anymore.

I’ve never been the girl who imagines her wedding, or anticipates a family like it’s a given I’ll have both, but I’ve never considered that neither were in my future.

But I’ve also never imagined myself alone. And right now, that’s all I see in my future. Me.

And me alone.

FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Behold the Bones. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )