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I Am Made of Death
From bestselling author Kelly Andrew comes the most electrifying dark romance of the decade...
Following the death of his father, Thomas Walsh had to grow up quickly, taking on odd-jobs to keep food on the table and help pay his gravely ill mother's medical bills. When he's offered a highly paid position as an interpreter for an heiress who exclusively signs, Thomas -- the hearing child of a Deaf adult -- jumps at the opportunity.
But the job is not without its challenges. Thomas is expected to accompany Vivienne wherever she goes, but from the start, she seems determined to shake him. To make matters worse, her parents keep her on an extremely short leash. She is not to go anywhere without express permission. She is not to deviate from her routine.
She is, most importantly, not to be out after dark.
A selective-mute, Vivienne Farrow hasn't said a word in years -- not since going missing in Red Rock Canyon when she was four years old. No one knows quite what happened to her out in the dark. They only know that the sound of her voice is now as deadly as a poison. Anyone who hears her speak suffers a horrible death.
Ever since that fatal family vacation, Vivienne has been desperately searching for a way to regain control of both her voice and her body. Because the face staring out of the mirror isn't hers. It's something with teeth.
Thankfully, Vivienne has a plan. She's finally found someone who claims to be able to perform a surgical exorcism. She just needs to find a way to get rid of Thomas first. But Thomas can't afford to walk away, nor is he willing to abandon the mysterious girl he's quickly falling for, no matter what dark powers threaten to swallow them both whole.
Following the death of his father, Thomas Walsh had to grow up quickly, taking on odd-jobs to keep food on the table and help pay his gravely ill mother's medical bills. When he's offered a highly paid position as an interpreter for an heiress who exclusively signs, Thomas -- the hearing child of a Deaf adult -- jumps at the opportunity.
But the job is not without its challenges. Thomas is expected to accompany Vivienne wherever she goes, but from the start, she seems determined to shake him. To make matters worse, her parents keep her on an extremely short leash. She is not to go anywhere without express permission. She is not to deviate from her routine.
She is, most importantly, not to be out after dark.
A selective-mute, Vivienne Farrow hasn't said a word in years -- not since going missing in Red Rock Canyon when she was four years old. No one knows quite what happened to her out in the dark. They only know that the sound of her voice is now as deadly as a poison. Anyone who hears her speak suffers a horrible death.
Ever since that fatal family vacation, Vivienne has been desperately searching for a way to regain control of both her voice and her body. Because the face staring out of the mirror isn't hers. It's something with teeth.
Thankfully, Vivienne has a plan. She's finally found someone who claims to be able to perform a surgical exorcism. She just needs to find a way to get rid of Thomas first. But Thomas can't afford to walk away, nor is he willing to abandon the mysterious girl he's quickly falling for, no matter what dark powers threaten to swallow them both whole.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2025
162 people are currently reading
24.2k people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 389 reviews
December 24, 2024
Update 12/23 I’m raising this to a 4.5 and rounding up. It’s been a month and I’m still thinking about it.
—ĔĔĔĔĔ�
4.25. Kelly Andrew cannot write a bad book, of that I am convinced.
Vivienne is so many of us when we were teen girls. I needed to read this. I needed it years ago and I needed it at 30.
—ĔĔĔĔĔ�
4.25. Kelly Andrew cannot write a bad book, of that I am convinced.
Vivienne is so many of us when we were teen girls. I needed to read this. I needed it years ago and I needed it at 30.
April 20, 2025
She wasn't afraid of death.
She was afraid of the girl in the mirror.
rating: 4.5�
this is def my favorite kelly andrew book yet! bubblegum horror with a rough-edged princess fmc, boy from the other side of the tracks, yearning, body horror, and found family. it also has the vibes of kafka's metamorphosis, jennifer's body, mean girls, and moulin rouge all rolled into one 🎀
Inside her beat something else's heart.
Someone else's will.
This time tomorrow, she'd cut it out.
vivienne farrow disappeared when she was a child and came back w the ability to kill with her voice. thomas walsh is desperate and takes on a new gig as an interpreter - a job vivienne will make him regret taking. (or will he? 🤭)
"She'd learned, in her eighteen years on this earth, that everyone had a limit. She'd find his soon enough."
i felt like the pacing of this was andrew's best, with lots of action, eeriness, suspense, and intrigue throughout.
the medical horror and gore isn't too bad (as someone who's a baby to it) and much of the body horror is symbolic to body dysmorphia, self harm, etc. which gave me a new perspective on it (also spiders! eek! the teeth thing! eek and cool!!).
i related sm to vivienne in this one - someone who had to harden themself into something sharp and dangerous to protect herself. she has gone THRU IT and she deserves sm better than she's gotten. thomas is the white knight riding in and it is v romantic.
I dreamed about you last night, she signed.
He didn't smile. "Yeah?"
It was horrible.
"Good."
"You look nice," he added. "A little murderous, maybe, but pretty."
i was gasping, i was shaking, i was giggling and kicking my feet. this book gave me it all! i honestly think this would make an excellent movie SOMEONE GIVE IT TO US PLS!
She'd never been held like this before- like she was brittle primrose, and not deadly nightshade. Something worth tending, and not something you tore up out of the earth with gloves.
Because Vivienne wasn't brittle primrose; she was deadly nightshade. Tempting. Toxic. Fatal.
also not to get my hopes up but there was what seemed like the beginnings to a new pairing and i'm SO INTRIGUED! oOoOoOo pls kelly tell me we see more 🥺
i do rec reading her previous books bc previous characters will come up... perhaps even appear 👀
overall, KA fans are going to love this and if anything of this intrigued new readers, def give it a go!
She'd never been the damsel. She'd always been the monster.
And so, she'd behave monstrously.
_______________________
ballerina princess and interpreter bodyguard with christian and satine from moulin rouge vibes?!?!? say less i am IN.
She was afraid of the girl in the mirror.
rating: 4.5�
this is def my favorite kelly andrew book yet! bubblegum horror with a rough-edged princess fmc, boy from the other side of the tracks, yearning, body horror, and found family. it also has the vibes of kafka's metamorphosis, jennifer's body, mean girls, and moulin rouge all rolled into one 🎀
Inside her beat something else's heart.
Someone else's will.
This time tomorrow, she'd cut it out.
vivienne farrow disappeared when she was a child and came back w the ability to kill with her voice. thomas walsh is desperate and takes on a new gig as an interpreter - a job vivienne will make him regret taking. (or will he? 🤭)
"She'd learned, in her eighteen years on this earth, that everyone had a limit. She'd find his soon enough."
i felt like the pacing of this was andrew's best, with lots of action, eeriness, suspense, and intrigue throughout.
the medical horror and gore isn't too bad (as someone who's a baby to it) and much of the body horror is symbolic to body dysmorphia, self harm, etc. which gave me a new perspective on it (also spiders! eek! the teeth thing! eek and cool!!).
i related sm to vivienne in this one - someone who had to harden themself into something sharp and dangerous to protect herself. she has gone THRU IT and she deserves sm better than she's gotten. thomas is the white knight riding in and it is v romantic.
I dreamed about you last night, she signed.
He didn't smile. "Yeah?"
It was horrible.
"Good."
"You look nice," he added. "A little murderous, maybe, but pretty."
i was gasping, i was shaking, i was giggling and kicking my feet. this book gave me it all! i honestly think this would make an excellent movie SOMEONE GIVE IT TO US PLS!
She'd never been held like this before- like she was brittle primrose, and not deadly nightshade. Something worth tending, and not something you tore up out of the earth with gloves.
Because Vivienne wasn't brittle primrose; she was deadly nightshade. Tempting. Toxic. Fatal.
also not to get my hopes up but there was what seemed like the beginnings to a new pairing and i'm SO INTRIGUED! oOoOoOo pls kelly tell me we see more 🥺
i do rec reading her previous books bc previous characters will come up... perhaps even appear 👀
overall, KA fans are going to love this and if anything of this intrigued new readers, def give it a go!
She'd never been the damsel. She'd always been the monster.
And so, she'd behave monstrously.
_______________________
ballerina princess and interpreter bodyguard with christian and satine from moulin rouge vibes?!?!? say less i am IN.
January 2, 2025
*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!*
4.5 out of 5 stars!
You’ve probably noticed by my frequent updates how excited I was to receive an e-arc for this book. The moment I got it, I almost immediately dove right in. I honestly thought I’d finish it by the end of 2024, but instead, I wrapped it up on the very first day of the new year. I couldn’t be happier that I Am Made of Death ended up being the first book I officially read this year because I absolutely loved it.
That said, the reason this didn’t quite make it to a full five stars for me (it’s just a half-star short) is because, after the 80% mark (which I thoroughly enjoyed every second of), there were too many unanswered questions lingering. But I suppose that was part of the charm of this book—keeping readers on their toes and always guessing. While a more detailed wrap-up with full explanations of the mysterious events would have been nice, that wasn’t the reason I gave it less than five stars.
I also noticed that this book was very loosely based on 'Rumplestiltskin' fairytale with its own paranormal and mysterious intrigues, twists and turns
For anyone eagerly awaiting the release of this book, and trust me, you should be, get ready to add Thomas Walsh to your list of potential book boyfriends for 2025. He’s definitely one of the best!
—ĔĔĔĔĔĔ—ĔĔĔĔĔĔ—�
I think I'll make this book as my last read of 2024. Wish me luck, you guys. 🤞🤞
_______________________
STOP!!!! I LITERALLY HAD A DREAM THAT I WOULD RECEIVE AN ARC FOR THIS BOOK VERY SOON AND HERE WE ARE!!!! *screams, cries, sobs and etc*
4.5 out of 5 stars!
You’ve probably noticed by my frequent updates how excited I was to receive an e-arc for this book. The moment I got it, I almost immediately dove right in. I honestly thought I’d finish it by the end of 2024, but instead, I wrapped it up on the very first day of the new year. I couldn’t be happier that I Am Made of Death ended up being the first book I officially read this year because I absolutely loved it.
That said, the reason this didn’t quite make it to a full five stars for me (it’s just a half-star short) is because, after the 80% mark (which I thoroughly enjoyed every second of), there were too many unanswered questions lingering. But I suppose that was part of the charm of this book—keeping readers on their toes and always guessing. While a more detailed wrap-up with full explanations of the mysterious events would have been nice, that wasn’t the reason I gave it less than five stars.
I also noticed that this book was very loosely based on 'Rumplestiltskin' fairytale with its own paranormal and mysterious intrigues, twists and turns
For anyone eagerly awaiting the release of this book, and trust me, you should be, get ready to add Thomas Walsh to your list of potential book boyfriends for 2025. He’s definitely one of the best!
—ĔĔĔĔĔĔ—ĔĔĔĔĔĔ—�
I think I'll make this book as my last read of 2024. Wish me luck, you guys. 🤞🤞
_______________________
STOP!!!! I LITERALLY HAD A DREAM THAT I WOULD RECEIVE AN ARC FOR THIS BOOK VERY SOON AND HERE WE ARE!!!! *screams, cries, sobs and etc*
November 16, 2024
Such a unique take on a possession! Super fun read!
March 18, 2025
I went into this pretty blind. Vivienne and Thomas were more than just words on paper, they made me FEEL things. This book had it all: romance, humor, some horror (the eyeballs literally made me GAG guys and it wasn’t even that bad of a scene, i’m just squeamish). I really enjoyed this book, and now I need to read all the authors previous books in order to feel again <3
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
- “Please don’t ask me to leave,� he said, before she could say otherwise. “Because I’ll go if you tell me to, but I won’t feel good about it.�
- She’d never been held like this before—like she was brittle primrose, and not deadly nightshade. Something worth tending, and not something you tore up out of the earth with gloves. Emboldened, she rose onto her toes and kissed him again.
- He’d come after her. Over and over. Again and again. Just like he’d promised. She’d given him a hundred reasons to walk away. A thousand. Anyone else would have turned tail and run at the first gnash of her teeth. But not Thomas. He’d stayed. Until the end, and then beyond it. She hadn’t known it was possible to be loved like that. She hadn’t known it was possible to love like that.
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
- “Please don’t ask me to leave,� he said, before she could say otherwise. “Because I’ll go if you tell me to, but I won’t feel good about it.�
- She’d never been held like this before—like she was brittle primrose, and not deadly nightshade. Something worth tending, and not something you tore up out of the earth with gloves. Emboldened, she rose onto her toes and kissed him again.
- He’d come after her. Over and over. Again and again. Just like he’d promised. She’d given him a hundred reasons to walk away. A thousand. Anyone else would have turned tail and run at the first gnash of her teeth. But not Thomas. He’d stayed. Until the end, and then beyond it. She hadn’t known it was possible to be loved like that. She hadn’t known it was possible to love like that.
January 23, 2025
4.25 stars!!
if anyone knows how to write ya horror, its kelly. after loving your blood, my bones, i had full expectations that i would love this as well. the story, the characters(the CHARACTERS!!) were so well crafted that i was obsessed with the story so early on.
thomas and vivi were so fheixjehcjeid. if i can applaud kelly for one thing its how perfectly amazing her fmc and mmcs are. the relationship between the two started out strong and ended strong, with indifference and anger slowly turning into care and friendship and later on something more. he was so so perfect & i loved him right away (no surprise there)
also back to the absolutely insane plot?? like not once when i was reading did i expect it to go where i would have thought and i was on the edge of my seat the entire time following vivi and what plagued her. i would have loved if the world building regarding the horrors could have dived in a bit more into what they were exactly? it made sense but at the same time i would have loved to hear more detail about it, where it originated from, etc! but i’ll definitely reread because im sure revisiting it is will make everything click for me.
but of course the writing was amazing and pulls you right into the story so profusely that its hard to escape. 10/10 for creativity and absolutely wicked storytelling
if anyone knows how to write ya horror, its kelly. after loving your blood, my bones, i had full expectations that i would love this as well. the story, the characters(the CHARACTERS!!) were so well crafted that i was obsessed with the story so early on.
thomas and vivi were so fheixjehcjeid. if i can applaud kelly for one thing its how perfectly amazing her fmc and mmcs are. the relationship between the two started out strong and ended strong, with indifference and anger slowly turning into care and friendship and later on something more. he was so so perfect & i loved him right away (no surprise there)
also back to the absolutely insane plot?? like not once when i was reading did i expect it to go where i would have thought and i was on the edge of my seat the entire time following vivi and what plagued her. i would have loved if the world building regarding the horrors could have dived in a bit more into what they were exactly? it made sense but at the same time i would have loved to hear more detail about it, where it originated from, etc! but i’ll definitely reread because im sure revisiting it is will make everything click for me.
but of course the writing was amazing and pulls you right into the story so profusely that its hard to escape. 10/10 for creativity and absolutely wicked storytelling
March 1, 2025
pre-read:
I need this book biblically
__________________________
Can't believe it's over 😭😭😭
If Colton is still my fav MMC Kelly has ever written, Viv is my fav and most relatable FMC 🖤
I always struggle with writing reviews for Kelly's books because I simply love them and it's difficult to put that love into words when the prose is gorgeous, the characters painfully relatable, real and complex and there isn't a single thing to complain about.
I guess I should start by recommending reading all of her books in order. Even though they are standalones, they are connected and that is even more evident in IAMOD where Colton comes back as a pretty important secondary character. Do yourself a favor and start with . (Colton is the MMC in TWD, he also shows up in )
Since chapter one, hell since the dedication, maybe even since Kelly's letter which I read in advance, i knew i'm gonna love this.
I was absolutely obsessed with the vibes from the start, it's like so many things I adore in one � there are notes of dark academia, gothic vibes, Black Swan, Dirty Dancing with the whole rich girl x poor boy, though not just that because Viv and Tommy also gave me Christian x Satine & Veronica x Archie vibes with the whole black cat x golden retriever energy going on—I swear it's like Kelly made a mix of every aesthetic I adore and I gobbled it up.
Vivienne is my absolute fav and most relatable character Kelly has written. She's the type of character that's all hard edges and attitude, always keeping the people in her life at a distance (at least at first). Viv's giving every female character I adore that has similar aesthetic from Blair Waldorf and Veronica Lodge to even Buffy, she's an absolute mood and I. Love. Her. When she first showed up on the page I was like "yup, this book is going to become my whole personality".
Tommy was a very interesting and layered character and Viv's opposite in almost every way. He's exactly what she needed and I only wish we'd gotten more of her POV (it's dual POV) when she was falling for him so the change didn't feel as sudden but it didn't bother me regardless.
The supporting characters were also great. Sarah (Tommy's sister) was my fav, she's hilarious and one of the best parts of this book.
But nothing can beat Colton, Lane and Eric showing up and being present for most of the second half. Colton is forever of my fav love interest of Kelly's and a book husband so I was beyond thrilled he had such an important role to play in this book. I'm not even exaggerating when I say I was kicking my feet screaming for 10 min when he finally showed up.
I really don't wanna give away too much about the plot, and if you've read the description or seen what tropes are present in the book I think you know more than enough and I wouldn't wanna spoil it further.
If you like bubblegum horror with exquisite prose, morally grey characters, bodyguard romance with mutual pining, secret societies and found family I think you should check this out (along with all of Kelly's books)
I've said this before but I'll say it again � I'll read anything Kelly writes.
eternal gratitude to Netgalley and Scholastic Press for the arc
all quotes are from an advance copy and may differ in the final publication
I need this book biblically
__________________________
Can't believe it's over 😭😭😭
If Colton is still my fav MMC Kelly has ever written, Viv is my fav and most relatable FMC 🖤
I always struggle with writing reviews for Kelly's books because I simply love them and it's difficult to put that love into words when the prose is gorgeous, the characters painfully relatable, real and complex and there isn't a single thing to complain about.
I guess I should start by recommending reading all of her books in order. Even though they are standalones, they are connected and that is even more evident in IAMOD where Colton comes back as a pretty important secondary character. Do yourself a favor and start with . (Colton is the MMC in TWD, he also shows up in )
FOR ANYONE WHO LEARNED TO LOVE THEMSELVES THE HARD WAY
Since chapter one, hell since the dedication, maybe even since Kelly's letter which I read in advance, i knew i'm gonna love this.
I was absolutely obsessed with the vibes from the start, it's like so many things I adore in one � there are notes of dark academia, gothic vibes, Black Swan, Dirty Dancing with the whole rich girl x poor boy, though not just that because Viv and Tommy also gave me Christian x Satine & Veronica x Archie vibes with the whole black cat x golden retriever energy going on—I swear it's like Kelly made a mix of every aesthetic I adore and I gobbled it up.
Vivienne is my absolute fav and most relatable character Kelly has written. She's the type of character that's all hard edges and attitude, always keeping the people in her life at a distance (at least at first). Viv's giving every female character I adore that has similar aesthetic from Blair Waldorf and Veronica Lodge to even Buffy, she's an absolute mood and I. Love. Her. When she first showed up on the page I was like "yup, this book is going to become my whole personality".
"You look nice," he added. "A little murderous, maybe, but pretty."
Tommy was a very interesting and layered character and Viv's opposite in almost every way. He's exactly what she needed and I only wish we'd gotten more of her POV (it's dual POV) when she was falling for him so the change didn't feel as sudden but it didn't bother me regardless.
"You don't want me to see you," he said. "But I see you, Vivienne." No one had ever sounded more confident. No one had ever sounded more doomed. "I see you, and I came for you anyway. I'll always come for you. That's what I've been trying to make you understand. You don't have to do this alone."
The supporting characters were also great. Sarah (Tommy's sister) was my fav, she's hilarious and one of the best parts of this book.
But nothing can beat Colton, Lane and Eric showing up and being present for most of the second half. Colton is forever of my fav love interest of Kelly's and a book husband so I was beyond thrilled he had such an important role to play in this book. I'm not even exaggerating when I say I was kicking my feet screaming for 10 min when he finally showed up.
I really don't wanna give away too much about the plot, and if you've read the description or seen what tropes are present in the book I think you know more than enough and I wouldn't wanna spoil it further.
If you like bubblegum horror with exquisite prose, morally grey characters, bodyguard romance with mutual pining, secret societies and found family I think you should check this out (along with all of Kelly's books)
I've said this before but I'll say it again � I'll read anything Kelly writes.
eternal gratitude to Netgalley and Scholastic Press for the arc
all quotes are from an advance copy and may differ in the final publication
March 13, 2025
This woman and her books
I have no words this was so raw
🎀 female rage
🦷 secret societies
🩰 poor boy x princess
🪞 hurt/comfort
🎀 forbidden bodyguard romance
🦷 surgical exorcisms
🩰 ballerina aesthetic
🪞 mirror horror
🐍 Medusa metaphors
🎀 i'd follow you into (literal) hell
🦷 mad scientist vibes
There is a unique feeling to reading Kelly Andrew's books, they're so atmospheric and intimate, they envelope you. There are The Whispering Dark cameos in this one and I LOVED it.
I'm obsessed with her books and would truly read anything she writes.
I have no words this was so raw
🎀 female rage
🦷 secret societies
🩰 poor boy x princess
🪞 hurt/comfort
🎀 forbidden bodyguard romance
🦷 surgical exorcisms
🩰 ballerina aesthetic
🪞 mirror horror
🐍 Medusa metaphors
🎀 i'd follow you into (literal) hell
🦷 mad scientist vibes
There is a unique feeling to reading Kelly Andrew's books, they're so atmospheric and intimate, they envelope you. There are The Whispering Dark cameos in this one and I LOVED it.
I'm obsessed with her books and would truly read anything she writes.
April 3, 2025
“Inside her beat something else’s heart. Something else’s will. This time tomorrow, she’d cut it out.�
·:*¨� ♱✮� ༻�*:·
𝟛 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 ✰✰�
ׂ╰➤� Everyone has demons, but Vivienne Farrow has one living inside her. One with wickedly sharp teeth and a poisonous voice. At four years old, Vivienne fell into the Red Rock Canyon and was on the brink of death when an isideous creature bargained for her survival. In exchange for her life, Vivanve's body and voice were claimed by the demon. One whispered word drives people into insanity. As a result, Vivienne has become a selective mute in a desperate bid to maintain some semblance of control over her voice and body. Only her reflection in the mirror isn't hers.
In an attempt to reclaim her life, Vivienne has planned a surgical exorcism. Her plans get interrupted when her parents hire Thomas Walsh to serve as her ASL interpreter and ‘watch after her.� Vivienne needs to eliminate him to achieve her goals, but Thomas, in dire need of the money the job offers, refuses to be shaken. Their wills clash as the powers that be threaten to eliminate them.�
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Unfortunately, this was just ok. It honestly didn't keep my interest like I thought it would. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it left me wanting more. Ugh. In all fairness, nothing was going to capture my interest after reading the new Hunger Games book.
The paranormal, gothic, horror elements were such a vibe but were not adequately explained. Maybe that was intentional, but it felt like puzzle pieces were missing. It is also worth mentioning that although this can be read as a standalone, this is interconnected with A Whispering Dark (which I have not read yet, whoops!) So maybe that's why I'm a little lost.
I did read another book by this author, Your Blood My Bones, which I really enjoyed and recommend. This one was just fine, though. Nothing to write home about. I still want to read A Whispering Dark, so hopefully that one is better.
જ⁀�Gone was the effervescence that fizzed through her veins. Gone was the quiet euphoria burning bright as a flame. She was firmly rooted to the ground, her throat pinched shut, her chest a gaping hollow.
·:*¨� ♱✮� ༻�*:·
𝟛 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 ✰✰�
ׂ╰➤� Everyone has demons, but Vivienne Farrow has one living inside her. One with wickedly sharp teeth and a poisonous voice. At four years old, Vivienne fell into the Red Rock Canyon and was on the brink of death when an isideous creature bargained for her survival. In exchange for her life, Vivanve's body and voice were claimed by the demon. One whispered word drives people into insanity. As a result, Vivienne has become a selective mute in a desperate bid to maintain some semblance of control over her voice and body. Only her reflection in the mirror isn't hers.
In an attempt to reclaim her life, Vivienne has planned a surgical exorcism. Her plans get interrupted when her parents hire Thomas Walsh to serve as her ASL interpreter and ‘watch after her.� Vivienne needs to eliminate him to achieve her goals, but Thomas, in dire need of the money the job offers, refuses to be shaken. Their wills clash as the powers that be threaten to eliminate them.�
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Unfortunately, this was just ok. It honestly didn't keep my interest like I thought it would. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it left me wanting more. Ugh. In all fairness, nothing was going to capture my interest after reading the new Hunger Games book.
The paranormal, gothic, horror elements were such a vibe but were not adequately explained. Maybe that was intentional, but it felt like puzzle pieces were missing. It is also worth mentioning that although this can be read as a standalone, this is interconnected with A Whispering Dark (which I have not read yet, whoops!) So maybe that's why I'm a little lost.
I did read another book by this author, Your Blood My Bones, which I really enjoyed and recommend. This one was just fine, though. Nothing to write home about. I still want to read A Whispering Dark, so hopefully that one is better.
જ⁀�Gone was the effervescence that fizzed through her veins. Gone was the quiet euphoria burning bright as a flame. She was firmly rooted to the ground, her throat pinched shut, her chest a gaping hollow.
January 24, 2025
This wasn’t marketed as an interconnected standalone, and I really feel like it should be. Honestly, I feel like you should read The Whispering Dark before reading I Am Made of Death. So many times I wished there was more world building and so many times I felt like there were absurd plot jumps. I’ve gathered that a lot of the world building and gaps in plot were likely explained in The Whispering Dark� and because of that, part 1 of this book felt slow as you got to know Vivienne, but parts 2 and 3 felt so rushed and chaotic.
April 10, 2025
Thank you Edelweiss and Scholastic Press for this copy in exchange for an honest review!
3.5 stars
A sufficiently creepy story with an underwhelming romance.
This story was definitely gripping and even though it started off a little slow, the further the story progressed the more I just needed to know what was going to happen.
But the romance just didn't do it for me. There were a couple of good moments toward the end, but the beginning kind of ruined it for me. Thomas, the MMC, was clearly starting to develop feelings for Vivienne, the FMC. But why? At least outwardly, she has no positive qualities other than the backbone she has.
Her chapters show her internal struggles so the reader can certainly see what she's going through and what kind of person she really is, but none of that is shown to Thomas. She's angry, bratty, and cries a couple times and apparently that's enough for him to pursue her.
But it was a good story and I'd recommend for those who like romance with a little horror thrown in 🎀
3.5 stars
A sufficiently creepy story with an underwhelming romance.
This story was definitely gripping and even though it started off a little slow, the further the story progressed the more I just needed to know what was going to happen.
But the romance just didn't do it for me. There were a couple of good moments toward the end, but the beginning kind of ruined it for me. Thomas, the MMC, was clearly starting to develop feelings for Vivienne, the FMC. But why? At least outwardly, she has no positive qualities other than the backbone she has.
Her chapters show her internal struggles so the reader can certainly see what she's going through and what kind of person she really is, but none of that is shown to Thomas. She's angry, bratty, and cries a couple times and apparently that's enough for him to pursue her.
But it was a good story and I'd recommend for those who like romance with a little horror thrown in 🎀
December 17, 2024
I'll do 3 stars, though if it's that, it is just barely. Admittedly I am not this book's target audience. But its premise caught my attention and I was between reads and so I took a shot.
Interesting premise and plot, cool character in Thomas, sympathetic character in Vivienne. In a misguided attempt to be even more mysterious while the story itself was mysterious it ended up being poorly written with a mismanaged delivery of the grand finale. Deus ex machina much, anyone?
Unexplained helpful powers manifest in unconvincingly involved players including our hero without proper setup. Thomas himself delivers a great performance of true love, though if examined too closely it becomes evident it's not built upon much. But he was definitely romantic. Vivienne was cool also, no wilting flower unable to be strong, just stuck in a mostly unwinnable situation till things broke her way.
Neat idea lost a little in long-windedness and yet also insufficient storytelling. Needed a little bit more work done on coherence. While Thomas could be an interesting continuing character, I've no interest in reading this author again.
Interesting premise and plot, cool character in Thomas, sympathetic character in Vivienne. In a misguided attempt to be even more mysterious while the story itself was mysterious it ended up being poorly written with a mismanaged delivery of the grand finale. Deus ex machina much, anyone?
Unexplained helpful powers manifest in unconvincingly involved players including our hero without proper setup. Thomas himself delivers a great performance of true love, though if examined too closely it becomes evident it's not built upon much. But he was definitely romantic. Vivienne was cool also, no wilting flower unable to be strong, just stuck in a mostly unwinnable situation till things broke her way.
Neat idea lost a little in long-windedness and yet also insufficient storytelling. Needed a little bit more work done on coherence. While Thomas could be an interesting continuing character, I've no interest in reading this author again.
April 12, 2025
Okay it's been about 72 hours since I finished and I finally feel sane enough to attempt a review.
- minor spoilers in this review, nothing related to plot twists but lots of quotes and discussions of character development and relationship dynamics & spoilers for TWD and YBMB. This review is also based on the proof copy so some comments may not reflect the final version xx
I had really high hopes going into the finale of these three stories, and my god did it deliver. It was angsty and romantic and scary and so incredibly decisive. Sometimes you read a good book and that's all it is, and that's okay! But sometimes, like with this book, you turn that last page and you feel like it's given you something that you will carry with you for a very long time, it's shown or reminded you or given you a new perspective on something you may or may not have already known about yourself in a way that *sticks*. That's all to say that if anyone saw my annotations, I would have to run away and live off-grid � there was a *lot* of trauma dumping happening in the empty space LMAO but characters and stories that you can identify with on such a level are a gift and I will never fall out of awe for how eloquently she articulates these complicated, painful, and often sarcastic experiences.
ANYWAYS- the book! One thing that I'm completely obsessed with is how she uses bones across all three books. I got about halfway through to a scene where she's talking about how the thing inside her is curled up behind her ribs and it clicked- like oh my god all three books had bones at the centre of these characters' experiences. The rib bone, the ground up bones, the broken bone in the gorge; and they were all used to control these characters (maybe more with teeth for Vivienne but teeth are basically naked bones so it counts). For most fantasy books I've read it's always the blood, good or bad they have something in their blood or have to tithe blood etc. and I'm FASCINATED by how she's managed to do this with bones. It’s such a different vibe, and one that creates a really haunting, visceral image. Maybe it's the texture or the lack of mess (blood always gets messy) but my god, I freaking love it so much!! It may also be her funniest book- the number of times I genuinely belly laughed at something one of these fools said- yeah I love them a lot.
The atmosphere is always top notch and this book was no different! "A sunken horror wrapped in shipwreck silence." PARDON?! The visions of water and the little crab crawling over the rib bone- I sobbed a little bit. The horror didn't feel front and centre in this one but when we got those little pockets of it my GOD they were like getting punched in the face (complimentary). I only wish we got more because it was FANTASTIC! The way she blended the graceful (pink) elegance of ballet with the goblin horror ATE!! DOWN!! The scene where it creeps up behind [redacted] and taps him on the shoulder?!!! THE BOO?!!! That might be in my top 5 scenes in the whole book second only to all the TWD gang ones hehehe. The “didn’t you come to see me,� the sing-song voice?!! The scene where it’s cradling [redacted] was freaking CREEPY AS HECK. The black honeycomb eyes was bloody genius- it was an immediately vivid image in my head I’m honestly going to be thinking about it for a while. The human faces whorling in the water?? The boy (when we find out who he is- I sobbed bad) saying “I have never been happier� with water bubbling out from the gaps in his teeth- the “belly full of worms� and vomiting ribbons and the snake entering her and curling inside, the spider, THE EYEBALLS, the scene with the voice recorder and the reporter when we hear her- my god- like a punch to the face.
I love Vivienne so much I think I could probably use up all the characters in this review to write about how much and I would still have more to yap about. There are so many phenomenal lines/passages that just, completely floored me. “…Seeing her at her ugliest, her meanest, her most utterly depraved- was undignified beyond imagination.� The way she’s managed to make this both about him seeing the creature living inside her, the very literal monster she gets taken over by, and also on a more superficial level, about this boy seeing her when she’s just woken up looking a bit frazzled and the reflexive self-consciousness that comes with that- is so impressive. And this book is filled with those double meanings, reflections and experiences that discuss the literal horror, and the more universal horror of being a teenage/girl in this modern world. There is a line where Philip is saying that she can no longer do xyz and she’s essentially under house arrest and he says he allowed her to “play at girlhood� and it stuck with me so much because sometimes being a woman does in fact feel like you’re rotting from the inside, and you hate what you see in the mirror and you fear you’re turning into one or both of your parents (side-note but the line about Thomas worrying that he is going to end up like his dad.. she did not have to smack me in the face with that one LMAO), and you just want to empty yourself out and start fresh. I really loved reading these parts because she so effectively, and skilfully, and beautifully uses the horror genre as vehicle to talk about very real experiences, and I think there’s something for absolutely everyone to take away from these stories. The way she deflects by insulting him, “I thought you might be illiterate� - did that make me snort? yes. Did it also make me incredibly sad? Also yes. And when we get to his line about bracing for her to “make it hurt�- it did in fact hurt (me). The angry teenage girl that still lives inside me felt so validated reading some of the earlier interactions between Vivienne and the men in her life, and the ending when we see that the creature’s face looks like little her, the line about “She wondered, not for the first time, if maybe she hadn’t done it to herself- if she hadn’t calcified the bits of her that were tender to the touch. Turned her fury to poison, growing angrier and angrier until it spilt clean out of her.� Like, aside from that being a gorgeous passage, the way it conveys all the resentment and bitter regret of looking back on those years and seeing how much of it you wasted being angry, but also validating that anger because there is always a reason and she was just doing the best she could to survive with what she had. The “what if I need you� line made me put the book down and almost throw it- the way she conveys that relationship, the violent, awful experience of being with it, harbouring it in her chest, but also the fear of being without it for basically the first time in her life when it was the only thing she had as a defence against the bad. The fact that she, even before it happened, did not know what love looked like so much so that the comfort offered by a literal ancient (kinda mean) horror entity was better than nothing breaks my bloody heart every time I think of it; again, it’s got that metaphorical double meaning for all the emotional and other crutches we lean on for comfort if we don’t find it in the right places. Just- stunning.
Thomas is one of my fave characters ever, the emotional intelligence this man possesses truly had me kicking my feet and giggling. The way he just "You can't expect me to do nothing," and "Please don't ask me to leave, because I'll go if you tell me to, but I won't feel good about it." It was a delicious contrast between the "You're done here" and wham bam broken nose when Reed got too comfortable (I do love Reed though, it took a while but I really like him lmao his snark was 10/10).
One thing I love about Thomas is how gentle he is with Vivi, how he will push the boundaries of banter and give it to her how it is but always with the the softest care- the line "She'd never been held like this before- like she was brittle primrose, and not deadly nightshade. Something worth tending, and not something you tore up out of the earth with gloves." My GOD because it's not just how she feels, we get to see every moment that he treats her how she deserves build up to this realisation and it's so- like I'm sobbing. EVEN when she can't see him, even when she kicked him out of the room he stayed there all night in case she needed him, even if he knew he was missing a key bit of information, even if he knew something was off, he stayed, and I love that :')
Another of my absolute favourite details about him is his range. He'll go from being a smartass to "It felt as if Connolly had reached into his chest and tugged something vital from beneath his ribs. Something small and raw and beating, not meant for the light of day," and it's literally his crush. And I loved that so much. It's his POV and so I'm choosing to read it as if he has this self-awareness and I really think he does, the way he perceives his own emotional responses is written in such a heartbreakingly beautiful way- "He didn’t have a word for the thing with thorns inside his chest." WOW !!! Also don't get me started on the compass and him being scared of being like his dad- very real tears entered the chat.
Regardless of just how angry he gets, how stressed or upset or frustrated, there are always pains taken to make sure that Vivienne knows it's not directed at her. Bro also has some FANTASTIC one-liners: "Don't bother, I quit" ok diva "If she dies, so does Grayson." ate "he dug it anyway" I SCREAMED "Good" I- "She has me, now wake her up" the sound I let out "You look nice. A little murderous, maybe, but pretty" Lord have merthy "You're ruining my shirt" this one actually made me tear up followed by “Ouch� and also “Holy shit�. ”It's not an operating room it's a sacrificial altar." devoured. Was genuinely gagged every time he opened his mouth this boy's snark could put half the MMCs I've read to shame, genuinely had me laughing out loud.
The romance was so good, so angsty and sweet and everything I needed it to be. I loved that we got both perspectives because you can see the different paces they were at with their feelings- Thomas was way ahead of her, bro was ready to put his life on the line and she was just giving up the plan to get him fired. I was initially quite sceptical about how quickly Thomas caught feelings and part of me stands by that (it's literally only because she does yearning so well and we could've had so much more), it was really fast and I think if he had gone harder at the start with the 'I don't care about you this is a pay check' it would've been a lot more impactful when the shift happened to the 'it's more than a job to me' bit. That being said, there is a clear journey from lets be friends to oh hell no to omg monster to help to I like you. Now bear with me; these are two ill-equipped, seriously hurt teenagers who are literally fighting for their lives, and it's not beyond the scope of reality that the stakes would heighten all their emotional experiences good and bad (which is also why I'm slightly more forgiving of ch24 but more on that later). I wasn't convinced until I finished the book and he asked her on a date and it was like a lightbulb moment- like OH yes, it wasn't happening too fast, it was just that the early stages of their relationship were founded on these extreme circumstances and so they responded to it and now that the danger is over they can start fresh, and so I'm not mad about it XD We also got the scene where she's touching his trinkets and "He felt it like a physical touch. This, he knew, was also wrong" HELLO?! I only wish we got more of this yearning/forbidden romance because she does it SO WELL!! Don't even get me started on the "Then I'll wear yours." about the crybaby bracelet- my god. Also her calling him a crybaby and saying OOP that's what the nail polish is called- she's actually hilarious and the early stage back and forth was top notch!! The "I'm whatever Vivienne needs me to be" and the "It's you and me" and "He felt the faintest brush of her pinkie against his knuckle. He thought maybe he was going just as little bit insane." THE FACT WE GOT TO BE IN HIS HEAD FOR THESE MOMENTS IS GOLD AND I WAS ALSO GOING INSANE!!! They're INVALUABLE to making him a convincing hero & love interest and I absolutely loved them.
The little references to Nick Miller & Stiles Stilinski honestly- made me so incredibly happy LMAO they’re my absolute fave lil dudes and I honestly thought I was going insane with the void stiles brain rot but I am, in fact, not insane. The scene where she vomits the ribbons?? The thing he tells her about counting fingers in dreams?? The line where the thing inside her says that it knows her mind and is her god (was giving major “Divine move? I’m a thousand years old you can’t kill me.�), the fact that he used to play lacrosse, the smartass comments and sarcasm at absolutely every turn no matter how inappropriate it was (the interaction between him and Reed while he’s literally still tied up is one of my fave scenes ever), the line about him memorising a lot of words, even the scene where she’s panicking in the bathroom felt like a hark to the Stiles/Lydia one in the show. The fact that he’s the one painfully human character and all he’s got is a bunch of supernatural friends and a heart of gold, Faber coughing up a spider (giving the flies/fireflies)- genuinely felt so giddy every single time I saw something that felt even vaguely like a reference. I usually hate pop culture references but these were so subtle and so tastefully done that I ate them UPPPPPPP!! 5 stars just for that tbh. Also the whole concept of the house being built on this ancient thing that was “sleeping in the mud� (love that line so much it tickled my brain) was giving major hellmouth vibes from Buffy and I gobbled it UP!
I really shouldn’t get started on Lane and Colton but here I am, starting anyway, I’ll keep it short but please note that even after this review has ended, I’m still going. My loves, the loves of my life I feel sick to my stomach thinking about them in a really good I love them so much it doesn’t fit in my body kind of way- the “Is there a reason you look like Lane?�- no one touch me. The rainbow mittens????? THE LINE ABOUT HER BEING HIS PORT IN A STORM?!!! HER SAYING COME HOME?!!! Also- do not get me started on the way he held Vivienne’s hand throughout the trip back, the crooked flower crown (real tears, here), the way it felt like he was making up for not being able to [redacted] with his [redacted] so he was trying to [redacted] with her!!!!. That?? Sick to my stomach. Actually so unwell. “Don’t go by the water.� Was that actually necessary, did I deserve that? What could I have possibly done to deserve that kind of pain???? The “Excellent�- that show of relief, of vulnerability, the way Lane could see it so clearly on his face when it was probably blank to everyone else, the hope for healing, of moving forward?!!!!! THAT THEY CAN BE THAT FOR EACH OTHER!!!! Also the line about feeling the most human “pinned� under Lane’s gaze (was this a reference back to the butterfly mural)??? The way he made sure she wouldn’t hear the voice in the church, that was literally the first thing he made sure of- my GOD!!
I have only one complaint, only one issue and it’s a personal preference point, nothing to do with the quality of writing etc. chapter 24, his anger issues, they bothered me maybe a lot, he spent the whole chapter giving her the silent treatment and brushing off her apology when she touched the compass, which felt so so so out of character, and no one else seemed to notice, and then ch25 was back to normal. Same with the way he was extra iffy with Tessa. It felt really out of the blue and for XYZ reasons, I really can't do love interests with anger issues, it's a personal thing so take it with a grain of salt, and yes he did redeem himself the following chapter (yeeeee) but it still stuck in my brain and I just :( (. That being said, I still adore him and I love them and I’m more bothered because in every other chapter he is wonderful but it was something that would bug me if I didn’t mention it moving oNNNNNN
The Pedyr reference was sick.
Anyways, I loved this book and I’m so excited to go back and do a reread of TWD some time this year, I need to know if Thomas is mentioned LMAO- there are some perks to having awful memory and it’s that a reread will feel almost like a first read XD
Thank you Kelly for sending me a proof copy ILY <333
Update: the way the biblical/religious analogies got more frequent/obvious when Philip/Christian were in the scene??? Was that on purpose?? Probably, it felt very intentional and honestly scratched my brain SO good i could write a whole essay just on that WOW
- minor spoilers in this review, nothing related to plot twists but lots of quotes and discussions of character development and relationship dynamics & spoilers for TWD and YBMB. This review is also based on the proof copy so some comments may not reflect the final version xx
I had really high hopes going into the finale of these three stories, and my god did it deliver. It was angsty and romantic and scary and so incredibly decisive. Sometimes you read a good book and that's all it is, and that's okay! But sometimes, like with this book, you turn that last page and you feel like it's given you something that you will carry with you for a very long time, it's shown or reminded you or given you a new perspective on something you may or may not have already known about yourself in a way that *sticks*. That's all to say that if anyone saw my annotations, I would have to run away and live off-grid � there was a *lot* of trauma dumping happening in the empty space LMAO but characters and stories that you can identify with on such a level are a gift and I will never fall out of awe for how eloquently she articulates these complicated, painful, and often sarcastic experiences.
ANYWAYS- the book! One thing that I'm completely obsessed with is how she uses bones across all three books. I got about halfway through to a scene where she's talking about how the thing inside her is curled up behind her ribs and it clicked- like oh my god all three books had bones at the centre of these characters' experiences. The rib bone, the ground up bones, the broken bone in the gorge; and they were all used to control these characters (maybe more with teeth for Vivienne but teeth are basically naked bones so it counts). For most fantasy books I've read it's always the blood, good or bad they have something in their blood or have to tithe blood etc. and I'm FASCINATED by how she's managed to do this with bones. It’s such a different vibe, and one that creates a really haunting, visceral image. Maybe it's the texture or the lack of mess (blood always gets messy) but my god, I freaking love it so much!! It may also be her funniest book- the number of times I genuinely belly laughed at something one of these fools said- yeah I love them a lot.
The atmosphere is always top notch and this book was no different! "A sunken horror wrapped in shipwreck silence." PARDON?! The visions of water and the little crab crawling over the rib bone- I sobbed a little bit. The horror didn't feel front and centre in this one but when we got those little pockets of it my GOD they were like getting punched in the face (complimentary). I only wish we got more because it was FANTASTIC! The way she blended the graceful (pink) elegance of ballet with the goblin horror ATE!! DOWN!! The scene where it creeps up behind [redacted] and taps him on the shoulder?!!! THE BOO?!!! That might be in my top 5 scenes in the whole book second only to all the TWD gang ones hehehe. The “didn’t you come to see me,� the sing-song voice?!! The scene where it’s cradling [redacted] was freaking CREEPY AS HECK. The black honeycomb eyes was bloody genius- it was an immediately vivid image in my head I’m honestly going to be thinking about it for a while. The human faces whorling in the water?? The boy (when we find out who he is- I sobbed bad) saying “I have never been happier� with water bubbling out from the gaps in his teeth- the “belly full of worms� and vomiting ribbons and the snake entering her and curling inside, the spider, THE EYEBALLS, the scene with the voice recorder and the reporter when we hear her- my god- like a punch to the face.
I love Vivienne so much I think I could probably use up all the characters in this review to write about how much and I would still have more to yap about. There are so many phenomenal lines/passages that just, completely floored me. “…Seeing her at her ugliest, her meanest, her most utterly depraved- was undignified beyond imagination.� The way she’s managed to make this both about him seeing the creature living inside her, the very literal monster she gets taken over by, and also on a more superficial level, about this boy seeing her when she’s just woken up looking a bit frazzled and the reflexive self-consciousness that comes with that- is so impressive. And this book is filled with those double meanings, reflections and experiences that discuss the literal horror, and the more universal horror of being a teenage/girl in this modern world. There is a line where Philip is saying that she can no longer do xyz and she’s essentially under house arrest and he says he allowed her to “play at girlhood� and it stuck with me so much because sometimes being a woman does in fact feel like you’re rotting from the inside, and you hate what you see in the mirror and you fear you’re turning into one or both of your parents (side-note but the line about Thomas worrying that he is going to end up like his dad.. she did not have to smack me in the face with that one LMAO), and you just want to empty yourself out and start fresh. I really loved reading these parts because she so effectively, and skilfully, and beautifully uses the horror genre as vehicle to talk about very real experiences, and I think there’s something for absolutely everyone to take away from these stories. The way she deflects by insulting him, “I thought you might be illiterate� - did that make me snort? yes. Did it also make me incredibly sad? Also yes. And when we get to his line about bracing for her to “make it hurt�- it did in fact hurt (me). The angry teenage girl that still lives inside me felt so validated reading some of the earlier interactions between Vivienne and the men in her life, and the ending when we see that the creature’s face looks like little her, the line about “She wondered, not for the first time, if maybe she hadn’t done it to herself- if she hadn’t calcified the bits of her that were tender to the touch. Turned her fury to poison, growing angrier and angrier until it spilt clean out of her.� Like, aside from that being a gorgeous passage, the way it conveys all the resentment and bitter regret of looking back on those years and seeing how much of it you wasted being angry, but also validating that anger because there is always a reason and she was just doing the best she could to survive with what she had. The “what if I need you� line made me put the book down and almost throw it- the way she conveys that relationship, the violent, awful experience of being with it, harbouring it in her chest, but also the fear of being without it for basically the first time in her life when it was the only thing she had as a defence against the bad. The fact that she, even before it happened, did not know what love looked like so much so that the comfort offered by a literal ancient (kinda mean) horror entity was better than nothing breaks my bloody heart every time I think of it; again, it’s got that metaphorical double meaning for all the emotional and other crutches we lean on for comfort if we don’t find it in the right places. Just- stunning.
Thomas is one of my fave characters ever, the emotional intelligence this man possesses truly had me kicking my feet and giggling. The way he just "You can't expect me to do nothing," and "Please don't ask me to leave, because I'll go if you tell me to, but I won't feel good about it." It was a delicious contrast between the "You're done here" and wham bam broken nose when Reed got too comfortable (I do love Reed though, it took a while but I really like him lmao his snark was 10/10).
One thing I love about Thomas is how gentle he is with Vivi, how he will push the boundaries of banter and give it to her how it is but always with the the softest care- the line "She'd never been held like this before- like she was brittle primrose, and not deadly nightshade. Something worth tending, and not something you tore up out of the earth with gloves." My GOD because it's not just how she feels, we get to see every moment that he treats her how she deserves build up to this realisation and it's so- like I'm sobbing. EVEN when she can't see him, even when she kicked him out of the room he stayed there all night in case she needed him, even if he knew he was missing a key bit of information, even if he knew something was off, he stayed, and I love that :')
Another of my absolute favourite details about him is his range. He'll go from being a smartass to "It felt as if Connolly had reached into his chest and tugged something vital from beneath his ribs. Something small and raw and beating, not meant for the light of day," and it's literally his crush. And I loved that so much. It's his POV and so I'm choosing to read it as if he has this self-awareness and I really think he does, the way he perceives his own emotional responses is written in such a heartbreakingly beautiful way- "He didn’t have a word for the thing with thorns inside his chest." WOW !!! Also don't get me started on the compass and him being scared of being like his dad- very real tears entered the chat.
Regardless of just how angry he gets, how stressed or upset or frustrated, there are always pains taken to make sure that Vivienne knows it's not directed at her. Bro also has some FANTASTIC one-liners: "Don't bother, I quit" ok diva "If she dies, so does Grayson." ate "he dug it anyway" I SCREAMED "Good" I- "She has me, now wake her up" the sound I let out "You look nice. A little murderous, maybe, but pretty" Lord have merthy "You're ruining my shirt" this one actually made me tear up followed by “Ouch� and also “Holy shit�. ”It's not an operating room it's a sacrificial altar." devoured. Was genuinely gagged every time he opened his mouth this boy's snark could put half the MMCs I've read to shame, genuinely had me laughing out loud.
The romance was so good, so angsty and sweet and everything I needed it to be. I loved that we got both perspectives because you can see the different paces they were at with their feelings- Thomas was way ahead of her, bro was ready to put his life on the line and she was just giving up the plan to get him fired. I was initially quite sceptical about how quickly Thomas caught feelings and part of me stands by that (it's literally only because she does yearning so well and we could've had so much more), it was really fast and I think if he had gone harder at the start with the 'I don't care about you this is a pay check' it would've been a lot more impactful when the shift happened to the 'it's more than a job to me' bit. That being said, there is a clear journey from lets be friends to oh hell no to omg monster to help to I like you. Now bear with me; these are two ill-equipped, seriously hurt teenagers who are literally fighting for their lives, and it's not beyond the scope of reality that the stakes would heighten all their emotional experiences good and bad (which is also why I'm slightly more forgiving of ch24 but more on that later). I wasn't convinced until I finished the book and he asked her on a date and it was like a lightbulb moment- like OH yes, it wasn't happening too fast, it was just that the early stages of their relationship were founded on these extreme circumstances and so they responded to it and now that the danger is over they can start fresh, and so I'm not mad about it XD We also got the scene where she's touching his trinkets and "He felt it like a physical touch. This, he knew, was also wrong" HELLO?! I only wish we got more of this yearning/forbidden romance because she does it SO WELL!! Don't even get me started on the "Then I'll wear yours." about the crybaby bracelet- my god. Also her calling him a crybaby and saying OOP that's what the nail polish is called- she's actually hilarious and the early stage back and forth was top notch!! The "I'm whatever Vivienne needs me to be" and the "It's you and me" and "He felt the faintest brush of her pinkie against his knuckle. He thought maybe he was going just as little bit insane." THE FACT WE GOT TO BE IN HIS HEAD FOR THESE MOMENTS IS GOLD AND I WAS ALSO GOING INSANE!!! They're INVALUABLE to making him a convincing hero & love interest and I absolutely loved them.
The little references to Nick Miller & Stiles Stilinski honestly- made me so incredibly happy LMAO they’re my absolute fave lil dudes and I honestly thought I was going insane with the void stiles brain rot but I am, in fact, not insane. The scene where she vomits the ribbons?? The thing he tells her about counting fingers in dreams?? The line where the thing inside her says that it knows her mind and is her god (was giving major “Divine move? I’m a thousand years old you can’t kill me.�), the fact that he used to play lacrosse, the smartass comments and sarcasm at absolutely every turn no matter how inappropriate it was (the interaction between him and Reed while he’s literally still tied up is one of my fave scenes ever), the line about him memorising a lot of words, even the scene where she’s panicking in the bathroom felt like a hark to the Stiles/Lydia one in the show. The fact that he’s the one painfully human character and all he’s got is a bunch of supernatural friends and a heart of gold, Faber coughing up a spider (giving the flies/fireflies)- genuinely felt so giddy every single time I saw something that felt even vaguely like a reference. I usually hate pop culture references but these were so subtle and so tastefully done that I ate them UPPPPPPP!! 5 stars just for that tbh. Also the whole concept of the house being built on this ancient thing that was “sleeping in the mud� (love that line so much it tickled my brain) was giving major hellmouth vibes from Buffy and I gobbled it UP!
I really shouldn’t get started on Lane and Colton but here I am, starting anyway, I’ll keep it short but please note that even after this review has ended, I’m still going. My loves, the loves of my life I feel sick to my stomach thinking about them in a really good I love them so much it doesn’t fit in my body kind of way- the “Is there a reason you look like Lane?�- no one touch me. The rainbow mittens????? THE LINE ABOUT HER BEING HIS PORT IN A STORM?!!! HER SAYING COME HOME?!!! Also- do not get me started on the way he held Vivienne’s hand throughout the trip back, the crooked flower crown (real tears, here), the way it felt like he was making up for not being able to [redacted] with his [redacted] so he was trying to [redacted] with her!!!!. That?? Sick to my stomach. Actually so unwell. “Don’t go by the water.� Was that actually necessary, did I deserve that? What could I have possibly done to deserve that kind of pain???? The “Excellent�- that show of relief, of vulnerability, the way Lane could see it so clearly on his face when it was probably blank to everyone else, the hope for healing, of moving forward?!!!!! THAT THEY CAN BE THAT FOR EACH OTHER!!!! Also the line about feeling the most human “pinned� under Lane’s gaze (was this a reference back to the butterfly mural)??? The way he made sure she wouldn’t hear the voice in the church, that was literally the first thing he made sure of- my GOD!!
I have only one complaint, only one issue and it’s a personal preference point, nothing to do with the quality of writing etc. chapter 24, his anger issues, they bothered me maybe a lot, he spent the whole chapter giving her the silent treatment and brushing off her apology when she touched the compass, which felt so so so out of character, and no one else seemed to notice, and then ch25 was back to normal. Same with the way he was extra iffy with Tessa. It felt really out of the blue and for XYZ reasons, I really can't do love interests with anger issues, it's a personal thing so take it with a grain of salt, and yes he did redeem himself the following chapter (yeeeee) but it still stuck in my brain and I just :( (. That being said, I still adore him and I love them and I’m more bothered because in every other chapter he is wonderful but it was something that would bug me if I didn’t mention it moving oNNNNNN
The Pedyr reference was sick.
Anyways, I loved this book and I’m so excited to go back and do a reread of TWD some time this year, I need to know if Thomas is mentioned LMAO- there are some perks to having awful memory and it’s that a reread will feel almost like a first read XD
Thank you Kelly for sending me a proof copy ILY <333
Update: the way the biblical/religious analogies got more frequent/obvious when Philip/Christian were in the scene??? Was that on purpose?? Probably, it felt very intentional and honestly scratched my brain SO good i could write a whole essay just on that WOW
March 11, 2025
2025 reads: 48/300
2025 tbr: 21/111
i received a digital review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
after his father’s death, thomas walsh had to grow up quickly, taking on odd jobs to support his family, including his gravely ill mother. but the position as interpreter for an heiress who exclusively signs might turn out to be the oddest job yet. it pays well, so thomas is eager to accept, but vivienne farrow seems determined to break him. vivienne has had selective mutism since she went missing in red rock canyon at four years old. anyone who hears her voice suffers a horrible death. vivienne wants to be free of the monster inside of her, and when she finds someone willing to perform a surgical exorcism, she has her way out…she just has to get rid of thomas first.
i will be a kelly andrew fan until the day i die, so as soon as i learned she had a new book coming out, i quickly became obsessed! even better, this book featured selective mutism representation. this is (partially) what i did my senior capstone on, so i love seeing it represented, as long as it was represented accurately (as it was in this book). vivienne’s story was so interesting. the way her backstory unfolded to eventually put her present story into perspective was done excellently and handled with care. i also loved thomas; characters who had to grow up too quickly will forever have a special place in my heart. i love how he never backed down from the challenges thrown at him.
quick note: though this is a standalone, i would highly recommend reading the whispering dark before this book, since characters from that show up here!
overall, this was a wonderful exploration of autonomy, trauma, and fighting back—all wrapped in a cute, pink bow. i highly recommend this book!
2025 tbr: 21/111
i received a digital review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
after his father’s death, thomas walsh had to grow up quickly, taking on odd jobs to support his family, including his gravely ill mother. but the position as interpreter for an heiress who exclusively signs might turn out to be the oddest job yet. it pays well, so thomas is eager to accept, but vivienne farrow seems determined to break him. vivienne has had selective mutism since she went missing in red rock canyon at four years old. anyone who hears her voice suffers a horrible death. vivienne wants to be free of the monster inside of her, and when she finds someone willing to perform a surgical exorcism, she has her way out…she just has to get rid of thomas first.
i will be a kelly andrew fan until the day i die, so as soon as i learned she had a new book coming out, i quickly became obsessed! even better, this book featured selective mutism representation. this is (partially) what i did my senior capstone on, so i love seeing it represented, as long as it was represented accurately (as it was in this book). vivienne’s story was so interesting. the way her backstory unfolded to eventually put her present story into perspective was done excellently and handled with care. i also loved thomas; characters who had to grow up too quickly will forever have a special place in my heart. i love how he never backed down from the challenges thrown at him.
quick note: though this is a standalone, i would highly recommend reading the whispering dark before this book, since characters from that show up here!
overall, this was a wonderful exploration of autonomy, trauma, and fighting back—all wrapped in a cute, pink bow. i highly recommend this book!
March 3, 2025
This review was originally posted on
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
When you are the monster, how can you trust someone will come to save you. I Am Made of Death is the third book set in the world of The Whispering Dark (TWD). It is a stand alone, however a few of the characters from TWD make and appearance and play a role so as a reader you may want to read that first. I haven't read TWD and was able to follow the story fine, however I think I would have been even more invested if I had read the other story as well. I would describe this as romantic horror-lite.
Thomas needs this job. That is what he reminds himself every time Vivienne cuts him deeply or alternatively makes him want to protect her with everything he is. But, Thomas needs this job and the enormous paycheck that comes with it. He has been most of the sole support for his family since his dad died and his mom has been so sick. So he reminds himself that the girl is just a job. He shouldn't look at her too long. He shouldn't get too involved with whatever trouble she is in. And he definitely should under no circumstances kiss the girl that can cut him to the bone with signed word. Thomas knows Vivienne has a secret; she might be in trouble and it looks like Thomas is going to be the fool that risks himself to help a girl he just met and can't stop thinking about.
Vivienne is a monster, or close enough to one that she might as well be. She hasn't spoken in years. Bad things happen when she speaks out loud, people plead and beg and die. So she is selectively mute, because she doesn't want to be a monster, she only ever wanted to be a girl. Vivienne has maybe found a way to get the monster out of her. It is dangerous and she will need some people with very specific skills to help her. She will also need to ditch the Thomas, the interpreter/babysitter her step-father has hired. But, that is getting harder everyday she spends with the boy who looks almost as broken as her in some ways. What if she could just tell him everything, what if he could help her, what if she kills him.
My first Kelly Andrew book was Blood of my Bones and it was such a strange story with a haunting and beautifully written prose I wanted to see what else Kelly Andrew could do with that writing style. I was intrigued by the siren call premise of I Am Made of Death and forbidden love, it seemed like another winner for me. I enjoy the flowery and descriptive writing style that adds to the gothic feels of the book. Vivienne and Thomas both capture my heart with the dual PoVs and struggles the reader experiences through there eyes. Vivienne isn't a really loveable character, all jagged spikes and harsh actions. But seeing her through Thomas' eyes, you could see how she was just a girl who wanted someone to be on her side, instead of just thinking of how to use the monster she could be.
The story was captivating and I had a hard time putting it down. It was a good tease of mystery and horror to discover Vivienne's past and how she became made of death. The resolution went very differently from what I expected, however that is a good thing and I liked the direction the author took with the story. While the horror aspect was interesting I was here for the prose and the romantic interest aspects of the story and they delivered.
Recommended for anyone looking to try out horror as a new genre. The combination of the love story, horror aspects and prose make it an easy entry point.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
When you are the monster, how can you trust someone will come to save you. I Am Made of Death is the third book set in the world of The Whispering Dark (TWD). It is a stand alone, however a few of the characters from TWD make and appearance and play a role so as a reader you may want to read that first. I haven't read TWD and was able to follow the story fine, however I think I would have been even more invested if I had read the other story as well. I would describe this as romantic horror-lite.
Thomas needs this job. That is what he reminds himself every time Vivienne cuts him deeply or alternatively makes him want to protect her with everything he is. But, Thomas needs this job and the enormous paycheck that comes with it. He has been most of the sole support for his family since his dad died and his mom has been so sick. So he reminds himself that the girl is just a job. He shouldn't look at her too long. He shouldn't get too involved with whatever trouble she is in. And he definitely should under no circumstances kiss the girl that can cut him to the bone with signed word. Thomas knows Vivienne has a secret; she might be in trouble and it looks like Thomas is going to be the fool that risks himself to help a girl he just met and can't stop thinking about.
Vivienne is a monster, or close enough to one that she might as well be. She hasn't spoken in years. Bad things happen when she speaks out loud, people plead and beg and die. So she is selectively mute, because she doesn't want to be a monster, she only ever wanted to be a girl. Vivienne has maybe found a way to get the monster out of her. It is dangerous and she will need some people with very specific skills to help her. She will also need to ditch the Thomas, the interpreter/babysitter her step-father has hired. But, that is getting harder everyday she spends with the boy who looks almost as broken as her in some ways. What if she could just tell him everything, what if he could help her, what if she kills him.
She wondered if he’d weep if she told him what she thought of him, right out loud. Sometimes they did. Weep, that is. They begged. They crawled. They foamed at the mouth and writhed on the floor. All she had to do was scream. She was a piteous Medusa, her mouth full of snakes. A cursed siren, her voice full of venom.
My first Kelly Andrew book was Blood of my Bones and it was such a strange story with a haunting and beautifully written prose I wanted to see what else Kelly Andrew could do with that writing style. I was intrigued by the siren call premise of I Am Made of Death and forbidden love, it seemed like another winner for me. I enjoy the flowery and descriptive writing style that adds to the gothic feels of the book. Vivienne and Thomas both capture my heart with the dual PoVs and struggles the reader experiences through there eyes. Vivienne isn't a really loveable character, all jagged spikes and harsh actions. But seeing her through Thomas' eyes, you could see how she was just a girl who wanted someone to be on her side, instead of just thinking of how to use the monster she could be.
Vivienne Farrow wasn’t for loving. She wasn’t warm or sweet or good. Most days, she wasn’t even sure she was human.
The story was captivating and I had a hard time putting it down. It was a good tease of mystery and horror to discover Vivienne's past and how she became made of death. The resolution went very differently from what I expected, however that is a good thing and I liked the direction the author took with the story. While the horror aspect was interesting I was here for the prose and the romantic interest aspects of the story and they delivered.
Recommended for anyone looking to try out horror as a new genre. The combination of the love story, horror aspects and prose make it an easy entry point.
September 13, 2024
i really like kelly andrew. ‘your blood, my bones� is still my favorite but with ‘i am made of death� she’s continuing to evolve and create such an engaging, twisty voice. i’m not caught up enough on what’s happening in ya fantasy at large to say if she is or isn’t doing something unique, but i do think she’s doing something well. i like her slant towards a more body horror focus, and her characters� sharpness feels more honest than a lot of ya protagonists i’ve read. vivienne in particular feels so incredibly real to me. andrew mentions in the author’s note that this story really comes from feelings she had about being disabled when she was younger, and you can feel it on page. the exploration of that intense anger and pain, and then the reassurance and catharsis that follows.
one nitpick i have: now is the best time for her to wrap up the interconnectedness of her books. or at least start toning it down? better to quit while you’re ahead than have it start to feel cheap. i’d be happy if this book wrapped up a kind of unofficial trilogy. i still find myself with questions when it comes to some of the details on her world building, but her characters are really the main focus and are also one of the strongest points.
thank you to netgalley for the arc!
one nitpick i have: now is the best time for her to wrap up the interconnectedness of her books. or at least start toning it down? better to quit while you’re ahead than have it start to feel cheap. i’d be happy if this book wrapped up a kind of unofficial trilogy. i still find myself with questions when it comes to some of the details on her world building, but her characters are really the main focus and are also one of the strongest points.
thank you to netgalley for the arc!
March 28, 2025
4⭐️
This was super! I loved this plot, I loved these characters, I loved the writing style and the visuals it crafted for us. The vibes were immaculate. 🩷🖤🩷🖤
I loved the pairing of Thomas and Vivienne, but I wish the romance had had a little more development. It kinda came out of nowhere. It did evolve beautifully towards the end, but I wish we'd gotten a bit more leading up to it.
I think I definitely need to do a re-read (preferably a double feature with The Whispering Dark) as I was really slow to catch on to a lot of connections and found myself a bit confused here and there, but overall this was a really cool addition to the interconnected universe.
This was super! I loved this plot, I loved these characters, I loved the writing style and the visuals it crafted for us. The vibes were immaculate. 🩷🖤🩷🖤
I loved the pairing of Thomas and Vivienne, but I wish the romance had had a little more development. It kinda came out of nowhere. It did evolve beautifully towards the end, but I wish we'd gotten a bit more leading up to it.
I think I definitely need to do a re-read (preferably a double feature with The Whispering Dark) as I was really slow to catch on to a lot of connections and found myself a bit confused here and there, but overall this was a really cool addition to the interconnected universe.
December 21, 2024
I went into this really excited to read another book by Kelly Andrew. I read “Your Blood, My Bones,� and it was so different and I loved it. But unfortunately I didn’t feel the same about “I am Made of Death.� They both are YA but this one felt so much younger and focused a bit more on a quick whirlwind romance (that really had no buildup or reality) that I honestly didn’t know what was going on in the main paranormal story more of the time. Vivienne & Thomas just didn’t have a ton of depth aside from the current situation happening. It was a really neat premise and I enjoyed seeing someone who signed be represented but it really was a letdown in my opinion.
-3.5 stars rounded up
Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read and review this book.
-3.5 stars rounded up
Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read and review this book.
February 8, 2025
This was such a unique take on a possession story. After reading and devouring all three of Kelly’s standalone books I firmly believe in her abilities as an author who bridges the gap between horror and fantasy, creating a genre all of her own.
Her creative storytelling cannot be denied. There’s no other author who I feel her work can be compared to.
Yet again her characters bring depth and authenticity to each page. The inherent flaws in each of them makes them even more relatable as humans. You may not necessarily like them but you will be drawn in.
Current fans will love this one and for those who are curious about her work - come jump in. Trust me, you are missing out.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic APress for my eARC.
Her creative storytelling cannot be denied. There’s no other author who I feel her work can be compared to.
Yet again her characters bring depth and authenticity to each page. The inherent flaws in each of them makes them even more relatable as humans. You may not necessarily like them but you will be drawn in.
Current fans will love this one and for those who are curious about her work - come jump in. Trust me, you are missing out.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic APress for my eARC.
January 5, 2025
I have mixed feelings on this one! Overall, I liked each of the characters as well as the plot. It had good bones and it did have me interested and hooked. However, I felt like things in the plot and romance didn’t build in a natural way. There wasn’t enough substance to the relationship before Thomas was willing to pit everything on the line for her. Sometimes I felt confused by the number of characters that were thrown in as well. I guess I feel like it wasn’t all fleshed out well. However it was definitely creepy at times and had plenty of horror elements to keep it interesting.
March 6, 2025
This was my first book by this author, and I really enjoyed it. It definitely makes me wanna go back and read the other books set in this universe. RTC
March 25, 2025
Fantastic but definitely should not be read as a standalone. Without reading The Whispering Dark in particular...I would've been so lost. Or perhaps, important details wouldn't have hit as hard. Do yourself a favor and read Kelly Andrew's other novels first (theyre all amazing). Either way, a brilliant book.
November 25, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC !!
˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖ 𐙚 ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖˖ ݁˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖. ݁ ˖. ݁� � . ݁˖ 𖥔. ݁
𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞
🎀bubblegum horror
🦷bodyguard romance
🎀mutual pining
🦷found family
I Am Made of Death is a dark and twisted, weird little book that's also SO romantic and beautiful, you simply can't help but immediately fall in love with it.
It's written so beautifully haunting and creates the most stunning imagery ever oh my god... I can't get over it. 😭 The way some scenes were described and written, even if it was just the tiniest little detail, set the perfect eerie mood & just added sooo much to the atmosphere and the reading experience 🧎🏻♀�
Like genuinely it was so good that I caught myself wishing I knew how to paint or draw just so I could capture specific scenes 😭
I need to see this book adapted into a movie please!🫵🏼
(I also really loved how sign language was included into the writing and thought it worked so so well!)
I already knew that I was going to love the horror elements and the creepiness of this book, but it was the romance that really had me hooked from the very beginning. 🥹
The yearning and pining between the two characters was SO DAMN GOOD, I was genuinely giggling and kicking my feet all the time!! 😭
It takes a lot for me to be this giddy about a romance, so I can safely say that the way theirs was written was just pure perfection, so soft and sweer ughhhh I WISH we'd gotten so much more of it.
Kelly Andrew really masters any genre and subgenre she touches 🧎🏻♀�
She always writes the most lovable characters ever, they just feel SO real, like they're actual people out there in the world living their silly lives. 😔 I immediately fell in love with both Vivienne and Thomas and was rooting for them so hard. It was great to see how morally ambiguous both of them were and how that somehow only made me like them more. 😭
& another thing I'm gonna say is I am absolutely OBSESSED with the way everything was connected and came together in the end, the little found family we got!! 🥹 It really was the perfect full circle moment and a great conclusion to the story. 🫶🏼
Highly highly recommend I Am Made of Death!! I loved it so much.
Kelly Andrew truly is the queen of horror and I'll read anything she'll ever write 🧎🏻♀�
(oh and by the way!! even though this is technically a standalone, pleaseee do yourself a favor and read 'the whispering dark' and 'your blood, my bones' BEFORE you get into this one because they ARE connected and it'll make for an even better reading experience! You don't need the first two books to understand this one but I really really recommend reading them anyway. trust me 😭)
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC !!
˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖ 𐙚 ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖˖ ݁˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖. ݁ ˖. ݁� � . ݁˖ 𖥔. ݁
𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞
🎀bubblegum horror
🦷bodyguard romance
🎀mutual pining
🦷found family
I Am Made of Death is a dark and twisted, weird little book that's also SO romantic and beautiful, you simply can't help but immediately fall in love with it.
It's written so beautifully haunting and creates the most stunning imagery ever oh my god... I can't get over it. 😭 The way some scenes were described and written, even if it was just the tiniest little detail, set the perfect eerie mood & just added sooo much to the atmosphere and the reading experience 🧎🏻♀�
Like genuinely it was so good that I caught myself wishing I knew how to paint or draw just so I could capture specific scenes 😭
I need to see this book adapted into a movie please!🫵🏼
(I also really loved how sign language was included into the writing and thought it worked so so well!)
I already knew that I was going to love the horror elements and the creepiness of this book, but it was the romance that really had me hooked from the very beginning. 🥹
The yearning and pining between the two characters was SO DAMN GOOD, I was genuinely giggling and kicking my feet all the time!! 😭
It takes a lot for me to be this giddy about a romance, so I can safely say that the way theirs was written was just pure perfection, so soft and sweer ughhhh I WISH we'd gotten so much more of it.
Kelly Andrew really masters any genre and subgenre she touches 🧎🏻♀�
She always writes the most lovable characters ever, they just feel SO real, like they're actual people out there in the world living their silly lives. 😔 I immediately fell in love with both Vivienne and Thomas and was rooting for them so hard. It was great to see how morally ambiguous both of them were and how that somehow only made me like them more. 😭
& another thing I'm gonna say is I am absolutely OBSESSED with the way everything was connected and came together in the end, the little found family we got!! 🥹 It really was the perfect full circle moment and a great conclusion to the story. 🫶🏼
Highly highly recommend I Am Made of Death!! I loved it so much.
Kelly Andrew truly is the queen of horror and I'll read anything she'll ever write 🧎🏻♀�
(oh and by the way!! even though this is technically a standalone, pleaseee do yourself a favor and read 'the whispering dark' and 'your blood, my bones' BEFORE you get into this one because they ARE connected and it'll make for an even better reading experience! You don't need the first two books to understand this one but I really really recommend reading them anyway. trust me 😭)
March 16, 2025
I had SUCH a blast reading this so I am rounding up to 4 stars from a 3.5.
The horror imagery was so creepy and imaginative. The character work was also spectacular. Im also a big fan of Kelly Andrew’s prose, which was predictably great in this.
However, on the flip side, there was quite a few loose ends, the romance didnt quite work for the first half and the plot itself got a little too big for its boots. I wish it had been pared down slightly, keeping the demon possession itself as the central issue for the characters. The page count is far too low for the plot to be going that crazy.
Even with these criticisms, I would highly recommend.
The horror imagery was so creepy and imaginative. The character work was also spectacular. Im also a big fan of Kelly Andrew’s prose, which was predictably great in this.
However, on the flip side, there was quite a few loose ends, the romance didnt quite work for the first half and the plot itself got a little too big for its boots. I wish it had been pared down slightly, keeping the demon possession itself as the central issue for the characters. The page count is far too low for the plot to be going that crazy.
Even with these criticisms, I would highly recommend.
April 5, 2025
While not acknowledged anywhere in the book or in the marketing, this is actually part of an interconnected world shared with two other novels. Characters from the other books play a big part in the resolution of this novel and mostly show up without any backstory. They clearly expected you to have read the other part first, even if they don’t mention it anywhere.
If you liked the other books in this standalone that are not standalone, I guess you will enjoy this one. Otherwise, this will just end up as an unsatisfying read.
If you liked the other books in this standalone that are not standalone, I guess you will enjoy this one. Otherwise, this will just end up as an unsatisfying read.
April 14, 2025
Me not realizing this is the second book in an interconnected series 🫠
Super fun little horror romance.
Goopy, gross, dripping, and wrapped in a pale pink ribbon
Super fun little horror romance.
Goopy, gross, dripping, and wrapped in a pale pink ribbon
October 14, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Scholastic for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!
How does one properly review a masterpiece? How do you describe picking up a book by a beloved author and falling in love with their writing all over again?
For starters, this book feels like Kelly has poured her own heart and soul onto the page, and every word of that was so beautiful to read. Vivenne is at once a strong, independent woman and a girl scared of truly being seen. I adored her as a main character because I saw so much of myself and the chronically ill/disabled experience within her. She embodies what it's like to wish you could whisk away that "most unique" part of yourself that others all too often fear, pity, or hate. She embodies the experience of trying to wrench that piece of yourself out by the roots, only to discover that those who truly love you were never bothered by it in the first place.
And then there's the actual story and the utter craftsmanship. The way that Kelly's books have been weaved together is so masterful it's breathtaking. And that doesn't even begin to cover what it's been like to watch her mastery advance with each book. Kelly's ability to use the written word to take you through emotions as though they are your own, as though you are beside the characters and are fighting their fights is always incredible and grows with every new story. The backdrop of bubblegum horror combined with the raw and vulnerable story of Vivenne and Thomas is one that gives its all to the reader as it reaches into their very being and mirrors their heart.
Please don't ask me how much I love Thomas...I am unwell.
If you're looking for a masterfully crafted series of standalones full of love, eldritch horrors, and the most perfect representation, look no further!
How does one properly review a masterpiece? How do you describe picking up a book by a beloved author and falling in love with their writing all over again?
For starters, this book feels like Kelly has poured her own heart and soul onto the page, and every word of that was so beautiful to read. Vivenne is at once a strong, independent woman and a girl scared of truly being seen. I adored her as a main character because I saw so much of myself and the chronically ill/disabled experience within her. She embodies what it's like to wish you could whisk away that "most unique" part of yourself that others all too often fear, pity, or hate. She embodies the experience of trying to wrench that piece of yourself out by the roots, only to discover that those who truly love you were never bothered by it in the first place.
And then there's the actual story and the utter craftsmanship. The way that Kelly's books have been weaved together is so masterful it's breathtaking. And that doesn't even begin to cover what it's been like to watch her mastery advance with each book. Kelly's ability to use the written word to take you through emotions as though they are your own, as though you are beside the characters and are fighting their fights is always incredible and grows with every new story. The backdrop of bubblegum horror combined with the raw and vulnerable story of Vivenne and Thomas is one that gives its all to the reader as it reaches into their very being and mirrors their heart.
Please don't ask me how much I love Thomas...I am unwell.
If you're looking for a masterfully crafted series of standalones full of love, eldritch horrors, and the most perfect representation, look no further!
Want to read
July 5, 2024She is not to go anywhere without express permission. She is not to deviate from her routine.
She is, most importantly, not to be out after dark.
A selective-mute, Vivienne Farrow hasn't said a word in years [...] the sound of her voice is now as deadly as a poison. Anyone who hears her speak suffers a horrible death.
She is, most importantly, not to be out after dark.
A selective-mute, Vivienne Farrow hasn't said a word in years [...] the sound of her voice is now as deadly as a poison. Anyone who hears her speak suffers a horrible death.
Want to read
May 6, 2024The author listed the tropes featured in this book on Twitter and darling I’m in 💖
February 11, 2025
Kelly Andrew has done it again. I Am Made of Death has to be my new favorite of her books, when I don’t think anything could top Your Blood, My Bones. This is a Bubblegum Horror, a subgenre with bright colors and glitz, rather than just darker tones. The images of blood and rot are broken up by ballet shoes and pale pinks, a pillow of safety in the storm.
After the death of his father, Thomas Walsh has had to take many an odd job in order to keep a roof over his mother and sister’s heads. Anything to pay the bills, and keep his sick mother off of her feet. When he’s offered a high paying job as an interpreter for an heiress who doesn’t speak, Thomas doesn’t question it. As the hearing child of a deaf parent, he can sign in his sleep.
But something lurks under Vivienne Farrow’s pastel pink exterior. A selective mute, she hasn’t spoken a word in years, after a traumatic experience as a child left her unable to. Not only this, Vivienne is determined to shake her new babysitter, swearing she’ll drive him to quit. He’ll tell all of her secrets to her stepfather, including something she’s been searching to find for years- a cure to her little paranormal problem.
Thomas is thrust into a world of new money and secrets, ballet moves and the occult, and it seems like he and Vivienne are the only ones who can trust each other.
Kelly Andrew’s imagery is so VIVID. Every description seems to drip off of the page. I Am Made of Death was absolutely incredible, and I am so very grateful to the folks over at Netgalley and Scholastic for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early! It publishes on March 4, so place your preorders and look out for it in stores!
After the death of his father, Thomas Walsh has had to take many an odd job in order to keep a roof over his mother and sister’s heads. Anything to pay the bills, and keep his sick mother off of her feet. When he’s offered a high paying job as an interpreter for an heiress who doesn’t speak, Thomas doesn’t question it. As the hearing child of a deaf parent, he can sign in his sleep.
But something lurks under Vivienne Farrow’s pastel pink exterior. A selective mute, she hasn’t spoken a word in years, after a traumatic experience as a child left her unable to. Not only this, Vivienne is determined to shake her new babysitter, swearing she’ll drive him to quit. He’ll tell all of her secrets to her stepfather, including something she’s been searching to find for years- a cure to her little paranormal problem.
Thomas is thrust into a world of new money and secrets, ballet moves and the occult, and it seems like he and Vivienne are the only ones who can trust each other.
Kelly Andrew’s imagery is so VIVID. Every description seems to drip off of the page. I Am Made of Death was absolutely incredible, and I am so very grateful to the folks over at Netgalley and Scholastic for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early! It publishes on March 4, so place your preorders and look out for it in stores!
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