AD – GIFTED | One of my all-time favourite TV shows is the now sadly-finished The Vampire Diaries. And not just because of Damon, Klaus, Enzo and Kai, although they offered some compelling reasons to keep watching. If you’re looking for a show with founding families, myths, magic, and an ever-changing Big Bad, The Vampire Diaries* is your first port of call. There’s something uniquely American and fascinating (for me) about magical stories surrounding founding families. So when a copy of The Devouring Gray * landed on my desk I couldn’t wait to open it.
The Devouring Gray
STICKS, STONES, DAGGERS, BONES. On the edge of town, a beast haunts the woods, trapped in the Gray, its bonds loosening…
Uprooted from the city, Violet Saunders doesn’t have much hope of fitting in at her new school in Four Paths, a town almost buried in the woodlands of rural New York. The fact that she’s descended from one of the town’s four Founders doesn’t help much, either – her new neighbours treat her with distant respect, and something very like fear. When she meets Justin, May, Isaac, and Harper, all children of Founder families, and sees the otherworldly destruction they can wreak, she starts to wonder if the townsfolk are right to be afraid.
When bodies start to appear in the woods, she’s left with a choice: band together with the other Founders, or risk being devoured by the Gray altogether…
An exciting crossover debut, The Devouring Gray blends the aesthetics of Stranger Things, Twin Peaks and Riverdale, into an engaging and highly atmospheric read. The Devouring Gray is available in paperback or Kindle from Amazon UK.
Born in New York City but raised in Japan and Hong Kong, Christine Lynn Herman subscribes to the firm philosophy that home is where her books are. She returned to the US for college, where she traded a subtropical climate for harsh, snowy winters and a degree at the University of Rochester. She resides in Brooklyn, where she works in publishing by day and writes novels by night.
First impressions
I didn’t just get a beautiful book with some gorgeous pink outer edges. Also enclosed were four tarot cards for the four Founders: Sticks, Stones, Daggers, Bones. Aren’t they simply stunning? Such a lovely additional touch from Titan Books.
The Devouring Gray centres on the four Founding families and their descendants, who each have a particular power that helps them protect the town from the Beast in the Gray. Or at least they should have, because they need to survive a ritual first to attain their individual powers.
Both Justin (Sticks) and Harper (Stones) failed their rituals and Harper bears a huge grudge for the way Justin and his family sidelined her afterwards. Justin’s secret is safe though because he’s the mayor’s son. His best friend, Isaac (Daggers), lives on his own after his family died in an unexplained and horrific accident. And Violet (Bones) is dealing with not only the upheaval of the move to Four Paths, she’s also grieving for her dead sister.
The Devouring Gray packs a lot of action into its 400 pages: death, loss, grief, violence, some fairly graphic descriptions, rituals, self-sacrifice, and magic. I loved the way Herman has written her main characters and their families. I found myself continually reassessing my responses to them as the novel progressed. My favourite is Harper, a fabulously spiky, brave, and loyal character. Closely followed by the mysterious and melancholy Isaac, of whom more later. There’s a brilliantly named cat, Orpheus, and at the heart of story, lies the Beast in the Gray who, it turns out, is not an entirely bad entity either.
There’s also, refreshingly, some LGBTQ representation too. Violet and Isaac are both bisexual, although in this story at least there’s no happy ending for either of them. And the links between Violet and Justin go further than just Founders, when you discover that their mothers, Augusta and Juniper, used to be lovers.
Would I recommend it?
The Devouring Gray is a real page-turner, it keeps you continually guessing as to what’s going to happen next. The characters are believable and the atmosphere is electric in places. Coming back to Isaac, and without wishing to give any spoilers, the Epilogue made me gasp out loud. I sincerely hope that Christine Lynn Herman is planning a sequel because this cliffhanger is cruel. Assuming this book is the first in a series, do seize your chance to immerse yourself in Four Paths now, because I have a feeling there are a LOT more secrets waiting to be revealed!
Thank you so much to Titan Books for my copy of The Devouring Gray, and accompanying tarot cards. It’s a book I know I’ll come back to again while I’m waiting for the (much hoped-for) sequel 🙂
* This post features some affiliate links (please see my disclaimer).
* This book was sent in exchange for a review but all opinions are my own. Please do feel free to check out my other book reviews too.
This sounds like an amazing book! It’s not the type of approach I’ve seen before and that makes it sound like a really refreshing and engaging read. Great review!
It’s a fabulous book, I absolutely loved it (can you tell, haha?) Thank you so much for your lovely comment, it’s taken me a while to find a review format that works for me but I’m happy with it now!
This book really sounds like the perfect book for me, I love the idea of a mystery book and I also like how there’s loads of themes out together for this book. I haven’t had a book that I’ve really loved and haven’t wanted to put down in ages so I’ll check this one out! Thanks for the review x
Oh, I don’t think you’d be disappointed with this one, it’s such a good read. There’s so much going on, far too much to incorporate in a review without spoilers, sadly! x
Oh my gosh this book sounds so fab! I’ve just added it to my “to-read” list, thank you for sharing and making me aware of it. 🌸💜
With love, Alisha Valerie x | http://www.alishavalerie.com
It is, and you’re very welcome, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
This sounds like such a good book! Definitely a genre that peaks my interest. I’ll have to pick up a copy very soon or pop it on my birthday wish list. 😉 Great review Lisa. Oh and while we’re talking fantasy, I liked TVD books but sadly didn’t think the TV show was as good. 🙁 It just didn’t live up to my expectations.
It’s a brilliant read, I hope you get lucky for your birthday. I haven’t read TVD books so I can’t compare, but I guess it’s quite common for adaptations not to live up to the originals! 🙂
This sounds like a thrilling read! I really enjoy your review style and that cover is beautiful ♥
It’s a wonderful read, and thank you so much, that’s so kind of you!
Sounds like a super exciting book and right up my avenue! I had not heard of it nor the author but will add it to my book wishlist!
Ooooh good, I hope you enjoy it, it’s her debut novel and it’s wonderful!
Ooo I like the sound of this book! I used to love the vampire diaries too, the books were great and so was the show!
I hate it when a book ends on a cliffhanger and you are waiting for the next in the series!
I think I will have to have a look into this one and download it onto my kindle.
Thanks for sharing, I love seeing other people’s book reviews!
Aimsy xoxo
https://www.aimsysantics.co.uk
Yay, a fellow TVD lover, I’m so happy! Actually, this cliffhanger is so good and unexpected, I think it works but I know what you mean 🙂 I hope you love it too – you’ll have to let me know what you think x
I really like the sound of this and I actually instantly thought of Stranger Things when I looked at the cover, before I read, “The Devouring Gray blends the aesthetics of Stranger Things, Twin Peaks and Riverdale”! I really like the sound of this, thank you for sharing! <3
Jenny
http://www.jennyinneverland.com
Oh yay, you’re welcome, I hope you love it as much as I do if you read it! X
This is a new book I’ve not heard of before but love the sounds of the themes and characters, always good to read something mysterious and different
This is the debut novel from Christine and I feel very privileged to have received a pre-publication copy, it’s fab, I think she’s definitely one to watch!
I’m not usually into this genre but your review has me wanting to read it! You made the characters seem very interesting. Good to hear there’s some LGBT representation in there too. Xx
Oh wow, that’s just what every reviewer want to hear, thank you so much! I hope you do enjoy it if you pick up a copy – please let me know what you think if you do 🙂 X
This sounds like such a great read, I love that there are a few different themes running through it. The cover is beautiful! Very captivating. The book itself sounds really engaging, character development sounds fabulous too. Might have to add this to my list! x
Sophie
The artwork is just stunning isn’t it? It complements the book perfectly. Do let me know if you read it and if so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! x
Hi Lisa,
What an interesting review. I don’t know much about Founding Families but I really enjoyed your review. I definitely felt that I wanted to keep reading to the end of the post. I love your pictures. They are very tastefully put together. Thank you for writing a great review. Raheela
Oh, thank you so much, what a lovely thing to say, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’m quite proud of my pictures too, although the book and cards did make it easy for me 🙂
This sounds like an action-packed story which covers so many interesting topics! I love a book that keeps the reader guessing and engaged throughout. The cover is absolutely stunning and really sets the tone for a story full of mystery, secrets and suspense. The tarot cards are such a cool addition and they look beautiful too. Your book reviews are always so well written Lisa, and even though this isn’t my usual genre, the description has intrigued me and your photos are gorgeous! I’m curious to give it a read and fingers crossed for a sequel! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, fab post as always! <3 xxx
Oh yay, that’s amazing, I’m so glad you enjoyed the review and I’ve intrigued you sufficiently to consider reading it yourself too! Honestly, I couldn’t put it down, it was so well-written and the characters are brilliant. I just can’t wait to see what happens next! xxx
i love books that keeps me guessing what’s going to happen next !! such an interesting one!
Me too, and this one definitely falls into that category!
This sounds interesting Lisa. I like to read books when there is some connection to the past and current is affected by it. Mystery, suspense thrilling books interest me. Will add this one to my reading list as well. I love the cover, very pretty and the name is interesting too. You do perfect book reviews without giving away much. Thanks my dear. 🙂
Via | http://glossnglitters.com
Aw, thank you so much, Via, that’s such a lovely compliment! I do find book review very hard to write, it’s always such a struggle to convey WHY I loved a book so much without giving away any spoilers 🙂 x
Ohhh! I loved The Vampire Diaries! I have heard a little about this book, but now I can’t wait to read it!
Yay, a fellow fan! I hope you enjoy this book too 🙂
Me too! I am very excited after reading your review.
Aw thank you, that’s so lovely to hear!