Review: The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman

Title: The Devouring Gray 

Author:  Christine Lynn Herman
Publisher: Titan Books
Publishing Date:  April 2nd, 2019

Pages: 368
Genre: YA Fantasy Horror

Series:  The Devouring Gray #1
Source:  Audio

 

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 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, the locals become downright hostile. Can the teenagers solve the mystery of Four Paths, and their own part in it, before another calamity strikes?

It seems I waited for a very long time for this book. When I first noticed the book I knew it was something I wanted to read. Creepy and freaky and scary and all that good stuff. I did find this book to be really good. It was creepy.. scary no but creepy yes. It has a very interesting story and I was completely wrapped up into the history of the gray. It was fast paced and had very interesting characters. The only downside… the ending was a bit of cliffhanger.

There is a town with four founding families. Each with powers that were needed to keep away the devouring gray… something that attacked and killed in this small town. This is the story about the children of the founding families and the gray. Can’t really say more than that without giving anything away. The gray is devouring and the families need to stop it.

This book was very interesting and it was very layered. Which is something I appreciate. The story of the gray isn’t really shared until late in the book however, that was okay. At times I did forget about the gray because I was completely into the founding families and their stories. I loved the history of each family and how they intertwined. I enjoyed know more about the powers and how they came to their powers. I liked the fact that one of the founding families moved away and came back with a daughter that knew nothing of this town or the gray or the families. So the history lesson came natural, I was able to learn as she learned. The entire thing was just captivating and interesting.

The characters I did like. They were all flawed and broken and a little messed up but it seemed to come with the territory. They were complicated and messy and I did fall in love with them. There really wasn’t much romance in this book but there were still some very complicated relationships. The story more focused on friendship and family relationships than romance. Which I was all good for. However, that being said, the ending did set up for a romance to start for the next installment. Which I don’t mind. It didn’t feel rushed and it seems it will bring in more complications… yay.

The story was well told, beautiful writing. The tone was perfect to set up the story in the right kind of setting. A gothic feel to the read at times. Old families, old secrets, old town, old houses. I am going to be honest… at times I got a Vampire Diaries- the show- vibe in this book. Which I loved. I mean no vampires but lots of old history and magic and evil. It was kind of great. The entire thing was just beautifully eerie and I l loved every moment of it.

The only thing I didn’t like… not much resolution in the end. There were answers to many questions but nothing resolved…and a bit (just a little) cliffhanger. So there is that. I have to wait another year at least to find out what is going to happen. But I guess that is okay…. I will wait patiently… kind of…


It was good. I really really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more.

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 United States for college, where she traded out a subtropical climate for harsh, snowy winters and an Honors English degree at the University of Rochester. Currently, Christine and her books reside in Brooklyn, along with her partner and their extremely spoiled cat.