The Devouring Gray (The Devouring Gray, 1)

THIS. BOOK. The writing is so beautiful and perfectly captures this creepy, atmospheric small town setting. The characters absolutely leap off the page. The story blends family history, past and present, and dark magical secrets together into an honestly captivating and refreshing YA read.

Read if you love
- THE RAVEN BOYS
- THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST
- STRANGER THINGS
- RIVERDALE

"People could hurt each other without being monsters. And they could love each other without being saints."

TW: parental abuse and manipulation; offbook death of a cat, familial death and discussion of, grief and death discussions, intense scenes,

The town of Four Paths is haunted by a monster that comes in a mist. The mist devours its victims. Usually, this monster only takes one but lately the death rate has increased. Four founding families, each with their own supernatural abilities, are honored in the town with protecting the people against the mist. Things really start to change when Violet Saunders moves back to town after her sister dies only to discover abilities she didn't know she possessed in a haunted town that needs her more than ever.

There are alot of political dynamics in this town because of certain founding families that are fighting to maintain their power in a town who is losing faith in their ability to protect them. With so many deaths, a time is coming when the feuding of these founding families needs to be set aside in order to defeat an ancient evil.

This felt very supernatural with all the mist and the mystery surrounding the mist; but all the mystery also left me breathless by the end and wanting this story to never be over with. I make no underestimation when I say I was on the literal edge of my seat when all the big reveals started taking place and I couldn't have been happier with this.

There was so much lore to the background of this story and felt so rich in history. I absolutely loved how they captured the dynamics with regards to the four family's founding children, and how the feuding between the families effected those dynamics. There was enough tension to keep things interesting, but not so much that relationships couldn't be formed and built upon.

Also, there was rep for LGBTQ+ which was super refreshing in a story like this. Usually this rep dominates contemporary only and it was well placed throughout this book.

I absolutely loved this and I need the sequel immediately!

Set in a small town in upstate New York, The Devouring Gray follows a group of teenagers descended from the town’s founders who have to team up to prevent an ancient beast from breaking free.

Everyone seems to love this book! I’ve heard nothing but great reviews! I don’t know what I’m missing!

First of all, let’s talk about the characters. This is definitely a character focused book, which is exactly how I like my urban fantasies to be.

Violet Saunders is the new girl in town who comes in without knowing anything about her family’s heritage. Justin and May Hawthorne, brother and sister, are basically the town’s golden kids. Isaac Sullivan is the broody loner and Justin’s best friend. Harper Carlisle is the pariah who feels invisible even in their tiny town.

Each of these characters is interesting in their own way, though I never felt quite as connected to them as I wanted. Plus, I could tell that the author was setting up for some romance, and while I didn’t hate any of the couples, I also didn’t really care about any of them – oops.

Basically, this book felt like it had a lot of potential which, at least for me, it didn’t reach.

For example: the plot was interesting. There were twists that I didn’t see coming and clever bits of foreshadowing; there was a beginning, a middle, an end, and everything you need to make a solid plot. But I wasn’t getting much tension throughout.

In a book, you expect there to be rises and falls of tension, right? I could see where those rises were supposed to be, but I wasn’t feeling them at all. I don’t know if it was my own failure to connect with the writing or something else entirely. Whatever it was, I rarely cared that much about what was going to happen next.

Plus, we spent a bit too much time not knowing what was going on even when the characters did. I can understand withholding information from the audience for the sake of mystery, but it reached the point where I was confused because I hadn’t been given an important piece of the puzzle.

All those complaints aside, I did think the author did an incredible job with evoking the atmosphere. The moments when I was the most invested were when we got vivid descriptions of the woods, making them feel alive and sinister. The spookiness factor was top notch and made me understand the comparisons to Stranger Things!

For a debut novel, this isn’t bad – there are some interesting characters, a creepy setting, and some great setup for the next book in the series. I just don’t think I’ll be reading that! And since everyone else seems to be loving this book, maybe in the end it’s not you, it’s me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway, this book is out now and if it sounds interesting to you at all, you should go check it out!

*ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.*

The best way I could describe The Devouring Gray is that it's a CW show, but as a book. The tone was dark and broody with an air of mystery. The characters were all attractive with a complicated history and the adults were just as complicated as mysterious. Violet's introduction to the small town of Four Paths was interesting as it was a town that depended on four magical families to protect them from a Beast that could drag them to an alternate dimension and kill/eat them. I did think that Violet, who had never heard of Four Paths or anything related to it, accepted the magical town and her role too easily. At the end of the day, it was a decent read for me that didn't dig deeper.

Four Paths is a small town in a woodsy part of New York that was founded by four families in the 1800's and who's descendants are now responsible for keeping the rest of the town safe from the Beast with different powers that are passed down through each founder family.

Recently, the town has been experiencing an influx of deaths caused by the Beast and the town is starting to become disenchanted with the founders and question what exactly they're doing to keep everyone safe because it certainly doesn't seem to be working.

This book mainly follows four characters, one from each family.

Violet Saunders has just moved to Four Paths, her mother's hometown, after the death of her sister, Rosie. She is thrown into this whole founder family thing and has to figure it out without the help of her mother, who seems to have no idea what's going on. I liked Violet, but I felt like she just accepted literally everything anyone told her at face value.

Justin Hawthorne is basically the town's golden boy. He is popular, athletic, the son of the town's sheriff. He basically spends the whole book trying to help everyone and make up for his past wrongdoings. He is also SUPER "woe-is-me" throughout the book about everything.

Isaac Sullivan was probably my favorite character. He's kind of like the destructive, bad boy one in the group. He's probably the one with the most interesting (read: sad) past and the one that I am the most curious about in the future of this series. I want all the good things for Isaac Sullivan.

Harper Carlisle is the outcast of the group, having been shunned after failing her ritual and losing her arm. She is angry, and rightfully so, but it didn't feel like there was all that much to her beyond her anger and her basically hating that she still wants Justin Hawthorne after everything he put her through.

Overall, I liked the characters, I just wish that there was more to some of them. But I liked seeing how they all came to be friends or at least tolerate each other after Violet came to town.

I would have liked to know more about the Beast and where it came from. You don't even really get to know what the Beast even IS in this book and I feel like it raises some questions about who is really the bad guy in the grand scheme of things in this town. So, interesting, would like to know more.

There really wasn't a lot of romance in this book. There are no pairings by the end of the book. But there are some feelings brewing and I liked one of the pairs more than the other, but for a book with so many characters that are bisexual, there don't seem to be any main m/m or f/f pairings in the works, which is a little bit disappointing.

I have not seen Stranger Things, but I feel like the Raven Cycle series is an adequate comparison, it has a similar vibe, but maybe doesn't feel QUITE as atmospheric or eerie.

I enjoyed this book for the most part but, I felt like some of the writing wasn't my favorite. Some of the pacing was a bit off for me. Like for example, one minute, Violet was leaving her house with her aunt sitting on the porch with her cat, Orpheus, and then it felt like the next minute, Violet was in the woods and Orpheus was already there.

And the other thing for me was each character being explicitly described by their skin color. Besides the fact that this felt unnecessary because I only remember one small character being black, there are only so many points of view I needed to know that one character was white from. I am pretty sure there were at least two points of view that we first saw Violet from and they both said something along the lines of "there was a white girl standing there". I'm not saying trying to say that this is a bad thing, it's definitely not. I'm just saying that there are probably more ways you can describe a person besides JUST black and white. Which, later in the book this did get slightly better, but it was really prevalent in the beginning.

And I just want to know how a cat that seems to be fairly active can spend the entire book with a piece of red yarn tied around his ear? Like, it's adorable, but it just kinda... sounds fake.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was interesting and I am pretty sure that I would die for Isaac Sullivan. If you liked the Raven Cycle series, this is definitely worth a try. I am excited to see where this series goes.

Not my cup of tea

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

This book was like the perfect amalgamation of so many things. The historical intrigue and adventure of The Raven Cycle. The pleasant weirdness of Stranger Things. The paranormal town teen angst of Teen Wolf and The Vampire Diaries. The atmosphere of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. It’s almost as if Stephen King wrote a YA novel.

The author has a unique prose that took a little getting used to, but once I did I was hooked. This felt like a very plot-driven story. And it was exciting.

I enjoyed the story a lot, but the last 30% of the book is what really blew me away. It left me breathless.

After the death of her sister, seventeen-year-old Violet Saunders finds herself dragged to Four Paths, New York. Violet may be a newcomer, but she soon learns her mother isn't: They belong to one of the revered founding families of the town, where stone bells hang above every doorway and danger lurks in the depths of the woods. Justin Hawthorne's bloodline has protected Four Paths for generations from the Gray-a lifeless dimension that imprisons a brutal monster. After Justin fails to inherit his family's powers, his mother is determined to keep this humiliation a secret. But Justin can't let go of the future he was promised and the town he swore to protect.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley. The title of the book and the eerie cover initially made me interested in reading this book, but the summary and a rave review from Claire Legrand (Furyborn) , sealed the deal. I was really excited to figure out the mysteries behind this story and the book absolutely did not disappoint.

The setting, the town of Four Paths, is really front and center in this novel. It’s strange, magical elements influence absolutely everything about the story, from the plot, to the characters, and everything in between. Right away, you can feel the setting seeping into elements of the novel, even when you least expect it. The author does a great job of making the town of Four Paths a character that almost feels like it’s changing along with the characters. Having such a vivid and well-developed setting that made me feel like I was part of the book.

The plot of the story is really what hooked me into book. The main plot line, of the children in this town attempting to overcome the Gray and save their town from the Beast, was interesting on its own, but there are also some intriguing secondary plots. While not all of the obstacles are magic related, a lot of the personal plots were more satisfying to finish. There were also a number of twists and turns in the story that I did not see coming!

There is a large cast in this book, which is surprising in a town that is described as being so small. Three character shared the point of view, which was alright for me. The plot was compelling enough and carried over through all three narrators that I didn’t mind the shifts in perspective. However, a lot happens between the characters before the book starts, so it was sometimes hard to grasp the emotional weight of their circumstances the way I believe the author would have liked. She makes up for over time with flashbacks, but at the beginning of the book, being thrown in with no idea of what the history is between these people was disorienting.

The Devouring Gray is a fun and exciting read for those who are a fan of The Raven Cycle and Stranger Things. The author does an excellent job creating a setting, plot and cast that are compelling and enjoyable. I felt completely hooked into this book and I’d highly recommend it.

On the edge of town a beast haunts the woods, trapped in the Gray, it's prison slowly weakening...
Violet was uprooted from the city she lived, her mom taking her to Four Paths, a small town in Rural New York. She learns she is from one of the founding families- whatever that means. But that's not all, there is strange things happening, and she's set on getting to the bottom of it. She meets Justin, May, Issac, and Harper, the other children from the founding families- and sees the respect they get from other townsfolk- but also the fear.
Bodies are appearing in the woods, and the local towns people are turning hostile towards the founding families. Can Violet and the other founders children solve the mystery of what is happening in Four Paths, and how to stop it before it's too late?
This book is a perfect fall read. It's a little bit creepy, and mysterious. It switches back and forth between the founders children's point of views. First you have new comer Violet who has no idea what is going on, or who she can trust. She notices strange things happening, especially surrounding her and the other founding families, and she is set on getting to the bottom of it.
Justin and May are brother and sister. They have secrets- but every one of the founding kids do. Justin is set out on helping the town any way he can, even if they means revealing his and his families secrets...
Isaac is a lose cannon. He is dangerous. He follows Justin's lead, protecting him when needs be. He can do the most damage with ease.
Harper is a social outcast. Her life took a drastic change three years ago after Justin turned his back on her. But now, she could win back the respect of her father and the rest of the town, knocking Justin and his family off their pedestal.
It seems everyone has alterior motives in wanting Violet's friendship. She doesn't know who she could trust, or why they want her on their side.
But she learns the founders are here to protect the town... From a Beast that is trapped in the Gray... Only, maybe the town really needs protecting from the founding families themselves? This book was captivating. I wanted to know what was going on- and you get glimpses into each of the founding children's lives, secrets and minds. You are right there with each of them as they try to figure out what is going on, who they can really trust, and as they come face to face with not only hostile townspeople but the beast himself. It was the perfect read to start off fall. It had mystery, suspense, danger and was even a little creepy. 4 devouring ⭐ out of 5⭐.

When I did my first update on Goodreads for THE DEVOURING GRAY a ton of people liked the update. That never happens. So this is a pretty loved book, huh? I have to say, it’s not too shabby.

I don’t absolutely love it, but I certainly liked it a lot. I’m not sure I’d compare it to Stranger Things. I’m not really getting that same vibe from it, but I can see how that comparison was made. I liked how it was horror without being horrifying. It’s a dark book that’s, yes, about monsters, but sometimes monsters are far more human than we give them credit for.

What I especially liked about this book was that there was next to no romance in it. Even though it’s told from multiple points of view, there’s only a bare hint of maybe something being there between a few of the characters. But it’s certainly not central. It always annoys me a little bit when ALL THIS CHAOS is going on around teenagers yet there are still moments when a character notices how hot another is or something like that. Not doing that here and I can definitely appreciate that.

I liked the witchy/creepy aspect of the book, like the Deck of Omens and the secret society and whatnot. Plus the monster/is-it-really-a-monster and the blind adoration a town affords a small number of people that in and of itself is creepy. It’s like six people are actually forced to be in that town. Everyone else stays because . . . Oh wait . . . I know that answer and it involves a spoiler. So I’ll leave that hanging there. It’s all rather Village of the Damned with fewer creepy children.

The reluctant camaraderie driving the group forward was an interesting dynamic too. A lot of reluctant heroes there, but it’s not in-your-face reluctant. It’s not some kind of passive aggressive humble-brag that happens at the end where you get that one character that feebly slaps away power and ends up accepting it anyway. Herman created a different, far more realistic dynamic here that I really liked.

So I say bring on book two, aptly called DECK OF OMENS. I’ll definitely be reading it. Considering how dark Herman went in THE DEVOURING GRAY, I’m looking forward to seeing where she takes things in book two.

4.5