I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on January 26, 2016
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
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For fans of Holly Black and Nova Ren Suma, a gripping, hauntingly atmospheric novel about murder, revenge, and a world where monsters—human and otherwise—lurk at the fringes.

When seventeen-year-old Breezy Lin wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death, she doesn’t remember who killed her or why. All she knows is that she’s somehow conscious—and not only that, she’s able to sense who around her is hiding a murderous past. In life, Breezy was always drawn to the elegance of the universe and the mystery of the stars. Now she must set out to find answers and discover what is to become of her in the gritty, dangerous world to which she now belongs—where killers hide in plain sight and a sinister cult is hunting for strange creatures like her. What she finds is at once empowering, redemptive, and dangerous.

Tense, complex, and wholly engaging, Shallow Graves is a stunning first novel from Kali Wallace.

I’ve been excited for this book since I first heard about it. The title and synopsis were really intriguing and the cover was gorgeous! I loved the world, the characters and Kali Wallace’s writing. Though some parts left me feeling a bit confused and the ending lacked closure, this book was a fast, interesting read.

I really liked Breezy. She always seemed to be right on the edge of everything (feelings, attitudes, etc). She was confident and fierce, but she had moments where she realized she needed answers and sought help. She was fine being on her own, but she also realized how much she missed human companionship. She could hold her own, though, and I loved that. I loved how unapologetic she was. I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t see more about her life before death. In the beginning, the flashbacks/backstory were a bit confusing because they happened with little warning and I couldn’t always tell if Breezy was describing the past or present. But as I read more and got used to the writing style, it became easier to tell these things apart.

Rain was an epic character – one of my favorites! I loved how blunt and in-your-face she was. I would seriously love to see a companion novel with Rain. I loved what little backstory we learned for her and I’d love to delve more into her past and “what” she is. Another character I loved was Zeke. He was hilarious, sarcastic and a great friend (though that may be the wrong word) to Breezy. I wanted to like Violet, but I’m still on the fence with her and which side she was on. I really think it could have gone either way, honestly. And don’t even get me started on Mr. Willow..

Roughly 75% into the book, things got a bit.. odd. The tone of the book changed and the direction it was going seemed to shift drastically. I was a bit disappointed with one of the resolutions that occurred around this part of the book. The ending definitely brought me down, as well. There were a lot of unanswered questions. I just wanted more – more explanations, more closure. I was also a bit confused with some of the things that happened during this part of the book. I feel like I need to re-read the whole book and, after a second time, it will make more sense.

Overall, this was a really fun, creepy, intriguing book. I really liked the plot and the characters, but I really wanted more backstory and explanations that were slightly less confusing! I would recommend this book to those who love creepy/intriguing reads.