Book Review: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

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

Three sips to mind the dead . . .
Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the attention her grandmother Maylene bestowed upon the dead of Claysville, the small town where Bek spent her adolescence. There wasn't a funeral that Maylene didn't attend, and at each one Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: She took three sips from a silver flask and spoke the words "Sleep well, and stay where I put you."
Now Maylene is dead, and Bek must go back to the place she left a decade earlier. She soon discovers that Claysville is not just the sleepy town she remembers, and that Maylene had good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in Claysville the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected; beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D. If the dead are not properly cared for, they will come back to satiate themselves with food, drink, and stories from the land of the living. Only the Graveminder, by tradition a Barrow woman, and her Undertaker—in this case Byron Montgomery, with whom Bek shares a complicated past—can set things right once the dead begin to walk.
Although she is still grieving for Maylene, Rebekkah will soon find that she has more than a funeral to attend to in Claysville, and that what awaits her may be far worse: dark secrets, a centuries-old bargain, a romance that still haunts her, and a frightening new responsibility—to stop a monster and put the dead to rest where they belong.

Graveminder by Melissa Marr’s main character Rebekkah Barrow doesn’t like to be tied down. She moves from place to place and never gets involved in romantic entanglements. It would seem she is fated to live the life of a nomad. However, Rebekkah is called back to the one town, Claysville, that feels like home for her when stepgrandmother Maylene is brutally murdered. Waiting for Rebekkah is old flame, Byron Montgomery.However, Claysville is hiding a secret and it is up to Byron and Rebekkah to take on roles of Undertaker and Graveminder and set things to rights.

Ya’ll Graveminder by Melissa Marr is completely absorbing. I find myself utterly engaged by southern Gothic novels, and Graveminder is no different. I love the small town feel. I love reading about places where people take care of their own. I loved the dark paranormal elements and the way they were woven in, so the elements felt natural and real. I felt the idea of a caretaker for the graves, the Graveminder was totally plausible. You give the dead what they need to pass on, and they don’t come back. Just a bit of food, drink and words. Plus when you stir in the tempestuous relationship between Rebekkah and Byron, you have got a winner. Although, if I was Byron I would probably have dumped Rebekkah because she’s one of those girls who will hook up with you, but then drop you as soon as she gets the morning regrets. Not cool, bro, not cool.
The chapters are brief, with only a handful of pages. I found that made Graveminder by Melissa Marr easy to set down before sleeping and easy to pick up with my morning coffee. Graveminder is Marr’s debut for adults and it is chilling. This book flows in the same way YA does, as it never gets bogged down in navel gazing, but continues with action.

I highly recommend Graveminder by Melissa Marr if you are a YA fan looking for an adult read maybe because if you have to read about one more teenager you’ll tear your hair out, or if you’ve grown tired of navel gazing and especially for those of us who love a good down home read served with a side of paranormal mystery.

Disclosure: Received for review via Amazon vine.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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