˚₊꒰ა Jii ໒꒱₊˚ (catching up)'s Reviews > Grave Matter

˙₊➴ ꒰ 5-stars★ ꒱ ꒷⊹࣪˖

⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Thoughts

It was a slow & unsettling story yet it was one heck of a ride. Gothic & Dark, Academia, Psychological Mystery/Thriller & (Spicy) Romance. The combination of all of these are what shaped & made Grave Matter such an astonishing book. This was a full package waiting to be unpacked & im glad i opened it!

We follow Sydney as she travels to Vancouver Island, Madrona Lodge to start her internship. Despite all she’s lost & her life slowly falling apart, she sees this as her last & only opportunity. But as she arrives at the lodge, ominous & mysterious things happen which makes her question everything surrounding the island, people, research & even her mind.

❝ When I was eight years old, I decided my goal in life was to become a mad scientist. Not just any scientist but a mad one. ❞

⟡ Sydney Denik- our aspiring mycologist who has received her dream internship at Madrona Foundation, a foundation that specializes in studying & researching Alzheimer's disease. Throughout the story, Sydney leans towards being a very unreliable narrator with all the unexplainable things that were occurring & as a reader, i was also spiraling with her which made the story more mysterious & frightening.

❝ They’re lying to you. They’re lying to all of us. And we all go along with it because we want to be someone so badly. That’s how they get us. Our need. Our want. To be seen and heard. But they don’t care. They don’t see us like that. They see us as something to be used and disregarded until there’s nothing left of us. ❞

When i say this was a ride, the slow & anticipation-filled journey to the top was super worth it for the sudden drop. That spiralling i felt with Sydney & the mystery surrounding Madrona felt rewarding at the end of this story.

Things that made me love the story. (1) Having visited Vancouver Islands & seeing how breathtakingly beautiful the scenic nature was, Karina Halle did an amazing job incorporating the beauty of nature & elements this remote island has & transforming it to give off such an eerie & chilling setting. (2) Even with all the troupes, the story had a perfect mix/balance of everything. (3) The mentions of neurodivergent conditions & psychology. (4) Mycology, which sent me diving into a rabbit hole filled with all the studies on fungi that i was ignorant about. (5) Munawar & his fungi-filled fashion sense which made me look forward to what pun it had next. (6) Lastly, the romance between Syd & Wes comes together meaningfully at the end.

❝ Because you are my future, Syd,” he says, his voice low and gruff. “Because that’s all there is. The past doesn’t exist anymore. Only now and tomorrow is what does. And I want you—now and tomorrow.❞

Debated whether to give this a 4.5 or 5, as the only concern i had was the story’s pacing. However, i believe that the slow yet spine-chilling pacing contributed to giving the conclusion/ending of this book a fantastic & well-wrapped end. To conclude, this was the 5-star read i was craving & it fully delivered everything i was looking for.


˚₊ ⟢┊pre-read 🖇️┊⊹࣪⋆
Been craving for a 5-star read & saw all the tags/troupes this had, which looks very promising & up my alley! Watch me devour another gothic/dark book like it's my favorite snack!🩶