Because apples are still the fruit of temptation ;)
Song Vibe Check:
"Devil Saint" By: Luma, Yuppycult
"Fight for my survival" By: The Phantoms
"Make it home" By: DEZI
NOTE: Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!
In what seems to be my gothic literature/horror/romance/ paranormal genre era, I was left quite shell shocked at the amount of good books I have read in the YA horror lit genre. From Together We Rot being my favorite to other favorites like Damned if you do, word ran around this book involving deals with the devil, magic revolving apples...
And I love apples sooo here I am, super excited for the chance to review this one before it's release date on October 3rd!
Short Summary: Catalina, the eldest daughter of a struggling family must team up with a young lumberjack to hunt down the Man of Sap whose fate is inevitably intertwined with Catalina's and may turn all of their worlds upside down.
Long Summary:1836, Wisconsin. Catalina lives with her pa and brother in a ramshackle cabin on the edge of the wilderness. Harsh winters have brought the family to the brink of starvation, and Catalina has replaced her poet’s soul with an unyielding determination to keep Pa and her brother alive. When a sudden illness claims Pa, a strange man appears—a man covered in bark, leaves growing from his head, and sap dripping from his eyes. He scoops up her brother and disappears, leaving behind a bird with crimson wings. Catalina can’t let this man—if that’s what he is—have her brother. So, she grabs Pa’s knife and follows the bird. Along the way, she finds help from a young lumberjack, who has his own reasons for hunting the Man of Sap. As their journey takes them deeper into the woods, they encounter strange beasts and tormented spirits. The more they uncover about the Man of Sap, the more they learn how deeply Catalina’s fate is entwined with his, planted long ago in cursed seeds. An enchanting mixture of American tall tales and Faustian elements, Before the Devil Knows You’re Here centers a fierce Mexican American poet on a quest to save her brother. Autumn Krause’s vivid, haunting prose and rich symbolism make this a must-read for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Erin Craig.
I really enjoyed this book. I was drawn in by the premise of the character being Latinx because it's been a while since I have seen a Hispanic girl as the main character in an adventure novel as dazzling as this one. With Catalina being the oldest daughter, so many of her motives that she does, putting her family over herself is something I deeply resonated with and seeing the fleeting snippets of her poems that she writes, her quiet wish to write more is something I related to. Her courage and bravery to set out to the unknown even when the world seems to be stacked against you is what I keep with me. Paul was an interesting lumberjack I came to like while reading and I like how we got to get chapters from the Man of Sap (John's POV) as well to see in other words, the villain's origin story while intertwining the folktale element and create an atmospherical feeling of being transported through time while being wrapped under a warm blanket and falling into this story that tempts you and pulls you further in until you can't stop reading.
DEFINITELY add this one to your list, you won't regret it.
Overall: 5/5 stars
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