The Devouring Gray

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5 stars

This is a weird review for me. I did enjoy the book and wanted to know what was going on, yet at the same time if I had put the book down I wouldn't have been impatient to pick it back up. It has a lot of great stuff going for it, but it is missing the tiniest spark of oomph.

Let me start with the characters. My faves? Harper and Isaac. Harper is missing an arm, but is holding a major grudge against the Hawthornes (for good reason). She is so strong and brave and determined. Isaac is dark, loyal, and seems to be barely holding on. He has the most dangerous power of the four and doesn't have many people he can rely on anymore.
The thing is, while I have favorite characters, it difficult since I never felt like we were getting close to them. Violet, I thought, would get more page time, but she almost seems like an after thought, pushed to the background. I just wanted more of them– maybe dialogue of them hanging out more, discussing things, etc. I'm thinking now that things have happened, they will work together more and their characters will shine through.

The mysterious atmosphere and plot are on point. It's dark, the branches are always leaning towards people, there is blood, death, and rarely a happy moment. This is an interesting and entertaining story to read.
There are a few things I didn't understand though– for example the patrolling: why are they doing it? What are they thinking they will find out there? Why are some non-founder descendants on patrol and what happens if there aren't enough members around?
Also, how can you save people from the Gray? I don't truly get how Isaac knew to open a portal at the one time...
So, the side stuff I felt didn't make too much sense, which pulled me out of the story. Really the more I think about the story, the more questions I come up with.

The ending though.... that ending. The next book promises to be an interesting one, for sure. And yes, this does mean I'm planning on reading it. I want to know what will happen in this small town, I want to know if my ships will get together, and I want to get to know these characters more.
I would definitely recommend this to people who like Riverdale and want some fantasy thrown in. People looking for a darker YA fantasy with an ominous atmosphere, should enjoy this one.