Book Review: Secrets of Skin and Stone by Wendy Laine
Goodreads Description: Something is wrong in Hidden Creek. The sleepy Alabama town is more haunted than any place fiend hunter Grisham Caso has ever seen. Unearthed graves, curse bags, and spilled blood all point to an evil that could destroy his gargoyle birthright. The town isn’t safe for anyone, and everyone says fiery Piper Devon knows why.
Piper wants to leave Hidden Creek behind. She’s had enough of secrets—they hide in the shadows of her room and tell her terrible things are coming. Too-charming city boy Grisham might be her only chance to save herself.
To survive, Piper and Grisham have to shed their secrets and depend only on each other. But what lurks in Hidden Creek still might take everything away from them, including each other.
My Review: I was given an ARC of Secrets of Skin and Stone by the author in exchange for an honest review.
As soon as Gris Caso rolls into Hidden Creek, things get interesting, and it’s not the crazy number of fiends in town—demonic creatures invisible to most people. It’s Piper, the beautiful and neurotic girl living next door whom he can’t keep his eyes off of. After her dog is murdered the day he arrives, he discovers curse bags in her room and an army of fiends swarming over her each night. It doesn’t take long to figure out someone is targeting her—but why? Piper meanwhile doesn’t know what to think of the mysterious boy who rolled into town claiming to hunt ghosts. There’s no sense in falling for someone who will only be leaving town soon, but the more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny her attraction.
SECRETS comes with a bit of heavy content, which hits right off the bat with Piper discovering her dog murdered. This is not at all superfluous to the story, as it acts as the inciting incident and serves to drive Piper into a search for the murderer, which leads her straight towards the fiends. As is stated in the trigger warning at the beginning of the book, Piper self-harms in the form of cutting a couple times throughout the book. The thought process is explained very well and the author does an excellent job avoiding any glorification. More so, we see Piper able to overcome this through non-judgemental love and support from Gris. In particular, during the scene where Piper promises Gris she won’t cut anymore, he makes a comment that if she “had to do it again, he’d understand.” That level of acceptance and understanding can really make all the difference in someone recovering from self-harm. Especially important, it isn’t the relationship that is “saving” her, but rather the support and freedom to talk about it with him that makes the difference.
Piper also has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a type that is shared by the author and is well-executed throughout the book. Piper’s diagnosis influences every aspect of her character, but it doesn’t define her, which I think is something the book does amazingly well. It does a great job dispelling some of the stereotypes of OCD and explains how it can present in different ways in different people, which is showcased through Piper’s mom, who also has OCD. It’s definitely an #ownvoices book and the author gives us an inside look to how it feels living with the diagnosis.
As for the plot, hot damn does this book have a good mystery! There’s a long list of suspects and even as the characters knock off possible candidates, it only makes it harder to figure out who is responsible. The author did an excellent job ramping up the mystery all the way through, and by the end I was suspecting everyone, even Gris’ aunt. It all led to an exciting climax that helped put all the pieces in place—including some that I hadn’t even considered. As well, Piper and Gris were very well-constructed characters. Piper especially felt so solid and real that I felt like I really understood her. As well, the romance between them was sizzling hot, and those tense moments in Piper’s bedroom together had me begging for more.
There were times where the tension felt a little lacking. Even with the threat of fiends everywhere and a killer running around town, there was no sense of immediate danger. There was more romantic tension than plot tension. My only other issue came from the initial start to their relationship. Gris, who supposedly traveled around and fought monsters for a living, got attached to a girl and committed to settling down so quickly that it felt a little contrary to his character.
Once the awkward early stages had passed, their love progressed at a realistic pace that felt natural to their characters. The very end was probably my absolute favorite part, as it just seemed to encapsulate the heart of the story so perfectly and left me with a warm feeling long after I finished reading.
TL;DR: All in all, 4/5 stars. An unflinchingly real urban fantasy with an irresistible love story at its core.
