Resurrection Girls is a stunning and aching sort of novel. Ever since finishing it, its been lingering at the back of my mind.



Olivia Foster hasn’t felt alive since her little brother drowned in the backyard pool three years ago. Then Kara Hallas moves in across the street with her mother and grandmother, and Olivia is immediately drawn to these three generations of women. Kara is particularly intoxicating, so much so that Olivia not only comes to accept Kara's morbid habit of writing to men on death row, she helps her do it. They sign their letters as the Resurrection Girls.

But as Kara’s friendship pulls Olivia out of the dark fog she’s been living in, Olivia realizes that a different kind of darkness taints the otherwise lively Hallas women—an impulse that is strange, magical, and possibly deadly.


As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

Phew. This book, you guys. C.G. Drews said it best in her review: Resurrection Girls is truly an aching story. I don't think I could ever pick a better word than aching when it comes to describing this one. Aching.

The only runner up descriptive would be: Gothic. It feels like the perfect combination of classic Gothic literature and modern fiction.

There's a lot that can be said about this book, most of which is rooted in the word 'chilling', but it's in its exploration of depression and grief where it is its strongest. Resurrection Girls has this intensity to it that is somehow sharp and dull all at once. Which makes it impossible to look away from--Ava Morgyn's writing is classic in its generally bleak atmosphere and it toys with us in a way that leaves us feeling uneasy at times.

For me, I could feel my heart beating constantly whilst reading this one. This is due, in part, to the way that Morgyn writes grief and this hazy fog that comes with it. You feel deeply what has taken place. You feel deeply for our main character. You just feel deeply. On many occasions, did I feel my eyes well up with tears and that alone should tell you how deeply personal this novel may feel.

Resurrection Girls taps into its strengths early on. It leads readers on an emotionally potent journey that you won't soon forget. There were many times when my heart felt heavy and my mind swam with this unsettling feeling of being in someone else's mind. The emotional aspects of this story were a lot to sort out--you can tell that so much of Morgyn's soul was poured into this novel and it makes the heart of it all the more present.

Ultimately, this novel made me feel a world of emotions. Pain. Fear. Love. Loss. It chilled me to the very bone and lingered at the back of my mind upon its final pages. For me, Resurrection Girls felt like one of the most real explorations of loss. It was dark, yet vibrant. Magical, yet real-to-life. This novel is best read by the light of a fire, or under the covers in bed, in the dead of night.

All and all, Resurrection Girls it is one of the highlights of my year. Armed with magical realism and human complexities, Morgyn's writing is every bit as chilling and uneasy as the cover leads you to believe. The way that she explores loss, coping mechanisms, is a gift that readers will be able to walk away with.

Due to its writing, use of magical realism, and all that it tackles, Resurrection Girls won't be for everybody. For me, though, it was an emotional read that left me feeling like I'd just read something unforgettable--and I had.