Book Review: What We Harvest by Ann Fraistat

*A copy was provided by Netgalley for Review Purposes*

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First Thoughts:

First off, I thought this book had a great eerie tone to it from the start. Fraistat kept me engaged with her talented cinematic writing style. It was very easy to get a clear picture on the setting and characters. There were certain points that felt a bit too repetitive. Though, it didn't distract me from the story line. Off the bat we are given a great plot line, mystery, a beautiful (and I mean beautiful) setting, as well as haunting secrets that make you eager to jump into.

Writing: 4/5

Fraistat has an amazing cinematic writing style. This is what hooked me in the most. Some parts had me so enthralled. There was a part in the last 1/4 of the book, deep in the haunted woods amongst a certain pond that I was actually mind blown on how she portrayed the scene. I was in awe of how beautiful and haunting she was able to describe certain details and happenings in the book. Her take on the zombie aspect - a genre in which I feel has died in a time where we are overloaded with high fantasy novels - was possibly not the most well thought out when it came to the how's but incredibly well done in the why. I was thoroughly creeped out whenever we came across the blighted (zombies).

Plot: 3/5

It's not the plot that fell short for me but the organization of the plot that I felt lacked most. The book takes place in a very small town that relies heavily on four different founding farms and the amazing crops they yield. One year, the farms that have always been bountiful all start to wither, die, and poison the town. I felt like there was a lack of definite objective. Of course you can get the point - save the parents, save the farm, stay alive, etc. However our main character has no compass. She was just kind of mentioning things as she went on with our story instead of being driven to complete these tasks. It's a zombie novel, you are going to have several objectives going on at the same time but they should be clear and outlined, merging together in the end.

Which brings me back around to the feeling of plot disorganization.

*Spoilers ahead so please don't read if you're not willing to have info on the story*

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I would've liked to see the scene where Wren finds her mother in the first 1/4 of the book, so she could've been clued in to the journals and the missing geode. Which would have given her and Derek an objective to move forward with, putting pieces of this blight infection and the founding families dirty secrets together throughout next 2/4 of the book. Instead we are given all of this in the late 50% and more like 3/4 of the way done. About 50% in we could've received the menacing reason behind the blight's consumption, the founding families involvement, and then got the governments interference. Honestly, the government aspect was almost completely unnecessary. I would've been content with just a - "yeah they sent out fliers, then they abandoned us." The conversation that they had with Mrs. P should have came right after the finding of the journals or during their very first conversation, making it one of the last missing pieces - again, in the first 1/2 of the book. Then, by the last 1/2 we could have been just a wild, intense ride of Wren trying to scramble to get all the missing pieces, save everyone and fight against the blight. Building done, timer set, and racing against the clock.

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*Spoilers over*

Everything about the plot was amazing besides the organization. I don't even blame the author entirely for this. She had all the right pieces, they just could've been organized better. Her editor should have found these slight blemishes and helped her along better in my opinion. That being said, the plot organization, while slightly frustrating, did not ruin the book or keep me from devouring the book. I did. I devoured this book. If it wasn't for me having to work and function, I would've finished it in one sitting.

Characters: 3/5

We have two "main" characters. Wren is our MC, the daughter of one founding farm - the rainbow wheat farm. Derek is the ex boyfriend Wren dumped months prior to the blight poisoning and the son of another founding farm, the silver melons. Then the rest of the time we have fill in from Derek's family and Wren's dog, Teddy. Side note - I love when pets have a place in books. Teddy was probably my favorite character. While reading, I kept thinking of my dog and how 1. I'd be absolutely devastated if I lost him to a zombie inducing state and 2. I would be exactly like Wren, not willing to hurt or let go of him.

Wren is going to be my main focus here. I liked that she wasn't incredibly daring or confident. It made for a more realistic scenario. She is only 16 and has never in her life had reason to predict this zombie scenario. I can understand the insecurity of her decision making I just wish it hadn't been so prompted. Actions always speak louder than words. As we get her direct perspective, all her thoughts and feelings are projected to us. I could've done without all her "why's". "Why did I do this? Why didn't I do that?" Again, it's a very unexpected zombie situation. She should've been more about accepting these decisions as she went, learning from them or stating what she could've done differently. You can be indecisive and insecure and still be adaptive. Tell me why you should've made a different decision. Tell me why you couldn't help but do what you did. This produces more character arc. We love to see growth in characters!

Romance: 2.5/5

The romance is an ex-to-lovers romance. After being pushed together to survive the blight, they start coming to terms with the why's of their breakup and the feelings that re-spark due to the impending doom that faces them. They are both 16 so the romance is very sweet and innocent. It's exactly the kind of romance I'd expect in a small town setting.

Overall: 3/5

This book was a great debut. Fraisat's writing style shows so much potential for the years to come. I would read her next book, without a doubt. I look forward to seeing her grow and flourish in this bookish world.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!