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kerribookhoarder's review
3.0
A dark, gothic feeling book, Devil in the Corner tells the story of Maud, a girl down on her luck and on the verge of being on the streets. Desperate and barely eking out a living, she is relieved beyond words when a letter comes from a cousin of hers, offering her a palce to stay and the prospect of having a home and someday, an estate.
Almost immediately she is plagued by the haunting feeling that something is wrong, though. Is she being followed? What are the intentions of those around her? And all the while she fights against the dreams that plague her, nightmares of her past...
I can find no fault with the writing style, which drew me in and made me curious about the setting - I can practically picture the moldering old house, and Maud's attempts to make her cousin Julianna as comfortable as possible. The alternating point of view between the main character and John gave insight as to the situation from the outside, too, which was interesting in the context of the overall mystery - it leads you on, making you wonder just what is happening, who is innocent and who is guilty in the madness of all the events.
The biggest thing this book suffers from is that it's a bit overlong. More than once I felt that it was plodding along, and that lead me to skim some bits... Which is a shame when you're dealing with a book that's touching on death, romance, jealousy and madness! It felt as though certain ideas were repeated several times, and overall the book would have benefited from some more editing to whittle it into a tighter, faster moving plot.
Fans of dark, dreamy sorts of books should check this out, but I'd say that people looking for a true mystery should give it a pass, as the ending isn't as clear cut as even I would have liked.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
Almost immediately she is plagued by the haunting feeling that something is wrong, though. Is she being followed? What are the intentions of those around her? And all the while she fights against the dreams that plague her, nightmares of her past...
I can find no fault with the writing style, which drew me in and made me curious about the setting - I can practically picture the moldering old house, and Maud's attempts to make her cousin Julianna as comfortable as possible. The alternating point of view between the main character and John gave insight as to the situation from the outside, too, which was interesting in the context of the overall mystery - it leads you on, making you wonder just what is happening, who is innocent and who is guilty in the madness of all the events.
The biggest thing this book suffers from is that it's a bit overlong. More than once I felt that it was plodding along, and that lead me to skim some bits... Which is a shame when you're dealing with a book that's touching on death, romance, jealousy and madness! It felt as though certain ideas were repeated several times, and overall the book would have benefited from some more editing to whittle it into a tighter, faster moving plot.
Fans of dark, dreamy sorts of books should check this out, but I'd say that people looking for a true mystery should give it a pass, as the ending isn't as clear cut as even I would have liked.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
megan7b386's review
2.0
I received a copy free from the publisher via NetGalley
“But how can the devil be stopped when he lives inside you?”
After the death of her father, Maud is left penniless and after having spent time as a governess in some brutal households her cousin seeks her out and offers her a roof over her head. It seems as though someone is trying to plot her demise. Maud becomes paranoid, determined she is being followed by the devil, that he is watching her every move.
This was a much more grim book than I expected, and a much more slow one than I expected. At 400 pages long I found it quite a slow read. There wasn't much action, and it really did lose my attention from about 30% but only really got it back at about 90% when the story really started to get tense. Maud was an okay character. In my opinion she wasn't really anything special. She was an addict, and I still don't know some things about her. I wasn't really sure about John either, and their relationship didn't really have much emphasis on it, which is good in some ways, but also we didn't really get much of a sense of their relationship. The characters to be fair, were forgettable, they were flat and could have done with more depth.
The story itself was okay. It was dull at times, and there were some little plot twists here and there, but nothing too shocking.
Overall, it was an okay and decent read. If you are looking for a quick read and a Gothic novel that I do suggest you check this one out.
“But how can the devil be stopped when he lives inside you?”
After the death of her father, Maud is left penniless and after having spent time as a governess in some brutal households her cousin seeks her out and offers her a roof over her head. It seems as though someone is trying to plot her demise. Maud becomes paranoid, determined she is being followed by the devil, that he is watching her every move.
This was a much more grim book than I expected, and a much more slow one than I expected. At 400 pages long I found it quite a slow read. There wasn't much action, and it really did lose my attention from about 30% but only really got it back at about 90% when the story really started to get tense. Maud was an okay character. In my opinion she wasn't really anything special. She was an addict, and I still don't know some things about her. I wasn't really sure about John either, and their relationship didn't really have much emphasis on it, which is good in some ways, but also we didn't really get much of a sense of their relationship. The characters to be fair, were forgettable, they were flat and could have done with more depth.
The story itself was okay. It was dull at times, and there were some little plot twists here and there, but nothing too shocking.
Overall, it was an okay and decent read. If you are looking for a quick read and a Gothic novel that I do suggest you check this one out.
stravaganxo's review
3.0
Actual Rating: 2.5
*I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I initially thought the narration was flat, but because it was written in the 19th century lingo, that is excusable and maybe even needed to get the mood right. I thought Maud was capable of eliciting my sympathy. And then John enters the scene with the proclamation of his fascination for this "fairy creature" after he has spoken but a few lines with her.
Me: *coughs* Maybe that's true love, I wouldn't know
Then comes the new setting, and the plot is sitting well with me when the romance angle jolts a bit. He becomes too obsessed, she's not at all so, then he becomes too selfless, she's too selfish, his POV makes Maud look like a girl who's got serious problems (but he doesn't mind that due to "the enchantment the fairy creature" has cast on him), her POV remains sympathetic..
Me: Are we talking about the same Maud?
In between I almost made my mind to fling this book because of the jealous hopeful girlfriends and meanwhile -
Me: *flips to the cover* Where's the devil in the corner?
Then the devil comes and I'm satisfied enough to continue. The ending is a bit unexpected but COMPLETELY welcome and slightly redeemed the book.
*I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I initially thought the narration was flat, but because it was written in the 19th century lingo, that is excusable and maybe even needed to get the mood right. I thought Maud was capable of eliciting my sympathy. And then John enters the scene with the proclamation of his fascination for this "fairy creature" after he has spoken but a few lines with her.
Me: *coughs* Maybe that's true love, I wouldn't know
Then comes the new setting, and the plot is sitting well with me when the romance angle jolts a bit. He becomes too obsessed, she's not at all so, then he becomes too selfless, she's too selfish, his POV makes Maud look like a girl who's got serious problems (but he doesn't mind that due to "the enchantment the fairy creature" has cast on him), her POV remains sympathetic..
Me: Are we talking about the same Maud?
In between I almost made my mind to fling this book because of the jealous hopeful girlfriends and meanwhile -
Me: *flips to the cover* Where's the devil in the corner?
Then the devil comes and I'm satisfied enough to continue. The ending is a bit unexpected but COMPLETELY welcome and slightly redeemed the book.
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