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dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⚠️ CW: Mentions of sexual assault and animal abuse. ⚠️
Rachel Louise Adams’ No Rest for the Wicked may well be the best debut novel I’ve read this year. Having said that, I did expect more in the way of a creepy Halloween vibe, as much was made of the fact that the small town the story was set in was known as “the Halloween town”, with a thriving tourist trade built around the holiday and a history seemingly tailor-made for the maximum amount of macabre fascination. The story is instead quite dark, and more than a little heavy on blood and gore.
Adams’ skill as a writer is without question, and the story is fast paced and compelling. Protagonist Dolores is an intriguing combination of formidable and fragile, and while the supporting cast is not deeply developed, one gets the sense that is by design – No Rest for the Wicked appears to be the first of a forthcoming series. Still, the reader learns enough about many of the secondary characters to form opinions, and while I want to be careful not to share any spoilers here, I will say that by the time you realize who the killer is and what motivates them, you’re not entirely certain you can blame them.
So what, you may be wondering, led me to give this book what is, for me, a lukewarm rating? This came down to one significant detail in the book, and that is the lack of content warnings. There are none. Zero. Not even a line saying “check my website for….,” which I hate, but would have agreed was at least due diligence. Because this book needs content warnings.
Within the pages of this book there are numerous descriptions of violent and bloody death. There are discussions of cruelty to animals and descriptions of animal death. There are repeated references to sexual assault and rape, and partial descriptions of the same.
I am of course aware that all of these things are parts of life, and frequently parts of the plot for works of fiction, and it is well within an author’s rights to use them to further their narrative as they see fit no matter how I or any other reader may feel about them. As it happens, in some cases I may even decide to read a book that contains these elements if they have a purpose and share an important message, and I’m in the right frame of mind to read them. However, that decision should be available to any reader going in, and because it was not in this case my rating dropped.
No Rest for the Wicked has a lot of potential, and I do recommend it, provided that you’re prepared for the content within. I am not ruling out reading the rest of the series myself if they begin including aforementioned content warnings so that I can make an informed choice ahead of time. If you do choose to read it, be aware that while it’s a well-crafted suspense novel, it is far from a light read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am leaving a voluntary review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
Minor: Animal cruelty
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was twisty and entertaining, well thought out, and fast paced. I loved the backstory of the town's fascination with Halloween, I just wish that Halloween vibe was a bit stronger through the story. It was definitely more of a police procedural with a touch of Halloween vibe, and less of the creepy, Halloween mystery I was expecting. I love the cover, it was one of the things that drew me to the book, I figured the cats would fit into the Halloween theme, or that there would be a cat(s) in the story somehow, but they were very minor and their portion of the story was actually the only part I didn't enjoy for a couple of reasons- I didn't like what happened to the cats, and I felt like it was just popped into the story just to be popped in.
The writing was great, if I didn't know, I wouldn't think this was a debut. I am looking forward to reading other books by the author in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books for the ARC copy! All opinions are my own :)
The writing was great, if I didn't know, I wouldn't think this was a debut. I am looking forward to reading other books by the author in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books for the ARC copy! All opinions are my own :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death