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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
The year is 1873, and Clara Blackstone has just been released from an asylum. Only to find herself in a prison of an entirely different making. The pressures of society and the abusive expectations of her husband make the experience an arduous one.
However, Clara soon finds solace in the understanding of another woman. One Mary Ann Cotton – yes, that one. She feels that this is the one person who could possibly ever understand her, however, the secrets told through friendship may very well drown any bond that has formed.
Yikes! The Savage Instinct is one of those novels that simply knocks your socks off. But that’s probably not a surprise, given the time period and promise of all the talk in the world about poisoning and serial killers.
I don’t normally read novels surrounding real-life killers (I prefer to keep them fictional, thank you very much!), but I have to admit that this was wonderfully done. I especially appreciated how Marjorie DeLuca was able to keep things pretty open-ended, all things considered.
She also does a horrifying good job at portraying the suffocating feeling that Clara experiences. The struggles of that time period feel real – almost too real. If you’re looking for a novel that’ll get you thinking – and feeling – then this is the book for you!
Check out more of my reviews over at The Review Crew
However, Clara soon finds solace in the understanding of another woman. One Mary Ann Cotton – yes, that one. She feels that this is the one person who could possibly ever understand her, however, the secrets told through friendship may very well drown any bond that has formed.
Yikes! The Savage Instinct is one of those novels that simply knocks your socks off. But that’s probably not a surprise, given the time period and promise of all the talk in the world about poisoning and serial killers.
I don’t normally read novels surrounding real-life killers (I prefer to keep them fictional, thank you very much!), but I have to admit that this was wonderfully done. I especially appreciated how Marjorie DeLuca was able to keep things pretty open-ended, all things considered.
She also does a horrifying good job at portraying the suffocating feeling that Clara experiences. The struggles of that time period feel real – almost too real. If you’re looking for a novel that’ll get you thinking – and feeling – then this is the book for you!
Check out more of my reviews over at The Review Crew
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this! It was really good, up until the end, which felt simultaneously rushed and like it could have been condensed. It wasn’t enough to put me off the book entirely, but it did sour my enjoyment slightly. Still, it is very enjoyable, and if it sounds like something you would enjoy I highly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting
Moderate: Colonisation
It’s about a woman who is forcibly assigned to an asylum by her manipulative husband after a graphic stillbirth, and is traumatized as a result. There’s also a semi-graphic rape scene about midway through.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Clara has just been released from a mental institution after her husband had her forcibly confined after the stillbirth of their child. As she struggles to readjust to “normal” life, she finds herself stifled by her controlling husband. Enter Mary Ann Cotton, England’s first female serial killer. Cotton is in prison awaiting trial for the murder of her child (and suspected murder of multiple other children and a few husbands). Clara meets her when she visits the prison to do charity work and finds herself drawn to Mary Ann. Mary Ann consistently proclaims her innocence, but as Clara discovers her husband’s plan to reinstitutionalize her to claim her vast inheritance she starts thinking that poisoning your husband might not be the worst idea in the world.
Clara reminded me of the woman in The Yellow Wallpaper. Both faced incredible traumas that today probably would have been diagnosed as postpartum depression, but instead of treatment they are treated like feral idiots. As the book went on, I couldn’t help but hope that her husband, Henry, met a bad end. His gaslighting was infuriating and Clara’s isolation and growing terror of imprisonment were palpable. I highly recommend this book with the caveat that it might make you very angry at misogynist society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence
⭐⭐ -- I wanted to like this book more than I did. I just found it a bit on the boring side. I also didn't love Clara as a character or the ending. In fact, the ending very nearly made me throw my tablet across the room.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes