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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
I'd love to give this 3.5 stars. The plot was confusing towards the end, but the ending was phenomenal and the romance was incredibly compelling. Her writing style is truly enjoyable. If the plot were clearer and more fleshed out about 2/3 of the way through the book, I would have enjoyed it more.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
chapters are way too long! good plot but a bit too long winded
Everything but the (kinda unconvincing) love story was good. It's no Fingersmith.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
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:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
every time i thought "wow that's a pretty grim plot twist" the tiny leonard cohen in my brain said "you want it darker" and immediately the book plunged into unforeseen levels of filth and depravity but in a cool way.
i can't help but compare this to the shape of darkness by laura purcell which similarly strives to emulate the tone of 19th century british sensation novels. the wicked cometh is more successful in this venture, mostly because it isn't marred by an absolutely dogshit plot twist in the last ten pages. laura carlin fully commits to the gothic, almost operatic tone of her subject matter, which sometimes leads to a bit of overwriting but not enough to cause significant distractions.
the first quarter of hester acclimatizing to her new place in society relies a little bit on what i can only describe as 'fanfic time'. in fanfiction, since a familiarity with the characters and world is required (or at least assumed), blitzing through large chunks of time to show developing relationships is fine and chill. but here, we've only just been introduced to the characters and world so it is a bit jarring when weeks and months fly by while hester and rebekah barely interact.
the last criticism i'll say before moving onto the good stuff is a minor one. maybe other people didn't notice this or weren't bothered by it but oh my god hester and rebekah start so many sentences with each other's names. rebekah is incapable of addressing hester without being like "so, hester, what do we do now" or "oh hester no!" [paraphrased, obviously].
anyway, i respect carlin so much for being like you think poverty in 1830s london is horrific enough? how about dismemberment! body-snatching! an outhouse full of assembled body parts! jesus christ dude. the tone is as fetid and rank as the streets and it's a blast, frankly. very insightful commentary on how expendable poor and marginalized communities are to those who feign "improving" them only by attempting to wipe them off the map. plus, sapphic lady-and-her-lady-in-waiting solving mysteries together! we love to see it. excellent dynamic.
i can't help but compare this to the shape of darkness by laura purcell which similarly strives to emulate the tone of 19th century british sensation novels. the wicked cometh is more successful in this venture, mostly because it isn't marred by an absolutely dogshit plot twist in the last ten pages. laura carlin fully commits to the gothic, almost operatic tone of her subject matter, which sometimes leads to a bit of overwriting but not enough to cause significant distractions.
the first quarter of hester acclimatizing to her new place in society relies a little bit on what i can only describe as 'fanfic time'. in fanfiction, since a familiarity with the characters and world is required (or at least assumed), blitzing through large chunks of time to show developing relationships is fine and chill. but here, we've only just been introduced to the characters and world so it is a bit jarring when weeks and months fly by while hester and rebekah barely interact.
the last criticism i'll say before moving onto the good stuff is a minor one. maybe other people didn't notice this or weren't bothered by it but oh my god hester and rebekah start so many sentences with each other's names. rebekah is incapable of addressing hester without being like "so, hester, what do we do now" or "oh hester no!" [paraphrased, obviously].
anyway, i respect carlin so much for being like you think poverty in 1830s london is horrific enough? how about dismemberment! body-snatching! an outhouse full of assembled body parts! jesus christ dude. the tone is as fetid and rank as the streets and it's a blast, frankly. very insightful commentary on how expendable poor and marginalized communities are to those who feign "improving" them only by attempting to wipe them off the map. plus, sapphic lady-and-her-lady-in-waiting solving mysteries together! we love to see it. excellent dynamic.
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A Goodreads Win
The Wicked cometh by Laura Carlin
This novel is set in the 1830's London and goes in to the gruesome world of grave robbery & murder, but it is also a beautiful love story between 2 young women from completely different classes who meet in unusual circumstances and go on to investigate strange cases of missing people and discover the horrible truth.
I would describe this as romantic mystery & I really enjoyed reading it. Although there were a few gruesome scenes I wish I hadn't read.
The is a lovely book, the cover is beautiful & I really like the print type used & chapter headings.
The Wicked cometh by Laura Carlin
This novel is set in the 1830's London and goes in to the gruesome world of grave robbery & murder, but it is also a beautiful love story between 2 young women from completely different classes who meet in unusual circumstances and go on to investigate strange cases of missing people and discover the horrible truth.
I would describe this as romantic mystery & I really enjoyed reading it. Although there were a few gruesome scenes I wish I hadn't read.
The is a lovely book, the cover is beautiful & I really like the print type used & chapter headings.
A lot darker and more intense that I was expecting; a lot more horror elements than I’d imagined but I was genuinely gripped by the mystery and intrigue. The inclusion of a well written historical queer romance was a lovely surprise though, especially as it was between two strong female characters. At times the historical style of language that Carlin adopts is somewhat exaggerated and can be a little grating, but overall a very good book.