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A review by bookish_ann
When Darkness Loves Us by Elizabeth Engstrom
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
This was featured in Paperback from Hell and thus was rescued from obscurity via a re-release.
I truly did not expect to like this at all… both stories looked like they would veer into V.C. Andrews territory and while I loved that as a middle-schooler, it is not something I need as an adult. But while I put each story down and stepped away, I could not stay away, and happily my worst fears were not realized (mostly). While some of the things that happen are in that wheelhouse, they way they are handled is very different and the writing is worlds better.
One thing stood out to me as odd in both stories though - both feature child brides. In the first story, Sally-Ann is a newlywed 16 year old, and in the second, Fern is married on her 17th birthday. It’s treated as completely normal, but was it??? I thought that even going back a few generations it was more customary to graduate high school AT LEAST. This was published in 1985! Maybe this was a case of being YS before YA was a thing, and in order to have some romance there needed to be marriage? IDK.
This was a page-turner with surprising nuance for a pulpy 80’s horror. Quite enjoyable.
I truly did not expect to like this at all… both stories looked like they would veer into V.C. Andrews territory and while I loved that as a middle-schooler, it is not something I need as an adult. But while I put each story down and stepped away, I could not stay away, and happily my worst fears were not realized (mostly). While some of the things that happen are in that wheelhouse, they way they are handled is very different and the writing is worlds better.
One thing stood out to me as odd in both stories though - both feature child brides. In the first story, Sally-Ann is a newlywed 16 year old, and in the second, Fern is married on her 17th birthday. It’s treated as completely normal, but was it??? I thought that even going back a few generations it was more customary to graduate high school AT LEAST. This was published in 1985! Maybe this was a case of being YS before YA was a thing, and in order to have some romance there needed to be marriage? IDK.
This was a page-turner with surprising nuance for a pulpy 80’s horror. Quite enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Incest, Violence, and Ableism
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Body horror