A review by novelbloglover
Behind the Veil by E.J. Dawson

adventurous challenging dark emotional lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

 

Book Review 

Title: Behind the Veil by E. J. Dawson 

Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction 

Rating: 4 Stars 

I must say before getting into the meat of my review that I don’t normally read historical fiction outside of very specific areas because it is a genre I have never really got into but this really hooked me from the first page. The novel is set in LA in the 1920’s which is an interesting period, and we are following Letitia Hawking who is sailing from England in an attempt to bury her old life and begin anew. Letitia is what I can only describe as a medium as she walk the path between life and death offer closure to loved one of the dead and while I was sceptical at first she is genuine and has some insanely strong powers but she also has some strict rules on which cases she will take. 

We are also introduced to Alasdair Driscoll who is seeking help for his niece, Finola who has been seeing horrible things and he doesn’t know how to help her. When they first meet Letitia is annoyed by Alasdair’s rude manner and terrified by the shadows following him and she doesn’t want any part of what he is involved in but she decides to help Finola because she believes the girl shouldn’t be tormented the way she is and feels some responsibility to help if she can. This really made me loved Letitia as a characters as she has firm morale values and beliefs but bends these in order to help a young girl in distress because she has the ability to help. As things move forward in the novel, Letitia finds herself in the middle of a criminal case for helping a grieving father and Driscoll comes to her aid this time but Letitia is struggling with the growing attraction between them and she is becoming increasing torn over what she should do. This really highlights Letitia’s struggle between her heart and her head as both have consequences for her. 

Things do take a turn for the worst when Letitia realises she needs to go back to her past if she wants to defeat the terrifying shadows that is tormenting Finola and other children but she isn’t sure she is strong enough to venture down that road once more after she swore to herself she would never do it again. This poses a lot of questions to the reader about whether Letitia will succumb like she did last time and what price Letitia will have to pay for what she is about to do. I must say unlike most horror novels I’ve read Behind the Veil starts strong and keeps the momentum as the novel progress. It is atmospheric and gritty but does have quite a few light-hearted scenes as well. Letitia is one of the most well-crafted characters I have read from in a long time, she has insecurities and vulnerabilities from the very beginning but she is assertive and determined to do the right thing and can be quite dominant when she needs to be. Alasdair also has some great character development as he starts out as your typical rich snob but quickly shows a loving, caring side to his character that makes you like him. 

The conclusion of the novel was actually really well done, yes it did stretch over a number of pages but that worked in the novel’s favour as it felt like it had real significance and was given the attention it needed. The ending could have been a little better but there is a happy ending which satisfied me as a reader but there were complications added in that didn’t feel necessary and felt like they were there just for the sake of being there rather than serving a purpose. As a horror novel, the book balances atmosphere with action which kept you hooked and feeling on edge for the duration of the novel and it would work really well for those newer to the horror genre. The fact the author also opted not to use explicit gore also works well for newer readers in the horror genre but not for me personally as I really enjoy horror novels that don’t shy away from the gore or darker elements of the novel. Overall, Behind the Veil was engaging and maintained a steady pace throughout the novel with a great plot and some outstanding characters. However, that being said, it doesn’t bring anything new or unique to the genre and for seasoned readers like myself it may even feel a little flat in places due to the lack of gore despite the great atmosphere. I would recommend that people check the content warning before jumping into this book but the author does use any graphic descriptions.