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A review by sarahweyand
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy
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
4.25
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feedback are my own.
It's a rare thing for me to experience real fear while reading a book. Most of the time there's a sense of distance between myself and the events I'm reading (it's not like a book is going to jumpscare me the way a movie might). It turns out all I need to be absolutely terrified while reading is a well-written, horrific man in the 50s. The visceral feelings of claustrophobia and entrapment that plagued me while reading was something I've never gotten form a book before. While there are , of course, some horror supernatural elements to this story, the misogyny and abuse and feelings of helplessness experienced by our protagonist were so real and so possible it made me almost ill (complimentary!).
I liked our characters and the relationships between them (and I loved to hate/fear the bad ones). I thought the plot was interesting and the execution was well-done. I also liked the ending, even if I feel it didn't really macth with the rest of the story.
TLDR; keep an eye on Paulette Kennedy, because this was a real winner.
It's a rare thing for me to experience real fear while reading a book. Most of the time there's a sense of distance between myself and the events I'm reading (it's not like a book is going to jumpscare me the way a movie might). It turns out all I need to be absolutely terrified while reading is a well-written, horrific man in the 50s. The visceral feelings of claustrophobia and entrapment that plagued me while reading was something I've never gotten form a book before. While there are , of course, some horror supernatural elements to this story, the misogyny and abuse and feelings of helplessness experienced by our protagonist were so real and so possible it made me almost ill (complimentary!).
I liked our characters and the relationships between them (and I loved to hate/fear the bad ones). I thought the plot was interesting and the execution was well-done. I also liked the ending, even if I feel it didn't really macth with the rest of the story.
TLDR; keep an eye on Paulette Kennedy, because this was a real winner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Self harm, Death, and Sexism
Minor: Child abuse