Scan barcode
A review by maddiereadswords
Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray
4.5
Great news!! Even after reading this book three times and fully knowing what's coming, the ending of this book can still make me cry. It's fine, I'm totally fine.
This doesn't have the same creepy, haunting vibes as the first two books, and the two parts feel a little more disconnected to the point where I almost wish it had been two separate books (mostly because the back half in particular is so fast-paced and plot heavy that it really loses that spooky edge, and also partly because I selfishly can never get enough of these characters.) This is easily the darkest and most "adult" installment so far, and while it doesn't hit quite as hard as the first two for me, it's still an absolute powerhouse of a book that drags me through the full spectrum of human emotion every time I read it. <3 Also shout out to Ling Chan for being so autistic that she accidentally bypassed internalized homophobia, and to Miriam Lubovitch and Viola Campbell for being such milfs that they keep adopting fucked up children like Pokemon despite being held captive. I love women.
This doesn't have the same creepy, haunting vibes as the first two books, and the two parts feel a little more disconnected to the point where I almost wish it had been two separate books (mostly because the back half in particular is so fast-paced and plot heavy that it really loses that spooky edge, and also partly because I selfishly can never get enough of these characters.) This is easily the darkest and most "adult" installment so far, and while it doesn't hit quite as hard as the first two for me, it's still an absolute powerhouse of a book that drags me through the full spectrum of human emotion every time I read it. <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Ableism, Antisemitism, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Gun violence, Animal death, Violence, Alcohol, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Homophobia, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, and Stalking
Moderate: Classism, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Sexual content, Dementia, and Sexism