A review by raechel
The Savage Instinct by M.M. DeLuca

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Maybe literature in a Victorian setting just isn't my thing.  I didn't like this, I didn't like The Valancourt Book of ​Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories: Volume Five, and I didn't like Fingersmith.  I thought this book was way too heavy-handed with the misogyny, everyone in the book was an idiot, and there was also zero tension.

The book primarily takes place during Clara's return home from being away at an asylum after the stillbirth of her baby and she has a lot of trouble adjusting.  All the men in her life are ridiculously evil (like rubbing their hands together and laughing about how they're going to send her away and take her family fortune), yet she still keeps trusting them and being shocked when she overhears them say awful stuff.  Also, there are flash-forward chapters where we're basically told what's happened to certain characters... so we know everything turns out all right.  And we know something specific that happens so there's a real start-and-stop feeling because every time Clara is totally for sure escaping... we know that isn't the case because the flash forwards tell us what actually happened.

Also it turns out Henry (her husband) is just... a mama's boy?  And it's a WOMAN who was the true evil behind it all???

Clara is so dumb and naive but we're just supposed to believe she turns stone cold at the veryyyyy end of this book.  What?
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