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A review by conjurerachel
The Good Demon by Jimmy Cajoleas
3.0
In the heart of the south, a girl’s best friend is torn away from her as a reverend and his son calls down divine power for an exorcism. The result: an angry teenager ready to crawl into the darkest secrets of her home to bring the demon back. In a twisty story about friendship, faith, and free will, Clare’s life is shattered and only the secret messages from the demon can help put herself back together again, even if it means teaming up with the reverend’s son.
The prose is true to its genre, emphasizing the blood in starlit woods and ancient evil that lurks in every corner. Clare is a fascinating character of her own, someone angry and vicious at the world, and Cajoleas seems aware of the genre conventions when it comes to gender. This pays off spectacularly and particularly after she and the Roy become more involved with each other. I love religious horror, but I hate the sexism that is association with the genre – as seen with possession scenes. It was a relief to see the bond Clare and Her had as more of an even dynamic than a mwa ha ha flesh puppet schtick.
Other characters, Uncle Mike and Miss. Mathis, have some of the best scenes in the book as they reveal some of the darker strange things in their town.
Gothic atmosphere and starving characters aside, what made this book go down a star would be his attempt of writing a Major Conspiracy. The second half delves into it, a cult created by the typical founders of the town and etc., but execution was lacking and so was any foreshadowing. This made the ending rushed because it felt like there was more to say.
Lovely writing and gothic feeling, weak second half, but a fun story about how we all crave to feel connected to someone and want companionship.
I've received the arc from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The prose is true to its genre, emphasizing the blood in starlit woods and ancient evil that lurks in every corner. Clare is a fascinating character of her own, someone angry and vicious at the world, and Cajoleas seems aware of the genre conventions when it comes to gender. This pays off spectacularly and particularly after she and the Roy become more involved with each other. I love religious horror, but I hate the sexism that is association with the genre – as seen with possession scenes. It was a relief to see the bond Clare and Her had as more of an even dynamic than a mwa ha ha flesh puppet schtick.
Other characters, Uncle Mike and Miss. Mathis, have some of the best scenes in the book as they reveal some of the darker strange things in their town.
Gothic atmosphere and starving characters aside, what made this book go down a star would be his attempt of writing a Major Conspiracy. The second half delves into it, a cult created by the typical founders of the town and etc., but execution was lacking and so was any foreshadowing. This made the ending rushed because it felt like there was more to say.
Lovely writing and gothic feeling, weak second half, but a fun story about how we all crave to feel connected to someone and want companionship.
I've received the arc from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.