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A review by adeselnaferreira
The House of the Wicked: A romantic suspense novel by Oona Arlo
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you so much to Oona Arlo for the ARC! <3
‘The house of the wicked shall be overthrown but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish’.
Few books are as complete as “ The House of the Wicked”. It even feels like a sin to label it simply as a “dark-romance” in order to appease the Gods of Book Marketing. The book has everything: mafia, violence, plot twists, enigmas, smut, character development and even some mystery. While the focus of the book is certainly the romance between Nora and August as it is a 1st person dual POV, readers will not be disappointed to peel the layers that Oona Arlo wrote for them.
Nora, orphaned very young, is far from being an innocent soul. The proverb on the house foresees Nora’s future in this first book. We meet her as she feels like a prisoner in her godfather’s house, she goes nowhere without protection. As a result of losing her parents, she has a lot of moments where she brushes the feeling of death to be able to feel something. The water scenes are intense and can be triggering for some people but they have a reason. The loss of her parents, her having only two friends and no social life, it all takes a toll on her mental state. “The house of the wicked shall be overthrown” forecasts the dramatic events that will force Nora and August to flee the city. Those who harmed innocent people will be punished. “The tabernacle of the upright shall flourish” can mean that Nora’s role in the future of the family will bring some justice to a world that is engulfed in meaningless violence. Nora despises that world and August has to live in it. While Nora claims she rejects it, August has learned to navigate but not accept what the mafia has done to the city.
August is a complicated character to explain - he is violent and sometimes he is even rough with Nora, but at the same time he has soft moments with her. He is at the same time both protector and instigator - he does everything in his power to protect her from harm, helping her in difficult situations but he can also be a bit of a brute. He warns her of the consequences should he give in to his desires but he is evil. Evil, that’s the world, he is just a bad person, but not twisted! And Nora is no angel, she was aware of a lot of things about her godfather business and sometimes even helped him. Her and August know that while they are both from different sides, she still has darkness within her: when she flirts with death, when she is ready to surrender to August and even with the plot twist at the end.
Whilst in this first book we witness August going from a scary person to one that aided Nora, I hope in the second book the opposite will happen and it will be Nora’s time to be embraced by despair with August getting some redemption and remaining by her side to keep the balance. Because this book was balanced like that: while Nora tried to escape, August was there to keep her locked in the world of violence and death. When August finally realised he has to do everything to protect her and finally allow her to do what she always wanted, Nora’s journey comes full circle. The story both begins and ends in the house of the wicked and while at the beginning of the book, the house mirrors Nora’s mental state - delicate and flirting with insanity - by the end when Nora returns to it, the house represents all the possibilities for her future.
“You stabbed a man for looking at me.”
Damn right, he did! That scene alone earned this book a star. I have such a weak spot for a MC who is willing to burn the world for the FMC! If you wouldn’t stab a man who was creepy to the woman you love, is it even love?
‘The house of the wicked shall be overthrown but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish’.
Few books are as complete as “ The House of the Wicked”. It even feels like a sin to label it simply as a “dark-romance” in order to appease the Gods of Book Marketing. The book has everything: mafia, violence, plot twists, enigmas, smut, character development and even some mystery. While the focus of the book is certainly the romance between Nora and August as it is a 1st person dual POV, readers will not be disappointed to peel the layers that Oona Arlo wrote for them.
Nora, orphaned very young, is far from being an innocent soul. The proverb on the house foresees Nora’s future in this first book. We meet her as she feels like a prisoner in her godfather’s house, she goes nowhere without protection. As a result of losing her parents, she has a lot of moments where she brushes the feeling of death to be able to feel something. The water scenes are intense and can be triggering for some people but they have a reason. The loss of her parents, her having only two friends and no social life, it all takes a toll on her mental state. “The house of the wicked shall be overthrown” forecasts the dramatic events that will force Nora and August to flee the city. Those who harmed innocent people will be punished. “The tabernacle of the upright shall flourish” can mean that Nora’s role in the future of the family will bring some justice to a world that is engulfed in meaningless violence. Nora despises that world and August has to live in it. While Nora claims she rejects it, August has learned to navigate but not accept what the mafia has done to the city.
August is a complicated character to explain - he is violent and sometimes he is even rough with Nora, but at the same time he has soft moments with her. He is at the same time both protector and instigator - he does everything in his power to protect her from harm, helping her in difficult situations but he can also be a bit of a brute. He warns her of the consequences should he give in to his desires but he is evil. Evil, that’s the world, he is just a bad person, but not twisted! And Nora is no angel, she was aware of a lot of things about her godfather business and sometimes even helped him. Her and August know that while they are both from different sides, she still has darkness within her: when she flirts with death, when she is ready to surrender to August and even with the plot twist at the end.
Whilst in this first book we witness August going from a scary person to one that aided Nora, I hope in the second book the opposite will happen and it will be Nora’s time to be embraced by despair with August getting some redemption and remaining by her side to keep the balance. Because this book was balanced like that: while Nora tried to escape, August was there to keep her locked in the world of violence and death. When August finally realised he has to do everything to protect her and finally allow her to do what she always wanted, Nora’s journey comes full circle. The story both begins and ends in the house of the wicked and while at the beginning of the book, the house mirrors Nora’s mental state - delicate and flirting with insanity - by the end when Nora returns to it, the house represents all the possibilities for her future.
“You stabbed a man for looking at me.”
Damn right, he did! That scene alone earned this book a star. I have such a weak spot for a MC who is willing to burn the world for the FMC! If you wouldn’t stab a man who was creepy to the woman you love, is it even love?