Scan barcode
A review by undertheteacup
The Impending Possession of Scarlet Wakebridge-Rosé by Samantha L. Strong
2.0
**Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review**
Listen, when a book not only has a supernatural/horror element but also features a Black woman main character and includes the phrase 'her wife' only two paragraphs into the story, it's already gone most of the way to winning me over. The engaging, humorous-but-still-suitably-ominous writing and the painfully believable marriage struggles did the rest of the work. I was enamored of our wonderfully flawed (and awkwardly named) protagonist and rooting for her in no time.
Which is why the ending felt like such a let down. I won't spoil it for anyone. But we were led to believe that this story was about Scarlet. Maybe that was my mistake, but I did not expect her to instead become the vehicle for Father Angelo to work out his demons. It felt like the ending was setting up a Father Angelo sequel, when what I really wanted was to see Scarlet more deeply explore her relationship with Eve and with her daughter, and work on mending these aspects of her life.
Listen, when a book not only has a supernatural/horror element but also features a Black woman main character and includes the phrase 'her wife' only two paragraphs into the story, it's already gone most of the way to winning me over. The engaging, humorous-but-still-suitably-ominous writing and the painfully believable marriage struggles did the rest of the work. I was enamored of our wonderfully flawed (and awkwardly named) protagonist and rooting for her in no time.
Which is why the ending felt like such a let down. I won't spoil it for anyone. But we were led to believe that this story was about Scarlet. Maybe that was my mistake, but I did not expect her to instead become the vehicle for Father Angelo to work out his demons. It felt like the ending was setting up a Father Angelo sequel, when what I really wanted was to see Scarlet more deeply explore her relationship with Eve and with her daughter, and work on mending these aspects of her life.