A review by menschmaschine
Devotion by Madeline Stevens

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

prose: easy to read, though not particularly high-quality

themes: personally relatable at times; interesting exploration of being a poor person "adopted" by the rich. eroticism and sexuality that makes one feel deeply uncomfortable

plot: several superfluous subplots. good ideas interwoven with the most boring clichés. meandering and purposeless at times. could be a hundred pages shorter.

verdict: not hopeless for a debut novel, but one would think an author with an MFA knows how to kill her darlings