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A review by wordsofapaige
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
5.0
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I picked this up not knowing too much about it, other than I loved Stuart Turton's debut novel and therefore I needed to read this one. And it did not disappoint.
This is a truly compulsive read, it went through it in a matter of days and really struggled to put it down. I had so many questions and I genuinely didn't guess any of the plot until it was unveiled in front of me. And thank god it was broken down and explained because otherwise I really would have been confused. It isn't complicated per say, it's just so incredibly clever that it deserves the detailed explanation that it gets.
I loved that I spent the whole book wondering if the supernatural elements were real or not. I debated between the two and it's just so hard to tell. (I'll leave it there because spoilers).
I loved the cast of characters. The passenger manifest at the start was super helpful because I have to admit I had to check back a few times to work out who was who (but I also know I'm very bad at remembering names of characters). Arent was the surprise protagonist, for some reason I thought it was going to follow Samuel Pipps more so I was pleasantly surprised. Arent is Pipps right hand man, and more the brawn than the brains of the operation, but he's tasked with trying to solve the mystery on the ship. He mixes trying to think like Pipps with his own ideas and it worked so well for me. Sara is another notable character. She's a very well educated woman who wants to more independent than her station and sex allows. But she gets some free rein on the ship and becomes such an invaluable part of the team, without becoming the token woman!
The mystery of Old Tom is atmospheric, and creepy. From lepers catching fire, to mysterious altars in the bowels of the ship Old Tom sticks to the shadows and I just loved the concept of it all. Ghost ships and strange symbols, it was just haunting.
I loved this book. It's the perfect read for the darker months, and it'll keep you guessing the entire way through.
I picked this up not knowing too much about it, other than I loved Stuart Turton's debut novel and therefore I needed to read this one. And it did not disappoint.
This is a truly compulsive read, it went through it in a matter of days and really struggled to put it down. I had so many questions and I genuinely didn't guess any of the plot until it was unveiled in front of me. And thank god it was broken down and explained because otherwise I really would have been confused. It isn't complicated per say, it's just so incredibly clever that it deserves the detailed explanation that it gets.
I loved that I spent the whole book wondering if the supernatural elements were real or not. I debated between the two and it's just so hard to tell. (I'll leave it there because spoilers).
I loved the cast of characters. The passenger manifest at the start was super helpful because I have to admit I had to check back a few times to work out who was who (but I also know I'm very bad at remembering names of characters). Arent was the surprise protagonist, for some reason I thought it was going to follow Samuel Pipps more so I was pleasantly surprised. Arent is Pipps right hand man, and more the brawn than the brains of the operation, but he's tasked with trying to solve the mystery on the ship. He mixes trying to think like Pipps with his own ideas and it worked so well for me. Sara is another notable character. She's a very well educated woman who wants to more independent than her station and sex allows. But she gets some free rein on the ship and becomes such an invaluable part of the team, without becoming the token woman!
The mystery of Old Tom is atmospheric, and creepy. From lepers catching fire, to mysterious altars in the bowels of the ship Old Tom sticks to the shadows and I just loved the concept of it all. Ghost ships and strange symbols, it was just haunting.
I loved this book. It's the perfect read for the darker months, and it'll keep you guessing the entire way through.