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A review by kfriend
Dirty Devil by Heather Long
5.0
This series is just such a captivating study of character- of the things that make us who we are, and the things that break our humanity, the transfixing dichotomy of nature and nurture and how both can work in concert, or at odds, in how we formulate our identity. How people do, or don't, grow and involve, how they move forward when they are still mired in the consequences and ghosts of their pasts. Heather is unapologetically emotive and meta in how she approaches this narrative- while our characters have trigger-happy urgency in resolving the power games, in culling the answers, our dear author does not. She’s carefully meting out the pieces of this complicated puzzle one character moment at a time, boldly asking us to dive deeply into their psyche, to wade through the waters of their trauma and pain and SIT in it, to linger. Not only does that make this series a more emotively immersive experience, but it also beautifully illuminates the themes Heather is weaving throughout, the essence of these character’s connections- the themes of trauma and identity, of redemption and resilience, of SURVIVAL, because we don’t just see the aftermath of their survival, oh no. We are so intimately connected to these characters (truly a master fete considering the sheer number of them) we experience their survival, past and present. Their pain is our own. But this also gives us the tinge of hope throughout the series, how connection and understanding can drown out the dark, can help us find power in the most powerless of places. But this fourth outing feels pretty absent of hope for much of it- intentionally so. We got too comfortable in the tender embrace of the Vandals, so Heather brilliantly reminds us of the stakes, while also giving us an unflinching view into the lived reality of our brave but oft enigmatic heroine…and a deeper look into some of our Vandals, especially Freddie. AND IT HURTS- Dirty Devil is emotionally savage. Heather continues to layer the pain, to unveil the scars, scars that often turn out to be barely triaged gaping wounds camouflage by the bold courage and brash resilience of her characters. But beneath it all they are just wounded and lost.
And that is what makes her narrative choice in this book so risky and bold- because she removes their center for much of the story (which certainly impacts the RH steamy fun we’re used to thus far). But what a brilliant catalyst to the relationally-recalibrating that has been bubbling within the Vandals. Their center of gravity has long since shifted, but they’ve not quite confronted how that impacts their brotherhood…or for some of them, themselves. We get to watch them grapple with that, watch them be thrown further off kilter, see them rise and stumble. The impact of this book is yet to be known, but this feels like a real and powerful turning point not just for Emersyn as a character but also this crew as a whole. With several books left I know we’re not yet close to our warmth and fuzzies and some characters are still being unpacked , but with every passing page my heart beats more voraciously for each of these characters. And my admiration for Heather’s ability to weave together intense character arcs with such compelling relationship dynamics and a broader dark arc only grows. Her story telling is purposefully, every moment intentional- even if we don’t yet know to what end. There’s really nothing like this series- and I for one can’t wait for more.
And that is what makes her narrative choice in this book so risky and bold- because she removes their center for much of the story (which certainly impacts the RH steamy fun we’re used to thus far). But what a brilliant catalyst to the relationally-recalibrating that has been bubbling within the Vandals. Their center of gravity has long since shifted, but they’ve not quite confronted how that impacts their brotherhood…or for some of them, themselves. We get to watch them grapple with that, watch them be thrown further off kilter, see them rise and stumble. The impact of this book is yet to be known, but this feels like a real and powerful turning point not just for Emersyn as a character but also this crew as a whole. With several books left I know we’re not yet close to our warmth and fuzzies and some characters are still being unpacked , but with every passing page my heart beats more voraciously for each of these characters. And my admiration for Heather’s ability to weave together intense character arcs with such compelling relationship dynamics and a broader dark arc only grows. Her story telling is purposefully, every moment intentional- even if we don’t yet know to what end. There’s really nothing like this series- and I for one can’t wait for more.