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kari_webster 's review for:
The Wicked Cometh
by Laura Carlin
I flew through this novel, and despite quite a slow middle, the last third kept me up reading until the end. A bit darker than I expected, Carlin transports the reader back in time to the dark, gritty, poverty-sticken areas of London in this rags-to-riches-esque historical mystery. Her writing is atmospheric and creates vivid imagery through her descriptions. The tension between some of the characters and the desciption of Hester’s daily routine at Waterford was reminiscent of Du Maurier. It left me feeling uneasy in the first third of the story as I wasn’t sure which whispers to believe in regards to the Brock family. In fact, Carlin is excellent at making you feel unsettled which fit the mystery-murder plot well. The crimes were very much of the time which I appreciated, and I felt it came together believably.
There are times where the writing is a bit clumsy and could do with a more show-not-tell approach and I think the middle section could be cut down to keep the pace flowing. I also felt that perhaps the romance could have had a slower build up. I realise that it begins in the slower section of the book, but i felt Hester became too obsessive a bit too quickly for it to feel natural. Even a comment on Hester’s previous feelings towards family/friends/potential love interests would have fleshed her out a little more and shown us how she normally interacts with people. The rapidity of her obsessiveness contrasts with the apparent ease in which she leaves other characters behind without much care as to whether they’d miss her, or her them. She didn’t seem to be particularly attached to anyone until Waterford, but I digress. Overall a good, fun read and I look forward to seeing more from the author.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC :)
There are times where the writing is a bit clumsy and could do with a more show-not-tell approach and I think the middle section could be cut down to keep the pace flowing. I also felt that perhaps the romance could have had a slower build up. I realise that it begins in the slower section of the book, but i felt Hester became too obsessive a bit too quickly for it to feel natural. Even a comment on Hester’s previous feelings towards family/friends/potential love interests would have fleshed her out a little more and shown us how she normally interacts with people. The rapidity of her obsessiveness contrasts with the apparent ease in which she leaves other characters behind without much care as to whether they’d miss her, or her them. She didn’t seem to be particularly attached to anyone until Waterford, but I digress. Overall a good, fun read and I look forward to seeing more from the author.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC :)