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A review by bryonycostello
The Devil in the Corner by Patricia Elliott
3.0
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally posted on my blog, Paperbacks & Protagonists.
Seventeen year old Maud is all alone in the world after the death of her father, leaving her an orphan. After three failed jobs as a governess, Maud is taken in by her cousin Julianna. Pleased to be accepted somewhere, Maud is looking forward to her new life with Julianna. However, Maud finds that she is nothing more than an unpaid nursemaid due to Julianna’s frail health. At seventeen years of age, Maud should be spending time with suitors, but Julianna forbids it. It appears as if Maud will not have a chance of happiness until the death of Julianna.
Overall, Maud was a mediocre character. At the beginning, she appeared perfectly normal, but as the story went on, I began to doubt her sanity. It was difficult to determine whether or not she was hallucinating, whether or not she was interfering with other people’s medicine and whether or not she was stealing. I am not 100% sure that Maud did any of those things that she was accused of, but I can tell you that I would not trust her personally.
The storyline was fine, and I’ve heard that it reminds people of Jane Eyre – though not nearly as good as the aforementioned novel. Whilst reading this book, I was interested enough to want to know what was going to happen next, and I liked the mystery elements throughout it. The brief romance was enjoyable to read and there were several interesting occurrences littered throughout the entirety of the book. However, they were so few and far that it made it seem as if the novel was going on forever! Overall, the pace is what ruined this book – it was painfully slow.
The ending was obtuse. Things were not spelled out for the reader, hence leaving a bit of mystery surrounding what actually happened. I have theories as to what did happen, but not actually knowing leaves me irritated.
Overall, this was an okay read. A slow, YA historical mystery.
This review was originally posted on my blog, Paperbacks & Protagonists.
Seventeen year old Maud is all alone in the world after the death of her father, leaving her an orphan. After three failed jobs as a governess, Maud is taken in by her cousin Julianna. Pleased to be accepted somewhere, Maud is looking forward to her new life with Julianna. However, Maud finds that she is nothing more than an unpaid nursemaid due to Julianna’s frail health. At seventeen years of age, Maud should be spending time with suitors, but Julianna forbids it. It appears as if Maud will not have a chance of happiness until the death of Julianna.
Overall, Maud was a mediocre character. At the beginning, she appeared perfectly normal, but as the story went on, I began to doubt her sanity. It was difficult to determine whether or not she was hallucinating, whether or not she was interfering with other people’s medicine and whether or not she was stealing. I am not 100% sure that Maud did any of those things that she was accused of, but I can tell you that I would not trust her personally.
The storyline was fine, and I’ve heard that it reminds people of Jane Eyre – though not nearly as good as the aforementioned novel. Whilst reading this book, I was interested enough to want to know what was going to happen next, and I liked the mystery elements throughout it. The brief romance was enjoyable to read and there were several interesting occurrences littered throughout the entirety of the book. However, they were so few and far that it made it seem as if the novel was going on forever! Overall, the pace is what ruined this book – it was painfully slow.
The ending was obtuse. Things were not spelled out for the reader, hence leaving a bit of mystery surrounding what actually happened. I have theories as to what did happen, but not actually knowing leaves me irritated.
Overall, this was an okay read. A slow, YA historical mystery.