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ik6non_kim 's review for:
The Wicked Cometh
by Laura Carlin
I’d give this book a 4/5 stars for the first 70%, and perhaps a 2.5/5 for the remaining third act conclusion and denouement. The latter 30% has a lot of plot of the central mystery being told to us by someone recounting their connection or involvement with the perpetrators of the series of disappearances, where they go “so this guy from my past grew to be this guy now, and he is doing this because of such-and-such.” There was this particular instance of a birth and a murder involved with it (amongst other devious deeds) that’s told from *two* perspectives that takes up ~half a chapter each. Carlin also sort of revives one of the main character, Rebekah by pulling the ol’ switcheroo that’s resolved in half a chapter. These aforesaid aspects bring the latter 30% of the book down to 2.5 stars.
Considering the book as a whole Carlin has a writing style that I absolutely love — a sense of melodrama that’s reminiscent the style of Sarah Waters and by extension, the style of contemporary Victorian writers. Although the plot is somewhat convoluted *(some may argue too convoluted)* in certain cases Carlin has a gorgeous and vivid style of writing when it comes to descriptions, especially when it comes to describing the slums of London.
However, there are aspects of the character Hester that I didn’t particularly, ie. the way she was generally dragged along by Rebekah on her quest to seek justice and truth regarding the growing disappearances, and rather lacks an agency on her own. Her attraction to Rebekah is also not fully explained and developed besides Rebekah being handsome and sweet to her, and they only confess their love to each other at essentially the beginning of the third act, whereby they are immediately separated due to believing each other to be dead, then separated by a continent, and finally reuniting on the final page with an epilogue diary entry to explain that they’re well.
Considering the book as a whole Carlin has a writing style that I absolutely love — a sense of melodrama that’s reminiscent the style of Sarah Waters and by extension, the style of contemporary Victorian writers. Although the plot is somewhat convoluted *(some may argue too convoluted)* in certain cases Carlin has a gorgeous and vivid style of writing when it comes to descriptions, especially when it comes to describing the slums of London.
However, there are aspects of the character Hester that I didn’t particularly, ie. the way she was generally dragged along by Rebekah on her quest to seek justice and truth regarding the growing disappearances, and rather lacks an agency on her own. Her attraction to Rebekah is also not fully explained and developed besides Rebekah being handsome and sweet to her, and they only confess their love to each other at essentially the beginning of the third act, whereby they are immediately separated due to believing each other to be dead, then separated by a continent, and finally reuniting on the final page with an epilogue diary entry to explain that they’re well.