Series: None
Author: Tori Bovalino
Published August 2021 by Titan Books
Goodreads Synopsis
The devil seeks his due from two unsuspecting students in this YA horror novel for fans of The Library of the Unwritten and VE Schwab.
When Tess and Eliot stumble upon an ancient book hidden in a secret tunnel beneath their school library, they accidentally release a devil from his book-bound prison, and he’ll stop at nothing to stay free. He’ll manipulate all the ink in the library books to do his bidding, he’ll murder in the stacks, and he’ll bleed into every inch of Tess’s life until his freedom is permanent. Forced to work together, Tess and Eliot have to find a way to re-trap the devil before he kills everyone they know and love, including, increasingly, each other. And compared to what the devil has in store for them, school stress suddenly doesn’t seem so bad after all.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
After arriving at the prestigious Falk School, running from the disaster that her parents have brought on her and her sister, Tess must work at the school's library, in exchange for her scholarship. She hates the pompous and ignorant Dr Birch, and mistakenly insults his cute, geeky son, when filling his request for over 100 grimoires. When Tess and Eliot attempt to find a hidden grimoire in the library basement, they inadvertently unleash the devil, who wants to be called Truth, and is out to claim Tess, no matter who gets in his way. Working together, they must use all their knowledge and power to defeat the demon, once and for all, and hope that he doesn't destroy all that they love.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I'm not normally keen on thrillers or horrors, but when I learnt this would be the Illumicrate book for August 2021, I decided to read it after all. And, I was pleasantly surprised. The main characters, Tess and Eliot, were clever, and funny, and I liked the spark between them, though this was by no means a romance. They definitely got off on a wrong foot, but soon found themselves thrown together, and worked in partnership extremely well. I did feel, though, that the book was a little long, or it dragged at times. Once we got into the real action of Truth haunting Tess' dreams, and starting to control others to get to her, that's when I was really invested, and I think I read the last 40% or something in one sitting. Until then, I would only read a few chapters, and put it down. I liked the conclusion, and the little hint that not all was right at the end, but all in all, I wasn't blown away by it.
Dates Read:
August 31-September 4, 2021
Rating
3 Stars
