The Devil's Pocketbook

Another case of a cover that didn't speak to me hiding a book that spoke to my core, that's why they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, I guess (not that there's anything wrong with the cover of this book it's just not my vibe you know?).

I liked the characters in this book so much, Erik and Lara were great, and I related to Lara a lot, so her actions made so much sense to me in a terrifying and heartbreaking sort of way.

That ending too, chef's kiss.

Dark, depressing, captivating and atmospheric. This was a fantastic read from start to finish. There are some very dark themes in this book, but all handled in aid of the story, not just for the shock factor.
Brilliantly paced journey into grief, the psychological damage it can do to you, and the vulnerability it leaves you with. All neatly wrapped up in a damn fine horror novel.
I absolutely loved this and will be looking for more from this author.

A very enjoyable book. There are some word choices that could be cleaned up, but the most glaring one was the misuse of “nonplussed.” I note this only because it is a common mistake.

That being said. This was fun and, sometimes, not fun. In short, we follow Erik and Lara, who are on a trip to get away from life. They recently lost their new-born daughter, who never even got to leave the hospital. They are both traumatized and handling it a bit differently.

In the village where they're taking a holiday, they one day discover a strange egg sac on the beach. When they examine it, they discover a young girl in it. And their life changes.

Not for the better. Erik isn't a great guy, but his grief is palpable. The way he handles his grief helps him for a while resist the new child's charm. Lara, however, desperately wants a child and is particularly vulnerable to the child, Scylla. Scylla ingratiates herself into their lives and begins to play them off each other, in an attempt to isolate Lara. As the relationship between Erik and Lara worsens, Scylla's hold on Lara strengthens. When Lara is very far gone in Scylla's power, Erik meets some villagers who are actively fighting against Scylla and her sinister sisters of the sea.

There are some brutal scenes of abuse. Since Scylla can easily control the couple, in particular Lara, who is her mark, she causes the two to literally beat each other. And then they don't remember what happens later. This is hard to read because they are both innocent of the abuse. They are puppets whose strings are being pulled by Scylla. There's also some nice gore in places. Scylla herself is a sinister little brat, and that's great. There are many discussions of grief, and there are some scenes that might be hard for some readers. The ashes of Erik and Lara's daughter are an important element, both to the plot and to the characterization of especially Erik.

My main issue, besides nonplussed, was that Erik and Lara seemed pretty gendered to me in how they react to Scylla, and how Scylla can target them. Erik also isn't a very likable character, in all honesty. But I didn't mind that. It made it far more interesting to not totally like the guy, but to empathize with his situation. And some of that was certainly Scylla's influence, but not all of it.

In all, a stellar piece of folk horror. The grief is palpable throughout the novel, and the characters sufficiently flawed to feel pretty darn realistic. I don't doubt their grief for a second, even when they can't understand each other. There's some amount of gore, and the prose is pretty solid. The setting really adds to the atmosphere, and the important side characters are fun. I also fully believe how the small town acts. IYKYK.

Thank you to the author and publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to author Drew Starling for hooking a girl up with the ARC.