Review: ‘The Devil Makes Three’ by Tori Bovalino (Spooky, edgy, YA crossover)

*Received with thanks from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts are my own.

This is the kind of book that makes me excited when I read the blub. ‘The Devil Makes Three’ by Tori Bovalino ticks so many boxes for me.

Heavy library setting. Check.

Horror vibes. Check.

A storyline that would make Buffy proud. Check.

Gothic YA crossover. Check

Here’s the summary:

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.

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.

(Released September 14th 2021 by Titan)

On paper this is a bit of me, through and through. But did it work out that way? Here’s my thoughts.

The short answer: It was ok!

The longer answer: Here’s the rub. I struggled with the first few chapters. I felt like it took a long time for the story to gain traction and for the antagonist to fully appear. It made me wonder if I would have had the same patience with the read if it wasn’t a review copy, you know?

The second half of this book, however, truly gripped me, so maybe all that set up in the beginning was paying off after all.

Tess as a character, I didn’t fully connect with. I liked her motivations to protect her sister, but it didn’t feel fully realised, and whereas I really love the idea of her having a musical passion, I don’t like the cello.

It was interesting to see how Tess had essentially become the parent, or responsible adult, in her family’s situation, and I think that will resonate with a lot of people.

Tess takes her sister out of public school because she isn’t coping with it after her private school (I think it was private?) and that was a small detail that made me bristle a little bit. It felt like a slight against public schooling, and sure there are some drawbacks and funding issues with public schools, but I felt like the problem wasn’t the school, it was the situation.

Anyway, there was a great amount of detail into the backstories of both Tess and Eliot and I really appreciated that.

Eliot held more sway with me. I liked him a lot, and although his background is one of privilege, I think it shows some of the serious failings that kind of childhood setting can have.

The plot itself was fun. I loved the more classic horror elements. The jump-scare potential (if it were a film) and the spooky scenes.

Again, I think there were too many instances of inaction. Tess and Eliot were passive, to a fault, in some chapters. Once you’ve established the devil is seeking to harm you, you should probably make mad moves on solving that.

‘The Devil Makes Three’ has a ‘Ninth House’ by Leigh Bardugo auro about it. You know when a book smells faintly familiar? I think this is why I hung on to this read even when the story wasn’t moving forward as fast as I would have liked.

I can clearly see the YA crossover appeal, but I think it firmly sits within the boundaries of YA if you’re at all concerned about it feeling more “adult fiction”.

Overall, I enjoyed ‘The Devil Makes Three’, I think that there are some places that could do with tightening up and I would prefer a more active progression of the plot.

‘The Devil Makes Three’ by Tori Bovalino is perfect for fans of books like ‘Ninth House’ by Leigh Bardugo and ‘Ink and Bone’ by Rachel Caine. An edgy, eerie and suspenseful read that will make a great addition to your spooky season TBR list.

I gave it a 3.5 stars on Goodreads.

Written by Sarah