Review: The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino

The Devil Makes Three

by Tori Bovalino

August 10, 2021

368 pages

Goodreads Summary:

Tess Matheson only wants three things: time to practice her cello, for her sister to be happy, and for everyone else to leave her alone.

Instead, Tess finds herself working all summer at her boarding school library, shelving books and dealing with the intolerable patrons. The worst of them is Eliot Birch: snide, privileged, and constantly requesting forbidden grimoires. After a bargain with Eliot leads to the discovery of an ancient book in the library's grimoire collection, the pair accidentally unleash a book-bound demon.

The demon will stop at nothing to stay free, manipulating ink to threaten those Tess loves and dismantling Eliot’s strange magic. Tess is plagued by terrible dreams of the devil and haunting memories of a boy who wears Eliot's face. All she knows is to stay free, the demon needs her... and he'll have her, dead or alive.

Review

I am usually not one to pick up a paranormal thriller but in the case of The Devil Makes Three its synopsis peaked my interest. While the book suffered a little with slow pacing, once the story picked up I was keen to see where it'd go.

Everything that happened inside the walls of the Jessop English Library was either totally creepy or completely nuts. The dark academia tone was on par. So very atmospheric! "To want was human; to possess was unnatural." (ARC, p. 329-330) However, the presence of magic in The Devil Makes Three felt unnecessary and more like a convenience.

Tess wasn't my favourite type of heroine. I respected her for all the sacrifices she made to shelter her sister but at the same time I really wanted to tell her to live a little. At least she was consistent. Tess tried to handle all the strange happenings on her own. I was impressed by her courage but more pleased when she eventually learned to accept help from Eliot.

There is a small bit of romance in The Devil Makes Three that felt somewhat out of place. I wasn't totally convinced of the attraction between Tess and Eliot. The timeline of the story didn't really give enough time and chances for them to build up a more-than-friends relationship. I wish they got in more interactions before strong romantic feelings were expressed.

The last line of the book made me do a double take. Does it mean what I think it means because omg... If you love dark libraries, creepy grimoires, and unspeakable secrets then The Devil Makes Three is the book for you.

*I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.