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A review by readingthroughthelists
The Crowfield Demon by Pat Walsh
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Crowfield Demon improves on The Crowfield Curse in many ways. Gone is the laborious writing and meandering plot of Curse; instead the tension, gloom, and terror which built slowly throughout the first book have been ratcheted up to 11. Walsh is not afraid to make her characters suffer, and suffer they do, right up until the end (and possibly into the nonexistent third book as well).
Still, some elements could have been better.Sir Robert of Weforde was a wasted character--I expected him to at least be in league with Dame Alys and her demon but instead he appears for two seconds, does nothing, and is out for the rest of the book.
Dame Alys, the demons, and the angels still remain an enigma to me. All the characters, Fay and human, acknowledge a “Creator” whose servants are the angels and demons. But only the monks of the abbey actually appear to be Catholic/religious. William feels almost agnostic--he believes in God but we never see him participate in the religious life of the abbey. He never attends mass, never prays, doesn’t even cross himself when in the presence of a literal demon (that’s like Catholic 101). And yet the book clearly operates with a Christian(ish) worldview, since the demon and its keeper, Dame Alys, are presented as cruel and villainous while virtuous William and his comrades fight for light and the truth, on the side of the angels.
This last was a bit of a stumbling point for me. Multiple times in The Crowfield Demon we are told what a bright light William is, how his heart is so pure that it actually draws evil to him in an attempt to stomp it out. But…is it? William is a perfectly pleasant protagonist but, like…he’s just a guy. And the more the book tried to convince me how special William was, the less I was actually convinced.
Now here’s hoping for that long-awaited third book.
Still, some elements could have been better.
Dame Alys, the demons, and the angels still remain an enigma to me. All the characters, Fay and human, acknowledge a “Creator” whose servants are the angels and demons. But only the monks of the abbey actually appear to be Catholic/religious. William feels almost agnostic--he believes in God but we never see him participate in the religious life of the abbey. He never attends mass, never prays, doesn’t even cross himself when in the presence of a literal demon (that’s like Catholic 101). And yet the book clearly operates with a Christian(ish) worldview, since the demon and its keeper, Dame Alys, are presented as cruel and villainous while virtuous William and his comrades fight for light and the truth, on the side of the angels.
This last was a bit of a stumbling point for me. Multiple times in The Crowfield Demon we are told what a bright light William is, how his heart is so pure that it actually draws evil to him in an attempt to stomp it out. But…is it? William is a perfectly pleasant protagonist but, like…he’s just a guy. And the more the book tried to convince me how special William was, the less I was actually convinced.
Now here’s hoping for that long-awaited third book.