A review by lillyrb
There Is No Devil by Sophie Lark

dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
I need to give this the same disclaimer as I did the first one - this book was not written for me. I’m not the target audience, I read the first one without preparation and finished it because I was curious. I ended up enjoying this one more than the first (probably because the start of book 1 made me so unbelievably uncomfortable). The relationship between Cole and Mara is undeniably fascinating in its codependency and brutality. The plot was quite good too. It is a very twisted boom with heaps of trigger warnings but it is well written and in this case the acts of violence that are described in detail are kind of less awful because while reading the book, Cole manages to also manipulate the reader to some extent believe the acts are justified (even though they are obviously not). The book does a very good job at manipulating the reader even though you know you are being manipulated. You have to like this kind of stuff but if you do, it’s definitely worth the read and the second book is in my opinion less horrifying to read (specifically as a woman who really does not enjoy reading about any kind of violence by men against women).
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