A review by megansnextread
Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

One thing is for sure, Vesper does not have a normal family. She is trying to get by in her waitress job when one day she decides to confront her cult-like family by going back home to watch her cousin/best friend get married to her ex boyfriend. This cult is not any normal cult, as they are devil worshippers… 

 

Wow this was so fun and engrossing. I wish I annotated this book because there were so many good lines about needing to set boundaries for toxic family members, releasing your trauma, and discovering ones self. I loved how the cult was still religiously fanatic but the twist of it being Satan was great. 

 

I also loved all the hidden religious and cult "easter eggs", if you can call them that, like how the cult was called "Hell's Gate" in reference to the famous real life cult Heaven's Gate. I love reading about cults so this made it feel like Harrison went the extra mile to weirdos like me! There are also I am sure lots of Horror movie references, that I might not have picked up on, because I am not huge fan of but others might. Vesper's mother is a famous horror movie actress, and Vesper is kind of obsessed with all of her work. 

 

I highly recommend this, I have a feeling it might be on my favorite's list for this year!