“Skin to skin. Blood to blood. Heart sister to heart sister.”

In Lucretia Grindle’s The Devil’s Glove: Salem Book 1 (May 2023), readers are transported to the chilling precipice of the Salem Witch Trials. This meticulously researched novel blends historical accuracy with supernatural elements. Grindle crafts a captivating tale of fear, mistrust, and the enduring power of human connection.

Set in the remote Puritan village of Falmouth, on the eve of the infamous trials, the story unfolds amidst the clash of cultures. A war is brewing between the English settlers and the existing Native American community, fueling suspicion and resentment. Grindle masterfully explores the themes of colonialism, othering, and the enduring human need for connection.

The Plot.

In 1688, on the eve of the Salem Witch Trials, we meet Resolve Hammond. A young woman with the unsettling gift of seeing beyond the veil of reality. When Avis Hobbs dies, Resolve’s mother, a healer with deep ties to the local Native American tribe, suspects foul play.

Despite the growing tension between the villagers and their Native American neighbors, Resolve’s mother remains silent, fearing accusations of witchcraft. But Resolve, privy to unsettling visions, senses a sinister truth. Who would poison Avis, and why does Avis’s daughter, Abigail, seem eerily pleased?

As the village descends into paranoia and the threat of war with the neighboring native community looms, Resolve must confront her unsettling gift and use it to uncover the truth, even as the men in power manipulate events for their own gain.

Highlights.

Lucretia Grindle is a wordsmith. I rarely find myself stopping to reread sentences and passages just because once was not enough. The prose in this book is unrivaled. Beautiful metaphors and turns of phrase adorn every page. I was so pleased to be reading on Kindle, highlighting line upon line, “murmur piles upon murmur like rotting leaves”, “feel for the flutter of the soul at the neck” and “the kitchen is a cave of shapes” are just a few of my favorites.

The research that Grindle must have completed for this novel must also be noted. This is not only obvious with the inclusion of real people but also in the immersiveness of the setting. Details so small you might miss them are dropped like rain throughout the chapters, each contributing to filling the bucket that is 1688 New England.

Drawbacks.

There are no drawbacks to The Devil’s Glove in so far as the plot, characters, and writing are involved. I did find some repeated metaphors and spelling errors; this however is not a problem with the story or the author but an editing issue that takes nothing away from the story or prose.
Not so much a drawback, but perhaps a misrepresentation was that The Devil’s Glove would tell the story of a mother and daughter who are suspected or accused of witchcraft. This is not this book. Although there is deep distrust between the Hammonds and the Puritan townsfolk, there is little in the way of actual accusations until the novel’s end.

The Final Take.

The Devil’s Glove is an exquisitely written novel that was a pleasure to read. It is reminiscent of Outlander with splashings of A Discovery of Witches. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of the sequel, This Work of Darkness. I will be beginning this as soon as this review is posted. After reading the last lines of The Devil’s Glove there is no way I’m wasting a second to find out what comes next.

We are nearly there, dear readers! This is our two-part finale of the mystery thriller series Monastery. While our group of makeshift detectives have gone through some serious challenges in the previous instalments, this one takes them to new heights. Yes, I didn‘t think that was possible either and yet here we are. But that’s enough of me talking, I’ll let the story speak for itself. Let’s dive back in! 

Plot

We pick up right where we left off in the last part. David and Henry are on their way to confront Francis in order to get Rocky back. To no one’s surprise, Francis is not playing around this time. He is willing to kill David so he can get the key to his father’s money. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he’s also holding Nicole hostage.

Speaking of hostages, they’re not the only ones at peril. Rick, who is now a full-on Francis’s sidekick has Thomas and Alfie. It’s not a great way for our protagonists to start the grand finale, that’s for sure. We also have a secondary storyline of Nana Beth, who feels she has had enough of this world. Despite her granddaughters’ protests, she is resigned that her time has come.

Nana Beth’s character is an interesting tool to portray one’s outlook on death. The entire aspect of death is a huge theme of the story, considering Albert narrates it from beyond the grave. Nana Beth knows she has lived a fulfilling life with her soulmate and is meeting death on her terms and with grace. It also adds a bit of breathing room during all the chaos. 

A lot of the story in this instalment takes place during the double hostage situation. This is not the first time we genuinely worry about the gang’s safety but the first time we’re facing the threat head-on. After all, this is the end, and anything could happen.  

It doesn’t mean we don’t get some interesting character exploration. After all, it’s a question we’ve been asking – why do both Francis and Rick act the way that they do? I found that fascinating because the narrative makes it clear that their actions cannot be excused in any way. Despite that though, their dialogues explain how they justify their actions to themselves. It’s so unsettling to stare into the psyches of deeply messed-up people. We know family can be difficult, but Francis’s hatred is on a whole other level.

Fred continues to be the unexpected underdog as he shows up to save David and Nicole. He even ends up taking a bullet for his cousin. I do wonder if we will get some sort of a conclusion to the love triangle mess. I know, I know – it’s not a priority right now but colour me curious.

As for our head detective Thomas, he is not afraid to challenge Rick on his crap, even if that means he gets a head wound. But ultimately, that is not how they escape – Madam Witch happens to come to the rescue. Some could argue that apart from the Monastery werewolf (a completely normal thing within the universe), this has been the first proper face-to-face instance with a supernatural being. Let’s just say I would not want to be Rick right now.

Once Thomas rescues David from joining Fred in the Shot and Tortured Men Department, the group ensues on a car chase as Francis tries to finish the job. This sequence had me on my toes and I could not help but cheer when they managed to escape. The joy makes Martin’s kidnapping shortly after sting even harder. We know that Francis is not afraid to stoop lower if that’s even possible. I am genuinely scared of what is going to happen when the group faces him again. One can only hope that they’re all going to make it out okay. 

We end the instalment with a bit of a bittersweet note as we witness Cassandra suffocating Nana Beth, with her permission of course, so that she could meet Pop Dennis in the afterlife. I found it to be a heartbreaking but beautiful moment and a fitting end to the episode. 

Overall thoughts

A lot has already been said, but this part of Monastery was easily the most spine-tingling tense one yet. It kept me entertained in the best possible way and it made me realise just how much I care for each and every member of the gang. I can only hope that one day they can heal both their physical and emotional scars from this whole ordeal. Provided that they all make it, of course. 

With the next instalment being the last one, I realised that we’re still nowhere near discovering what exactly happened to Albert. The story is now about so much more than that but considering how it was the catalyst event for everything, we have to find out the truth, right? Right? We will see… 

(5 / 5)

More thoughts from the author:

1. Something that happens a lot throughout the episode is David and Thomas trying to rationalise why Francis and Rick are acting the way they are, all while being held hostage. How do you find the balance in putting in that character development/revelation while still keeping the tension? 

Simple – I work the tension into the development and revelations. Or, I use those developments and revelations to further escalate the tension. Francis revealing the motives behind his actions leads to David rebuffing his arguments, which leads to more and more back-and-forth and doesn’t stop till somebody gets shot in the gut. While Thomas realising the role Rick played in the death of a loved one leads to a heated confrontation, which nearly ends with a child getting their throat slashed. That’s the beauty of story serving story – everything comes together, and everyone goes apeshit. 

2. Your take on death and the afterlife in this story is quite beautiful in a bittersweet way, as portrayed by Nana Beth. What inspired you to take this angle and does it ever get uncomfortable writing about death in general? 

Never – it’s a most soothing experience. Truth is, I never met my grandfather – he died the year before I was born. So, to use the character of Albert to put a witty, spiritual, and bittersweet spin on my grandfather’s own tale, based on everything that’s been handed down to me through the years of what his life was like, is almost spiritual. I choose to believe some of Albert’s voice, humour and musings come directly from my grandfather. A few of the other characters who pass away in this book series are modelled after people who have sadly also passed in the real world, so I like to think I’m honouring their memory by addressing both their lives and potential afterlives – my way of ensuring they go on. 

3. Lastly, this is the instalment where we see quite a display of supernatural when Madam Witch saves Thomas and Alfie from Rick. It’s kind of implied that she knew they needed help the whole time but was waiting for the right moment. Is it possible that she knows exactly how everything will play out and the second part of the finale will feature even more supernatural as the gang go to save Martin? 

To the first part of that question – yes, it is heavily implied that Madam Witch knows everything, especially from the chessboard and pieces at her place. The last episode will feature a great deal of Madam Witch (from the very first scene in the teaser) and we will even scratch out an unanswered question that namechecks her… 

As for the second part, while we will see more supernatural occurrences and the gang will rush to save Martin, the two will not intersect – the rescue party will be very grounded in reality. Well, as realistic as the folks in Monastery can get.  

Amazon insert:

I always had a fascination for horror that explores real-life themes against a supernatural backdrop. Courtney Summers is a very versatile author. Her work ranges from horrors of girlhood to cult thrillers to mixed media ventures. This Is Not a Test was published in 2012 and focuses on a group of teenagers amid a zombie apocalypse. As basic as that description sounds, it is so much more than that and you’ll see why soon. Let’s begin! 

Plot

We begin the story with our protagonist Sloane Price. She suffers from extreme depression and suicidal tendencies as a result of her mother’s death and her father’s subsequent abuse. She is at rock bottom when the action kicks off and observes the end of the world quite nonchalantly. This angle is uncommon in apocalyptic media as we usually see forefront characters who have a lot to live for and go to great lengths to find safety. Sloane not only doesn’t want to live anymore herself but is also putting the others in jeopardy because of it. 

The other characters in This Is Not a Test are fellow teenagers from Sloane’s school. While they are more archetypical, their dynamics provide the right atmosphere to the story. You have Rhys, the popular playboy type who pursues a doomed romance with Sloane. You also have Grace and Trace, the good-nature twins, Cary, the self-appointed leader and Harrison, the baby of the group. In true teenager fashion, there is a lot of bickering and pettiness as they struggle to navigate the situation. Then again, who can blame them? 

Sloane never quite lets go of her depressive ideation throughout the novel, however, she does learn to see the meaning in life again through her connections with others. Unfortunately, in a true horror fashion, the characters start dropping off one by one. It’s effective as the story draws you in showing why you should care for these characters before ripping them away from you. It’s quite tragic when you think about it – finding a new purpose in life and then losing it because of your circumstances. The deaths of the characters are also quite gory considering technically this falls under YA age bracket. 

Overall thoughts

There is a lot of ground to cover when it comes to This Is Not a Test. The mental health representation is brilliantly executed, however, that doesn’t mean the novel doesn’t have genre-appropriate atmosphere and scares. The character dynamics definitely betray that this is a YA book, however the writing doesn’t feel juvenile. Overall, it’s definitely one of the books that stuck with me the most out of any in the genre. Considering I read it nearly ten years ago, it’s clearly a sign of its impact.