3 Stars!

Against the Dark Devourer by Margaret L. Carter just called out to me with its incredible, Lovecraftian cover. I did not even need to read the blurb for the book. I knew that I had to give this one a try and hope that the story would live up to the promise of the cover.



Two sets of siblings are on a collision course with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Deborah and her sister were raised in seclusion to protect them from those who would hunt them down for their psi-powers. She learns after her mother’s death that she is meant to use her powers against a great evil and maybe become the savior of the world. Victor and his sister were raised in seclusion as well, but for a much different reason. They were being groomed to open the gateway that would allow an ancient being into the world to make it his own. Mankind would be destroyed with only a chosen few remaining to serve the ruler of the world. Deborah and Victor seem destined to become bitter enemies pitted against each other. Things often do not go as planned, however, especially when love gets involved.



Victor and Deborah first meet when Victor is sent to get Deborah to fall in love with him so that he can recruit her into helping bring the evil entity to Earth. Instead, Victor falls in love with her and finds that he cannot continue with his original mission. This love, along with the unthinkable plan hatched by his “uncle,” leads Victor and his sister to turn on the life they have always known. Unfortunately, the ancient being that has been grooming them is not ready to give them up just yet. Victor and Deborah may have found each other and a glimpse of a brighter future, but it will not be easy to leave the darkness from their past behind.



When I started Against the Dark Devourer, I was hoping for a book full of Lovecraftian horror. There is a definite Lovecraft inspiration here, but this takes a back seat through much of the story. Instead of a horror novel, Against the Dark Devourer is more of a coming-of-age story and a young adult love story than anything else. The novel’s main focus is the budding relationship between Deborah and Victor and the complications of their growing romance. Maybe my expectations for the novel were from a misconception of the story but the romance part of the novel just did not work well for me at all, including (especially) the out of body sexual experience the two share. I really found this aspect of the novel unimportant and uninspiring in the earlier stages of the novel and thought that it detracted from the novel as a whole and kept it from reaching its full potential.



This aspect of the story was too bad in my opinion as there is a strong story here. Once it kicked into gear and moved past the romance, the ending of the novel was well done and exciting. There are a lot of elements in this novel to like but there was just too much time spent on facets of the story that did not catch my interest to make it a compelling read. I know that I am not the target audience so the story may work better for other readers, but I have read and enjoyed many young adult novels so I think it is fitting that I review this one in an honest manner. The novel may work better for some reader than it did for me, and I would not say it is a bad novel, just one that did not live up to my expectations. If you are a fan of young adult romance in the vein of the Twilight series, then this book may appeal to you. If you are looking for a horror novel, it may not be the right book for you.



I would like to thank Backlit PR and NetGalley for this review copy. Against the Dark Devourer is available now.

Against the Dark Devourer was the best combination of Charmed and Lovecraftian Horror that I didn't know I needed. Margaret Carter's Dark Devourer world continues to be great in this story following Deborah and Victor as they take on a new evil that feels all too familiar. One of the best things about this book is that you don't have to read the first book to understand the world but it definitely enhances the read! Check this out and you won't be disappointed.