“Theresa?” Mathilde called again, as if Tess had run away in the time her great aunt had spent walking to her office and back.

The Devil Makes Three

I remember loving horror books back in middle school and every time I visited the library , I’d make sure I took one home with me if I couldn’t finish reading them during school hours . Libraries were and still are my favorite place to be , away from the noise , away from everything nothing but us and books .

Which …. brings me to the reason why I picked this as my next read. Well , the whole story usually takes place in a library! Plus, I hadn’t read horror books for quite some time so this ultimately became my pick and proved to be a treat.

*Spoilers ahead *

Plot :

The story follows a girl named Tess who’s struggling to provide financial aid to her family . She works at her school library shelving and sorting books as well as lending books when requested . Little does she know that among these very books lie an ancient magic which , if released could cause more harm than good . Despite loathing Mr. Birch , she teams up with Eliot Birch and tries to put a stop to the ancient being that threatens to possess her .

Characters :

Tess : A struggling student working at the library

Mathilde : Tess’s aunt who also works at the library

Regina : Tess’s co-worker at the library

Dr. Birch : Tess’s enemy

Elliot Birch : A witch

Nat : Tess’s younger sister

Anna : Tess’s roommate and good friend

Caroline : Elliot’s mother

Lucille : Birch’s mistress

Story :

The book started off pretty solid with an interesting writing style . I loved how the story unfolded and didn’t find a dull moment throughout. My favorite part has got to be Tess’s sticky notes that find their way to Elliot and cause awkwardness between the two . It was hilarious .

Mathilde seemed to be cold at first but gradually showed that she cared for Tess and would help her with anything . Regina was creepy as hell . Especially during the part where she comes back to work after supposedly dying . Dr. Birch was indeed detestable , poor Elliot had to bear him and watch Caroline suffer.

Anna played a great friend who stuck out for Tess and helped her when she had nightmares . I loved their friendship.

The book turned eerie after Tess awakened the ancient being , and I loved how it was described in terms of ink. The POVs were from Tess and Elliot with one from the ancient being as well . The pacing was okay for me however I had a few complaints . First , the chemistry between Tess and Elliot seemed rushed . Second , okay this isn’t a complaint but still – was I supposed to pity the ancient being because it was human once or was I supposed to find it creepy ? Because the book left an open ending which makes me wonder if Mathilde’s sacrifice was even worth it .

Third , I think most readers would agree that the magical world should have been expanded . It was vaguely described and mostly stayed at the back so we didn’t get a proper feel of the world the characters live in .

Fourth , I found the scene , where Elliot uses his magic on Nat , a bit predictable .Then again , the magical aspect is not described in depth so , I just went along with it .

Overall, I enjoyed the book , not too creepy and not too boring . I definitely see myself re-reading it again .

My rating :