Book Review: Our Love Will Devour Us by R. L. Meza

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“Thinking of her children strengthened her resolve. She squared her shoulders, forced a smile. Whatever it took, she would get through this — for her family.”

📚

Our Love Will Devour Us opens as protagonist Claire leaves her wife, Emma, and their two children, Silas and Lily, in California while she returns to her mother Deborah’s deserted, snowy cabin following her disappearance and presumed death. Intending to sort out her mother’s affairs and sell the ramshackle abode — Claire’s childhood residence, from which she fled at a young age following years of abuse — Claire is also in need of alone time to deal with her drinking, past trauma, and failing marriage.

When Emma surprises Claire by arriving with Silas and Lily in tow, the intended happy holiday reunion turns into an explosive rekindling of personal troubles, after which Silas and Lily disappear in the midst of a snowstorm. What happened to the children, and can Claire and Emma work together to find them before it’s too late? And what of the strange sights, smells, and sounds they experience, as well as the nearby abandoned, creepy, dark-historied, lake-adjacent school grounds?

This book is an absolutely devastating experience, evoking feelings of panic, tension, and terror that intensify as the story progresses, driving home the brutal and terrifying subject that is possession horror. Setting and atmosphere play a huge role, as the reader can actually feel the powerful storm winds, pelting snow, and freezing temperatures, as well as the mortal dread of facing malevolent forces and the inner turmoil and anxiety of being isolated without resources, means of self-defense, or contact with the outside world.

Helpful neighbor, Evelyn, and her faithful dog, Oscar, are bright spots amid constant upheaval, functioning as a lifeline and saving grace as the storyline descends into hellish chaos, while the gothic historical saga that forms the adjacent ruins’ backdrop is as gruesome and appalling as the story’s prime narrative. With a deeply resonant title, these elements combine to form a truly heartbreaking and haunting tale of love, loss, evil, sacrifice, family, and forgiveness.

A huge thank you to Dark Matter INK for sending me a copy of this incredible novel.

❤Amanda

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