“Bovalino's debut crackles. Dripping with dark atmosphere, THE DEVIL MAKES THREE is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo's NINTH HOUSE. Make sure to read this with the lights on!” —Erin A. Craig, NYT bestselling author, House of Salt and Sorrows
“A spine-tingling, entrancing read. The Devil Makes Three is the perfect blend of supernatural horror and contemporary gothic, with each page as heart-pounding as the next. Tori Bovalino is an absolute master at atmosphere.” —Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights
“A glorious, darkly atmospheric journey into the disturbing power of books, ink and the horrors that live inside them.” —Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne
"With its magical library, brooding British boy, and haunted heroine, The Devil Makes Three is as darkly compelling as the grimoires of Jessop. A thrilling debut that cast a spell on me from page one!" —Mara Rutherford, author of Crown of Coral and Pearl
“With demonic wit and a wholly human heart, Tori Bovalino’s debut will grab your hand on the very first page — and you won’t let go. The Devil Makes Three is imaginative, original, and a genuine delight. Read this book, and tell your friends the devil made you do it.” —Hannah Capin, author of Foul is Fair
“A perfect blend of gothic terror, slow-burn romance, and irreverent humor — this novel is a must read. I loved every page and paragraph of it.”
—Joshua Phillip Johnson, author of The Forever Sea
“Bovalino delivers an ink-splattered love letter to old books and dark academia. Wicked and sharp as a pen stroke, this is a delight for library goths —me included. If you ever wished your school library had a forbidden wing, then you need to read this book immediately.” —AJ Hackwith, author of The Library of the Unwritten
“Quietly horrifying and compulsively readable, The Devil Makes Three is as chilling as it is compelling. A recipe for nightmares.” —Kat Dunn, author of Dangerous Remedy
“Plenty of romance and witchcraft…An excellent read for a sleepover and a reminder to high school students to take life easy and to not let others define you.” —School Library Journal
“Intriguingly dark and macabre, The Devil Makes Three is a perfectly chilling YA horror that delivers in spades.” —The Nerd Daily
2021-06-01
Moody teens summon a demon.
Tess Matheson’s summer has not turned out the way she hoped. Instead of practicing her beloved cello, Tess is working in her boarding school’s library, spending sunny Pittsburgh days pulling books for ungrateful faculty members. One of them has a smarmy son: Eliot Birch has been given his father’s borrowing privileges, allowing him to ask Tess to pull as many books as he requires. Eliot, fresh off a flight from visiting his sick mother in London, requests dozens of volumes, all concerning magic. He learned a bit of the craft from his mother and yearns for the right sort of spell to cure her. The answer may lie in one of the forbidden grimoires locked away deep in the library’s stacks. Eliot’s search brings him and Tess into contact with a book-bound demon, a monster willing to do anything it takes to remain free. The novel has some interesting ideas and competent characterization; the real problem is the narrative’s flow. Large chunks of pages pass during which little happens, and while Tess and Eliot are modestly shaded characters, their introspection gets repetitive. Readers less enamored of biblio-fetishism may duck out before the titular devil makes its appearance and even then, the novel’s interest remains mood and atmosphere rather than plot. Unfortunately, the mood overwhelms and the atmosphere dries out. Tess and Eliot are presumed White.
A well-conceived title poorly executed. (Horror. 14-18)
