Book Review: "Even Though I Knew the End" by C.L. Polk

This is a novella that’s a little creepy, a little mysterious, a little fantastical, even a little poignant and romantic.

⁣ ⁣ Helen is a talented magical detective in Chicago in the early 1940s. But instead of being recruited into the shadowy Brotherhood, promising her soul in exchange for her brother’s life leaves her shunned and without the Brotherhood's support. She knows she only has a few days left to live before the devil comes calling.⁣

⁣ But Helen’s mysterious client offers her a job too good to resist: find out the identity of the brutal murderer being called the “White City Vampire” and her debt will be considered paid. That means she’ll be able to spend the rest of her life with Edith, the woman she loves.⁣

⁣ Figuring out the identity of the killer is far more complicated than Helen bargained for. She finds herself in the middle of a gigantic web full of unspeakable evil. Will she be able to survive to enjoy her freedom, or will the job prove too dangerous?⁣

⁣ This was fairly outside my comfort zone but I absolutely loved it! It has a lot of different elements—magic, angels and demons, and a sapphic love story. At its core this is a story of how far we’re willing to go for those we love. I would love if C.L. Polk wrote a sequel someday!!⁣

Book Review: "My Best Friend's Exorcism" by Grady Hendrix

Grady Hendrix's My Best Friend's Exorcism might just be what you expect looking at the book: it's campy, crazy, and chock full of 80s references!

Can a friendship be powerful enough to beat the devil?

Abby and Gretchen have been inseparable best friends since 4th grade. They have private jokes and countless memories together, and they’ve remained close through high school.

But one boring night, after some warm beer and some drugs, the girls and their friends decide to go skinny-dipping. Something strange happens, though, something inexplicable, and it changes Gretchen drastically.

Suddenly Gretchen is acting erratically, complaining of being touched by invisible beings, her personal hygiene deteriorates, and strange and troubling things happen and appear when she’s around. But while others give up on her, Abby is determined to figure out what happened to her friend, and save her at any cost—even though there are great risks to her own future. And she's not even sure if anyone takes her seriously, or if they think she's on drugs like they suspect Gretchen is.

As you might imagine, this book is a little silly, a little scary (at least for cowards like me who usually steer clear of books like this), and more than a little bit gross at times. But that being said, it has some surprising emotional heft I didn’t see coming given the subject matter.

If you’re a child of the 80s like me, you’ll love the pop culture references sprinkled throughout and this nostalgic cover design. There is a bunch of gore—blood and guts and some mentions of animal harm and animal death—so be forewarned if those trouble you. They’re easily skimmed over.

Hendrix really is quite the storyteller. Exorcism and friends...they go together?