Book Review: The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin

 

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Content Warning: murder, violence, death (including that of a child), misogyny, dated racist terms, gore, animal abuse/death, anti-Semitism.

Before London, before poverty, Hester White remembers a happy life in Lincolnshire. Now, Hester is determined to find her way out of London and its underbelly, and hopefully end up a position in the countryside -- far away from her alcoholic "Uncle" Jacob and the evil that lurks in the alleyways she's lived in for many years now. When Hester gets a chance to escape her life, educated under the brilliant Rebekah Brock and living with the rest of the aristocratic family, she leaps at the opportunity. Things are not how they seem, however, and with disappearances and murders plaguing London at a frightening rate, it will be up to Rebekah and Hester to uncover the sinister plot that is unfolding beneath their very noses. 

As someone who loves a Gothic story (and is a huge Sarah Waters fan), I figured that The Wicked Cometh would be just my cup of tea. Reading through the first chapter, Carlin's vivid descriptions of London's dark history impressed and intrigued me. She has a wonderful eye for detail, and there were moments when I felt as if I were standing right beside Hester as she told us what a day in her poverty-stricken London was like. I'm disappointed to say, though, that that feeling didn't last. 

It's hard to get invested in a story that is 90% telling and only 10% showing. I found myself frustrated by the way that we would skim over scenes (and entire weeks and months) without us ever actually getting to experience what Hester is experiencing. The first 35% of the book felt almost pointless, like fodder merely meant to fill up an otherwise rather empty story. It could've been wonderfully interesting to see all the events through Hester's eyes, but they are never fleshed out and, therefore, insignificant. 

As for Hester's relationship with Rebekah, it's the same problem: why weren't the scenes where they get to know one another actually on-page? Because of this issue, it was nearly impossible for me to understand why exactly Hester finds herself falling for Rebekah, and frankly, in spite of the fact that the story is told through Hester's POV, it was even hard to understand why Rebekah liked Hester so much. They feel relatively one-dimensional; aside from a few defining traits, I couldn't really tell you much about their personalities or their dynamic. 

That being said, I did enjoy Rebekah and Hester's rather sweet relationship, but because of the lack of development (both in character and in the story itself) it fell rather flat. I hate to say this, because as a whole, this book could've been fantastic -- the bare bones are there, it's just the flesh that is missing. And once again I must reiterate that Carlin is by no means an incapable writer; that's what makes it so disappointing. There was so much potential, but unfortunately, it seemed to me that it was never utilized fully. 

In my opinion, though, The Wicked Cometh is no lower than an average three-star. There are some parts that are fantastic, making the poorer parts stand out even more starkly. The first half of this story, in spite of the telling I mentioned above, captivated my interest, but as the convoluted and contrived second half finally came to its climax, I couldn't help but wonder what on earth had gone wrong. The mystery, similarly, is more foundation than anything else. 

With all of that being said, I would read another book by Carlin. As with everything, writing is a skill that must be practiced, and I have a feeling that her future books will be much better with time and patience.