TITLE
Controversy Alert!
The No. 1 issue people have with this title is the incest. Very sincere, very graphic incest. After that initial shock, then it's the rape. There is a depressingly accurate representation of medieval womanhood in this title.
All Reviews Contain Spoilers
Review: I'm gonna be real, this title is SO good. Yes, there is incest, it's just as easy to get past as Jaime and Cersei Lannister. If Game of Thrones has the toxicity of a chunk of uranium, Lady Devil is the Elephant's Foot.
Anette is to be married off to the crypt keeper an old, old man, just as her twin brother Johannes(John) returns from war. A flashback ensues where we learn that when they were young, the twins started kissing, and then Anette is locked up in a tower because obviously only the girl should be punished. Back in the present, she decides to pray to The Devil so she won't have to marry an old old man.
Then her brother becomes The Devil.
And The Devil rapes her.
Anette's character... I don't want to say 'growth' but it definitively is... Not everything that grows is healthy... Anyway her character growth is done splendidly, and the dripfeed of lore regarding the secret of the twins' mother's choice and John's birth is sooooo engaging.
For the entire length of the storyline, the atmosphere and tension are dialed up to 11. The pacing is perfect, and the narrative is compelling. I would race to hit the 'next chapter button' because it's just so thrilling. I very very much recommend this one, but only if you're able to put the painful themes on the backburner while you read. I understand not everyone is capable of that, so I only recommend this for those of us who can. The story can honestly be quite triggering.
Where I'm Reading: bato.to
