This is such a weird and creepy little novella.
Elizabeth is fourteen and she has complex relationships with every adult person in her life. Reading how her mind operates was disturbing at first, but then I grew used to it. There was a point where I grew bored/confused, but then the mystery grew and the story became interesting again.
There are triggers in this book – murder, manipulation, sexual relations of an adult with a minor (mentioned, not described), so if those trigger you, be careful when reading this. Overall, the tone is mostly sexual, so if you don’t do well with that either, it could be an issue.
The problem with reviewing and rating this book is the main character. She’s such a complex and unusual young woman – she’s convinced she’s a full-grown woman at fourteen years of age – but there are times when you suspect that she’s not the most reliable of narrators. It’s like she takes you along for the journey, but you see things that she’s missed or is completely wrong about, even though she’s convinced she’s smarter and stronger than everyone else, because she has ‘the power’.
Reading this made me sad. This girl, whether she was forced to become an adult too early or she truly chose it, we can see what the steep cost ended up being. She’s a morally grey character, unable to love, dissociated from her feelings, and I believe this says a lot about her childhood. It’s almost like she wants us to believe one thing, but the author is whispering something else entirely. If you can’t stand or root for that kind of character, you might not like this book. I found it psychologically riveting and fascinating, even though there were parts and people I didn’t like. It was mostly heavy.
In the end, this story was intellectually gratifying for me. The ultimate question is – Is Elizabeth in control of this ‘power’ or is the power in control of her? You’ll have to answer that for yourself. If you like really complex main characters, taboo relationships, and mysteries with supernatural elements, you might like this novella. It will give you the creeps and a glimpse of a truly abnormal young mind, who may have been forced to mature too early.
There were moments when I wanted to rate this book 2 stars, but the mystery element and the overall message, as well as the satisfying ending, convinced me to give it 3 stars.
-Reviewed by Violeta Nedkova
