There is a lot of waxing lyrical, which leads to the assumption that the story is leading in a completely different direction to the one it actually takes.

The procrastination, albeit very beautiful procrastination, makes the first half of the book appear to be a lot slower and the second half of the book is faster paced, and the plot is focused in another direction.

Not that I think it was Carlin’s intention for the beginning of the book to sound like a ghoulish mystery with a Gothic vibe, which then turns into a Burke and Hare venture with an underlying romantic connection.

I think the intention was for the relationship between Hester and Rebekah to always be at the centre of the story, regardless of what happens around them. Their blossoming friendship, sisterhood and finally the twinkle of something more. The discovery of their feelings, the confusion and acknowledgement of said feelings, and the realisation that society will never accept it, would have been sufficient as a storyline. The second half of the book, which ventures more into the deep dark secrets of Rebekah’s family could have been an entirely new novel.

It felt a little like Holmes battling Moriarty, while Hetty Feather struggles to survive on the streets, with a modern twist on romance thrown in for good measure. I would really like to see Carlin follow through with the relaxed beautiful style of the first half of the book. Both styles have their merits, just not when fused together as one.

Leaving all that aside for a moment, I enjoyed the friendship and emerging romance between the two of them. Neither of them willing to admit the attraction is there and perhaps not even fully comprehending what it is they are feeling, because it goes against all the conventions they know. Carlin also describes the worlds between the classes well and the invisible wall keeping them apart. The stark reality of poverty and the rules of the streets the poor have to abide by to survive.

I certainly wouldn’t be averse to seeing Rebekah and Hester teaming up together again.

Set in 1830's London, this wonderfully written book tells the story of a young girl who once led a privileged life
having her whole life turned upside down, and ending up in an iniquitous part of London Town.
An accident propels her into more comfortable surroundings and it is here that the mysteries of lost people starts.
The author sets the scenes well, making the streets come alive, the characters become real and as the storyline unfolds, I became fascinated with the plot and its ending.
A cracking read!
Thank you to the publishers for an ARC, in return for an honest review.

This book unashamedly wears it's influences on it's sleeve - Sarah Waters being the most obvious and while it's not quite in that league, it was a fairly amusing/entertaining/engrossing Fingersmith-lite. A orphaned parson's daughter is plucked out of grinding poverty by a benevolent stranger and thrust into a new life. With a burgeoning relationship with her mistress and a string of mysterious disappearances to solve, the main character uncovers family secrets and sordid crimes. There is a twist that, while almost immediately solvable, does come as quite a shock and a couple of scenes that are pretty gruesome, but on the whole this is a fun read. It's not perfect - some elements of the plot seem disjointed, it took an age to get going and some of the historical details seem a little off. But none of these little niggles were enough to pull me out the narrative so can largely be dismissed. An enjoyable read. With thanks to the publishers for my copy.

This was a struggle for me to ever get into. After reading the synposis I just wanted to know about that. But it took too long to get there for me. By the time it picked up pace I had lost too much interest. Although the detailing is amazing I feel like it would of been better shorter.

Laura Carlin pulls us into the atmospheric, overflowing poverty, and the filthy, disease infested alleys and backstreets of 1830s London. In this distinctly Dickensian world, the young Hester White resides in the slums, she has lost her parents, and is in search of any route that will take her out of her dire circumstances. Dark nightmarish deeds are taking place as poor folk disappear in the city, but little attention is paid, after all, it impacts only those of little consequence. After being injured in a horse and carriage accident, Hester finds herself in a more fortuitous position. The carriage owner, Calder Brock offers medical attention and sweeps her away to stay at his country home. Hester acquires the post of companion to Calder's sister, Rebekah.

Rebekah is an intelligent, strong, determined and independent woman, who takes Hester under her wing, providing tuition to a grateful Hester. The two women develop a close relationship, although it soon becomes clear that the Brock family past festers with murky secrets. Hester is warned to leave the household before harm befalls her. Hester and Rebekah are tested to their limits as they are drawn into investigating the wickedness that pervades and stalks those in London in their efforts to discover the horrifying truth whilst surrounded by a web of deception and facing great danger. Thanks to the hand of fate, Hester escapes her social strata, but finds herself with a family with a complicated history. The romance and passions that burgeon into existence challenge the society norms and conventions.

Carlin writes in vibrant prose with descriptions that easily evokes the London of that period. However, there are times that this feels like an uneven read, largely due to the mixed pacing that does not always work. This did not interfere with my overall enjoyment of this wonderful piece of historical fiction. A highlight is the relationship between Hester and Rebekah. This is a compelling and entertaining read which I think many will enjoy reading. I look forward with great anticipation to Laura Carlin's next novel. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

When I read the description of this book, I really expected something dark and disturbing - possibly a historical psychological thriller, but it caught me off-guard with a Victorian romance in the style of Sarah Waters.
I enjoyed the story, warmed to the main character of Hester and the narrative, which I thought grew stagnant in the middle but quick, surprising with a wonderful ending!
It gave you a good insight into Victorian London and the suffering of the lower classes, Hester suffered so much I was so pleased with the way it ended.
The romance between Hester and Rebekah Brock (the upper class family she becomes embroiled with) is lovely and I really enjoyed the romance between them.
The mystery, while intriguing I found slightly irritating.. The clues were a bit haphazard and the links tying mysteries together didn't seem to resonate with me, but this may be just me.
When everything is revealed at the end, it is pretty gruesome but I didn't feel there was a proper resolution, but this may be more historically accurate.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but I would have enjoyed it a lot more as just a Victorian romance.

I literary raced through this book, it was faced paced and I was desperate to find out what was happening.
I'm not a massive fan of historical fiction but books like this remind me that I must explore this genre more. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

Not my cup of tea at all, I just couldn’t get into it.

I jumped at the chance to read The Wicked Cometh. Historical fiction, with a bit of a mystery, and a sapphic relationship. Perfect!

The story itself has a certain style of writing (as well as some common plot points and tropes -- a mysterious employer, the naive, young girl going to work in the wealthy family home) which makes it 'feel' like one of the classics -- rich description, a slow start and a slight telling-rather-than-showing way of writing. This might put some readers off, or distract them from the story but I really liked it, this just comes down to personal preference.

The mystery was good and not what I was expecting, although the pacing towards the conclusion felt a little rushed and jumbled. Hester was a good, interesting protagonist who seemed to make choices about her own future to make the best of her circumstances. Considering the time-setting, she should considerable (but still believable) agency. The relationship between Hester and Rebekah was interesting. I liked that they spent a good bit of together before the relationship turned romantic, although either Hester's feeling seemed to develop incredibly quickly considering the reader sees little to none of Rebekah's personality until after we read her diary. It might just be me nitpicking, but it also jarred me a little how quickly, and without invite, Hester started calling Rebekah by her given name. Overall though I really liked how the sapphic relationship and the characters sexualities were handled.

This review will be posted on my blog, Foxes and Fairy Tales on Jan 18 2018.
https://foxesfairytale.wordpress.com/2018/01/18/review-the-wicked-cometh

When I first chose to read this I have to admit it was definitely a case of judging a book by it’s cover and why not when the cover is so beautiful? Luckily The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin was an intriguing read as well.

Each chapter began with a stunning illustration of a flower to make this book even more visually impressive.

The Wicked Cometh begins with a newspaper article from Tuesday 13th September 1831. The newspaper article is about a missing man, one of many in a series of disappearances among the poorer citizens of London.

“This newspaper has taken not that the past month has been remarkable for the prevalence of cases where men, women and children are declared missing, scarcely a week passes without the occurrence of an incident of this type.”

The main character of this book Hester White was brought up in Lincolnshire with her loving parents and her earliest memories of London are tied up with memories of her parents.

“Do you think you know London? They say it’s the finest city in all of Europe. Perhaps you stood and marvelled at the dome of St Paul’s? Or took a ride on a passenger craft and wove your way past the wherries and steamers as the great Thames carried you to the heart of the city beneath the shadows of Blackfriars bridge. And then, having paid your half-crown to the driver on the box, did you jounce along in a hackney carriage on your way to Vauxhall, humming a catchy little ditty? Or perhaps took a seat on Shillibeer’s omnibus instead. Did you go from Paddington to the Bank, stopping at The Unicorn for beefsteak with oyster sauce?

Because that’s all there is to know about London, isn’t it? Well, that is what I once thought.”

However, Hester now knows that this London is not the one presented to everyone. She is now 18 years old and an orphan. Her parents died within a few months of each other and for the past six years she has been living with her father’s gardener Jacob and his wife Meg . She calls them aunt and uncle at their request and life is very different from her former life in Lincolnshire.

“My London isn’t the one Papa visited, or the one you think you might know; of that I am certain.”

Hester and the others live in an undesirable area of London where the houses are crowded together and little daylight filters through no matter what time of day it is. The smell from the gutters permeates everything and people of all kinds are crammed together. The place she lives now is simply a small room with a brick and dirt floor.

Things are not easy in this new life. Jacob drinks most of their money away and then takes his troubles out on Meg’s face and recently he has begun to turn his unwelcome attentions towards Hester.

Hester’s one hope of escaping comes from news Meg obtained of a cousin of Hester’s who was meant to be travelling to London in the company of drovers from Lincolnshire. However, every day Hester has gone in search of him and each time the search has been fruitless.

One day whilst looking for him Hester gets knocked down by a coach. The gentleman inside is a doctor named Calder Brock and he takes Hester back to his home to tend to her wounds.

Whilst there Hester is offered an opportunity that could lead to her getting out of her situation in London. In order to get this situation though she has to pretend to be something she is not but is her new situation more dangerous than it seems? Can she trust anyone in her new life?

The Wicked Cometh was well-written and intriguing, a great first novel.

‘Down the murky alleyways of London, acts of unspeakable wickedness are taking place and no one is willing to speak out on behalf of the city’s vulnerable poor as they disappear from the streets.
Out of these shadows comes Hester White, a bright young woman who is desperate to escape the slums by any means possible.’
– Hodder and Stoughton

Published: February 8th 2018 (expected)


'The Wicked Cometh' is best described as historical fiction with a bit of mystery thrown in, which I find a refreshing take on the genre. Carlin writes beautifully, evoking the atmosphere of the Victorian era effortlessly. The use of language feels authentic without being alienating.
I’ve seen other reviewers have described the plot as ‘meandering’ but I actually found it quite well paced and finished quickly – then again I really wanted to know what the **** was going on! The author gives just enough to hold the readers interest while still maintaining the mystery.
‘The Wicked Cometh’ is definitely a slow burner, which is to it’s credit as far as I’m concerned. The darkness that was hinted at throughout takes a particularly sinister turn in the last quarter and becomes genuinely quite morbid in places.
I think that it’s necessary to suspend your disbelief a few times throughout, and the ending has left me confused as I think the story could have concluded a chapter sooner and been very satisfying. However, that aside, ‘The Wicked Cometh’ is an accomplished debut novel with a broad range of appeal, and I’m really looking forward to Laura Carlin’s future offerings.

3/5*

~Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am not associated with the author or publisher in any way. My opinion is completely unbiased and entirely my own~

Didn't finish this book, I just couldn't become interested in it.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton, Laura Carlin and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carling is set in Victorian East End of London in 1831. 18-Year-old Hester White as fallen on hard times after the death of her parents. She lives with her uncle who wants to drag her in the dark murky slums. After an accident she is taken by a man called Calder to live with him and his sister Rebekah as experiment and teach her the finer things in life. They discover that young people seem to go be going missing and Hester and Rebekah go out of their way to find out what is happening to them.
I love historical novels and especially in this type of era. This was beautifully written. The style of writing and the characterisation in this book was good. But I found the start quite slow. I also didn’t much like any of the characters in this book. But after Hester met Rebekah the story I enjoyed it very much. 3 stars for me.

Thanks Hodder & Stoughton and netgalley for this ARC.

Loved the atmospheric dreamy quality of this novel. Danger all around, pieces of the puzzle slowly come together, then bam. The ending leaves it up to you to figure out what you think happens.

I don't read historical novels, they are not for me. However, from the very first page I was hooked. Transported to 1830's London, where disease, squalor and utter poverty are the norm, we find Hester White who lives in a filthy, freezing room with no comforts whatsoever. Taken in by the gardener and his wife of her late parents, she yearns to escape this cruel life. She arranges to meet a cousin who may help her find work and a route away from London. On the way she has an accident and is badly hurt by the carriage of a doctor. He is most concerned and immediately arranges that she stay in his country house. Once she starts to recover, he then arranges, as a social experiment, for his sister Rebekah to educate what he believes to be an illiterate urchin. Hester, however was educated previously when her parents were alive but seeing this as a way to remain comfortable and fed for some time, she continues to play the victim. The story takes a dark turn when people start to go missing, both in her old life and also unexplained disappearances in her new one. The atmospheric descriptions throughout reel in the reader and one can really imagine the stark difference between the slums and the completely unrelated world of the wealthy. A long tale which absorbed me from the start and I loved it so much, I searched for other books by Laura Carlin, only to discover this was her first. A remarkable debut - I certainly look forward to the next one.

The Wicked Cometh marks a departure for me – it’s the first time in quite a while that I’ve chosen to read a book that has no hint of fantasy or magic, and is purely historical fiction, albeit with a generous helping of the Gothic. The Wicked Cometh is the kind of historical fiction I enjoy – it doesn’t sugarcoat or glorify the Victorian age, instead it presents a London that is more about the blood and excrement in the back alleys of the busy thoroughfares than the refined drawing rooms of the elite in society. It proclaims to be “a novel of darkest London” and this book goes to some very dark places indeed, with the book opening with its protagonist, a parson’s daughter, now down-and-out, Hester White, asleep in an outside shed with only the ragged clothes she’s wearing as protection against the cold wind of the night that whistles through the slums in which she lives, a slum from which many people are going missing, with no explanation, or concern raised. What emerges from this less than auspicious start, via the fortuitous happenstance of a carriage accident putting Hester in the path of the aristocratic Brocks, is a story about how far it is possible to rise and fall and what nature of crimes both the upper and under classes commit in everyday life. It concerns the question of the period – can the lower classes be educated and, therefore, have a better “value” in the eyes of the government and society at large? These macrocosmic concerns are, naturally, dealt with through the journey of the novel’s protagonist Hester, as she meets some unsavoury characters along the way, in the slums and drawing rooms alike.

My real delight in The Wicked Cometh was in the setting. London can sometimes be glorified as a bustling metropolis full of industry and commerce, but it also has its flip side, it is the home of the darker, more insidious stories such as Oliver Twist and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the den of rapscallions and rogues where truly evil deeds are committed right under the noses of the police force, perhaps even aided by it. Descriptions of this London always hold a place in my heart – and Carlin’s novel is no exception. There are some stunningly evocative descriptive sections during which I could practically feel the stifling fog through which Hester moved, the stench rising from the gutters she crossed, the sound of footsteps on cobble stones behind her as she was hotly pursued by brutes. This all culminated to present a very gripping and atmospheric world into which it was easy to sink and devour the story as it unfolded.

As far as characters go, Hester White was an intriguing protagonist. The use of first-person narrator means we are never far from her innermost thoughts and feelings, which undoubtedly aids a reader to develop empathy for her trials and tribulations. Hester is inclined towards the hyperbolic as, I’m sure, we all are on occasion. However, it did slightly draw me out of the story at certain moments because her reaction seemed so overblown and heightened in its phrasing that it felt fake – I suddenly became very aware I was reading a crafted novel where, I’m sure, the author carefully crafted a beautiful, if over-dramatic, turn of phrase. Given that Hester can easily slip between “London vowels” (whatever they are) and a more aristocratic way of speaking, perhaps this heightened inner monologue is just the author’s way of illustrating it.

I’m afraid that the reason I didn’t quite love this novel was purely down to narrative style, which is a matter of taste. Carlin does extremely well at emulating the tones of, especially, Charles Dickens in her sentence structures and lexical choices, but she does almost too well (for me) because her narrative also falls into a more sedate pacing that is common in 500-plus-page nineteenth-century novels. However, given the dark and twisted subject matter of just how little valued the underclasses of Victorian London are (or, rather, where their value lies – the concept of which, I loved), the plot often felt hampered by the narrative style which didn’t have quite as much urgency or suspense-building as I would have liked. It just didn’t quite work for me. Also, this is the third book in a row I’ve read (of all different genres) where the author chooses to tell the story in present, as opposed to the more commonplace past, tense… for no apparent reason. It doesn’t particularly aid the story in any way, it just creates a somewhat jarring effect for the first few pages, and meant I took longer than I ordinarily would to slip fully inside the world of the story, which I’m sure is the precise opposite effect of what telling a story in the present tense is meant to do.

Overall, this was an extremely interesting concept which, for me, fell down slightly in execution. However, for any readers who enjoy authors such as Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry and Dickensian tales of the murky, deplorable backstreets of Victorian London, complete with ne’er-do-wells and bodysnatchers, The Wicked Cometh is an accomplished debut novel with solid characterisation and plotting that promises stunning things to come from Laura Carlin in the future.

Note: Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for kindly providing me with an eARC of the book – I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read and review titles prior to their release, but this does not affect my overall opinion or review of the book itself.

You need to stick with this book. It does not draw you in at the beginning, but rather it draws you in the more you read, so I'm really glad I kept going. My three star review is not due to any big issues with the book, but rather maybe my personal interests in the story. I became really really invested in the relationship between Hester and Rebekah to the point I only wanted to read about them. I spent so much time just smiling whenever the two were near and willing something to happen between them and when the book would change to the more gritty side of the story I found myself rushing through to get back to Hester and Rebekah. This is unusual for me, as I'm not really into romantic stories and actually only chose to read this for the gritty side of things. Despite this, the ending where it all came together was seriously amazing and unexpected. Maybe the rest of the gritty scenes weren't gritty enough for me, as I really did enjoy the end.

I really wanted to love this book as the synopsis sounded fantastic.

It started well, with an atmospheric, sinister ambience that permeated through the writing. However, the pace was too slow and the text became laboured.

There was so much potential to create an intriguing and dramatic mystery but the author didn't move these issues quickly enough and the book suffered from an overall lack of energy,

The relationship between the two female characters was interesting but, again, felt laboured rather than passionate even when deeper feelings were portrayed.

I think with some tighter editing and more focus on plot, this would be a fantastic book. For me, however, it left me feeling worn out rather than enthralled.

Thank you for the chance to read a preview copy.

First the negative’s:

SPOLER ALERT: A romantic relationship develops between Hester and Rebekah. While I applauded this, I felt this got in the way of the main story too much. This came across as unrealistic at times. For example, when the book starts to get pretty dark, both their lives are in danger and suddenly the women make moon eyes at each other. Queue rolling eyes. I did like the bond between them but it could have been handled a bit letter.

Too much time is spent at the start of the book developing Hester’s story and how she gets involved with the Brock’s. I appreciate, these events are important but they take up too much time, more than 30% of the book. This could have been much slicker.

Onto the positive’s:

Like I said, I loved the title. It fits the book perfectly and made me want to read the book.
The setting of the book is spot on. London is so real I felt like I was really there. I’ve read a few books set in the same time period but this is one of the best. I loved how dark, gritty and sinister London is.

The Wicked Cometh is well-written and engaging. I couldn’t stop turning the pages to find out what happened next. There are a lot of twists and turns in the book. I love stuff like that. The pacing is spot on after Hester becomes embroiled in the Brock’s lives.

The characters are really good. I loved Rebekah. She’s tough, feisty, know her own mind and is determined to get to the route of the darkness plaguing her city. You go, girl. I liked Hester as well. The villains are well-rounded and not just cardboard cut-out baddies.

The Wicked Cometh is an engaging read. I was absorbed.

I'm not a great fan of books set in this period and find the portrayal of Dickensian London too gloomy to enjoy.. However, I enjoyed much of the story, though there were some twists in the plot that were an over stretch to the imagination...But there were also some well developed and interesting characters and themes running through the book.