Book Review: Perish by L.C. Barlow

This is such a fabulous, dark, surprising series! I loved Pivot, the first book – from the opening salvo in which Jack learns to kill as a 6 year old girl, to her growth into a surprisingly strong (mentally as well as physically) young woman who delivers the comeuppance Cyrus so desperately deserved, it was a gloriously insane funhouse ride into the dark…

This second book picks up right where the first ends, and while it had been a while since I read the first, I had no trouble picking right back up with the story line. Barlow does a magnificent job exploring humanity’s darker instincts and the selfishness that lies in so many hearts – and does it with an entirely in-your-face style that you can’t help but roll right along with each horrible punch as it is delivered.

Jack’s character development is delightful to watch – it’s easy to forget she’s still really only a kid/teenager, right up to the moment she devastates someone/something that deserves devastation and follows it up with a snarky remark. She’s a great protagonist for this tale, and I’m really enjoying seeing her grow further into her own. I am also really enjoying seeing the supernatural elements of the story deepen and explain themselves – the cosmology of this universe is fascinating and keeps getting more complex and climactic. I can’t wait to see what comes in the final installment!

This is not a series for the faint of heart but it’s definitely one of my favorite finds on all of NetGalley!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.