Book Review | The Wicked and the Willing

After Gean Choo’s deadbeat father passes away, she's stuck with his gambling debt and needs to pay off his lenders, so she accepts a well-paying position as a companion for Lady Verity Edevane. However, there are no mirrors in the house, her mam’s hands seem strangely cold, and Gean begins to suspect she may not be human.

The Wicked and the Willing by Lianyu Tan is a hypnotic and gripping historical vampire romance set in 1920s colonial Singapore.

Now, this book may not be everyone’s cup of tea. The characters aren’t saints. They’re flawed and morally questionable and do messed up things, but that’s partly what makes them so compelling.

I also thought it was really unique that, towards the end, readers get to choose between two different actions that result in different endings. I thought that was really clever and reminded me of timed decision-making games like The Walking Dead or Until Dawn.

Overall, I found it refreshingly satisfying to read such an apologetically raw and dark sapphic romance along the lines of The Handmaiden, and I can’t wait to see what else Tan has in store.

Thank you, NetGalley and Shattered Scepter Press, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : May 13, 2022

Publisher : Shattered Scepter Press

ASIN : B09GK4L29J

Pages : 480

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