The Devil Makes Three

Written by Tori Bovalino

Narrated by Suzy Jackson and John Keating

Tess Matheson expects nothing more from her summer job at the boarding school library than to bore herself to death shelving books. But when the insufferable headmaster’s son, Eliot Birch, requests a mind-boggling number of occult books,
Tess’s search for them opens a door to a world of dark magic and forgotten places.

She and Eliot find a secret tunnel that leads them to an ancient book. Upon reading it, they discover it’s filled with more than words and accidentally release a horrifying devil from his centuries-old prison. The devil will stop at nothing to stay
free. He’ll manipulate all the ink in the library books to do his bidding, he’ll murder in the stacks, and he’ll bleed into every inch of Tess’s life until his freedom is permanent.

Forced to work together, Tess and Eliot have to find a way to re-trap the devil before he kills everyone they know and love, including each other. And compared to what the devil has in store for them, death by boredom suddenly doesn’t seem
so bad after all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705040508

Tori Bovalino

Tori Bovalino is the author of The Devil Makes Three and Not Good for Maidens, and edited the Indie-bestselling anthology, The Gathering Dark. She is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and now lives in the UK with her partner and their very loud cat. Tori loves scary stories, obscure academic book facts, and impractical, oversized sweaters.

Reviews for The Devil Makes Three

[Hetta · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The book itself was a fun, autumnal adventure perfect for Halloween season. Not sure if it’s just me though but the actual audiobook was a mess - chapters were cut short and earlier chapters then played, sections muddled, from half way through the audiobook was a glitchy mess.

[HBH · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I liked the author’s writing style. Some scenes and descriptions where very beautiful done. However, the plot and characters were a bit underdeveloped for me.

[Angela Kelly · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Solid Read but rough edges throughout. Tess and Elliott are two people that are about as far apart in so many ways that two could be. A posh selective private school near Pittsburgh is where the two release a devil of sorts in Elliott's attempt to save a loved one. Throw in Tess' great Aunt Matilda as the school's Librarian and Elliott's overbearing, often cruel father as school head for more drama.

Tess' irresponsible parents have left her carrying the burden of her depression spiraling sister. She finds relief when Great Aunt Matilda secures a place for them at a posh private school but at a great personal cost to Tess. Determined to care for her sister while still working towards her own success has left Tess drained and hardened.

When Dr. Birch's son Elliot shows up to spend summer at school campus she immediately goes into self-preservation mode. Dr. Birch has made it well known to her he sees her as less and unworthy more than once. So when Elliott approaches her to obtain forbidden items from the school library, she feels trapped.

Elliott is hiding secrets of his own that Tess would find suspect, so he maintains his well practiced blank wall facade he uses with other students. Desperate in his need to find a coveted book to save someone precious to him also leaves him blind to vulnerabilities.

The book they find doesn't feel right, radiates malevolence but great possibilities none the less. It's only when a "Devil" begins to wreak havoc and malicious destruction that the two realize they've release an evil not meant for their world and they have no idea how to send it back to its cage.

The book runs long and has a lot of filler that could have very well been left out with better editing. The romance between these two seems like an afterthought and Tess' actions to pick up sis after parents' failure is quite unrealistic.

I got bored with this read about halfway through as it took forever to get moving from one scene to the next. I forced my way to the end and wasn't rewarded with a stellar ending. It was lukewarm at best. For many, this will be a solid read, but for me, I just never could connect with characters, long-winded text and subpar malevolent character.

[Elisheva Cohen · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

נער ונערה מוצאים ספר עתיק במתרפים של ספריה ומשחררים בטעות את השטן- רומן אימה פרנורמל .

הרעיון של הספר היה מעניין
אבללל הכתיבה הייתה משמימה, מגוחכת ומתישה??‍♀️
כמובן שגם הכל היה כל-כך צפוי גם המשפט האחרון בספר שהיה אמור להשאיר אותי ללא מילים , השאיר אותי בעיקר עצבנית על הבזבוז של הזמן שלי ??‍♀️

לא מומלץ ?

[kanfinae · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was so much better than I even imagined. It’s not scary despite the inclusion of a bit of gore. It’s magical. The characters and endearing. I highly recommend.

[sennebec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A slower read than many I've read this year. That said, it's what I'd call a subtle blend of horror, family dysfunction, and romance that ends up working quite nicely.