Rivers of Eden by R.E. Levy
Synopsis
"Five years ago Meg and Em were 17-year-old girls sharing a first kiss. It just so happens that might have been the same night they released a demon. Now the grown women must confront the sins of their hearts and the wickedness taking hold of Eden.
Margaret Hatch is a good woman. She has a husband, a homestead, a baby, and always heeds her preacher. But when things in the settlement of Eden begin to go awry she can't help but feel guilty. Guilty for that night five years ago. Guilty for kissing her best friend. Guilty for wanting more than that. Emma Johansson is not a good woman. She is loose, unmarried, and employed. Three things a woman should not be. She also happens to be in love with her best friend Margaret, something both of them have kept buried for almost all of their lives. Now the two women must reconcile their history with the terror that has taken hold of Eden. One that threatens to tear down the disguises they wear, exposing their truths to the world. They must face what they unleashed five years ago before it takes both of them, and their secret, to the grave."
My Thoughts
This novella was fantastic! And it was so amazingly written. It had threads of spookiness that slowly crept up on you. But I felt that the absolute creepiest part was just the wide-open stillness of this book. It gave me the feeling that something terrible was right there, in broad daylight, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. And that feeling creeped me out more than the actual gore and deaths did. Levy does an amazing job of building the story with an economy of words and still had me care deeply about what was happening. I was very invested in what happened to Margaret and Emma. And I was worried for them through the whole thing, despite the author assuring me that this wasn't a "bury your gays" story.
I thought that this was a really well-done novella and the story came to a satisfying conclusion, but as a testament to Levy's excellent writing, I just wanted more time with these characters! What happens next??? I also want to point out that this book is short but it's also pretty intense and I urge everyone to really check out the content warnings below before reading. There are some really tough scenes in this one, but I also felt like the subjects were handled well and are outright condemned by other characters in the story.
If you're in the mood for a quick read that is gothic, spooky, and queer this is a great one to check out! Book Links: Goodreads, Pre-Order
I received this as an ARC from the author for a fair and unbiased review.
About the Author
R. E. Levy's writing career began as a nine-year-old writing thinly-veiled Lord of the Rings fanfiction. After a quarter-life-crises, Levy bit the bullet and studied English at the University of Minnesota, where she developed a passionate love for Arthurian and Medieval Literature. She now lives in the Twin Cities with her spouse, daughter, and two cats Loki & Freyja. She spends all of her free time in her garden or playing video games.
Genre: horror, historical, lgbtqia+
Representation: lesbian, bi
Content Warnings: character death, animal death, gore, sleep paralysis, fire, sexual content, swearing, physical abuse, and intimate partner rape/coercion