I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce Published by Bantam Press on March 5 2020
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Mystery
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
The nitty-gritty: Dark and magical, You Let Me In surprised me in every way possible and is one of the best books I’ve read this year.
Faeries are no fit company for the living; touching them taints you like a disease. I grew like a pale fruit in the shadows, small and bitter, never getting enough sun—but I grew. I didn’t shrivel up and die; didn’t fall from the branch and crash to the ground. I was a white apple, a moon-colored pear, a toxic green plum the size of a coin. Grew strange and crooked, but there was life, flushing my veins with rich red blood, enough to sustain more than one.
Sometimes a book comes out of nowhere and hits you right between the eyes. You Let Me In was one such book for me. The blurb on the back of the cover was vague enough that I thought this was going to be a mystery of some kind. What I didn’t expect was a dark and irresistible tale about faeries, family drama, murder and one girl’s incredible life story. This is Camilla Bruce’s debut, and I can hardly believe it. Her writing is simply gorgeous without a wasted word anywhere, and the pacing couldn’t be any better. I was hooked from the first page and finished this in a mere two days, which for me is quite a feat! If you love the dark faerie stories of Holly Black, then you might just be the perfect reader for this book.
The story is told by the 74-year-old reclusive romance novelist Cassandra Tipp, who has been missing for over a year when the story begins. Cassandra has left strict instructions regarding her estate, should she die or go missing, and now her niece and nephew, her sole heirs, have come to Cassie’s old house in the woods to discover the secrets of her will. In Cassie’s study, they find a manuscript that, upon reading, will reveal a secret password that will allow them to claim Cassie’s estate. This book is that manuscript, and as Janus and Penelope begin to read, a wild tale unfolds about Cassie’s life-long friendship with a faerie called Pepper-Man and his part in the deaths of Cassie’s husband Tommy, her father, and her brother Ferdinand. Cassie, you see, was accused of murder, and now she intends to set the record straight.
As Cassie reveals more and more details about her strange childhood, we learn about the family who treats her as an outcast: a mother who verbally abuses her and excludes her from family events, a father who is too timid to help her, and a perfect sister who she will never be able to emulate. Cassie eventually grows up and falls in love, but true happiness is never quite within her grasp. Her lifeline, though, is Pepper-Man: always at her side throughout the years, showing her the magical secrets of another world, one her family will never be able to enter.
And here is where I must stop talking about the plot, because to reveal too much would be a shame. I think one reason this story resonated so much with me is that I saw myself in Cassie. No, I didn’t have a faerie companion (although I wouldn’t have said no to one!), but I did feel like an outsider for much of my childhood, I did believe in magic and faeries and more when I was young, and I was sorely disappointed when these things never materialized. Cassie has written forty-two romance novels over her lifetime, and I know when you discover the catalyst for these stories, you will be as delighted as I was. (I really want to talk about Bruce’s vision of where stories come from, but I’m trying to avoid spoilers—it’s so hard!) Cassie was a wonderful creation, a girl with a terribly horrid childhood who finds her escape in the hidden world of faeries.
Bruce’s faeries are strange creatures made from bits of nature. They resemble humans, sort of, but also animals and birds. They feed off humans, which makes them terrifying. In fact, Pepper-Man drinks blood from Cassie like a vampire, and the fact that she has allowed this for so many years will make you wonder if she is indeed being abused. Their relationship is creepy and loving and odd and often hard to understand, but I think that’s why I loved it so much. The title of the book has special meaning in regards to that relationship, and I got chills when I read that part.
Readers who must have firm answers at the end of their stories may be frustrated, but the ambiguity is one of the things I loved best about this book. Cassie’s tale is fairly linear, although she does inject brief asides about people she hasn’t really told you about yet. I ran into the name “Mara” early on with no explanation of who she is (don’t worry, you WILL find out about Mara later in the story!) There are plenty of cryptic comments about events that haven’t happened yet in her story, which could be frustrating to some readers. But for me, those passages were like catnip. They only made me want to read faster so I could catch up.
We also meet a psychologist who spends years studying Cassie and her “traumas,” as he calls them. Dr. Martin is convinced that Cassie is a victim of abuse, and she’s hiding the truth behind made-up stories about faeries, but because we see the entire story from Cassie’s point of view—the unreliable narrator—the truth is shrouded in mystery. Are the faeries real? Or is Cassie so traumatized that she can’t separate reality from fiction? It’s a question that you might still be asking yourself at the end of the story.
I will drop some trigger warnings at the end of this review, because be warned, this is a very dark story, despite some of the lighter, magical elements. First of all, not all readers are going to like the relationship between Cassie and Pepper-Man. There’s a creepy and unnatural vibe to it at times, but if you can get past Cassie’s childhood years, which are really quite innocent for the most part, I found their relationship to change and grow into something quite like love. I felt so bad for Cassie, who is shunned by her family for being so odd (they can’t see Pepper-Man, and even though Cassie tries to tell them about him, of course they don’t believe her) and accused of horrible things that she didn’t do. Pepper-Man offers her unconditional love and acceptance, and he’s really the only person in her life that does.
As Janus and Penelope finally get to the end of Cassie’s story, the reader is right there with them, and here is where Camilla Bruce pulls her last trick, an unexpected twist that made me love the story even more. I cannot recommend You Let Me In highly enough, especially to readers who appreciate the darker side of fantasy. This is one book I won’t soon forget.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. Above quote was taken from an uncorrected proof and may differ in the final version of the book.
Trigger warnings:View Spoiler »
This was an an amazing review! The plot was intriguing, but what you wrote really drawn me in!!!
Thanks Susy, it’s definitely worth reading:-)
if it’s really worth reading, tammy can you tell me how to read it for free online? please
Books are not free! Please support the author by purchasing.
I’m glad this book hit such a chord with you Tammy! It does sound very intriguing – though I don’t know how I feel about the ambiguous ending. It sounds like it could work for this book maybe? I think I’d be frustrated if Cassie’s disappearance is never explained/solved. I do like the sound of these fairies- they sound similar to the Irish opinion of fairies (as far as I know the Irish do not like them- they are terrifying not fun and mischievous). Excellent review!
The faeries were the kind I like, a little dark and dangerous:-) And the ambiguity worked really well. I just wouldn’t have been the same story if she’d tied everything up in a neat little bow.
I actually like ambiguity in novels. It makes you keep thinking about the book long after you’ve read the last page. Good review!
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…8 Mad Scientist Blog Manipulations
Yes exactly. I’m still not 100 percent sure what actually happened!
Oh. My. God. This sounds right up my alley. I love me some dark faerie stories so this is going straight on my wishlist. You keep making me add books to it! xD
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Audiobook Review: The Minuteman by Greg Donahue
Sorry not sorry, Stephanie! Ha ha
What a wonderful review. I am really looking forward to this one now especially since you’ve stressed how dark it is. Sounds like a perfect book to cozy up with on a dark, dreary day!
Barb @ Booker T’s Farm recently posted…February Down For the Count!
It’s perfect for any day, lol. But yes, a dark dreary day will work!
Sometimes, harsh stories end up being the most fascinating when an author possesses the skills to turn them into mesmerizing tales, and this seems to be exactly the case here. I’m beyond intrigued…
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@Spaceandsorcery recently posted…Short Story: HELLO, HELLO, by Seanan Mcguire
It’s just a perfect combination of harsh and hopeful, I think. I hate books where only bad things happen to the characters, but this has a touch of wonderful mystery about it that gave me hope:-)
This sounds so intriguing and creepy! I love dark faerie stories and I don’t mind ambiguity if I don’t expect answers to begin with, so I really want to try it now.
Great review!
Acqua recently posted…Monthly Try A Chapter #3
Thanks Acqua, in this case ambiguity is best:-)
WOW, an INCREDIBLE review, I didn’t expect this book to be so wonderful, but now I’m adding it to my TBR, right now!
It completely surprised me:-)
Sounds amazing! This is the first I’m hearing about this book. I need to check it out!
Oh I hope you do, I need more people talk to about it:-)
Wow! Your review makes it difficult to look away from this one. I’ll be on the lookout for You Let Me In when it comes out 🙂
I hope you enjoy it if you get to it:-)
Quick follow up: There’s a free Sneak Peek offered on Kindle and probably other e-platforms.
Good to know:-)
Oh I MUST read this one. I love dark fairy stories and this one sounds right up my alley. Love your review- just enough to tantalize but not enough to spoil. Thanks!
I hope you love it, Laurie!
You write a really compelling review, so much so, I now want to read this one for myself and have added it to my to buy list!
Thanks Alexandra!
Ooh, I’m so excited for this now. I’ve only skimmed this but 5* is very encouraging indeed. Cannot wait.
Lynn 😀
I hope you get to read it!
I made sure this was in my TBR. Sounds like quite a tale, and not one I’ve read anything similar to.
It was very unusual and unique:-)
This does sound interesting, great review!
Thanks Stormi:-)
I shied away from requesting this book because I was worried about the elements of strangeness and ambiguity. After reading your review I think I made the right choice, because some of what you described would absolutely drive me nuts, haha. But I have to say, part of me is also intrigue and very curious – I’m glad you enjoyed it!
A cracking review, Tammy! I’ve also read this book and hope to post my review tomorrow – my schedule has been blasted out of the water through having been rather ill recently – and I, too, absolutely loved it. It’s one of my outstanding reads of the year and haunted me for quite a while after I’d finished it. Glad you enjoyed it so much, too!
This is one of my upcoming ARCs, and after seeing how much you loved it, I’m so excited for it! I thought it sounded good to start with, but man, you’ve really sold it. xD You got me with that comp to Holly Black, and so much yes for faeries! This sounds exactly like the perfect book for me, and now I’m trying desperately not to shove everything else to the side and just read this already. xD
I’m so curious about these faieries! After reading your fabulous review, I must add this one!
Laura Thomas recently posted…Vampocalypse by E.S. Brown ~ Trailers and Giveaway
Oh wow this sounds absolutely amazing! I’m going to have to see if my library gets a copy.
Wow, this sounds absolutely brilliant. Adding to my TBR right now!
Yaaay! I will need to hunt this one down!
Really awesome article. Enjoyed while reading, also it helped to understand how useful it is. Keep sharing!
I am glad this book could be such a surprise to you, but one you could head over heels adore so much as well. I really like the sound of it being one where the mystery and the clearing of her name unfolds the whole story. The world building and all the fantasy creatures in it sound amazing. And well, now I am curious to get answers myself. I am ready for an open and slightly unknown ending it if works so well for the story!
Olivia Roach recently posted…Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [Book Review]