Book Review: Spider, Spider by L.C. Winter
Genre: Historical Gothic
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Spider, Spider is one of those books where the more I think about it, the more I feel like there’s something missing. It’s an interesting enough premise – Nancy has escaped the religious cult her father joined to protect her and her sister. On the streets of Victorian London, she meets Spider, who lurks in the home she grew up in and awaits her chance for revenge against the Brethren’s Prophet. To her, Nancy is an opportunity to finally enact that revenge.
There are three different strands to follow – Nancy, escaping the Brethren and trying to survive on the streets of London, Spider in her big house, patiently waiting for her revenge, and Sara, in the past, the younger version of Spider who is sent to an asylum when her uncle suspects her of being a witch. The three weave together to a point, but at times it felt a little haphazard, jumping from one to the other. The chapters set in the asylum were definitely the stronger of the three, but ultimately the climax felt a bit anticlimactic. Some parts of the book also felt like they were veering a bit over the top, and there wasn’t that strong a sense of Victorian London as a backdrop. Certain characters felt like they’d stepped out of the musical Oliver! rather than feeling like they belonged to a historical novel.
There’s almost a persistent issue throughout the book, where it feels like the imagery and descriptions come first – there are some wonderfully written, effective moments, but it feels like they’re loosely strung together rather than being part of a more coherent whole. There are elements hinted at which feel like they should loom larger, but swiftly disappear. Spider’s revenge is all-encompassing, but the reason for it almost feels minor compared to what other characters face from the same character (I was almost waiting for there to be something more to her story, but it all falls a bit flat).
This looks to be the author’s debut, and really what’s lacking here is a strong editor. It feels too much built on tropes and genre rather than being a fully fleshed out story, but I think Winter is an author who shows promise, though maybe needs a little more guidance to create something truly effective.
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter: @elleturpitt
Bluesky: @elleturpitt.bsky.social
I received this ebook from Duckworth Books via NetGalley for review consideration.
