I thought this sounded really interesting but in reality it just took way too long to get going. Nothing happened for the first 40% of the book. And that wasn’t because they were building a rich universe, it was just really mundane. When things did start to speed up a bit the plot felt messy, things were introduced with limited explanation and some plots points felt silly and lazy. On the plus side I liked the characters, I just don’t think I could pickup a book 2 if there is one as hinted

I was really happy to receive this review copy from Titan Books! It’s a really fast paced book which has dark academia vibes, magic, and hallucinations that seem like they’re out of a horror movie. I was really invested in the story all the way through and I had a lot of fun reading it! First of all, how cool is this cover?? That, the title, everything about this book hooked me in straight away. This dark and twisting read hooked me from the very first page! The Devil Makes Three has a great focus on characters, especially because it is told with multiple points of view. All I needed to hear was library and devil! If you’re a fan of dark academia and magic, you should check it out!

This was quite different to what I expected, I thought it would be more dark academia but it wasn’t. It was an interesting story and I did enjoy it overall

This was.... fine, I suppose?

I may have simply gone into it with the wrong expectations. I came for a dark academia story, but ultimately, it did fall flat for me in that department. Yes, the setting is a prestigious school with a mysterious library, but it just didn't play into the genre enough for me to truly enjoy and appreciate it.

The pacing was a bit too slow for my taste as well, certain sections of the book just seemed to drag on forever, which definitely marred my enjoyment. While I didn't necessarily hate the two main characters, Tess and Eliot, I didn't really feel the chemistry between the two of them, and the enemies to lovers plot line felt forced rather than executed in a satisfying manner.

Ultimately, this book certainly holds promise and it was very readable, but I wouldn't pick it up again. I am, however, hopeful for the author's future works, as there seems to be quite a bit of promise in the writing.

3 Stars

Sadly this isn't what I expected, I wanted more Dark Academia (I think this is what I expected so once again this maybe just be a ME thing!) The characters Tess and Eliot are okay, but there are certain aspects about them I didn't enjoy.

However I did enjoy the more horror side and parts of this were slightly graphic. Very atmospheric and the writing was good as well!

This was way, way too slow for my liking. The ending was also kind of anticlimactic. This book had so much potential!

The Devil Makes Three is gore-filled and terrifying in all the best ways! I loved it, even during the seriously creepy parts.
The split perspectives was the perfect way to tell the story, and the writing style was clear and easy to read.
I thought the characters were strongly written, my only complaint is I felt they caught feelings for each other just a little too quickly. But I really loved their conversations.
The plot is simple, but I felt like that worked really well. It wasn't trying to be too clever and confuse you, which made sure the pacing didn't get too slow.
I struggled to put the book down and ended up reading it super quickly.
Overall, I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last! It's the perfect story to pick up as we head into the Halloween season

I was worried going into this, as I wasn’t a fan of Addie La Rue (for reasons I won’t waste your time with here) - and seeing that this was comp’d to V.E. Schwab and The Library of the Unwritten (a book I really enjoyed) seemed like a complicated mix. Having read the book, I totally get it. The Devil Makes Three is kind of ‘Dark Academia Lite’, not quite Light Academia; we’ve still got the dusty, dark bookshelves, premonitions of demons, blood and terror, the study of the occult, death and elitism as key themes. But, the YA tone of this novel means the stakes are clear without being overwhelming.

We follow two perspectives; Tessa who is a Cello prodigy forced to give up her future for her younger sister, and Elliot, the beautiful son of a cruel headmaster, who wants to help save his mum from her disease. The relationship which emerges between these two characters starts contentious; as the book explores Tessa’s dealings with Elliot’s elitist father, and the hidden depths of Jessop’s Library.

One scene I particularly liked early on is when Elliot arrives in the US and sheds his ‘British Persona’ for a more cheerful American one. This scene was so telling, allowing the audience to see beneath both veneers to the real Elliot; the one pained by the changes in his mother, hateful of his father, lost and alone. Until he meets Tessa, anyway. I always enjoyed the brisk way the two characters meet, it was very funny (but I won’t spoil it here.)

I can definitely see the similarities between Addie and TDMT, though the writing style of this novel is far darker - the devilish character doesn’t pull any punches and the scenes where Tessa wakes up covered in ink, thinking it is blood are gruesome. (That is a pro, in case I’m unclear.) But other than the fact there’s a library of occult books and grimoires, there are very few similarities between TDMT and The Library of the Unwritten, which is more of an epic quest through the realms of the afterlife, than a battle for one’s soul and the chance for unimaginable power.

The pacing is good, nothing feels rushed and there is plenty to establish the world around Tessa and Elliot. This is also a close 3rd narrative (meaning it’s a voice on the shoulder of the characters) so it’s fun to see how they interpret the same sequence of events differently, the lies they tell each other and the secrets they keep. The tension creeps up; very little happens in the first 150 pages, but once the devil arrives the stakes are raised and the people Elliot and Tessa care about are immediately in harm's way.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoyed Ninth House - it has a very similar Dark Academia vibe, with secrets and monsters lurking in the dark, and the same tone of horror/mystery.

this book was a surprise and i really loved it. dark academia, magic, dark vibes, and a bit of creepy? that's perfect for me

Will please fans of Ninth House and Naomi Novik's dark academia offerings. I wanted a little more romance, but the quick-witted plotting was enjoyable.

This is a great dark academia book, I loved the relationship between the two main characters and the library setting was an excellent setting for them to meet. Very creepy in places.

I was very lucky to be approved for an e-arc of 'The Devil Makes Three' last year but unfortunately I was in a reading slump and just couldn't get round to it. I'm so sad that I didn't because I absolutely adored this book. Between the characters, the humour and the story, it was just utterly perfect for me. Can't recommend this book enough, although I will say it's a bit gory so be mindful if you are quite sensitive to blood, etc. but such an easy 5 stars from me.

I really love dark academia, and while this book was definitely that, it wasn't the greatest but still enjoyable.

I felt that Tess and Eliot were a little bit too dull to me and couldn't feel much of their chemistry. But I liked both as seperate characters themselves. And I especially enjoyed the Devil character.

Additionally, I thought the dark themes were done really well and I was genuinely nervous while reading.

Definitely still recommend if you enjoy dark academia / paranormal novels.

This was a suitably creepy and interesting read that kept me entertained throughout. I thought the characters were well drawn and believable and there were moments of true peril, which I appreciated. The plot was interesting and the pacing was great, ensuring a fun and enjoyable ride. I would definitely read from this author in the future.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I had high hopes for this book and it sounded really good but I sadly did not enjoy this as much as I wanted to. I was expecting this to be more of a dark academia story and whilst it mostly was in a library I don't think it can be classed as this genre. This book wasn't bad but I can't say it was good either, it was ok and readable but not enjoyable. It felt very all over the place and the pacing was pretty bad, I just ended up bored and wanted it to end.

The main thing I didn't like was pace, it was so slow! In the beginning I didn't mind, we got backstory and that was fine. But the pace never picked up and most of the backstory was irrelevant, it is a short book so it wasn't needed at all. Not much really happened and I found myself being bored and just pushing through it so it would be over. There was never really any exciting moments and it seemed there wasn't really a reason behind the devil doing what he did.

The world-building was also very poor, there was magic but it wasn't a known thing. We are not really sure how it fits in or really how it works which I would have liked to know. This book was described as dark academia but it takes place in summer in high school. The only thing academic is the library and the books. I would have liked more studying and actually I think it would have been a better plot if Eliot was doing what he intended to do! I want to know about the magic spells and necromancy not the story we ended up getting. A lot of the things that did happen were super repetitive, it was essentially the same thing told in a slightly different way.

I feel like the enemies to lovers trope was pushed a little too hard in the story when it didn't really work or make sense. A lot of the time I didn't think this story made much sense and the execution wasn't great. It did have a few good things about it, I thought the writing was good and some of the more horror aspects weren't bad. I feel this book could have done with more polish but It was a quick and easy read.

If you are looking for a spooky young adult horror packed with a whopping amount of creepy atmosphere and a splash of romance, then you can’t go wrong with the brilliant debut The Devil Makes Three from Tori Bovalino.
This book gave me the dark academia vibes of The Ninth House from Leigh Bardugo and House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland, so if you like these books, you will love The Devil Makes Three. Comparisons aside the book sets its own original path – think dusty grimoires, massive, shadowed libraries, book bound devils, secret passages, unique magic, and a burgeoning romance. It definitely gets a tick, tick, tick from me.
It gets off to slow start but don’t let that put you off, as you will soon you will find yourself immersed in plenty of chilling supernatural action and gore splashed prose – that should satisfy all your horror needs.
A dark fantasy horror with plenty of thrills and chills four out of five.

I received this digital copy in exchange for an honest review, thanks to Titan Books.

With a demon hiding amongst the stacks The Devil Makes Three was always going to be a winner for me. This book is dark academia at its best and manages to create an unsettling creepy atmosphere around the library, with two headstrong protagonists and a slowly developing romance and you’ve got me invested.

The atmosphere Bovalion manages to create around our two protagonists is what made this book so fantastic. It slips nicely into the young adult slot without losing the horror elements that make it so chilling, but it is worth saying that the romance doesn’t fit with the enemies to lovers trope and publishers really do need to stop classifying mild dislike as enemies. Their relationship is excellent though and opens with Tess writing some rather colourful insults onto post-it notes, and remains riddled with sarcasm and wit for the rest of the novel. They have this wonderful “boy who always finds trouble and girl reluctantly dragged into his bullshit energy”, and this with Tess’s sharp tongue and Eliot’s softness made me rather love them.

The plot in The Devil Makes Three is just so good and well-executed, I mentioned the atmosphere above and the dark and eerie feeling seeps into you like the ink in the book. The devil made an excellent antagonist with it being as seductive as it is malicious, and let me tell you it lives up to its name with it doing some deeply unsettling things; Bovalion’s writing is so descriptive too so you feel like you are in the room with Tess and Eliot as they attempt to put that demon back in the book. I will admit that the story does start a little slow and builds, but with this being a horror-thriller I found that the slow unsettling drive towards the final confrontation really worked for me.

All in all, this book does exactly what it set out to and I absolutely loved it. This book was just so dark and eerie, Tovi Bovalion killed dark academia and brought it back better than ever.

Recommend: If you’re a lover of creepy horror in a dark academia setting then you’ll love The Devil Makes Three.

Honestly this book was *chefs kiss*. The premise was what drew me in and the plot kept me reading. This is a dark fantasy with features of blood and gore so please read with caution if that offends you. Not romance heavy either so if that's what you're coming here for then maybe check out another book, get it? Check out. Like a library, because this book is set in a library.

The characters have a tough relationship to start with but their common enemy brings them together in order to defeat the evil within the library once and for all. However that cliff hanger at the end of the book! I can't believe that there's not going to be a sequel because the author has really set it up for one if she wanted to continue.

Definitely recommend this book to anyone who was a spooky read this autumn.

A YA Horror told via multiple POV. I do love a book with more than one POV. I found the characters likeable and and loved the atmospheric writing but I just couldn't get into the plot as there was quite a slow build up.
Overall 3 stars as I enjoyed this but not quite the page turner I had anticipated.

We’ll written and interesting concept. Very dark academia. Can’t wait to see what the author does next.