There's something about the idea of the church giving one demons instead of exorcising them that is just so perfect.

There’s a lot of religion in this book along with comparison and mention of secular music and movies and stuff. It’s all done really well. Our protagonist, having been raised very culty, at one point hears a song she recognizes but can’t place, not a christian song, but one so popular that it seeped its way into her brain somehow, sometime. Rose then recalls: A boy band sings this one. Johnny or Donnie or Joey or Justin or Nick or AJ or Howie, their names rolling through my mind like secular apostles.(p.175) Secular Apostles, me = dead.

Rose’s neurodivergent inner dialogue is everything. I love the little factoids she uses to calm herself down and center herself. My favourite was: Vultures are bald to reduce the risk of bacterial infection while plunging their heads inside rotting carcasses.(p.111) coooool.

I very much enjoyed this book. It was a quick, shorter read, thoughtful, meaningful and very entertaining. There were dark moments, icky moments, funny moments and pearl clutching moments. The scenes played out spectacularly in my mind without overwhelming me with so much detail that I grew bored. The ending was creative, everything wraps up quite nicely. 4.75/5 stars because I wanted some kind of closure with Rose’s jerk parents.

Definitely recommend!