I’m so grateful to Girls Life Magazine for sending me a copy of this novel, because that allowed me to read it much sooner than I would’ve otherwise. I was actually a bit wary going in, because I’m a squeamish chicken and I knew this was a beloved creepy read. However, I was surprised by just how quickly the story captivated me, the characters won me over. I sped through The Devouring Gray in a little over a day, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you’re like me and concerned about being creeped out, there’s no need. I believe a better descriptor for this story is atmospheric — Herman seamlessly combines the idiosyncrasies of small town life with the spooky, mesmerizing danger of the Gray. Although making the Gray a parallel world would’ve been interesting, I think its emptiness made it all the more spine-tingling.

But hands down, the best part of this debut was the leading group of misfits. Narration is split between Violet, a spunky girl grieving the death of her sister, Harper, a girl with an arm and a half that’s fiercer than most two-armed people I know, Isaac, a somewhat broody and dangerous boy that’s mysteriously appealing, and Justin, the popular boy with a major secret. Although my opinions of these four varied, I ended up liking all of them. Violet and Harper are my favorites, and even Justin, who I firmly disliked in the first third, has won me over.

Good characters don’t necessarily mean good character dynamics, but in this instance, Herman excelled. Despite all four families being varying degrees of dysfunctional, the connections between the protagonists were gold. Violet and Harper’s friendship, Isaac and Justin’s friendship, the tension and tentativeness between the four of them — all of it added another layer to an already impressive story.

World-building is usually something that only matters in genres such as fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, and dystopian. In a contemporary, not so much. Yet here I am, talking about a contemporary novel’s world-building, and let me tell you: it’s great. Four Paths is a small, off the charts New York town, full of nuance and history. The story of the four founders and how it played into the protagonists’ lives, as their respective descendants, was quite intriguing. I look forward to seeing how the world, or at least our knowledge of it, grows in the sequel.

I think I’ve sufficiently gushed about this novel. The Devouring Gray was an unexpectedly enjoyable, gripping read, with a fantastic ensemble cast and a conclusion that left me eager for the upcoming second book.

Representation:
• Violet and Isaac are both bisexual, though they aren’t in a relationship.
• Harper is an amputee and only has half of one arm.
• There’s a sapphic side couple, though at the time of the story, they aren’t together any longer.
• I believe there are some side characters of color. Apologies if I’m incorrect here.

CW: grief, death, gore, violence, domestic abuse