By Delilah S. Dawson
Published by Del Rey on October 22, 2024
Adult. Content notes: abuse of all kinds, sexual assault, violence and death to animals and humans; personally, I appreciate authors who deal directly with such subject matter, and Dawson does it pretty well, but fair warning.
As usual, a spoiler-free review.
I enjoyed the Delilah S. Dawson Star Wars books I read a while back, and I especially loved her short story in Uncanny and the perfect novels she wrote as Lila Bowen, so I was excited to dive into another. This didn’t disappoint. Grab a copy for a quick gothic horror thriller: a solid read for the Halloween season. I loved this for the immersion in a haunting setting with fleshed-out traumatic reasons for the haunting, and the gradual path toward unhinged is fun. Teases us with the supernatural and the history of the place until everything comes together and brings the protagonist to the brink of disaster and death.
Interactions between goth photographer and main character are amusing and charming and engaged me. Some excellent tension between characters. as well. The way violence and death and abuse pops in like a brutal slap felt real to me. Those scenes from the second POV are great. I often get a kick out of stories with these locations characters know they shouldn’t explore, but explore anyway, then keep coming back even when it’s going to bring heaps of trouble (sure, it’s trope-ridden but feels authentic to me when that is pretty much what I’d do).
It’s not a perfect book, though. The hook with family tension is strong, though perhaps needed more to stand out as unique in today’s deluge of literature. I wasn’t immediately swept in until we started exploring the primary setting, the artist retreat and its shadows. The characters are all frustrating for their treatment of others (you different, you bad, no talk, everything trauma), but that is pretty common in gothic style works, and it does thread well with the setting. One or two of the developments were a stretch that I wish had more chapters devoted to them.
But all that said, I couldn’t put this down. It held my attention so much that I wanted more more more. The elements are balanced out enough to keep tugging. If you’re like me and always enjoy a gothic romp, worth the read. Also worth mentioning the cover art; though I received an advance reader's copy in ebook form, I am tempted to order myself a hardcover to re-read and admire the cover. I look forward the next Dawson book I dive into.
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me a copy to read in exchange for an honest review.
Related Links
Author Website: https://www.whimsydark.com/
Author Linktree: https://linktr.ee/delilahsdawson
Author talks cover reveal: https://terribleminds.com/ramble/2024/04/05/delilah-s-dawson-it-will-only-hurt-for-a-moment-cover-reveal/
Cover Artist Website: https://www.reginaflath.com/
Book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207460605-it-will-only-hurt-for-a-moment
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Will-Only-Hurt-Moment-Novel-ebook/dp/B0CTJMSJ7C
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/It-Will-Only-Hurt-for-a-Moment-Audiobook/B0CTMXKDVB
