Review: Fiend

Fiend by Alma Katsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Dardan can deny it all he wants, but Maris knows there’s something bad in their home. Something malevolent. She feels it watching them, greedily.”
― Alma Katsu, Fiend

I am quickly becoming an Alma Katsu fan. She knows how to tell a story with interesting, and flawed, characters who seem familiar but aren't stereotypes. Fiend is no exception! 

In Fiend, the focus is on the immensely powerful, and some would say incredibly lucky, Berisha family, who have deep roots in the "old world" (Albania) and amazing business success in the United States. Zef, the patriarch and head of the Berisha clan, reminded me of Don Corleone from Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, although seemingly more reluctant to exercise his much-feared power. Olga, Zef's wife, felt like the glue of the family - doing her best to keep her family united in the face of competing and constant pressures from her three children and the world. Dardan, the oldest child and only son, is the reluctant heir-apparent to his father's empire. Maris, the middle child, feels overlooked and underappreciated, but is the most eager to take on more responsibility within the family business and gain recognition from her aloof father. The youngest, Nora, while loved, has been mostly dismissed by the others as too irresponsible and immature to factor into the family's plans.

There is a definite shadow over the Berisha family. In spite, or because, of their success and power, there are both external forces determined to defeat them, and internal struggles for control over the family's power. That power is much feared, greatly desired and, as we learn, often misunderstood. 

Fiend was a very quick read that swept me along. There was a strong sense of foreboding and hints about a supernatural family "protector" throughout the story, but the truth was never fully revealed until the later chapters. That revelation was surprising and unexpected, and proves the point that those who seek power often don't fully understand its cost, and may ultimately come to regret it. It reminded me in some ways of the way Stephen King described the childrens' reaction to hearing the librarian, Miss Davies, read The Three Billy Goat's Gruff aloud to them during story hour in the Derry Public Library: 

their grave eyes reflected the eternal fascination of the fairytale: would the monster be bested… or would it feed? 
― Stephen King, IT

Fiend is fiendishly good! A dark tale full of family secrets, schemes, lies and power. It's best read with the lights on to keep the shadows in the corners of the room at bay.