The Malevolent Twin

Novel Blends Horror and Suspense to Chilling Effect

“The Malevolent Twin” is a suspense novel that tells the story of a girl struggling to succeed in life while also facing the increasingly vicious presence of Venice, who at first seems like an imaginary friend but who is actually something much more frightening.

Avery is in college and wants to go to nursing school—she’s determined to do better than her stripper sister and she works hard at a nail salon to make ends meet. But Venice just won’t go away, and Venice is everything Avery is not: sexy, outspoken, dangerous. She pushes Avery to make bad choices, and before long she’s taken agency of Avery’s body and is committing terrible, devastating crimes….

This novel strikes a good balance between developing the details of Avery’s life to make her a sympathetic character, and also inserting chilling moments that heighten the suspense and leave you feeling distinctly unsettled. I felt deeply for Avery and for why she might have needed an imaginary friend in the first place: a drunken, abusive father, a life of poverty, and not quite fitting in. I also liked her warm, strong relationship with her best friend, Hannah, and there’s a scene with two of them hiding under a mobile home that’s tense and fraught with danger. Because the author takes time to develop Avery and make her someone you want to succeed, Venice becomes an even more evil villain, and each time Avery falls asleep and wakes up having to deal with the consequences of Venice’s actions heightens the suspense of the story. The truth of what Venice actually is, once revealed, is creepy and has a classic horror feel.

I’d recommend “The Malevolent Twin” to readers who like horror and suspense, with a focus on a young woman coming of age while facing long odds.