Fiend by Alma Katsu

Book Review

Sarah Deeming

The Berisha family is blessed. They run one of the largest import/export companies in the world and suffer none of the tragedies that befall their competitors.

But Maris Berisha knows there is more to her family’s good fortune than just luck, no matter what her father, Zef, says. Harmful evidence is destroyed in natural disasters, and whistleblowers always die of natural causes before they can testify. She knows what she saw as a nine-year-old, and she is comfortable with the dark secrets her parents are hiding to protect the family. But when matters take a turn for the worse, the Berisha family splinters. Maris has always known her family has spilt blood to become one of the wealthiest families in the world, but how far is she willing to go? Whose blood is she prepared to spill?

I have long been a fan of Katsu’s historical horror, so I was really excited to get my hands on Fiend, an original story centred around a powerful family that has more than a little supernatural help on their side. She gives us three points of view of the next Berisha generation, covering both the current and past events that have shaped the characters: Dardan, the son and heir, Maris, the oldest daughter who is our main point of view, and Nora, the youngest, who wants nothing to do with her family’s business or the dark power their father wields. Each of them has a different approach to their father’s power, which brings them into conflict with one another and propels the action forward.

While it’s clear that something supernatural is helping the Berisha family, the specifics are kept vague because Maris doesn’t fully understand. She knows her father has a power that keeps her family wealthy and powerful, but she doesn’t know what or the consequences of having that power. There are twists and turns and many tragedies as Maris digs into the truth, leaving both her and the reader reeling when she finally understands just what her father has been protecting her from.

As always, Katsu builds compelling characters, and I felt for all of them, even Zef, the distant father, when we got to the bottom of the power propping the family up and the sacrifices he’s had to make over the years. Dardan is my favourite because he shows the most significant change, from a cocky kid lording his eldest status over Maris, to a reluctant heir suffocating under the expectations placed upon him. Maris is a clever character. Not particularly likeable, she wants her father’s approval and will do what it takes to get it. Her journey is hindered by barriers due to her gender, yet her character repeatedly demonstrates that she is more capable than Dardan of handling the position of head of the family. Their conflicted sibling relationship makes for powerful reading.

Fiend isn’t a long book, coming in at a little over 230 pages, but it packs a lot into it, making it fast-paced and gripping. I read it in two sittings because I was eager to find out what happened next. Fiend is an excellent read for anyone who loves clever supernatural horror.