Book Review of I'll Make a Spectacle of you by Beatrice Winifred Iker

 

Name of Book: I'll Make a Spectacle of You

Author: Beatrice Winifred Iker

ISBN: 9780316575249

Publisher: Run For It

Type of book: Appalachia, Afrolachia, 1823 to 2027, Tennessee, USA, horror, beast, protection, LGBtQ relationships and characters, friendships, family 

Year it was published: 2025 

Summary:

This heart-pounding horror debut from Beatrice Winifred Iker, takes readers to Bricksbury University, the oldest and most storied HBCUs in the nation. But as one student is about to find out, a long history comes with a legacy of secrets.

 

Zora Robinson is an ambitious grad student at her dream program, the Appalachian Studies at Bricksbury university. When her thesis advisor suggests she research the local folklore about a beast roaming the woods surrounding campus, Zora finds a local population uneager to talk to an outsider.

 

As she delves into the history of the beast, she uncovers a rumored secret society called the Keepers that has tenuous ties to the beast…and Bricksbury itself. Zora soon finds herself plagued by visions, and her grip on reality starts to slip as she struggles to uncover what is real and what is folklore. But when a student goes missing, Zora starts to wonder if the Keepers ever really disbanded.

 

There’s something in the woods and it has its eyes on Zora.

Characters:

I will be focusing on the three main characters; Zora, Amias, and Esther. Zora is in modern day of 2027, an unapologetic young woman who has little to no relationships with her sister and parents. She is very intelligent as well as ambitious and she seems to struggle a bit socially when it comes to making friends. She is also an animal lover and relies a lot on her dog Henry Louis. She is also very loyal and will do what she can for her loved ones. Amias lived in 1823 with his sister Hosanna and they are terrified of the world outside Jonesboro (which does make sense.) Amias is willing to do whatever he can for protection against the harmful people, even if it means harming them himself, Esther is a librarian who is very intelligent, giving and very determined to uncover the mysteries of the college. 

Theme:

I read the story from cover to cover and I have no idea what I should have gotten out of the story. I can't even begin to guess, maybe something along the lines of friendship bonds and strengths? 

Plot:

The story is in both third and first person narratives, with Zora having third person narrative and Amias and Esther first person through writings and a diary. (I also should mention that the diary is written in cursive which might make it difficult for some readers to read, especially those who haven't been exposed to the cursive script.) Its not until the last half book that its revealed on how the stories connect to one another, and oh boy I would have loved a lot more details about Amias and Esther rather than just being completely with Zora. Esther and Amias were very underutilized. The story begins with when Zora and her older sister were preteens and were in a forest when there was a mysterious scream/growl which causes Zora to run away, thus she leaves her older sister behind. After that incident, ten or more years passed when Zora returns to Jonesboro to work on her thesis concerning Afrolachian and African-American studies? (I think, or Appalachian studies? Please feel free to correct me.) and there are interludes of Amias and Esther, Amias in snippets from 1823 up until 2020s? Esther in 1920s. Again I wanted to see more of background of Amias and Esther instead of just getting snippets of them. Practically the whole story took place of a few weeks, I believe. 

Author Information:

N/A

Opinion:

I really wanted to like the book. Really. The cover is stunning, and the summary sounded fascinating, as well as the tentative beginning of a monster in the woods (I think the first few pages were definitely my favorite.) But then the story became unlikable, I'm sorry to report. I think more than anything what I disliked was the disconnect between various plotlines; that of Zora studying and practicing Hoodoo (out of curiosity, what is the difference between Hoodoo and Voodoo?) along with family problems and a love plot; then there is story of Amias and how he summoned a beast, and a story of a librarian, Esther, who is trying to find out what is going on in the university. Each of the plotlines doesn't do a good job in connecting, even at the end. I also was dying to find out what had happened between Zora and her older sister, which wasn't addressed, and I also was more curious about the inner workings of the secret society, which wasn't addressed as well. 

This was given for  review

2 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)