Bakis has all the elements for a compelling gothic noir. But King Nyx feels at once over-egged and undercooked ... The intriguing setup is buried under this avalanche of unfortunate events. Bakis summons her gift for atmospheric prose in a few memorable scenes, but otherwise King Nyx feels flat.
Bakis’ latest novel has the pacing and suspense of a smart literary thriller: It’s almost impossible to put down once you’ve started it. But Bakis can be heavy-handed in her treatment of the themes that undergird her story ... That’s not to say Bakis’ case doesn’t hold water, but she strikes the same note again and again in a way that is more repetitive than satisfying.
A tepid feminist gothic novel ... Bakis has a good feel for her characters, and the setting is credibly eerie. Nevertheless, the effort to excavate the real-life Anna Fort from a male-dominated narrative is a bit heavy-handed... and the denouement feels improbable. This one lacks nuance.
