Originally published: eBook 23 July 2020; Paperback 20 August 2020

Author: Cassondra Windwalker

Published by: Agora Books

Genre: Fantasy

Length: 224 pages

Reading dates: 23-24 July 2020

You can call me Ella. You generally assign me a whole host of other preposterous monikers. I think the least imaginative name I’ve heard is “the devil”, but I’ll answer to it if I must.

After making the courageous decision to leave her abusive husband, Perdie and her three young children start over and finally find the safety and love they deserve. But years later, when tragedy strikes, Perdie is left wondering if the choice she made to l eave has led them to this moment.
If she were given the opportunity to take it all back and stay, would she?
In a frantic bid to protect her family, Perdie makes a deal to do just that. But in a world where the devil pulls the strings, can Perdie really change the past?

This was such a clever and thought provoking read! As the story begins, Perdie has taken the brave decision to flee her abusive husband with her 3 young children. Matt has been physically violent to Perdie for years but has never hurt the children, doting on his two daughters Hannah and Rachel. Perdie has convinced herself it is for the good of them all they stay. It is only when Matt goes to strike his toddler son Tad, that Perdie sees that they have to leave. After a short stay in Colorado, they find themselves in a small idyllic town of Jakob’s Lake, surrounded by mountains and trees.

The story then fast forwards a few years – Perdie is happily married to Reilly and she is happy. The children haven’t survived their experience unscathed though – Hannah has dropped out of college and is training as a tattoo artist, much to Perdie’s horror. Rachel turned to food to hide her hurt and is being relentlessly bullied by the other kids at school for being overweight. Only Tad seems to be happy, being too young to remember the life they left behind.

Interspersed with hearing about Perdie and her family, we also here from a character called Ella, who is essentially the devil. She comments on Perdie’s decisions, the things people say to make themselves to feel better about life. Some of it is incredibly philosophical and some of it is amusing in a dark sort of way.

I won’t say too much more about the plot because I don’t want to spoil it, but I really enjoyed this book. I read Idle Hands quickly and really liked the unusual narration of the devil (although sometimes it got a little deep for me!) It is a powerful read – the tragedy that befalls the family actually brought tears to my eyes and the tales of abuse from Perdie are heart-breaking and distressing

Unique and compelling, I highly recommend this dark unforgettable read.

Thank you to Peyton at Agora Books for the proof copy and for inviting me on the blog tour. Please check out of the other reviews from the lovely bloggers below.

About the author

Cassondra Windwalker grew up on plains and longed for mountains. Today she lives by the frozen sea. She earned a BA of Letters at the University of Oklahoma and pursued careers in bookselling and law enforcement before resigning her post to write full time.
A poet, essayist, and novelist, her short – form work has appeared in numerous literary journals and art books. Her full – length books of poetry and prose are available in bookstores and online. She welcomes conversations with readers through her social media platforms and in the occasional coffee shop.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WindwalkerWrite