Rachel Harrison usually gives me exactly what I want: messy women, dark humor, sharp internal commentary, and a main character with enough snark to make even the weirdest situation feel grounded. Black Sheep definitely has that energy. The FMC has the kind of bite I tend to enjoy in Harrison’s work, and there were moments where her voice carried the story for me.

That said, this may be my least favorite of the Rachel Harrison books I’ve read so far.

The biggest issue for me was the pacing. I kept waiting for the story to fully take off, but Act 2 felt less like an escalation and more like an extension of Act 1. We stay in the same emotional and family dysfunction space for a long time, which can work when the tension keeps tightening, but here it felt like the story was circling the same drain without giving me enough new momentum.

The dysfunctional family dynamic was interesting, and I do think Harrison knows how to write complicated, uncomfortable relationships. But I wanted more movement. More unraveling. More “oh no, this is getting worse” energy. Instead, I found myself waiting for the story to finally show its teeth.

Then, when the action does arrive, it felt a little too rushed and confusing for me. The opening of the gates of hell and the father’s sudden surrender could have used more development. That part should have been the emotional and supernatural payoff, but I was left wanting more explanation, more build-up, and more impact. If anything needed to be expanded, it was that final stretch.

Overall, I’d give Black Sheep a 2.5 out of 5 stars. It had the snarky FMC energy I enjoy from Rachel Harrison, but the pacing and underdeveloped climax kept me from loving it. Still, this won’t stop me from reading more from her. I’ve enjoyed her other books enough to know this one just didn’t hit the same for me.

But as you know reviews are subjective. What I like, you may dislike, and what I dislike, you may like. So if a book about a dysfunctional family that happens to be worshiping Lucifer himself, written from Lucifer’s daughter who doesn’t know her dad is The Lucifer, sounds like you, check it out: