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brokenbaroque's review
4.0
This is so KJ Charles and yet so different from everything I have read by her so far.
I recognise her snappy dialogue, her no-nonsense characters and her vast knowledge of history and english literature and past popoular culture, which always fascinates me... but there is more. This is a book with a lot of action, some horror inventive and a certain degree of cautiousness as well which, oddly, reminds me of some of her latest books. It is less masterfully handled than others, but it is fresh and fun, like the most promising early works of an author should be. I think I enjoyed this book more because it gave me a tip about what the author like and what she might want to develop in the future... and I am looking forward to that.
I recognise her snappy dialogue, her no-nonsense characters and her vast knowledge of history and english literature and past popoular culture, which always fascinates me... but there is more. This is a book with a lot of action, some horror inventive and a certain degree of cautiousness as well which, oddly, reminds me of some of her latest books. It is less masterfully handled than others, but it is fresh and fun, like the most promising early works of an author should be. I think I enjoyed this book more because it gave me a tip about what the author like and what she might want to develop in the future... and I am looking forward to that.
yoda32's review
4.0
MLM and Sapphics working together to take down some cannibals. I love to see it.
This little novella was an absolute delight. I cannot believe I waited so long to read it just because I was worried I wouldn’t like it. Not to be judgemental, but I’ve tried KJ Charles books twice before and I didn’t enjoy them. However, it seems third times the charm. I really enjoyed this and I would LOVE A SEQUEL. Maybe about a certain colonel and his ex/ murderous but kinda sweet/ lover??? Please.
Also I wouldn’t say no to even a direct sequel about Johanna and Arabelle because THEY WERE SO CUTE. The sapphics keep winning with all these wonderful f/f stories. Okay yes... this is a horror and contains gore, violence, and cannibals but it’s got some really sweet moments and it was so well written.
The only reason this four and not five stars, is because I wanted more of Johanna’s and Belle’s reunion at the end.
This little novella was an absolute delight. I cannot believe I waited so long to read it just because I was worried I wouldn’t like it. Not to be judgemental, but I’ve tried KJ Charles books twice before and I didn’t enjoy them. However, it seems third times the charm. I really enjoyed this and I would LOVE A SEQUEL. Maybe about a certain colonel and his ex/ murderous but kinda sweet/ lover??? Please.
Also I wouldn’t say no to even a direct sequel about Johanna and Arabelle because THEY WERE SO CUTE. The sapphics keep winning with all these wonderful f/f stories. Okay yes... this is a horror and contains gore, violence, and cannibals but it’s got some really sweet moments and it was so well written.
The only reason this four and not five stars, is because I wanted more of Johanna’s and Belle’s reunion at the end.
qace90's review
4.0
Love the horror and creepy factor~
A change of pace from other KJ Charles I’ve read, way darker, but I still enjoyed it. I loved the incorporation of Sweeney Todd and all this dark-underbelly history going on. Not a lot of focus on the relationship between Arabella and Johanna, but their relationship is wonderfully incorporated into the storyline. I also found it amusing how their sexual relationship kept having the door closed; the way KJ wrote it was just such a nice humor added to such a dark story.
A change of pace from other KJ Charles I’ve read, way darker, but I still enjoyed it. I loved the incorporation of Sweeney Todd and all this dark-underbelly history going on. Not a lot of focus on the relationship between Arabella and Johanna, but their relationship is wonderfully incorporated into the storyline. I also found it amusing how their sexual relationship kept having the door closed; the way KJ wrote it was just such a nice humor added to such a dark story.
mandigolightly's review
3.0
I enjoyed it,as a short story, but I felt like it needed more narrative to become a complete tale
otterpebbles's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this mostly between my fingers as the whole concept freaked me out, but it was still a great read. KJ Charles' writing was as gripping and funny as ever, despite the subject matter I still found myself laughing at times. But there was also a lot of heart still, and that's what kept me gripped, as I felt for the main characters and wanted them to be ok.
The ending was such a relief for me as I had feared much worse!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, and Gore
jamiereadthis's review
4.0
Maybe don’t read this over lunch like I did? By which I mean, it’s grisly horror, and it’s very good and effective, because KJ Charles. She can write anything from Georgette Heyer to penny dreadfuls and it’s worth the ink. I’d read more about all of these characters, especially Ingestrie, and he gets the least page time as any. Maybe not over lunch, though. Yeah, maybe not over lunch.
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Edited to add: I collect good opening lines, and this one makes the cut:
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Edited to add: I collect good opening lines, and this one makes the cut:
In the time of England’s steep decline, when Victor II sprawled on the throne and lost colonies as carelessly as a child loses toys, there stood a number of institutions that should never have been permitted to exist.
tansy's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
I put off reading this one for ages because I was under the impression it was a horror story rather than a romance. It is a horror story, (with a romantic subplot), but the arch narration keeps the reader at a remove from the characters and lightens the tone considerably. It ended up being a pulpy adventure in an alternate Victorian England that left me wanting a sequel very badly.
olive2read's review
4.0
What a fun interpretation of Sweeney Todd. I give Johanna major props for pulling herself together after the breakdown and - quite frankly - for the breakdown itself. And Mark is hilarious!