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anapthine's review
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Thank you Net Galley and Brigids Gate Press for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Before reading this, I didn’t know whether or not I would like it, as it is not the usual genre I read. I weirdly liked this. It was very dark and gothic - which I do love in books. It deserved the 4 stars as the book is very unique and different, and was written very well. Whilst parts of it are quite disturbing, it kind of makes you laugh at the same time; it is just so ridiculous that it is funny. I thought this was quite clever. A lot of people were saying in other reviews that it was too short, but I thought it was the perfect length - I didn’t think it needed to be any longer. The plot just flows and isn’t detached (plot makes sense and events aren’t disconnected). I would recommend it to readers over the ages of 18. I also suggest you read the content warning before reading as there are some quite graphic parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide
getlitwithmegan's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
ashleyreadstoomuch's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
literarycryptid's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
** Triggers in book** Dubious consent, suicide mention, gore, blood play (minor)
Spice level 3/5
This was a very interesting read.
George is an artist, new to the grand city of Paris and trying to make a name for himself. Cece is a young burlesque dancer trying to find a better life. They both get pulled into a macabre and lust fueled event of spirit summoning and end up fighting for both their lives.
I absolutely loved the dark romance aspect of this story, a tale of love continuing even after death, but the obsession leading to a worse fate. On top of this, the connection between George and Cece is very much the hero and damsel in distress trope, but Cece is also presented as a fighter who will do anything to survive.
Spice-wise, all scenes are of dubious consent, and each has its own unique style/setting exploring different erotic scenarios.
Overall an interesting twist on séance and gothic horror storytelling.
Thank you to NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Spice level 3/5
This was a very interesting read.
George is an artist, new to the grand city of Paris and trying to make a name for himself. Cece is a young burlesque dancer trying to find a better life. They both get pulled into a macabre and lust fueled event of spirit summoning and end up fighting for both their lives.
I absolutely loved the dark romance aspect of this story, a tale of love continuing even after death, but the obsession leading to a worse fate. On top of this, the connection between George and Cece is very much the hero and damsel in distress trope, but Cece is also presented as a fighter who will do anything to survive.
Spice-wise, all scenes are of dubious consent, and each has its own unique style/setting exploring different erotic scenarios.
Overall an interesting twist on séance and gothic horror storytelling.
Thank you to NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Dubious consentvanmeers's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This was most definitely very different to the books I normally read but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by it! Marionette is erotic horror fiction, so obviously ‘reader beware’ and all that, you WILL encounter smut. I usually don’t mind sexually explicit books, but I also don’t normally seek them out so it was fun reading something different than the usual. It also helped that the writing was done exceptionally well - the author was able to entertain and intrigue, and made this little novella into a real page turner.
Marionette is able to entertain the reader with both a compelling mystery, in which you do feel interested in uncovering it, AND some straight up smutty scenes. But while I did enjoy it a lot, I also think for how short it is, that I would have liked for it to either have been straight up erotica or straight up mystery/horror as I felt both failed to dominate the novella. That’s also, obviously, a personal preference so I don’t think this should keep anyone from reading it - perhaps others like the duality of erotica and horror in short bursts!
I would recommend looking up the content warnings for Marionette before reading though as it could potentially be triggering for some! I would also say that while the author gives content warnings at the end of the book, including saying it has ‘dubious consent’, that most of the sexually explicit scenes are non-consensual due to the nature of the possession.
Thank you NetGalley for the review copy!
bookstorm_'s review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
On the run from a life of prostitution and poverty, exotic dancer Cece Dulac agrees to become the main attraction at an erotic séance hosted by an enigmatic mesmerist, Monsieur Rossignol. As the séance descends into depravity, Cece falls prey to Rossignol’s hypnotic power and becomes possessed by a malevolent spirit.
George Dashwood, an aspiring artist, witnesses the séance and fears for Cece. He seeks her out and she seduces him, but she is no longer herself. The spirit controlling her forces her to commit increasingly depraved acts. When the spirit’s desire for revenge escalates to murder, George and Cece must find a way to break Rossignol’s spell before Cece’s soul is condemned forever.
I expected something completely different. The story is well written, but I don't think it will be to everyone's taste. Personally I didn't like the mix of paranormal and erotica.
But if you like ghost stories and want something spicy, this one might interest you. There are several scenes that are a bit gory, but I've read much nastier stuff in other kinds of books. Likewise, the mix of blood and sex is a constant, in case you're not comfortable with the mix of gratuitous violence and character titillation.
Other things that can make you dislike the story are the treatment of women and, in my case, the solution to all the problems with love, which came about in a day and a half and with hardly any conversation.
Even if the story wasn't for me, I don't think it was badly written or badly developed. It is 100 pages long, if it catches your attention give it a chance, you might end up loving it.
George Dashwood, an aspiring artist, witnesses the séance and fears for Cece. He seeks her out and she seduces him, but she is no longer herself. The spirit controlling her forces her to commit increasingly depraved acts. When the spirit’s desire for revenge escalates to murder, George and Cece must find a way to break Rossignol’s spell before Cece’s soul is condemned forever.
I expected something completely different. The story is well written, but I don't think it will be to everyone's taste. Personally I didn't like the mix of paranormal and erotica.
But if you like ghost stories and want something spicy, this one might interest you. There are several scenes that are a bit gory, but I've read much nastier stuff in other kinds of books. Likewise, the mix of blood and sex is a constant, in case you're not comfortable with the mix of gratuitous violence and character titillation.
Other things that can make you dislike the story are the treatment of women and, in my case, the solution to all the problems with love, which came about in a day and a half and with hardly any conversation.
Even if the story wasn't for me, I don't think it was badly written or badly developed. It is 100 pages long, if it catches your attention give it a chance, you might end up loving it.
leenareader's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
I enjoyed the story for something that I usually don't read.
It covers dark topics and put you well into the ambiance.
It was a quick read as it is a novella and I think the length of the book is perfect. If it were longer it wouldn't have been as impacting.
The horror was light, which fits my taste as I'm not much of a fan of being scared. It was just spooky enough.
I enjoyed the story for something that I usually don't read.
It covers dark topics and put you well into the ambiance.
It was a quick read as it is a novella and I think the length of the book is perfect. If it were longer it wouldn't have been as impacting.
The horror was light, which fits my taste as I'm not much of a fan of being scared. It was just spooky enough.
asynonymroll's review
4.0
Marionette by Antonia Rachel Ward
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you Netgalley & publisher for the ARC!
This novella, holy wow so much in so little pages! A true erotic horror story. That was captivating, gory, creepy, and psychotic and I loved it.
our_bookish_reads's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Marionette was an interesting read, if nothing else. It was a very quick, super short read as it is a novella and the premise was there, however the story could have been executed better. Also, while there is sex, it doesn't come through as an erotica. I love the idea of human possession through an object belonging to that spirit. I also love that the spirit was a scorned wife & lover set of retribution.
If this had been a longer book aith more information then I might have enjoyed it more.
Ultimately, this book wasn't for me.
If this had been a longer book aith more information then I might have enjoyed it more.
Ultimately, this book wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Misogyny, Gore, Death, Blood, Body horror, Suicide, Sexual content, and Violence
This contains DubConhouse_of_hannah's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Thank you so much to Brigids Gate Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
There are content warnings posted in the back of this novella that I will share at the end of my review. This novella actually starts out quite strong. It definitely feels like more work was put into the first 40% of this compared to the rest. The prologue, even though it was just a few paragraphs, is a perfect opener, and really gives us a taste of the vibes the rest of the novella will bring. There is no dilly dallying, and we jump right into (or onto) the meat of the story.
Unfortunately, I just wasn't into the plotline. It didn't feel original, or compelling. I had no reason to care about any of these characters, which I know can be difficult to achieve in a shorter story. The plot moved at the speed of light, with everything happening within just a few days. I bet the main character had whiplash with how quickly everything occured; what an interesting first impression of Paris !
One of the content warnings is dubious consent, but most of the spicy scenes just flat out have no consent at all. With the ages of the female characters also being quite dubious, the whole thing feels quite icky. All the men expect for the MC, George, seemed to be older men. George is 19, and the main female character, Cecile, comments that he is older than her, so it's possible she isn't even an adult yet. There is also mention of sex work being performed by a child, which had me do a double take.
Overall, this novella had a promising premise, but just included too many things that I personally dislike. I'm never going to be into love at first sight, and I prefer knowing that the characters are adults. There is quite a delicious revenge scene, which really shows off the horror aspect of this novella, but that alone cannot redeem it for me.
CW: References to suicide, violence, mutilation, sex scenes of dubious consent
There are content warnings posted in the back of this novella that I will share at the end of my review. This novella actually starts out quite strong. It definitely feels like more work was put into the first 40% of this compared to the rest. The prologue, even though it was just a few paragraphs, is a perfect opener, and really gives us a taste of the vibes the rest of the novella will bring. There is no dilly dallying, and we jump right into (or onto) the meat of the story.
Unfortunately, I just wasn't into the plotline. It didn't feel original, or compelling. I had no reason to care about any of these characters, which I know can be difficult to achieve in a shorter story. The plot moved at the speed of light, with everything happening within just a few days. I bet the main character had whiplash with how quickly everything occured; what an interesting first impression of Paris !
One of the content warnings is dubious consent, but most of the spicy scenes just flat out have no consent at all. With the ages of the female characters also being quite dubious, the whole thing feels quite icky. All the men expect for the MC, George, seemed to be older men. George is 19, and the main female character, Cecile, comments that he is older than her, so it's possible she isn't even an adult yet. There is also mention of sex work being performed by a child, which had me do a double take.
Overall, this novella had a promising premise, but just included too many things that I personally dislike. I'm never going to be into love at first sight, and I prefer knowing that the characters are adults. There is quite a delicious revenge scene, which really shows off the horror aspect of this novella, but that alone cannot redeem it for me.
CW: References to suicide, violence, mutilation, sex scenes of dubious consent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death of parent