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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Be gay, do crimes.
As with any anthology, there is a variation of enjoyment and interest throughout the collection, sometimes polarisingly so. Whilst described as a sapphic horror, I found it was mostly about sex. Pretty much every story had smut, which wasn't what I was expecting and became irritating when it happened again and again, although I admit some had a poetic quality.
My favourite stories were "Gladys glows at night", "you outta be in pictures", "Teratoma, Cacodaemon, Erinya", and "Gingerbread red" (which was weird ngl).
Overall, this was one of the more enjoyable anthologies that I've read, but I would've preferred to focus more on horror than fucking. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
thanks to netgalley for a free arc of this title in exchange for an honest review. usually i can devour an anthology in a matter of days, but this one took forever for me to get through due to the sheer verbosity. going into this, i was expecting far more villainous behavior, evildoers and the like, but rather it was mostly a slew of morally grey tales that were mostly written okay, but read so inaccessible. a lot of this was far too intertextual for me to enjoy as a cohesive collection. best tales in this collection were “modern art curse, mixed media” and “conversations with roe.”
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
The stories are all very different from one another, some more realistic, others more supernatural, but they're all gripping. We discover dirty, creepy and fascinating worlds, and flawed yet touching characters. An amazing anthology!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
**Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
Publication: Jan 23, 2024
Pros
+ sapphic vibes in every story
+ moods: dark, violent, possessive, obsessive, bloodthirsty, weird
+ Would have read full novels on my 4.5-star stories. “Teratoma” is EVERYTHING I’d love in a book. “Ungrateful Dead Things” is the Frankenstein retelling of my dreams.
+ 4-4.5 stars
4.5 “Teratoma, Cacodaemon, Erinya” by Aira Margariti - grotesque body horror & rage
4.5 “Ungrateful Dead Things” by Alyssa Lennander - Frankenstein retelling
4.5 “The Turner House Heritage Tour” by Caitlin Marceau - hungry house & betrayal
4.5 “Family Planning” by Luc Diamant - manipulation or capitulation
4.5 “Her Tongue, a Slippery Slope” by Evelyn Freeling - wicked nun & possession
4.25 “Buckskin for Linen” by Mae Murray - colonialism & reclamation
4.25 “Oubliette” by L.R. Stuart - confinement & obsession
4 “You Oughta Be in Pictures” by Anastasia Dziekan - snuff films & reanimation
4 “Modern Art Curse, Mixed Media” by Hailey Piper - modern art & a murderer
4 “Conversations with Roe” by Alex Luceli Jimenez - serial killer & domesticity
4 “Gingerbread Red” by Chloe Spencer - cannibalism & witchy things
4 “Straight Flush” by Anya Leigh Josephs - gambling & deviltry
4 “Enamoured” by Shelley Lavigne - preservation & bodily autonomy
Neutral
/ 3-3.75 stars
3.75 “A Mirror Has Two Faces” by Lindz McLeod - stuck in time & enticement
3.5 “Gladys Glows at Night” by Hatteras Mange - radium painters & revenge
3.5 “Torbalan's Gift” by Grace R. Reynolds - transformation & freedom
3.5 “The Call of the Sea” by Eric Raglin - body horror transformation (only m/m story)
3 “The Lady of the House on Legs” by Ariel Marken Jack - cowardice & sacrifice
3 “To Wilt a Flower” by Maerwynn Blackwood - deadly obsession & flora
3 “Pilgrim of Worlds” by M.S. Dean - crossroads & guidance
Cons
-under 3 stars
2.5 “Our Lady of Devouring Violence” by Cheyanne Brabo - oration & revenge
2 “The Flesh Grows Fonder” by T.O. King - gardening & seduction (oil, slick, cliche, spelling mistakes)
-The last story, in a section of its own, veers into m/m instead of f/f. The editors explain their reasoning, but it felt awkward to me. The entire collection is f/f so why stick m/m in there randomly?
Publication: Jan 23, 2024
Pros
+ sapphic vibes in every story
+ moods: dark, violent, possessive, obsessive, bloodthirsty, weird
+ Would have read full novels on my 4.5-star stories. “Teratoma” is EVERYTHING I’d love in a book. “Ungrateful Dead Things” is the Frankenstein retelling of my dreams.
+ 4-4.5 stars
4.5 “Teratoma, Cacodaemon, Erinya” by Aira Margariti - grotesque body horror & rage
4.5 “Ungrateful Dead Things” by Alyssa Lennander - Frankenstein retelling
4.5 “The Turner House Heritage Tour” by Caitlin Marceau - hungry house & betrayal
4.5 “Family Planning” by Luc Diamant - manipulation or capitulation
4.5 “Her Tongue, a Slippery Slope” by Evelyn Freeling - wicked nun & possession
4.25 “Buckskin for Linen” by Mae Murray - colonialism & reclamation
4.25 “Oubliette” by L.R. Stuart - confinement & obsession
4 “You Oughta Be in Pictures” by Anastasia Dziekan - snuff films & reanimation
4 “Modern Art Curse, Mixed Media” by Hailey Piper - modern art & a murderer
4 “Conversations with Roe” by Alex Luceli Jimenez - serial killer & domesticity
4 “Gingerbread Red” by Chloe Spencer - cannibalism & witchy things
4 “Straight Flush” by Anya Leigh Josephs - gambling & deviltry
4 “Enamoured” by Shelley Lavigne - preservation & bodily autonomy
Neutral
/ 3-3.75 stars
3.75 “A Mirror Has Two Faces” by Lindz McLeod - stuck in time & enticement
3.5 “Gladys Glows at Night” by Hatteras Mange - radium painters & revenge
3.5 “Torbalan's Gift” by Grace R. Reynolds - transformation & freedom
3.5 “The Call of the Sea” by Eric Raglin - body horror transformation (only m/m story)
3 “The Lady of the House on Legs” by Ariel Marken Jack - cowardice & sacrifice
3 “To Wilt a Flower” by Maerwynn Blackwood - deadly obsession & flora
3 “Pilgrim of Worlds” by M.S. Dean - crossroads & guidance
Cons
-under 3 stars
2.5 “Our Lady of Devouring Violence” by Cheyanne Brabo - oration & revenge
2 “The Flesh Grows Fonder” by T.O. King - gardening & seduction (oil, slick, cliche, spelling mistakes)
-The last story, in a section of its own, veers into m/m instead of f/f. The editors explain their reasoning, but it felt awkward to me. The entire collection is f/f so why stick m/m in there randomly?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Suicide, Violence, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Infidelity, Cannibalism
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
To those who spent their youth amongst the library stacks seeking a mirror.
I received an ARC through NetGalley and my review is voluntary and honest.
Scissor Sisters is an anthology of sapphic horror and villains, and it has a wide range of stories - women turning into monsters for revenge, women killing the women they love for whatever reason, body horror, plant sex, cannibalism, haunted houses... There's a lot. Like in all anthologies, some stories hit better than others, but I found my own favourites. Overall, the stories are well-arranged to have many different styles while also keeping to the main topic of sapphic horror.
The anthology has a list of content warnings for each story at the end, which is useful for people who have some specific triggers, since there is certainly A Lot in these stories.
Some shout-outs:
- You Oughta Be In Pictures by Anastasia Dziekan, where a woman discovers she can't die when her lover tries to kill her for a snuff movie.
- Pilgrim of Worlds by M.S.Dean - About a woman who guards the crossroads between worlds, and waits for many different versions of her lover to find her way there again and again.
- Gingerbread Red by Chloe Spencer - Gretel grows up and tracks down her brother's killer.
- Conversations with Roe by Alex Luceli Jiménez - A woman kills her lover, but she refuses to leave even when dead.
- The Turner House Heritage Tour by Caitlin Marceau - My only note for this story was "DAMN. RUTHLESS."
The collection ends with a bonus story that doesn't strictly fit the others, and it's the only story about queer men instead of queer women. This in itself wouldn't be a problem, but honestly I found it a bit baffling, so maybe not the best note to end on. Then again, it's all subjective and maybe other people will like that story more.
I received an ARC through NetGalley and my review is voluntary and honest.
Scissor Sisters is an anthology of sapphic horror and villains, and it has a wide range of stories - women turning into monsters for revenge, women killing the women they love for whatever reason, body horror, plant sex, cannibalism, haunted houses... There's a lot. Like in all anthologies, some stories hit better than others, but I found my own favourites. Overall, the stories are well-arranged to have many different styles while also keeping to the main topic of sapphic horror.
The anthology has a list of content warnings for each story at the end, which is useful for people who have some specific triggers, since there is certainly A Lot in these stories.
Some shout-outs:
- You Oughta Be In Pictures by Anastasia Dziekan, where a woman discovers she can't die when her lover tries to kill her for a snuff movie.
- Pilgrim of Worlds by M.S.Dean - About a woman who guards the crossroads between worlds, and waits for many different versions of her lover to find her way there again and again.
- Gingerbread Red by Chloe Spencer - Gretel grows up and tracks down her brother's killer.
- Conversations with Roe by Alex Luceli Jiménez - A woman kills her lover, but she refuses to leave even when dead.
- The Turner House Heritage Tour by Caitlin Marceau - My only note for this story was "DAMN. RUTHLESS."
The collection ends with a bonus story that doesn't strictly fit the others, and it's the only story about queer men instead of queer women. This in itself wouldn't be a problem, but honestly I found it a bit baffling, so maybe not the best note to end on. Then again, it's all subjective and maybe other people will like that story more.