Scan barcode
warlockdorian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dysphoria, Grief, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, and Cursing
arcticoctopus123's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
There were so many sex scenes, and they weren't even well written... it really took me out of the story. Sometimes they fit in the story, but there were just too many.
Some of the stories were interesting enough, like Eight Bites and Real Women Have Bodies, but I ended up skipping 2 others halfway through because I couldnt get into them. I wasnt a big fan of the writing, it felt like the message was either too obvious or too convoluted, to me at least. Some metaphors also felt a bit ridiculous to me, and took me out of the story.
I wish there was more characterization, and that the fantasy and horror elements would feel more... fantastical and horrible? I love both genres, but I just didn't feel it here, it felt literary most of all, which is fine, but I went in expecting horror and fantasy. A dark fantastical feminist novel is just up my alley, so I went in with high expectations, especially because it has received so much praise. I'm sad it wasn't for me.
Some of the stories were interesting enough, like Eight Bites and Real Women Have Bodies, but I ended up skipping 2 others halfway through because I couldnt get into them. I wasnt a big fan of the writing, it felt like the message was either too obvious or too convoluted, to me at least. Some metaphors also felt a bit ridiculous to me, and took me out of the story.
I wish there was more characterization, and that the fantasy and horror elements would feel more... fantastical and horrible? I love both genres, but I just didn't feel it here, it felt literary most of all, which is fine, but I went in expecting horror and fantasy. A dark fantastical feminist novel is just up my alley, so I went in with high expectations, especially because it has received so much praise. I'm sad it wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
undecidedpersonality's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Pandemic/Epidemic, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Blood, Misogyny, and Self harm
Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Lesbophobia
janwe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Difficult to rate... Although, I did not really enjoy reading these stories, I think the exploration of themes (especially sexuality and power dynamics) were very well executed and the writingstyle is brutally harsh and beautifully poetic at the same time.
BUT, and that has rather to do with my personal reading tastes at the moment, than with the stories and their contents ...
I AM soo over that kind of "vulgar sexual content"... I don't know... I just couldn't care less about it... That definitely influenced my reading experience..
Additionally, due to the blurb on the back, I expected the short stories to be weirder, and dip more into SF and horror (it is horror - but rather everyday horror of the female experience in society)...
I guess, I am not the right audience for these kind of literary short stories 🤷♀️
BUT, and that has rather to do with my personal reading tastes at the moment, than with the stories and their contents ...
I AM soo over that kind of "vulgar sexual content"... I don't know... I just couldn't care less about it... That definitely influenced my reading experience..
Additionally, due to the blurb on the back, I expected the short stories to be weirder, and dip more into SF and horror (it is horror - but rather everyday horror of the female experience in society)...
I guess, I am not the right audience for these kind of literary short stories 🤷♀️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Rape
aishallnot's review against another edition
challenging
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Eating disorder
snazzy10101's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse
michelleabdanan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Just awful. So gross and exploitative. The two stars are for The Husband Stitch and Inventory. They were the two stand-outs in this. It went downhill fast starting with the Law and Order fanfiction. What was that?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: Blood, self-harm, suicide mention, abuse, sexual assault mention, sexual content, medical content/trauma disordered eating
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado is an 8 story horror collection that focuses on women and the monstrous things men and society do to them. It's also about how your own mind can be the villain.
I have to say, these were some weird stories. They were very creepy and unsettling in a psychological horror kind of way with some body horror thrown in. Most of the stories are either sapphic or bisexual. The first story was my favorite, about a girl with a ribbon around her neck. She had one rule for her partner: never touch the ribbon and never remove it. It's a story about love and trust and consent that ends exactly the way you'd expect.
Others were more disturbing or confusing. There were a couple of stories that I didn't really get what was happening. Some of the stories felt like I needed more context, more background, which is always my problem with short stories. I always want them to be longer. Machado also capitalizes on her use of the common horror trope of the unreliable female narrator who is out of her mind. The woman in the attic type of thing.
Machado's prose is stunning and delicious. Definitely pick this up if you are a literary fiction fan or a fan of female horror in general.
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado is an 8 story horror collection that focuses on women and the monstrous things men and society do to them. It's also about how your own mind can be the villain.
I have to say, these were some weird stories. They were very creepy and unsettling in a psychological horror kind of way with some body horror thrown in. Most of the stories are either sapphic or bisexual. The first story was my favorite, about a girl with a ribbon around her neck. She had one rule for her partner: never touch the ribbon and never remove it. It's a story about love and trust and consent that ends exactly the way you'd expect.
Others were more disturbing or confusing. There were a couple of stories that I didn't really get what was happening. Some of the stories felt like I needed more context, more background, which is always my problem with short stories. I always want them to be longer. Machado also capitalizes on her use of the common horror trope of the unreliable female narrator who is out of her mind. The woman in the attic type of thing.
Machado's prose is stunning and delicious. Definitely pick this up if you are a literary fiction fan or a fan of female horror in general.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Blood, Self harm, Sexual content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Eating disorder, Suicide, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
seventhswan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The Husband Stitch: 3.5/5. Well-written, but I don't think this should have been the first story in the collection - as a retelling, I knew the ending before it arrived, and the whole thing read a little like it was made to be dissected in an advanced creative writing class.
Inventory: 5/5. This story genuinely terrified me, and I didn't previously think I could be scared of a horror story in the same way films sometimes scare me.
Mothers: 4/5. While it didn't grip me in the same way as Inventory, I still really liked this story, especially considering how short it was.
Especially Heinous: 100000000/5. I can't say anything in a review because all of it would be spoilers but it was SO GOOD and I stared at the wall for a good hour after reading it.
Real Women Have Bodies: 3.5/5, another one where the point felt a bit laboured and took away from the horror slightly, but the characters were interesting and the premise unique.
Eight Bites: 3/5. After so many incredible stories, this one was quite underwhelming, and I wasn't quite sure what the ending was saying. Most of this story read just like a magazine article about weight loss.
The Resident: 2/5, I didn't get along with this one, it felt like it was trying too hard and was too long.
Difficult at Parties: 5/5. The girls who get it get it.
Inventory: 5/5. This story genuinely terrified me, and I didn't previously think I could be scared of a horror story in the same way films sometimes scare me.
Mothers: 4/5. While it didn't grip me in the same way as Inventory, I still really liked this story, especially considering how short it was.
Especially Heinous: 100000000/5. I can't say anything in a review because all of it would be spoilers but it was SO GOOD and I stared at the wall for a good hour after reading it.
Real Women Have Bodies: 3.5/5, another one where the point felt a bit laboured and took away from the horror slightly, but the characters were interesting and the premise unique.
Eight Bites: 3/5. After so many incredible stories, this one was quite underwhelming, and I wasn't quite sure what the ending was saying. Most of this story read just like a magazine article about weight loss.
The Resident: 2/5, I didn't get along with this one, it felt like it was trying too hard and was too long.
Difficult at Parties: 5/5. The girls who get it get it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Body horror
krispiefries's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Child abuse, Grief, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Vomit