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semisinful's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
I felt no connection to any of the characters other than Yinka and we were stuck with Jaq’s inconsistent ass perspective. I personally found all the character’s to have extremely similar voices and I just couldn’t stand much of the prose. I was interested in the middle for a while but the beginning and the ending SUCKED. Every “love” scene felt like SA.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Outing, Gore, Gaslighting, Body horror, Colonisation, Violence, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Biphobia, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Lesbophobia
vixenreader's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
2.75
The ending is a bit anti-climatic and it is hard to read about such a toxic relationship. Written more as a first draft than a complete piece, it definitely needed some rewrites, even if there was potential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Torture, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcohol, Stalking, and Suicide attempt
Be aware that there are scenes of drowning, death of a sibling, romantic manipulation, strangulation, and explicit sapphic sex.directorpurry's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
I received a digital ARC of this novella for free thanks to Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Jaq's lover has betrayed her. She has found the bed of another man. She has done this before, and she may do this again. Together, among many other women, they are awash at sea, worshipping their goddess, Scylla. This is always how it has been. Will it be this way forever? And how long before did it begin?
This book was a ride and a HALF and I absolutely loved it! It's so dark and creepy, wildly compelling. The cast is more of a sketch, than anything, which is not surprising in a less than 150 page novella, but it does work very well for the setting. I think the character work really adds to the emotions and ambience of the story.
I love Jaq's narrative voice, and how difficult her emotions are in this novella. It was very enjoyable to read from her voice. I really look forward to getting myself a finished copy so I can share some of my favorite lines! There are some very amazing ones that I highlighted in my ARC on Netgally.
This book fits into the recent "Oh Dear God, but Good for Her I Think?" genre that I have been DEVOURING recently. I would highly recommend this novel, it is eerie and unsettling and utterly delightful.
Jaq's lover has betrayed her. She has found the bed of another man. She has done this before, and she may do this again. Together, among many other women, they are awash at sea, worshipping their goddess, Scylla. This is always how it has been. Will it be this way forever? And how long before did it begin?
This book was a ride and a HALF and I absolutely loved it! It's so dark and creepy, wildly compelling. The cast is more of a sketch, than anything, which is not surprising in a less than 150 page novella, but it does work very well for the setting. I think the character work really adds to the emotions and ambience of the story.
I love Jaq's narrative voice, and how difficult her emotions are in this novella. It was very enjoyable to read from her voice. I really look forward to getting myself a finished copy so I can share some of my favorite lines! There are some very amazing ones that I highlighted in my ARC on Netgally.
This book fits into the recent "Oh Dear God, but Good for Her I Think?" genre that I have been DEVOURING recently. I would highly recommend this novel, it is eerie and unsettling and utterly delightful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Violence, Murder, Gore, Animal death, Cannibalism, and Infidelity
Moderate: Murder
simonlorden's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I received an advance reader's copy for free in exchange for an honest review.
A quick and thrilling read, full of myth and magic and the sea. Lily and Jaq are lovers, two of many women sailing aboard the mysterious ship called the Scylla, in an endless present without any memory of their pasts.
I loved how the story and the nature of the women aboard the Scylla gradually came to light. I wasn't particularly fond of Jaq, but the book had a really immersive style, and Jaq's possessive desire for Lily drives the story. The ending was unexpected and truly chilling.
Also, Yinka is just the best.
A quick and thrilling read, full of myth and magic and the sea. Lily and Jaq are lovers, two of many women sailing aboard the mysterious ship called the Scylla, in an endless present without any memory of their pasts.
I loved how the story and the nature of the women aboard the Scylla gradually came to light. I wasn't particularly fond of Jaq, but the book had a really immersive style, and Jaq's possessive desire for Lily drives the story. The ending was unexpected and truly chilling.
Also, Yinka is just the best.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Murder, Gore, Animal cruelty, and Lesbophobia
hailstorm3812's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It has a dark fairy tale vibe that was so much fun to float through. It has a kind of lyrical prose that really helps with removing the elements of reality and join the crew, regardless of their horrendous acts. We are supporting women's wrongs here. Jaq can be petty and jealous and murderous if she wants. That does include Lily since I love a toxic sapphic even though she really is quite mean sometimes. I did get a little nervous in the beginning that we were leaning into bisexual stereotypes but I think it is made clear that this is how Lily would always behave as a way to get to Jaq. I wish we had spent more time with the rest of the crew and gotten their stories. It's a really short books so I think we could have spent more time here. I also think a missed opportunity is not interrogating that they all died in groups of two. I wasn't super familar with the lore so it was very fun to dive into this mythology. I also loved the ending, even if the twist was a bit predictable. Overall I had a great time, and it is perfect for spooky season.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Death, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Body horror, Suicide attempt, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Death, Sexual content, Sexism, and Physical abuse
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