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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
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:
No
I wanted this book to be so much more than it was. Perhaps the first issue is that this was marketed to me as feminist horror. While certainly feminist, the horror label is used very loosely. The majority of the short stories in this book felt VERY YA, and not in a good way. Many of the concepts were cliche, and executed with little elegance or precision. I genuinely rolled my eyes at some of the lines. The saving grace is that a few of the stories were unique and well written - After the Foxes Have Their Say and Shadows are particular standouts.
I think perhaps this book would be good for a teenager or someone who is not well versed in horror or specifically feminist horror. It feels very introductory in nature overall.
I think perhaps this book would be good for a teenager or someone who is not well versed in horror or specifically feminist horror. It feels very introductory in nature overall.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
With stories ranging from fantasy to contemporary, this fantastic feminist fiction collection proves that Betty not only bites, but she can also occasionally feast on the tender, soft spots of man. From flash fiction length to poetry to longer stories, this collection has many styles, yet each author perfectly hits the mark on staying true to the theme. While most of the collection wouldn't necessarily scream feminist fiction on its own, the compilation proves to be more than the sum of its parts.
Read more at Cats Luv Coffee
Read more at Cats Luv Coffee
A really fantastic collection of short stories! I loved the idea that brought these stories together, and yeah, it just infuriates me! Such great stories!
A fun horror anthology about women, with special appearances of a teethed vagina, a serial killer, the woman with a wish and the whisperers.
This anthology combined everything really well together, with myths and fairy tales retold with horror twists.
This anthology combined everything really well together, with myths and fairy tales retold with horror twists.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is astonishingly good. Unique, a big variety of short stories and author voices. If you don’t care for a particular story the next will draw you in strongly.
I have only read a few short story collections and I have never been a huge fan of those collections but that changed when I read this anthology.
This collection contains a lot of tough topics such as murder, rape, and so much more.
Although this did cover a lot of harsh topics I truly enjoyed this story and saw women fight back for their lives, for respect and for what they deserve.
Each of these authors have amazing and beautiful writing and I really want to check out more from all of these authors. Some ⁷of these stories were very short and others were super long, very detailed and horrific but I really liked how varied in length all the stories were.
In Betty Bites Back the women in these stories are just as bad villains as men can be in other stories which I really loved. Some win others lose in this collection which is very realistic but these women do not go out with a fight.
Throughout these stories there is a lot of diversity which I really appreciated and can not recommend this collection enough! FIVE STARS ALL ROUND.
This collection contains a lot of tough topics such as murder, rape, and so much more.
Although this did cover a lot of harsh topics I truly enjoyed this story and saw women fight back for their lives, for respect and for what they deserve.
Each of these authors have amazing and beautiful writing and I really want to check out more from all of these authors. Some ⁷of these stories were very short and others were super long, very detailed and horrific but I really liked how varied in length all the stories were.
In Betty Bites Back the women in these stories are just as bad villains as men can be in other stories which I really loved. Some win others lose in this collection which is very realistic but these women do not go out with a fight.
Throughout these stories there is a lot of diversity which I really appreciated and can not recommend this collection enough! FIVE STARS ALL ROUND.
This was a great read. First and foremost it was a really well compiled anthology with a good mix of length, tone, narrator voice, and poetry v. prose. The stories were both enjoyable and relevant, looking at modern issues from various lenses. The only thing I would have liked to see is a little more obvious diversity. While the shortness of the pieces means that there were definitely constraints on how much various characters could be shown to be non-white, non-cis, etc. it would have been nice to see that intersectional representation. Off the top.of my head I can only think of one poc main, one non-cis, and one queer main character
trigger warnings
sexual assault
gaslighting
emotional abuse
abusive relationship
self harm
mental illness
trauma
mutilaton
kidnapping
pedophilia
gore
transphobia
domestic violence
A teenager discovering her house is haunted, finding the diary of a girl murdered on the property fourty years ago. Another being attacked in the woods and feeling her body change. A woman asking for surgery to attach teeth to her vagina. A daughter having her DNA checked and finding out she has a biologial family she never knew about.
The short stories and poems in this anthology cover a wide range of topics, all centering on women and their problems. Yes, these are stories to scare the patriarchy by portraing women as complex human beings, but on the other hand, I'd say these stories are not only for feminists because they're simply about women being human and trying to survive, to learn.
We have a great mix of unique stories that capture the imagination of the reader and tales that speak to you if you have experienced some kind of gendered bullshit. They say we hear you. You are not alone.
I guess what I want to say that this book does two things:
- it's feminist
- but it's also a collection of gripping narratives. It's not something where you sit there and like the premise but wish it would have been executed better. It works. It makes you want more.
I wish I'd had this collection as a teenager instead of the sexist stuff I read because it was all I could get my hands on. It makes me realise that there might be a reason I usually feel left out and misfit, and that it's not to do with me, but the stories I am told.
I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
sexual assault
gaslighting
emotional abuse
abusive relationship
self harm
mental illness
trauma
mutilaton
kidnapping
pedophilia
gore
transphobia
domestic violence
A teenager discovering her house is haunted, finding the diary of a girl murdered on the property fourty years ago. Another being attacked in the woods and feeling her body change. A woman asking for surgery to attach teeth to her vagina. A daughter having her DNA checked and finding out she has a biologial family she never knew about.
The short stories and poems in this anthology cover a wide range of topics, all centering on women and their problems. Yes, these are stories to scare the patriarchy by portraing women as complex human beings, but on the other hand, I'd say these stories are not only for feminists because they're simply about women being human and trying to survive, to learn.
We have a great mix of unique stories that capture the imagination of the reader and tales that speak to you if you have experienced some kind of gendered bullshit. They say we hear you. You are not alone.
I guess what I want to say that this book does two things:
- it's feminist
- but it's also a collection of gripping narratives. It's not something where you sit there and like the premise but wish it would have been executed better. It works. It makes you want more.
I wish I'd had this collection as a teenager instead of the sexist stuff I read because it was all I could get my hands on. It makes me realise that there might be a reason I usually feel left out and misfit, and that it's not to do with me, but the stories I am told.
I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I wish men knew what it meant for a compliment to feel like a threat.
This may end up high up on my favorite releases of 2019.
Betty Bites Back is an anthology of feminist horror, and anyone that knows me knows that I’m a fan of all things horror, so when I saw ‘feminist’ and ‘horror’ in the same sentence, I clicked that request button faster than you would believe.
In these sixteen short stories there is quite literally something for everyone. Really short stories, longer stories, poetry, gore, ghosts, an all female tribe, etc. Some are stronger than others, as with all anthologies, but they all serve their purpose. The only thing that bothered me about this anthology was the lack of intersectionality. I can only remember one main character of color and one non-cis character.
I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give anything away about any of these stories. I think everyone should experience this for themselves. I want everyone to go into this knowing very little. It’s more special that way, in my opinion.
My favorites include:
What She Left Behind by E.R. Griffin
Shadows by Demitria Lunetta
Gravity by Kyrie McCauley
Good Sister, Bad Sister by Azzurra Nox
The Whispers by Lindsey Klingele
The Change by Kate Karyus Quinn
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This may end up high up on my favorite releases of 2019.
Betty Bites Back is an anthology of feminist horror, and anyone that knows me knows that I’m a fan of all things horror, so when I saw ‘feminist’ and ‘horror’ in the same sentence, I clicked that request button faster than you would believe.
In these sixteen short stories there is quite literally something for everyone. Really short stories, longer stories, poetry, gore, ghosts, an all female tribe, etc. Some are stronger than others, as with all anthologies, but they all serve their purpose. The only thing that bothered me about this anthology was the lack of intersectionality. I can only remember one main character of color and one non-cis character.
I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give anything away about any of these stories. I think everyone should experience this for themselves. I want everyone to go into this knowing very little. It’s more special that way, in my opinion.
My favorites include:
What She Left Behind by E.R. Griffin
Shadows by Demitria Lunetta
Gravity by Kyrie McCauley
Good Sister, Bad Sister by Azzurra Nox
The Whispers by Lindsey Klingele
The Change by Kate Karyus Quinn
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.