Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder

21 reviews

chasingpages1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Torture, Cancer, Body horror, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Pregnancy, Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Confinement, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cursing, Gaslighting, and Genocide

Minor: Trafficking, Gun violence, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Infertility, Rape, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

tifftastic87's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Three women loosely related to each other experience the effects of a viral infection that has devastating consequences for humanity. It is so hard to give a synopsis for this book, so maybe just words: queer, apocalypse, eldritch horror, Catholic imagery, biblical angels, feminine rage, cannibalism. 

This definitely made me squirm a couple of times! The descriptions are vivid and full of gore and viscera, including descriptions of taste. So, there's a warning. But what the book has to say about the roles of women in society, their expectations and how they're viewed is so well done. I loved the use of the three POVs from women who were all so strong and all so different. I loved how science was used, the explanation of the virus was so so good. It is hard to say much more without spoiling. The only thing was the ending was a little bit disappointing. But only because I think I wanted just a little bit more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Body horror, Murder, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Medical content, Sexual content, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death of parent, Vomit, and Stalking

Minor: Sexism

heliopteryx's review

5.0

This book is based on the short story Magdala Amygdala, available free here: https://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/magdala-amygdala/

I became interested in the novel version when I heard it described as, "desecration of the feminine, but in a feminist way." And it really is. Some might think the feminist messages are too ham-fisted, but I thought they made sense in the story even if it was a character directly telling the reader what we are supposed to understand from a scene. Such as in part 1, where Erin is telling the reader about going with her friend who was getting an IUD,

and how the friend went into shock during the attempted insertion. The boyfriend didn't go with her, but Erin thinks he should have, so he could see the cost of sex for his girlfriend. Later on in this section, Erin goes with Betty to get an operation to remove the top of her skull so Erin can lick up her cerebrospinal fluid.

The reader is meant to understand these two scenes are the same, and Erin is doing for her girlfriend what the unnamed boyfriend should have done for Erin's friend: be there and hold her hand, witnessing the suffering and devotion. 

When first reading the short story, I was expecting it to be sci fi, but you will enjoy these better if you are expecting fantasy cosmic horror. Compared to the short story, the book does a better job of blending realistic sci fi exposition with the fantastic.

Despite the incredibly gross and disturbing imagery throughout, upon finishing this book, my first thought was, "that was beautiful." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Blood, Cancer, Medical content, Murder, and Gun violence

Moderate: Infertility and Forced institutionalization

cleot's review

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It's not that the writing quality was bad, the story was just intense in a way that isn't to my taste. See content warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Body horror, Cannibalism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Self harm, Gore, and Medical content

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, and Police brutality

Minor: Racism, Body shaming, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Child death, and Cancer

under-negotiated kink, blood kink, self surgery, sexual gratification from murder, false rape claim, parasite/ parasitic pregnancies

riotgrrrl92's review against another edition

dark tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

What starts as a creepy, gory pandemic adventure slowly evolves into an eldritch, lovecraftian Handmaid’s Tale. I wasn’t sure if I liked or loved this book until the last quarter of the novel, and I didn’t know it would be a must-read until the very, very end. The book spends a lot of time setting the stage for us, which is something I struggle with, but can’t fault the book for that when the payoff was so rewarding. The messages are loud and clear, which is sometimes necessary, and it helps that I agree with all of them. Amazing female leads, great queer representation, and some of the most disgusting horror I’ve ever read. I’ll be recommending this to ever queer horror fan I know. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Blood, Cursing, Chronic illness, Excrement, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, War, and Vomit

oleaceae_18's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This is the goriest book I've ever read. It was such a wild ride to read, at first I thought it was going to be like a typical pandemic book, but then it escalated to like a sci-fi/fantasy sort of realm maybe? My jaw was on the floor after finishing Savannah's story, and then I continued to be shocked at everything going on after that. I really liked the progression of the book, and I liked the explanation of the PVG virus and the pandemic progression. Highly recommend if you like books that leave you with a "what the fuck did I just read" ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, Body horror, Murder, Gore, Vomit, Blood, Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Sexual content

Moderate: Chronic illness, Infertility, Murder, Cancer, Dysphoria, and Medical content

LOTS OF GORE! Graphic descriptions of brains and cannibalism.

_meeg's review

dark tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Self harm, Torture, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Medical content, Murder, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, and Vomit

blackheart's review

dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a disturbingly, delicious read. Incredible body horror and outrageous story. The feminine rage and sassy were top notch.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Cancer, Cannibalism, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, Chronic illness, Death, Genocide, and War

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Self harm, and Child death

shereadytoread's review

challenging dark

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I think this is overall well-written, and something I would never want to reread. It definitely pulls off queer, lovecraftian, cosmic horror. However, the book is split into parts that make me feel like I'm watching random scenes of a film, but the connective tissue is missing. The scenes are striking and there is lots of social commentary to go around. I think there are some missteps in a few characters, but overall the choices do enhance the horror and depravity of the world the characters exist in. 
If you can't stomach gore and body horror, this might be one to skip.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Death

Moderate: Suicide attempt, War, and Infertility

Minor: Trafficking

kelisabeth's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Police brutality, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, War, Alcohol, Cancer, Rape, Infertility, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Death, Medical content, Trafficking, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Violence