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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a strange book.
Sister, Maiden, Monster is the pandemic of your cosmic nightmares. I devoured this book in 2 sittings.
The book itself is divided into 3 sections, each from a different character's point of view. Each story works well on its own, but beautifully weave together into a gripping, yet disturbing, work.
Sister, Maiden, Monster is the pandemic of your cosmic nightmares. I devoured this book in 2 sittings.
The book itself is divided into 3 sections, each from a different character's point of view. Each story works well on its own, but beautifully weave together into a gripping, yet disturbing, work.
Wow, that was ... not what I was expecting. The Lovecraftian/eldtritch aspect felt a little out of left field to me (in retrospect, there were a few hints dropped, but I didn't catch them). I was really enjoying the creepy, gradual progression of Erin's experience, the building horror of her urges combining with her well-written chemistry with Betty, but it started to feel as though Snyder was skipping beats, until
All that said, it kept me engaged all the way through! I did enjoy it, just ... not as much as I initially thought I would.
Spoiler
she gave Erin a sort of memory spasm montage and skipped us rapidly through the escalation to her climactic transformation, culminating in the shift into talking about "old gods" and destiny and visions. Part of me is wistful for a different apocalyptic sci-fi/horror story, the one I THOUGHT I was reading, about alarming queer transformations and disturbingly hot blends of sexuality and body horror that could have had a more complex and ambiguous ending. But that's not what Snyder was really going for, it seems.All that said, it kept me engaged all the way through! I did enjoy it, just ... not as much as I initially thought I would.
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely not what i expected going in and i mean that in a great way. A fun gruesome ride
I agree with what other reviewers have said: pandemic fiction is hard to do well, but at least I can say that “Sister, Maiden, Monster” gallantly tries. I don’t think it’s an inherent fault to base your fiction in a specific modern moment in time, like Covid or, in this case, post-Covid 2022, but it’s the writing and language that dates this book severely. Every perspective reads like I’m talking to a millennial who spends too much time on Twitter, meme references and all, the result of which had me cringing on several different occasions.
The heavy use of this meme-ified, sardonic, socially-aware voice that each of our three main characters have makes their personalities bleed into each other. They are all self proclaimed “nerds” with roughly the same thought processes and internet humor, you just get to decide as the story progresses if you want meek and shy edgy, or girlboss edgy. They don’t feel like real people to me.
The plot is also messy. I can’t say I disliked the culmination of ideas and imagery in the last few chapters - the “cleaving” was particularly gorey and intense, and the queer Madonna-whore themes I welcomed with open arms. But I simply didn’t like being stuck in these character’s heads, even while they described the wonderful horror of biblically accurate angels.
This could’ve been really good, the outline was there, but the execution left much to be desired.
2/5, I was eating sashimi as I started listened to the audiobook, so suffice to say I wouldn’t have survived this pandemic.
The heavy use of this meme-ified, sardonic, socially-aware voice that each of our three main characters have makes their personalities bleed into each other. They are all self proclaimed “nerds” with roughly the same thought processes and internet humor, you just get to decide as the story progresses if you want meek and shy edgy, or girlboss edgy. They don’t feel like real people to me.
The plot is also messy. I can’t say I disliked the culmination of ideas and imagery in the last few chapters - the “cleaving” was particularly gorey and intense, and the queer Madonna-whore themes I welcomed with open arms. But I simply didn’t like being stuck in these character’s heads, even while they described the wonderful horror of biblically accurate angels.
This could’ve been really good, the outline was there, but the execution left much to be desired.
2/5, I was eating sashimi as I started listened to the audiobook, so suffice to say I wouldn’t have survived this pandemic.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The first perspective was really good.
This book is comprised of three parts, all told from different POVs. They felt extremely disjointed and by the end I was just lost. Maybe better to approach this like a collection of short stories?
This book is comprised of three parts, all told from different POVs. They felt extremely disjointed and by the end I was just lost. Maybe better to approach this like a collection of short stories?
Nope! Nope nope nope.
Brain-cavity sex scene? Nope. Nope.
Brain-cavity sex scene? Nope. Nope.
Content Warnings
Nope! Nope nope nope.
Brain-cavity sex scene? Nope. Nope.