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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Prefacing this by saying I ADORE messy, schlocky horror with characters of extremely dubious morality and cognitive dissonance. Love some toxic wlw action too (JWQS is one of my favorite books of all time, if that means anything to anyone reading this). Negative character development is also such a treat… when it’s written intentionally.
That was my reason for the DNF. Could be a me problem, but I was getting major tonal whiplash deciphering what was intentional character + narrative writing and what was the author’s personal opinion seeping through. Erin and Savannah’s voices and thoughts were so similar (granted with Savannah’s irreverence being dialed up to 100) I just didn’t buy it was two different characters climbing onto similar soapboxes during the hamfisted “remember this is a feminist book!!!” sessions.
The mean-spirited digs at lesbians during Savannah’s POV were also very odd. Characters being bigoted and crass as an intentional flaw is one thing— but again, hard to decipher intentionality with the way the book is written. I’m torn on the wayGregory’s dysphoria and gender identity were handled too because on one hand the narrative spares nobody from its grotesque violence and irreverence, on the other it stepped on multiple landmines of tone deafness and perpetuation of stereotypes rooted in real-world bigotry. Fiction is fiction and all that, but try to have some couth when writing a character with an identity that faces brutal violence and marginalization in the real world, yeah? And no, in my opinion, being extreme horror where everything and everyone gets torn apart isn’t a magical handwave for that issue.
This was definitely a page-turner, and I might come back to it at some point. But for right now I’m looking for a “messed up horror with messed up sapphism” read that’s a little more cohesive with what it’s doing.
That was my reason for the DNF. Could be a me problem, but I was getting major tonal whiplash deciphering what was intentional character + narrative writing and what was the author’s personal opinion seeping through. Erin and Savannah’s voices and thoughts were so similar (granted with Savannah’s irreverence being dialed up to 100) I just didn’t buy it was two different characters climbing onto similar soapboxes during the hamfisted “remember this is a feminist book!!!” sessions.
The mean-spirited digs at lesbians during Savannah’s POV were also very odd. Characters being bigoted and crass as an intentional flaw is one thing— but again, hard to decipher intentionality with the way the book is written. I’m torn on the way
This was definitely a page-turner, and I might come back to it at some point. But for right now I’m looking for a “messed up horror with messed up sapphism” read that’s a little more cohesive with what it’s doing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Medical trauma
Minor: Transphobia
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Alcohol
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
dark
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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 loved the first half, with the sapphic rep and the body horror during the pandemic, but was a bit disappointed when it turned into everyone sucking up ancestral memories as soon as the cosmic alien gods came along in the second half. "Eldritch cosmic gods did it" is just not my kind of trope, even though I get why it's scary. It just makes me roll my eyes. The ending seemed kind of rushed and I didn't buy that all these people were somehow connected.
Still and all, even if this didn't turn out to be quite what I was hoping for, at least it delivered a good twist on Lovecraftian horrors.
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I don't know quite what I read and I mean that in a good way. I don't think I've really read any body horror fiction before, so this was new for me and why not just jump right in? This was a wild, creative story about a pandemic ravaging the country--except it's not really quite a pandemic so much as a . . . alien takeover? The beginning of an evolutionary apocalypse? I don't even know what to call it, but it got me hooked.
I'd say Erin's chapters were the most interesting to me, while Maeva's felt like it needed a bit more digging into her character. But given where the storyline was by the time Maeva's chapters showed up, it kind of made sense. Savannah came off as a little one-note, but I liked the context she provided to Erin's story and the role she played for Maeva. All in all, a fascinating and fun read (if you're okay with a lot of body horror).
I'd say Erin's chapters were the most interesting to me, while Maeva's felt like it needed a bit more digging into her character. But given where the storyline was by the time Maeva's chapters showed up, it kind of made sense. Savannah came off as a little one-note, but I liked the context she provided to Erin's story and the role she played for Maeva. All in all, a fascinating and fun read (if you're okay with a lot of body horror).