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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Please enjoy raw notes from reading this creepy, slimy, grody masterpiece right from my notes app:
* when they describe this book as visceral, they MEANT it
* i physically gagged…AGAIN
* savannah is so brandy alexander from invisible monsters and jennifer from jennifer’s body coded. i LOVE her.
* Kinda hot?
* Writing three very different very strong voices is so impressive
* What in the ever loving FUCK
* when they describe this book as visceral, they MEANT it
* i physically gagged…AGAIN
* savannah is so brandy alexander from invisible monsters and jennifer from jennifer’s body coded. i LOVE her.
* Kinda hot?
* Writing three very different very strong voices is so impressive
* What in the ever loving FUCK
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent
I went in with fairly low expectations due to the lukewarm reviews, but I was quite wonderfully surprised with how much this one connected to and enamored me.
I rather love Body Horror, especially mysterious illness related, partially because I find it relatable as someone navigating my own "mysterious illness" health journey for many years, but also because I think it is simply one of the most horrifying realities to grapple with to lose control and even understanding of our own bodies. In reality, the human body and "normalcy" is a very fragile thing with capabilities to change or transform in any number of ways.
There is also a lot of stigma and fear around certain health conditions, even more so after the COVID-19 pandemic, which this captured and explored in a stark, honest way. This wave of infections that were common, but still not something that attacked everyone, taking place shortly after the pandemic made it more impactful and interesting to explore from many viewpoints, that unrest and desperation to not have to revert back to quarantine and the unknown so prevalent that the infected are ostracized and controlled, treated like second class citizens at best.
There is strong commentary on women's health and responsibility largely being put on them in regards to sex and pregnancy mixed in with some governmental control and fear of the masses that isn't a far cry from The Handmaid's Tale level dangerous descent, especially with the "before" and "after" times being so complete.
I wish a little more time would have been spent on sexual identity and attraction of our characters, but I really loved what we got and that it acknowledged many different forms of love and attraction that were outside of monogamous allosexual relationships. I appreciated even the conversation and putting into perspective the validity of polyamory and open relationships, pointing out loving many people in your life in a platonic way is acceptable and even expected, so why not in a romantic or sexual relationship? While it was very brief and I really would have loved more I also appreciated the mention of Ace (Asexual) identity and it just being in a very, casual accepting way, "Oh, are you Ace?" and even not knowing being understandable, giving space to figuring things out. The main relationship is a strong, connective queer relationship that offered strength and understanding to our initial lead as her world is turned upside down. Additionally, there's a great "sex worker" character that also represents stigmas the world has, offering strength and perspective as well.
Along with the body horror and cannibalistic tendencies, there's horror of control, turning to apocalyptic horror. My only complaint is I actually would have liked to see this longer, the last character perspective doesn't get as much time or focus and as mentioned there are many intensely interesting and importance perspectives that are given more time that had potential to explore a lot more. I can also see how so many different elements could make some feel it's too disjointed or not sure what it wants to be. I think given more time for it explore all of these and master the creative, cohesive eb and flow in a genre meshing, it would be even stronger and perhaps grab more of the readers. Still, I loved what we got and found it very refreshing and engaging. If you are on the fence about reading, I say give it a try.
I rather love Body Horror, especially mysterious illness related, partially because I find it relatable as someone navigating my own "mysterious illness" health journey for many years, but also because I think it is simply one of the most horrifying realities to grapple with to lose control and even understanding of our own bodies. In reality, the human body and "normalcy" is a very fragile thing with capabilities to change or transform in any number of ways.
There is also a lot of stigma and fear around certain health conditions, even more so after the COVID-19 pandemic, which this captured and explored in a stark, honest way. This wave of infections that were common, but still not something that attacked everyone, taking place shortly after the pandemic made it more impactful and interesting to explore from many viewpoints, that unrest and desperation to not have to revert back to quarantine and the unknown so prevalent that the infected are ostracized and controlled, treated like second class citizens at best.
There is strong commentary on women's health and responsibility largely being put on them in regards to sex and pregnancy mixed in with some governmental control and fear of the masses that isn't a far cry from The Handmaid's Tale level dangerous descent, especially with the "before" and "after" times being so complete.
I wish a little more time would have been spent on sexual identity and attraction of our characters, but I really loved what we got and that it acknowledged many different forms of love and attraction that were outside of monogamous allosexual relationships. I appreciated even the conversation and putting into perspective the validity of polyamory and open relationships, pointing out loving many people in your life in a platonic way is acceptable and even expected, so why not in a romantic or sexual relationship? While it was very brief and I really would have loved more I also appreciated the mention of Ace (Asexual) identity and it just being in a very, casual accepting way, "Oh, are you Ace?" and even not knowing being understandable, giving space to figuring things out. The main relationship is a strong, connective queer relationship that offered strength and understanding to our initial lead as her world is turned upside down. Additionally, there's a great "sex worker" character that also represents stigmas the world has, offering strength and perspective as well.
Along with the body horror and cannibalistic tendencies, there's horror of control, turning to apocalyptic horror. My only complaint is I actually would have liked to see this longer, the last character perspective doesn't get as much time or focus and as mentioned there are many intensely interesting and importance perspectives that are given more time that had potential to explore a lot more. I can also see how so many different elements could make some feel it's too disjointed or not sure what it wants to be. I think given more time for it explore all of these and master the creative, cohesive eb and flow in a genre meshing, it would be even stronger and perhaps grab more of the readers. Still, I loved what we got and found it very refreshing and engaging. If you are on the fence about reading, I say give it a try.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What I liked
This is a great option for exploring "women as monsters" as a feminist idea. Our three main characters show different and equally valid ways to be women, be proud, be reflective, and be evil. If you're into that and can read through the graphic cannibalism, murder, gore, and other icks of horror, then pick this up! The story is split into three parts, one for each character in the synopsis. The arc for each character is still complete unlike some split narratives, so that was a plus.
What wasn't for me
The tags says fantasy, but really this felt like science fiction in tone, content, and messaging--but that's not super important as it's a genre blender anyway. Unfortunately for me, the ending did not match the potential of the first 80% of the book.
Similar and recommended: If you want something that has this same kind of weird horror/sci-fi/fantasy vibe but YA, give Susan Ee's Angelfall series a try!
This is a great option for exploring "women as monsters" as a feminist idea. Our three main characters show different and equally valid ways to be women, be proud, be reflective, and be evil. If you're into that and can read through the graphic cannibalism, murder, gore, and other icks of horror, then pick this up! The story is split into three parts, one for each character in the synopsis. The arc for each character is still complete unlike some split narratives, so that was a plus.
What wasn't for me
The tags says fantasy, but really this felt like science fiction in tone, content, and messaging--but that's not super important as it's a genre blender anyway. Unfortunately for me, the ending did not match the potential of the first 80% of the book.
Similar and recommended: If you want something that has this same kind of weird horror/sci-fi/fantasy vibe but YA, give Susan Ee's Angelfall series a try!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Gun violence, Medical trauma
Minor: Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy
3.5 stars for me.
This book had some amazing elements of body horror/nature horror/cosmic horror that really made me happy. But the overall story just didn't feel....compelling. All the things mentioned above are reasons for me to love a book, but it just really didn't hit the notes I wanted.
This book had some amazing elements of body horror/nature horror/cosmic horror that really made me happy. But the overall story just didn't feel....compelling. All the things mentioned above are reasons for me to love a book, but it just really didn't hit the notes I wanted.
“The old gods still whisper to me in my dreams, but honestly they can all go pound salt. I’m not doing this for them. But if humanity’s doomed, and I know it is, I’m gonna get it while I can.”
Snyder set out to create a repulsive, coarsely erotic, eldritch kissed body horror rampage ride and she certainly succeeded. Cronenberg himself would give “Sister, Maiden, Monster” a standing O. We are only in the beginning stages of witnessing Covid-inspired horror rolling out and “Sister” certainly earns its place on the forefront. Body autonomy and multi-faceted identity politics, as well as a terrific (and terror-ific) compulsory maternity allegory, inform the plot along the way. This one isn’t for the faint of heart, but sometimes the best ones aren’t.
Everyone knows I’m all about the reprehensible narrator. I think it creates a certain unsettling edge that us as readers are supposed to be uncomfortable with. That being said, the much discussed Dahmer nod was unnecessary and veered a bit too edgelord for me: you didn’t need to help readers dislike that narrator more, you’d already succeeded. I’m going to be a little bit of a hypocrite and I know I’ve poked a good amount of fun at reviewers who doth complain SO MUCH about “believable” dialogue within the supernatural horror genre but goddamn was the dialogue in this rough. With a rhythm akin to Moira Rose, the spoken aspect of the novel was stilted and distracting.
3.5/5 never thought I’d read the line “curiosity itches in me like a yeast infection,” but here we are.
Snyder set out to create a repulsive, coarsely erotic, eldritch kissed body horror rampage ride and she certainly succeeded. Cronenberg himself would give “Sister, Maiden, Monster” a standing O. We are only in the beginning stages of witnessing Covid-inspired horror rolling out and “Sister” certainly earns its place on the forefront. Body autonomy and multi-faceted identity politics, as well as a terrific (and terror-ific) compulsory maternity allegory, inform the plot along the way. This one isn’t for the faint of heart, but sometimes the best ones aren’t.
Everyone knows I’m all about the reprehensible narrator. I think it creates a certain unsettling edge that us as readers are supposed to be uncomfortable with. That being said, the much discussed Dahmer nod was unnecessary and veered a bit too edgelord for me: you didn’t need to help readers dislike that narrator more, you’d already succeeded. I’m going to be a little bit of a hypocrite and I know I’ve poked a good amount of fun at reviewers who doth complain SO MUCH about “believable” dialogue within the supernatural horror genre but goddamn was the dialogue in this rough. With a rhythm akin to Moira Rose, the spoken aspect of the novel was stilted and distracting.
3.5/5 never thought I’d read the line “curiosity itches in me like a yeast infection,” but here we are.
Where do I start with this one?
It is a WILD ride. A new viral plague decimating (and transforming) the population. ✔️ Interesting and unhinged character POV'S. ✔️ Body horror. ✔️ Brain-eating. ✔️ Apocalyptic. ✔️ Cosmic horror. ✔️ LOL moments. ✔️ (At least there are if you have a dark sense of humor like me.) This book was frenetic and SO MUCH FUN. (But you may want to avoid it if you're squeamish.)
This was another one of my top reads in 2023, and it really was such a chaotic good time. Sometimes, when I read a book, I have to stop and find out whether the author is neurodivergent like me, because it feels like it comes through the page, and I vibe with it. (Spoiler alert, she is a fellow ADHD-er.
It is a WILD ride. A new viral plague decimating (and transforming) the population. ✔️ Interesting and unhinged character POV'S. ✔️ Body horror. ✔️ Brain-eating. ✔️ Apocalyptic. ✔️ Cosmic horror. ✔️ LOL moments. ✔️ (At least there are if you have a dark sense of humor like me.) This book was frenetic and SO MUCH FUN. (But you may want to avoid it if you're squeamish.)
This was another one of my top reads in 2023, and it really was such a chaotic good time. Sometimes, when I read a book, I have to stop and find out whether the author is neurodivergent like me, because it feels like it comes through the page, and I vibe with it. (Spoiler alert, she is a fellow ADHD-er.
I don’t even know how to process what I just read, it feels like I’ve awoken from a terrible fever dream. It was unlike anything I’ve read before and I’m pretty sure that I would like to avoid anything like it in the future. It wasn’t bad just not my cup of tea.