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ladymadestar's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolute stunner of a debut novel. The beginning felt a bit slow to me, but it truly brought us into Laure's world. We see her passion for the ballet. Her struggle to be accepted by her peers. The way she feels about her place in the ballet, especially as a black girl in a sea of white girls in France. She's already playing in hard mode in the ballet due to that. When one is pushed so far, where do you go?
The story was compelling, I found the twists exciting. I'm a big fan of horror, and the body horror in here was wild and well described. Looking forward to more from Jamison Shea.
The story was compelling, I found the twists exciting. I'm a big fan of horror, and the body horror in here was wild and well described. Looking forward to more from Jamison Shea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Body horror, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Bullying
Minor: Vomit
shesreadingagain_'s review
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I am struggling with this book. While I wanted to like it, I found myself thinking it was too drawn out for what it was. Yes we are having a black swan moment and I love a thriller as much as the next, I felt like it was a little too much back story and building up to the conclusion. I just found out that this book is the first in a duology so I'll pick that up whenever it comes out because I have to know what all of this was building up to.
It is the author's debut so I don't want to review it too harshly.
It is the author's debut so I don't want to review it too harshly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Blood, and Classism
Moderate: Racism and Violence
hailstorm3812's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I love a messy teenage girl that wants everything. Also a sucker for themes around the destruction of artists for the art and those soul crushing teenage girl friendships that you will never recover from. This book covers it all. I do think it dragged a bit in the middle but pulled around in the end. It also does the YA thing where an adult can easily figure out what's going on and you are waiting for the characters to catch up but was fun still. I thought it was standalone but I would definitely like to read more if that is happening.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Racism
badoo_books's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
bookcheshirecat's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
“Even Chaos has rules. To receive, we must be willing to take. To win, you must be willing to fight. To drink in life itself, you must be willing to bleed.”
➽ I Feed Her to the Beast is a compelling villain origin story! It follows Laure Mesney, a Black ballet dancer who's trying to prove herself in Paris among her much wealthier, white classmates. I liked the setting and getting to see the cutthroat world of ballet that Laure finds herself in. It was easy to emphasize with her, as she's ambitious and tired of being overlooked for being a Black girl with no special connections. Laure ends up turning to a primordial power in the Catacombs in order to get the power to excel. I loved seeing her dark powers emerge and how they helped her be successful. At the same time, she's putting herself in a dangerous position, as there are other powerful players! This was an intriguing, unique story, but it was missing that special spark for me. The secondary characters were pretty bland and the romance underdeveloped. The pacing was all over the place sometimes, so I wasn't as invested as I could have been!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Murder, Racism, Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Violence, Body shaming, and Classism
danaslitlist's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The word that kept coming to mind while I was reading and as I was trying to write this review was "more". I wanted so much more from this book; more gore and horror to elevate the stakes both in and out of the ballet. More rage from Laure and unfettered vengeance for the cruelty against her. And maybe most of all, more utilization of her bisexuality in a world that is already poised and hungry to discriminate against her.
This is by it's own admission a slow burn horror and it definitely is incredibly slow, to the point of being detrimental to the reading experience. I found the pacing painfully bogged down in two ways: The first being the constant switching to certain French words constantly (which makes sense since the book takes place in France, but this often makes the sentences feel choppy) and the second being the amount of ballet jargon. Which again, makes sense given that this takes place mainly in a ballet school, but for anyone reading (like myself) who isn't informed or educated in every term used the technical terms mean nothing and only add to the drag.
Another thing I noticed is that this book does not seem to be true YA. It reads like it's targeted and much more suited to a New Adult audience and would've benefited from that rating. The author would've had more of an opportunity to embrace the dark and twisted ideas she just starts to unravel, and more of the content would've been appropriate for New Adult (such as the scene where Laure uses her heart powers on *redacted* during their kissing…..that didn’t feel like it belonged in a YA novel…..).
I also really wish we could’ve gotten more explanation about how the magic works. I felt really confused about it all and wish that had been structured more so that we had a firmer grasp on how and why things work the way they do (can anyone make a deal? How deep does that go? How many deities or demons are there?). I know this is going to have a sequel but I don't think it was wise to keep the reader in the dark regarding this system of magic and pacts with demons when it plays such a huge part of the novel.
This is by it's own admission a slow burn horror and it definitely is incredibly slow, to the point of being detrimental to the reading experience. I found the pacing painfully bogged down in two ways: The first being the constant switching to certain French words constantly (which makes sense since the book takes place in France, but this often makes the sentences feel choppy) and the second being the amount of ballet jargon. Which again, makes sense given that this takes place mainly in a ballet school, but for anyone reading (like myself) who isn't informed or educated in every term used the technical terms mean nothing and only add to the drag.
Another thing I noticed is that this book does not seem to be true YA. It reads like it's targeted and much more suited to a New Adult audience and would've benefited from that rating. The author would've had more of an opportunity to embrace the dark and twisted ideas she just starts to unravel, and more of the content would've been appropriate for New Adult (such as the scene where Laure uses her heart powers on *redacted* during their kissing…..that didn’t feel like it belonged in a YA novel…..).
I also really wish we could’ve gotten more explanation about how the magic works. I felt really confused about it all and wish that had been structured more so that we had a firmer grasp on how and why things work the way they do (can anyone make a deal? How deep does that go? How many deities or demons are there?). I know this is going to have a sequel but I don't think it was wise to keep the reader in the dark regarding this system of magic and pacts with demons when it plays such a huge part of the novel.
My final and biggest critique is the use (or lack there of) of Laure's bisexuality. As a bisexual reader, I was very excited to see this marketed as a Sapphic horror with a bi lead. However, Laure's sexuality is not important at all in this book. In fact if you removed her bisexuality there would be no change to her at all which is a problem. We know that she has an ex-girlfriend and they have on interaction that takes about 3 minutes (at most) of the entire book but outside of that we are not reminded once of her sexuality. It's not necessarily a problem that she ends up with the most predictable and bland man in the entire story, but it is a problem that we leave her attraction to women and nonbinary people out of any more of the story as soon as she gets a crush. As a good friend of mine (who is also bisexual) said,
"There's no awkwardness about being perceived or passing as heterosexual. No comparing how dating a lesbian woman can be easier in some ways, because het men can have internal toxic masculinity and shit. There's no queer friends questioning your sexuality when you date a straight man, parents being relieved she can pass as straight while dating a man."
It would've been incredibly impactful (and worked narratively) to have Laure be even more isolated and discriminated against by the other dancers because of her queerness. I kept waiting for this to pop up when it came to the gossip, the bullying and the overall drama incited by the others but it never did. The author also had the opportunity to have Laure's best friend's motives be deeper than "jaded and jealous friend". Much of the friend's interactions and desires read as "closeted friend is overwhelmed by unexplained jealously and fear" but I don't think it was intentional by the author herself. I wish she would've leaned into that.
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did because all of the promised elements and plot were so enticing. Black Swan meets Ace of Spades level of potential on a darker stage (pun intended), but I don't think it delivered enough when it came to the horror. This mainly comes from me wanting to see the body horror and gore, the rage that was so promising given the author's introduction, play out more. There were a lot of possibilities to lean into the darker side of the ballet in a more suspenseful and dramatic way than what was given.
However, I do think it's always important to acknowledge that Black horror (and a lot of horror written by BIPOC authors) is not always about the gore, the jump scares or what we might associate with many white horror authors. It's often about the sheer horrors that Black people experience on a daily basis emphasized through the horror medium. And I, as a white reader and reviewer, am not the deciding voice in whether or not I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me succeeds in that.
This isn’t “bad” and it definitely has the potential for a good series. I know that this book also has the perfect community of readers who will love this! And I wouldn’t say it’s not worth the time. It just wasn’t for me in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Classism, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Racism
allapaz's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This novel follows our MC Laure as she graduates from her ballet academy and joins the Parisian Ballet, all the while navigating the toxic institution of the ballet itself and its politics and prejudices. To survive, Laure makes a deal with a blood river in the Paris Catacombs, and finds that making bargains with dark beings might be even more dangerous than she thinks.
If you love, spooky Black Swan vibes, primordial beings and deals with the devil, slow-burn horror, and stories of drama and power and betrayal, this is for you. The ballet setting is very real, to the point where I was googling terms just to get an idea of what was going on, but the world Jamison Shea built in this novel was immersive and eerie.
In the kindest way, this felt like a debut. The concept and overarching ideas were intense and so compelling, but the execution left something to be desired. There was no chapter that I finished that I thought "oh wow, what happens next?"--it's almost as if there was so much going on that the stakes weren't as clear as they could be (or, maybe they were, but I got so lost in the ballet terms that I didn't understand it). It's hard to explain, it's one of those things that when it's done well, you don't notice it because you're sucked into the world and flying through the pages. I really wanted that to happen here, but I struggled a fair bit. I feel like if this were shorter, or a series of novellas perhaps, the pacing could have really worked with the ballet world. Since we started with the last big audition, and then moved to post-grad ballet work, the MC's motivations remained kind of nebulous throughout.
I will say, there were parts where Shea for sure hit their stride writing about the dark side of ballet, or real human experience with prejudice and institutional racism that was really beautiful. Some passages took my breath away. I feel like Jamison Shea is for sure an author to watch, even though this particular story didn't do it for me. I'd still pick up future books from them, because I can just feel there's one coming that'll blow me away.
Thank you to BookishFirst/the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review; opinions are my own!
If you love, spooky Black Swan vibes, primordial beings and deals with the devil, slow-burn horror, and stories of drama and power and betrayal, this is for you. The ballet setting is very real, to the point where I was googling terms just to get an idea of what was going on, but the world Jamison Shea built in this novel was immersive and eerie.
In the kindest way, this felt like a debut. The concept and overarching ideas were intense and so compelling, but the execution left something to be desired. There was no chapter that I finished that I thought "oh wow, what happens next?"--it's almost as if there was so much going on that the stakes weren't as clear as they could be (or, maybe they were, but I got so lost in the ballet terms that I didn't understand it). It's hard to explain, it's one of those things that when it's done well, you don't notice it because you're sucked into the world and flying through the pages. I really wanted that to happen here, but I struggled a fair bit. I feel like if this were shorter, or a series of novellas perhaps, the pacing could have really worked with the ballet world. Since we started with the last big audition, and then moved to post-grad ballet work, the MC's motivations remained kind of nebulous throughout.
I will say, there were parts where Shea for sure hit their stride writing about the dark side of ballet, or real human experience with prejudice and institutional racism that was really beautiful. Some passages took my breath away. I feel like Jamison Shea is for sure an author to watch, even though this particular story didn't do it for me. I'd still pick up future books from them, because I can just feel there's one coming that'll blow me away.
Thank you to BookishFirst/the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review; opinions are my own!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Blood, Self harm, Death, Classism, Body horror, Violence, and Murder
themushroomforest's review
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“What do you crave?”
“And what would you give for power?”
(Possible spoilers, read at your own risk)
Laure Mesny has ambition in her blood. It's not enough that she was trained by the Paris Ballet if she can't also join the company, not enough still if she can't be the star.
She will do whatever it takes; longer practices, broken nails, humiliation and thanklessly pouring everything she has into dance. She is perfect, but that isn't enough in a world of privilege, prejudice and nepotism. It's can never be enough, when acceptance is dependant on money and skin colour.
But none of that has to matter, because Laure is willing to do what it takes, give what it takes.
Even if what it takes is blood.
How lucky that she has finally found someone who will accept her sacrifice, and reward it. Someone, or something.
It doesn't matter. All that matters is that she has power.
Wow. I Feed Her to the Beast is one exhilarating ride, I honestly couldn't put it down. Laure Mesny is the flawed MC I have been dying to meet for a long time. I had high expectations for this book when I picked it up, and it met so many of them head on.
Firstly, can we talk about the setting? I have been obsessed with Paris since I was a small child reading Madeline books, on into my teenage years with Les Miserables and of course, The Phantom of the Opera. I was thrilled when I realised this story was going to take place in the Palais Garnier, and even more thrilled as I read the descriptions and story itself. The atmosphere of the story was a strong enough reference to Phantom, and I was glad that there weren't too many parallels other than the location and the feel of the story.
The Paris catacombs too have captured my imagination in the past, as they have come into various books and films over the years. What a wonderful setting for a book, this perfect gilded city sitting atop a rabbit-warren of tunnels and caverns literally filled with the dead. Paris is still one of my favourite places, so full of history both dark and beautiful.
When you think of the deal-with-the-devil trope, what comes to mind? For me the immediate thought is “be careful what you wish for”. It's monkey's paws, in-over-your-head, everything comes with a price. Of course, I mean those things are synonymous with devil deals, aren't they? Well, they no longer have to be. I was waiting for the tired old penny to drop, for the moment to come when Laure realises that she has given everything for nothing and now she is damned. But Jamison Shea saw me coming, and I want to hug them for that.
This is a different kind of story. It's not one where “Good must defeat Evil” because maybe, just maybe, people are more complex than that? It's a story that acknowledges that monsters come in all forms, and not everything that looks monstrous, or even is monstrous, is evil. Sometimes, the darkness doesn't need casting out, sometimes it just needs to be embraced.
I will always love a classic fairytale where the 'good people' live happily ever after and the 'baddies' get defeated, okay? But also, it is beyond refreshing to read a story for the flaws in us, for our fear ridden power-hungry selves. A story that acknowledges that we all have something vicious inside of us, and that's okay.
Laure isn't a protagonist, and she certainly isn't the villain. She is just herself- powerful, angry, and ready to be given the chance that she has rightfully earned, even if she has to take it by force. Although I don't relate to her particular level of ambition, I found that I loved her and felt a certain kinship for her. I think a lot of people will find themselves reflected in Laure, the ones who have inner darkness that isn't supposed to be acknowledged, who always hide their dark imagination from the people around them, afraid there is something wrong with them.
I know that another trope which is fairly tired at this point is that the 'true monsters' are society and expectations, etc, but honestly Shea does this so well that I can't even be mad. I was so angry at the attitudes and oversights of the ballet company, that it was somehow easy to feel that they were the true villains, rather than the more obvious ancient eldritch god.
How is that possible, how have I finished reading a book about a blood sacrifice to an ancient deity who manifests in the form of a river of blood, and come out feeling like, nope, Acheron isn't the villain. What? It makes no sense, in the best way possible.
I think the only other time I have read a story this backwards from usual in terms of how you feel towards the devil character (aside from absurd comedies like Good Omens) is Sylvia Townsend Warner's book Lolly Willowes. Its a gentle classic with the bizarre and unexpected twist involving a somehow lovely little deal with the devil. I want to put these two books on the shelf next to each other. Two other stories which this one evokes are Addie LaRue and Black Swan (of course), and some films I've seen recently which also channel the obsessive devotion and intensity of the Paris Ballet are The Perfection, and Nocturne (Blumhouse). Both of these are music stories rather than dance, but the vibe is so similar.
When reading that opening line I also can't help thinking “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?”.
If you know, you know.
Also, if you loved the claustrophobic creepiness of the Paris catacombs, I would like to recommend a film which takes place there - As Above So Below, thought it is not for the faint of heart.
I wouldn't recommend this book to everyone, but if you like the sound of it, you are going to love it. If you are ready to see the odd one out take back her own, if you are tired of darkness being synonymized with evil, if you are looking for an unapologetic and fierce main character, then this book is for you.
It was real privilege to read this book pre-publication, thank you to Reader's First.
“And what would you give for power?”
(Possible spoilers, read at your own risk)
Laure Mesny has ambition in her blood. It's not enough that she was trained by the Paris Ballet if she can't also join the company, not enough still if she can't be the star.
She will do whatever it takes; longer practices, broken nails, humiliation and thanklessly pouring everything she has into dance. She is perfect, but that isn't enough in a world of privilege, prejudice and nepotism. It's can never be enough, when acceptance is dependant on money and skin colour.
But none of that has to matter, because Laure is willing to do what it takes, give what it takes.
Even if what it takes is blood.
How lucky that she has finally found someone who will accept her sacrifice, and reward it. Someone, or something.
It doesn't matter. All that matters is that she has power.
Wow. I Feed Her to the Beast is one exhilarating ride, I honestly couldn't put it down. Laure Mesny is the flawed MC I have been dying to meet for a long time. I had high expectations for this book when I picked it up, and it met so many of them head on.
Firstly, can we talk about the setting? I have been obsessed with Paris since I was a small child reading Madeline books, on into my teenage years with Les Miserables and of course, The Phantom of the Opera. I was thrilled when I realised this story was going to take place in the Palais Garnier, and even more thrilled as I read the descriptions and story itself. The atmosphere of the story was a strong enough reference to Phantom, and I was glad that there weren't too many parallels other than the location and the feel of the story.
The Paris catacombs too have captured my imagination in the past, as they have come into various books and films over the years. What a wonderful setting for a book, this perfect gilded city sitting atop a rabbit-warren of tunnels and caverns literally filled with the dead. Paris is still one of my favourite places, so full of history both dark and beautiful.
When you think of the deal-with-the-devil trope, what comes to mind? For me the immediate thought is “be careful what you wish for”. It's monkey's paws, in-over-your-head, everything comes with a price. Of course, I mean those things are synonymous with devil deals, aren't they? Well, they no longer have to be. I was waiting for the tired old penny to drop, for the moment to come when Laure realises that she has given everything for nothing and now she is damned. But Jamison Shea saw me coming, and I want to hug them for that.
This is a different kind of story. It's not one where “Good must defeat Evil” because maybe, just maybe, people are more complex than that? It's a story that acknowledges that monsters come in all forms, and not everything that looks monstrous, or even is monstrous, is evil. Sometimes, the darkness doesn't need casting out, sometimes it just needs to be embraced.
I will always love a classic fairytale where the 'good people' live happily ever after and the 'baddies' get defeated, okay? But also, it is beyond refreshing to read a story for the flaws in us, for our fear ridden power-hungry selves. A story that acknowledges that we all have something vicious inside of us, and that's okay.
Laure isn't a protagonist, and she certainly isn't the villain. She is just herself- powerful, angry, and ready to be given the chance that she has rightfully earned, even if she has to take it by force. Although I don't relate to her particular level of ambition, I found that I loved her and felt a certain kinship for her. I think a lot of people will find themselves reflected in Laure, the ones who have inner darkness that isn't supposed to be acknowledged, who always hide their dark imagination from the people around them, afraid there is something wrong with them.
I know that another trope which is fairly tired at this point is that the 'true monsters' are society and expectations, etc, but honestly Shea does this so well that I can't even be mad. I was so angry at the attitudes and oversights of the ballet company, that it was somehow easy to feel that they were the true villains, rather than the more obvious ancient eldritch god.
How is that possible, how have I finished reading a book about a blood sacrifice to an ancient deity who manifests in the form of a river of blood, and come out feeling like, nope, Acheron isn't the villain. What? It makes no sense, in the best way possible.
I think the only other time I have read a story this backwards from usual in terms of how you feel towards the devil character (aside from absurd comedies like Good Omens) is Sylvia Townsend Warner's book Lolly Willowes. Its a gentle classic with the bizarre and unexpected twist involving a somehow lovely little deal with the devil. I want to put these two books on the shelf next to each other. Two other stories which this one evokes are Addie LaRue and Black Swan (of course), and some films I've seen recently which also channel the obsessive devotion and intensity of the Paris Ballet are The Perfection, and Nocturne (Blumhouse). Both of these are music stories rather than dance, but the vibe is so similar.
When reading that opening line I also can't help thinking “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?”.
If you know, you know.
Also, if you loved the claustrophobic creepiness of the Paris catacombs, I would like to recommend a film which takes place there - As Above So Below, thought it is not for the faint of heart.
I wouldn't recommend this book to everyone, but if you like the sound of it, you are going to love it. If you are ready to see the odd one out take back her own, if you are tired of darkness being synonymized with evil, if you are looking for an unapologetic and fierce main character, then this book is for you.
It was real privilege to read this book pre-publication, thank you to Reader's First.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, Bullying, Racism, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic friendship, and Classism
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.5
Thanks to Macmillan for the free copy of this book.
- I FEED HER TO THE BEAST AND THE BEAST IS ME might be described as a villain origin story. It's a book about rage and revenge and pouring your body and soul into something only to be kicked aside.
- Absolutely everyone in this book is unlikable in some way, and I love that, especially for Laure, who has every reason to be sharp and bitter.
- I have some issues with the storytelling - I wish the underworld had been better explained, there was a lot of telling us what relationships were like instead of demonstrating it, etc. However, Shea's writing style absolutely drew me in and I'm looking forward to where this series and their writing career as a whole goes.
- I FEED HER TO THE BEAST AND THE BEAST IS ME might be described as a villain origin story. It's a book about rage and revenge and pouring your body and soul into something only to be kicked aside.
- Absolutely everyone in this book is unlikable in some way, and I love that, especially for Laure, who has every reason to be sharp and bitter.
- I have some issues with the storytelling - I wish the underworld had been better explained, there was a lot of telling us what relationships were like instead of demonstrating it, etc. However, Shea's writing style absolutely drew me in and I'm looking forward to where this series and their writing career as a whole goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, Bullying, Blood, Death, Murder, Abandonment, Medical content, Racism, and Emotional abuse
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