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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
*This book was received for free as a part of a Goodread’s Giveaway*
A very delicious (haha) thriller. It was really easy to read through, and I was eager to read more as I went on. I was overall satisfied with the read!
While I adore the premise and the exploration of it in the book, I do feel like there wasn’t much time for the protagonist to have some ‘fun & games’ before she spent much of the time worrying about a serial killer and passing out at the end of every other chapter. The ‘Black Swan’ comparisons are accurate to a point, but don’t expect the book to be much of an introspective one.
I love the protagonist’s exploration of her own power and the scenes where she embraces how it’s turning her into a monster, although I’m not entirely sure how the in-universe mechanisms of the supernatural aspects beyond that work.
I understand the ‘demon god gives powers for blood sacrifice’ thing, but I got lost at the supernatural areas with bright lights/poisonous plants that the characters kept returning to just to chat with each other.
Overall, I’m glad I got to read this, but I kind of wish it was more focused on the protagonist’s own life and world instead of juggling that with supernatural aspects and other characters that aren’t explored to a satisfying degree.
A very delicious (haha) thriller. It was really easy to read through, and I was eager to read more as I went on. I was overall satisfied with the read!
While I adore the premise and the exploration of it in the book, I do feel like there wasn’t much time for the protagonist to have some ‘fun & games’ before she spent much of the time worrying about a serial killer and passing out at the end of every other chapter. The ‘Black Swan’ comparisons are accurate to a point, but don’t expect the book to be much of an introspective one.
I love the protagonist’s exploration of her own power and the scenes where she embraces how it’s turning her into a monster, although I’m not entirely sure how the in-universe mechanisms of the supernatural aspects beyond that work.
I understand the ‘demon god gives powers for blood sacrifice’ thing, but I got lost at the supernatural areas with bright lights/poisonous plants that the characters kept returning to just to chat with each other.
Overall, I’m glad I got to read this, but I kind of wish it was more focused on the protagonist’s own life and world instead of juggling that with supernatural aspects and other characters that aren’t explored to a satisfying degree.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-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:
Yes
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
dark
emotional
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
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence
It ended up being a solid read, especially for a debut novel. It probably took me until the middle of part 2 to get into though. Maybe it was a pacing issue or just a me thing. I would still recommend the book to anyone interested in fantasy horror or looking to explore more dark novels.
I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bonnier Books UK in exchange for an honest review.
What would you give to accomplish your dream?
I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me is the story of Laure, a black ballet dancer struggling to establish herself in Paris despite being the best dancer at her school. Tired of always having to do more, her life is changed forever when a fellow dancer brings her to a god and she decides to strike a bargain. Finally, she will get the recognition she deserves...but at what cost?
This book had so much going for it that I loved. Firstly, it's a horror story about ballet which I am obsessed with. Secondly, the protagonist really is one of the best YA protagonists I've read about in a while. Laure is painfully three-dimensional, so real she could dance off the page and demand why I am not doing more. Thirdly, the whole plot felt very unique to me. I don't read a lot of 'strike a deal' horror books but I think even if I had, this one is still incredibly unique.
Unfortunately, this book had two main flaws and they stopped me enjoying it as much as I did at the start. It is just too long in my opinion or at least, there is too much of the book where nothing is really going on. The beginning was so tight and so intriguing and then it slows to a bit of a halt, only briefly picking up speed again throughout. Related to this, I also found parts of the book to be a little confusing. I struggled a bit to keep track of where characters were or what was happening to them. Laure's parents are a good example of this. She kept on reinforcing this idea that her father had abandoned her and been a terrible parent, but then he kept cropping up and it wasn't entirely clear to me what he had done that was so awful. There are quite a few plot points like this and it didn't help when combined with the pacing.
Having said that, this book is still well worth the read. So many elements are strong and compared to other YA works, it stands out by a mile. I am very excited to see what this author does next as I believe they will only get stronger the more they write, and I hope to be seeing many more books from them in the future. This is a powerful voice and something horror desperately needs more of
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars
What would you give to accomplish your dream?
I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me is the story of Laure, a black ballet dancer struggling to establish herself in Paris despite being the best dancer at her school. Tired of always having to do more, her life is changed forever when a fellow dancer brings her to a god and she decides to strike a bargain. Finally, she will get the recognition she deserves...but at what cost?
This book had so much going for it that I loved. Firstly, it's a horror story about ballet which I am obsessed with. Secondly, the protagonist really is one of the best YA protagonists I've read about in a while. Laure is painfully three-dimensional, so real she could dance off the page and demand why I am not doing more. Thirdly, the whole plot felt very unique to me. I don't read a lot of 'strike a deal' horror books but I think even if I had, this one is still incredibly unique.
Unfortunately, this book had two main flaws and they stopped me enjoying it as much as I did at the start. It is just too long in my opinion or at least, there is too much of the book where nothing is really going on. The beginning was so tight and so intriguing and then it slows to a bit of a halt, only briefly picking up speed again throughout. Related to this, I also found parts of the book to be a little confusing. I struggled a bit to keep track of where characters were or what was happening to them. Laure's parents are a good example of this. She kept on reinforcing this idea that her father had abandoned her and been a terrible parent, but then he kept cropping up and it wasn't entirely clear to me what he had done that was so awful. There are quite a few plot points like this and it didn't help when combined with the pacing.
Having said that, this book is still well worth the read. So many elements are strong and compared to other YA works, it stands out by a mile. I am very excited to see what this author does next as I believe they will only get stronger the more they write, and I hope to be seeing many more books from them in the future. This is a powerful voice and something horror desperately needs more of
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm