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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
funny
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
An adorable, albeit dark at times, cozy read. This book was a pleasant read with a sapphic relationship that wasn’t sexualized! It even had asexual representation! I will say the ‘evil characters’ were a quite exaggerated making them less believable, but provided OK vessels for the plot and furthering the development of the two main characters’ story. The plot was simple but fun, a little repetitive with how some of the scenes were presented but overall not bad. The ending even got me a little nervous there for a second..this is a solid cozy choice.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such a delightful read. This is such fun right from the jump but it's also the kind of read that, the more I think about it, the more fascinated I am by all the complex themes running through it. There's neurodivergence, there's queerness, there's dealing with family-related trauma, there's what it means to be a parent and to break the cycle of violence as a parent. It's all so juicy and good, while also being dryly humorous as it takes on some of these heavier themes.
A note on body horror: As someone who has difficulty with body horror, I was intrigued when I saw that this book was described as containing body horror. That makes sense to me, but I also just didn't experience the content in the way that I normally do body horror. For me, I really loved how constantly conscious Shesheshen was of her body and the way it shifted and changed (both willingly and unwillingly). This felt familiar to me as a woman—from dealing with puberty, menstrual cycles and now, early perimenopause. It's an aspect of the book and the writing that just really worked for me that, in the midst of everything that was going on, her body was very present.
A note on body horror: As someone who has difficulty with body horror, I was intrigued when I saw that this book was described as containing body horror. That makes sense to me, but I also just didn't experience the content in the way that I normally do body horror. For me, I really loved how constantly conscious Shesheshen was of her body and the way it shifted and changed (both willingly and unwillingly). This felt familiar to me as a woman—from dealing with puberty, menstrual cycles and now, early perimenopause. It's an aspect of the book and the writing that just really worked for me that, in the midst of everything that was going on, her body was very present.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Sweet and gory! This was a charming cozy monster story. I enjoyed the blend of horror, romance, and humor. I loved these messy character. Sheshenen and Homily are so perfectly suited for each other.
🎧 Carmen Rose wasn’t my favorite narrator. While I enjoyed her voice, I didn’t love the cadence that she used while speaking as Sheshenen.
I would have preferred this with my eyeballs, but overall this warmed my heart.
I recommend for readers looking for an offbeat monster romance with such a sweet heart.
🎧 Carmen Rose wasn’t my favorite narrator. While I enjoyed her voice, I didn’t love the cadence that she used while speaking as Sheshenen.
I would have preferred this with my eyeballs, but overall this warmed my heart.
I recommend for readers looking for an offbeat monster romance with such a sweet heart.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
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:
No
Once it revealed that Shesheshen ate Homily’s brother at the beginning I became so so so so bored. The gimmicks don’t work enough for me to get past that
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
challenging
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