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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked the perspective that humans are more monsterous than monsters. Love story wasn't too cheesy. Good twists. Solid book.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The beginning was good, but then it fell off with some classic irredeemably evil stepmother and sisters. Then the tired miscommunication trope where she reveals her entire identity without confirming who she's talking to. But the most egregious was near the end when the writing just gave up and it was little more than a montage. It just feels like someone had a fantastic idea and then kind of muddled their way to the ending. I liked the representation and description of the fat love interest, but unfortunately I found her actual character to be kind of one note.
Some of the jokes were funny, but many of them got old due to the repetitive writing style which also made other elements of the book quite irritating after a while. For example, I really liked the way shapeshifting was described, but after 5 or 6 times I kind of felt like the author was reusing the same description hoping it would keep its charm.
I listened to this one, and the narrator was pretty good.
Some of the jokes were funny, but many of them got old due to the repetitive writing style which also made other elements of the book quite irritating after a while. For example, I really liked the way shapeshifting was described, but after 5 or 6 times I kind of felt like the author was reusing the same description hoping it would keep its charm.
I listened to this one, and the narrator was pretty good.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment
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.