Reviews

The Coiled Serpent by Camilla Grudova

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whatellisreadnext's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This short story collection was everything I needed in my life and more. Full of uncanny settings and gross happenings. Camilla writes these strange narratives about seemingly mundane things that end up being more than what they appear. My favourites of the bunch are about a custard factory and a swimming baths. She is unbelievably creative, and she just writes things, and they make complete sense in my brain even though in hindsight, they are completely unmoored from reality.

She is 100% an autobuy author for me now, and even though Children of Paradise is still my favourite of hers, this is well worth the read. If you love mundane settings and weird little sattire filled short stories, you need to grab a copy of The Coiled Serpent🐍

frownfrump's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.0

booksnpunks's review against another edition

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4.0

A really solid collection exploring the gruesome and the weird side of horror. Definitely enjoyed some more than others but the ones I enjoyed I thought were really skillful and well written - Grudova seems to have mastered the art of gross horror and turning people and spaces which make us squirm into something we fear through her nuance and use of the uncanny. I think I would want to see a full length novel from her next as I vibe with novels a lot more but this collection was still really great.

chrism1's review against another edition

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4.0

Fresh off her women's prize longlisted book, Children of Paradise, Camilla Grudova comes back with a collection of short stories centred around bodies and bodily functions. Grudova explores the chaos of the world through the way bodies work, don't work, and what bodies leave behind. I found this collection of stories challenging because I'm not a fan of body horror, so some of the stories were a bit rough for me, but Grudova's talent as a writer got me through those moments. She has a fantastic eye for a sharp bit of dialogue and amusing moment within the shock of all the gross and shocking details It's an emotionally demanding, but ultimately rewarding book.

kaayleigh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense

3.75

Very gross and weird, even by my standards.

emilyky's review

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challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

kylegibbens's review against another edition

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dark funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Loved these short stories, some of the gory details are forever etched onto my brain, thanks for that haha!

Content Warnings

libraryfiend21's review against another edition

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challenging dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

happyknitter2020's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Absolutely brilliant, intense, cumpulsive set of short stories.

If you loved Children of Paradise, you will definitely like these too. It's great to be back in Camilla's mind.

Recommend if you like to dip into a book, to take you away into another world. Each of the stories quickly pull you into other's dystopic lives.

Would read anything Camilla Grudova writes.

Thanks to #AtlanticBooks & #Netgalley for allowing me to review pre publication date.

emmavardy2's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Content Warnings

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