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moonlitemuseum's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
Like many my age, I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing. Novellas have been my greatest aid in this endeavor, and The Wasp Child is a perfect little meaty morsel to sink into—the world has a familiar melancholy with plenty of its own eccentricities, and main character Kesh is a treat to experience the journey alongside. Believably childish, brash, and self-pitying in turn, I loved being inside his head...even when his head started to quite literally fall apart.
There's a lot to love here. Readers who have ever been a child without a place in the world will ache alongside Kesh and wish for a happy ending that feels almost impossible. The sentient bugs are a delight, as are the scant few supporting human cast members. The body horror is the great, nasty kind of gooshy (beware if you are as squeamish about fingernails as I am!) and everything wraps up in a satisfying, tidy conclusion that still leaves lots of room to dream about what comes next. Great stuff. Highly recommended.
There's a lot to love here. Readers who have ever been a child without a place in the world will ache alongside Kesh and wish for a happy ending that feels almost impossible. The sentient bugs are a delight, as are the scant few supporting human cast members. The body horror is the great, nasty kind of gooshy (beware if you are as squeamish about fingernails as I am!) and everything wraps up in a satisfying, tidy conclusion that still leaves lots of room to dream about what comes next. Great stuff. Highly recommended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Body horror
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, Confinement, and Bullying
Minor: Abandonment
Fingernail trauma, bugs, hunger, eating bugsnight_shift's review
challenging
fast-paced
4.0
The synopsis on the book itself doesn't feel super accurate, or at least gives away things that the one on here doesn't. Either way, this was a breeze to read and while it's not a new concept, it felt fresh with Kesh's voice, and the alien world was interesting. I 100% expected the ending to go differently, so that was nice!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent
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