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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
absolutely fantastic. beautiful, bloody, and soooo much more than i could’ve ever hoped for!! highly recommend.
After a seance goes wrong, a group of friends attempt to save Fernanda from the ancient entity now possessing her in V. Castro's Goddess of Filth.
While this novella has some neat horror elements and intriguing scenes of supernatural violence, Castro's story is, at its core, a coming of age story for Fernanda and her best friend, Lourdes, who narrates the bulk of these proceedings. Lourdes is a bit of a wild child, but also one with a lot of responsibility thrust on her shoulders, as she works to take care of her family and help raise her siblings. Fernanda, on the other hand, is largely kept on the straight and narrow on her path to college, but whose life has been stifled by an overbearing, religious mother. When she wakes to discover her body inhabited by a tag-along, she's only all too eager to relinquish control.
It's only as she surrenders to the entity possessing her that Fernanda learns how to live and love, breaking free of the structure and rules imposed upon her by family and society. This sort of freedom is borne by the realization that those around you are not as morally upright as they paint themselves to be, nor are they as superior as they have convinced those around them. Such a discovery, of course, is made all the easier when you're sharing a meat-suit with a sin-eater.
Castro paints an interesting portrait of life for young girls on the cusp of womanhood in a religiously-minded Texas town. This is the type of place where priests have power in the community, are trusted and relied upon, and called into people's homes to perform exorcisms on their straying daughters. We see Lourdes, Fernanda, and to a smaller degree their friends, breaking away from the patriarchal religious fundamentalism of their parents in order to carve out their own ways in life as strong, independent, and willful women.
Goddess of Filth has a powerful central message, and lord knows we need more coming of age stories rooted in the feminine perspective and that challenge modern patriarchal society, all of which make this novella an excellent read. I literally only have one complaint, and it involves the easiness in which Lourdes convinces a university professor to aid Fernanda in her fantastical situation. I think their initial encounter would have been improved with a bit more back-and-forth to convince the professor of what's happening, why she's needed, and why she needs to drop everything immediately to help out. As it stands, it reads more like a shortcut to get to more interesting areas of the story as Castro leads us into the climax, and comes across as not just an incredibly low-stakes moment, but one that disingenuously simplistic and underdeveloped. It's a minor issue, but one that did raise an eyebrow for me.
Throughout Goddess of Filth, Castro raises a number of interesting points and examinations of womanhood and self-discovery as these teens shift gears from being high school girls to college-bound, working women, and the price they're willing to pay for their freedom.
While this novella has some neat horror elements and intriguing scenes of supernatural violence, Castro's story is, at its core, a coming of age story for Fernanda and her best friend, Lourdes, who narrates the bulk of these proceedings. Lourdes is a bit of a wild child, but also one with a lot of responsibility thrust on her shoulders, as she works to take care of her family and help raise her siblings. Fernanda, on the other hand, is largely kept on the straight and narrow on her path to college, but whose life has been stifled by an overbearing, religious mother. When she wakes to discover her body inhabited by a tag-along, she's only all too eager to relinquish control.
It's only as she surrenders to the entity possessing her that Fernanda learns how to live and love, breaking free of the structure and rules imposed upon her by family and society. This sort of freedom is borne by the realization that those around you are not as morally upright as they paint themselves to be, nor are they as superior as they have convinced those around them. Such a discovery, of course, is made all the easier when you're sharing a meat-suit with a sin-eater.
Castro paints an interesting portrait of life for young girls on the cusp of womanhood in a religiously-minded Texas town. This is the type of place where priests have power in the community, are trusted and relied upon, and called into people's homes to perform exorcisms on their straying daughters. We see Lourdes, Fernanda, and to a smaller degree their friends, breaking away from the patriarchal religious fundamentalism of their parents in order to carve out their own ways in life as strong, independent, and willful women.
Goddess of Filth has a powerful central message, and lord knows we need more coming of age stories rooted in the feminine perspective and that challenge modern patriarchal society, all of which make this novella an excellent read. I literally only have one complaint, and it involves the easiness in which Lourdes convinces a university professor to aid Fernanda in her fantastical situation. I think their initial encounter would have been improved with a bit more back-and-forth to convince the professor of what's happening, why she's needed, and why she needs to drop everything immediately to help out. As it stands, it reads more like a shortcut to get to more interesting areas of the story as Castro leads us into the climax, and comes across as not just an incredibly low-stakes moment, but one that disingenuously simplistic and underdeveloped. It's a minor issue, but one that did raise an eyebrow for me.
Throughout Goddess of Filth, Castro raises a number of interesting points and examinations of womanhood and self-discovery as these teens shift gears from being high school girls to college-bound, working women, and the price they're willing to pay for their freedom.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-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
I didn't know what to expect going into this book, but I enjoyed it! I loved that this book dove into women's empowerment and self-love. This book talks about how it is okay for women to be sexual beings. I loved the different perspectives of the characters, however, the twist towards the end of the book with the priest was a little predictable. Overall, this book was great.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not at all what I expected, but I am pleasantly happy with how it turned out! It's quick, erotic, and strangely uplifting while also shocking, creepy, and dark.
If you are a fan of media such as Jennifer's Body, or if you know what the "good for her" trope is and like it, then give this little horror story a go!
If you are a fan of media such as Jennifer's Body, or if you know what the "good for her" trope is and like it, then give this little horror story a go!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, Blood
Moderate: Gun violence, Vomit