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hsinjulit's review
beta read this gem. will review upon reread.
content warnings: murder, spiders/insects, blood, death, gore, cannibalism, drowning, vomit, threatening, haunted house, manipulation, mind control, mention of non-consensual medical experiment
content warnings: murder, spiders/insects, blood, death, gore, cannibalism, drowning, vomit, threatening, haunted house, manipulation, mind control, mention of non-consensual medical experiment
shannonxo's review
4.0
The Cute Mutants are breaking up! Or, at least, splitting missions. And this group is going god hunting.
This is the first in a spin-off to the queer superhero Cute Mutants series. It's definitely recommended that you read the first four CM books first because a lot of this and its characters won't make sense otherwise. That said, there is a super helpful summary in the beginning that summed up the major points of each book. After the events of the fourth book, they trapped Emma's newfound super powerful mutant parent in a different dimension that stripped them of their powers, but it's too much of a risk to leave them there. So enter Weapon UwU, the team sent to kill Heart of a Flower once and for all.
Time to meet the team!
Gladdy is the aro/ace leader of this new team. They are very much the quiet and brooding type, especially around Maddy, but that's helped along by their mutant power of being able to read other people's fears in their faces.
Maddy goes where Gladdy goes, because she's half in love with the woman. Maddy is very warm and bubbly, and I suppose the same could be said for the acid goo that she spits at everyone else.
Katie is the team's tiny dragon. An angry, disobedient little firebreather, she'll burn the whole place down before she goes slow.
Skye is terribly meek and shy on her own, so it's a good thing she can multiply. I love her power so much because each clone of herself becomes increasing chaotic and feral.
Lou is the lone boy on the team. He can glow and melt things, but only if he's horny, so that makes things tricky sometimes.
Ye Shou is last but not least. Basically a skin suit full of spiders, aka my worst nightmare.
I loved getting closer to these characters. They have been more on the peripheral aside from Lou in the rest of the CM series, so it was great getting to know them better. Also, personally, it was quite refreshing to step into the mind of someone else in this fabulous world SJ Whitby has created. This spin-off alternates between Gladdy's and Maddy's POVs, so I really enjoyed stepping outside of Dylan's head for a while. I've come to realize that I've sort of been falling out of love with Dylan, and it wasn't until Maddy said something I agreed with that I knew why that was. So it was really timely to have a break from them and look at the world a little differently, and also to have someone else in charge with less of a tortured hero-complex.
As for the story, I'll admit this wasn't what I expected, and I mean that in a good way. I thought that they would be going into the parallel world and spend the entire book hunting down Heart of a Flower while battling weird, body-horror, eldritch beings there. Instead they kill the god pretty quick, but then hunt down the rest of his super powerful children on earth. It was a lot of fun to go down that road and it allowed a great opportunity to showcase this new team and the individual members. It's weird and gory and definitely more horror adjacent than the rest of the books.
My only problem was that some scenes went on a little too long and were difficult to follow. I'm still a little unclear on what exactly unfolded with the last sibling to be stopped. I couldn't quite keep up with every character involved and may have missed a few crucial points because of it.
Up next, Cute Mutants Five!
This is the first in a spin-off to the queer superhero Cute Mutants series. It's definitely recommended that you read the first four CM books first because a lot of this and its characters won't make sense otherwise. That said, there is a super helpful summary in the beginning that summed up the major points of each book. After the events of the fourth book, they trapped Emma's newfound super powerful mutant parent in a different dimension that stripped them of their powers, but it's too much of a risk to leave them there. So enter Weapon UwU, the team sent to kill Heart of a Flower once and for all.
Time to meet the team!
Gladdy is the aro/ace leader of this new team. They are very much the quiet and brooding type, especially around Maddy, but that's helped along by their mutant power of being able to read other people's fears in their faces.
Maddy goes where Gladdy goes, because she's half in love with the woman. Maddy is very warm and bubbly, and I suppose the same could be said for the acid goo that she spits at everyone else.
Katie is the team's tiny dragon. An angry, disobedient little firebreather, she'll burn the whole place down before she goes slow.
Skye is terribly meek and shy on her own, so it's a good thing she can multiply. I love her power so much because each clone of herself becomes increasing chaotic and feral.
Lou is the lone boy on the team. He can glow and melt things, but only if he's horny, so that makes things tricky sometimes.
Ye Shou is last but not least. Basically a skin suit full of spiders, aka my worst nightmare.
I loved getting closer to these characters. They have been more on the peripheral aside from Lou in the rest of the CM series, so it was great getting to know them better. Also, personally, it was quite refreshing to step into the mind of someone else in this fabulous world SJ Whitby has created. This spin-off alternates between Gladdy's and Maddy's POVs, so I really enjoyed stepping outside of Dylan's head for a while. I've come to realize that I've sort of been falling out of love with Dylan, and it wasn't until Maddy said something I agreed with that I knew why that was. So it was really timely to have a break from them and look at the world a little differently, and also to have someone else in charge with less of a tortured hero-complex.
As for the story, I'll admit this wasn't what I expected, and I mean that in a good way. I thought that they would be going into the parallel world and spend the entire book hunting down Heart of a Flower while battling weird, body-horror, eldritch beings there. Instead they kill the god pretty quick, but then hunt down the rest of his super powerful children on earth. It was a lot of fun to go down that road and it allowed a great opportunity to showcase this new team and the individual members. It's weird and gory and definitely more horror adjacent than the rest of the books.
My only problem was that some scenes went on a little too long and were difficult to follow. I'm still a little unclear on what exactly unfolded with the last sibling to be stopped. I couldn't quite keep up with every character involved and may have missed a few crucial points because of it.
Up next, Cute Mutants Five!
cici_supreme's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
beansandfungi's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-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
4.25
A very enjoyable spin-off from the Cute Mutants books, set after book 4, with a more horror vibe and a focus on different characters. The change of pace from the Cute Mutants books definitely works in this book's favour
althea's review
4.0
This was such a fun start to the spin-off series to the Cute Mutants books that I'm sure you all know I adore! I knew this was horror going in but I didn't expect just how unsettling this would become - SJ managed to encapsulate so many of my own fears, such as gore, zombies and spiders (and at this point it feels like a personal attack! /j) and yet there was such a gorgeous warmth to the heart of the story as we discover more about our favourite superqueeroes! Full review to come when I get back to blogging, but you should definitely preorder this!
Thanks to the author for an eARC in return for an honest review!
Want more sapphic books? You can find me here: Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram
Thanks to the author for an eARC in return for an honest review!
Want more sapphic books? You can find me here: Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram
robinlikesreading's review
4.0
A Cute Mutants spin-off. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Cute Mutants books but it's still a must read for everyone who loves the Cute Mutants!
Weapon UwU is a second team but all the members are still made out of Cute Mutants members. It's kinda like a b-team but also not really. Dylan gives them a mission to kill Heart aka the villain of Cute Mutants vol. 4 and Emma's parent. After doing this, they find out they had more children so Weapon UwU goes to find them all to try to stop them/get them on their side.
This book has two narrators, Gladdy and Maddy. I always wanted to know more about them and now we do. We see what kind of relationship they actually have (something the other Cute Mutants loved to tease them about). It was also nice to see what they think of Dylan and how they view the other characters. This book also has more horror elements than the Cute Mutants book which was a nice change.
I love how Dylan still appeared frequently as a mentor/leader and they give the team missions and advice. It's clear that Gladdy really looks up to him, which we don't always see in the Cute Mutants books.
Like always, this book has amazing LGBTQ+ rep. I loved Gladdy discovering more about herself. She loves Maddy but she knows she can't love Maddy the same way Maddy loves her. And she can't give Maddy what she wants. Gladdy and Maddy end up in a Queerplatonic Relationship (it's not mentioned in the book though but the author wrote it on their twitter I believe) while Maddy starts dating romantically.
While I didn't like this one as much as every other Cute Mutants book, I do hope for sequels or other spin-offs where we can explore some of the other characters. (personally, I'd love a book from Skye's POV, her and her clones are some of my favorite characters and I'd love for her dynamic with her clones to be explored more)
List of LGBTQ+ rep:
Maddy/Sourpatch: Bisexual
Gladiola/Fetch: Aromantic Asexual (who ends up in a Queerplatonic relationship with a girl who's also dating someone else)
Skye/Clone Club: Bisexual
Lou/Glowstick: Trans boy
Dylan/Chattbox: Pansexual, genderfluid
Dani/Marvellous: Korean Lesbian
Alyse/Moodring: Pacific Islander Bisexual/Pansexual
Emma/Godess: Kiw-Chinese, Demiromantic Asexual
Weapon UwU is a second team but all the members are still made out of Cute Mutants members. It's kinda like a b-team but also not really. Dylan gives them a mission to kill Heart aka the villain of Cute Mutants vol. 4 and Emma's parent. After doing this, they find out they had more children so Weapon UwU goes to find them all to try to stop them/get them on their side.
This book has two narrators, Gladdy and Maddy. I always wanted to know more about them and now we do. We see what kind of relationship they actually have (something the other Cute Mutants loved to tease them about). It was also nice to see what they think of Dylan and how they view the other characters. This book also has more horror elements than the Cute Mutants book which was a nice change.
I love how Dylan still appeared frequently as a mentor/leader and they give the team missions and advice. It's clear that Gladdy really looks up to him, which we don't always see in the Cute Mutants books.
Like always, this book has amazing LGBTQ+ rep. I loved Gladdy discovering more about herself. She loves Maddy but she knows she can't love Maddy the same way Maddy loves her. And she can't give Maddy what she wants. Gladdy and Maddy end up in a Queerplatonic Relationship (it's not mentioned in the book though but the author wrote it on their twitter I believe) while Maddy starts dating
Spoiler
LouWhile I didn't like this one as much as every other Cute Mutants book, I do hope for sequels or other spin-offs where we can explore some of the other characters. (personally, I'd love a book from Skye's POV, her and her clones are some of my favorite characters and I'd love for her dynamic with her clones to be explored more)
List of LGBTQ+ rep:
Maddy/Sourpatch: Bisexual
Gladiola/Fetch: Aromantic Asexual (who ends up in a Queerplatonic relationship with a girl who's also dating someone else)
Skye/Clone Club: Bisexual
Lou/Glowstick: Trans boy
Dylan/Chattbox: Pansexual, genderfluid
Dani/Marvellous: Korean Lesbian
Alyse/Moodring: Pacific Islander Bisexual/Pansexual
Emma/Godess: Kiw-Chinese, Demiromantic Asexual
bee_bean's review
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Blood, Death, Murder, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
i genuinely don't get how everyone else in the reviews likes this book so much the book description describes gladdy as aroace and yetessjay's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I hate that I'm giving this two stars but it just was not v good.
- Dual PoVs, switching between Sourpatch and Fetch, but both have the same "voice" (which just so happens to sound exactly like Dylan).
- The pacing of the whole thing was just off. It somehow both felt like nothing happened and too much happened.
- I honestly have no idea how any of the villains were really dispatched, it didn't make a whole lot of sense.
The title of the book is Godkillers but the only actual god was dispatched in the first 5%? And then we spend the rest of the book fighting their children? Except not really bc they all kind of kept defeating themselves? Idfk
rapidan_'s review
5.0
I absolutely adore this spin off of the Cute Mutants Universe! Told in dual perspectives of Maddy and Gladdy, we get a completely new view of the Cute Mutants, as well as glimpses into how others view our favourite characters. Following the so-called “B-Team” of the group, we get to see what the others get up to whilst Dylan and his group are off on the adventures we see.
The plot for this book is COMPLEX. You almost need to be taking notes along the way to make sure you are keeping up with all that is happening, and while I usually don’t like having to think too hard about following a plot, in this case I barely even noticed. In true typical messy teenager fashion, the characters often diverge from their tasks to have a chat about their relationships or to go and get ice cream, which is a nice break for us too, as it stops the book being too heavy.
Quote from Book: A gorgeous man holding a half-feral clone is not my exact sexuality, but it's somewhere on that messy diagram.
The highlight of this book is, as it always is with the Cute Mutants series, the impeccable character development. First off, we get to see Dylan from a different characters perspective. We get to see his messy and intuitive leadership style as it appears to others, and also how much the others in the group truly look up to and respect them. We also get to spend time with some characters that we don’t know too well, in particular Lou, Katie and Ye Shou. I found Lou to be unbearable in the first CM book, but through seeing him through a different eye, as well as how much he has grown since back then, it is clear he is no longer the whiny insecure boy he was. Much more enjoyable reading him now!
Exploring Gladdy and Maddy’s relationship is so great to see! I love when there is aro-ace representation and to me, this is written so well. We get to see how both deal with their feelings for each other as well as for others, and a trope I usually cannot stand, a love triangle, is handled so well and in exactly the way I have been looking for. I just can’t tell you how much I love this book!
Having the two point of views for this book is really interesting. As the team splits up to complete different tasks, we get to see the whole picture. Additionally, Gladdy and Maddy have a complex personal relationship and it is really great to be able to see where they are both at with their feelings. Without giving too much away, their journey through this book is so great and I love them so much!
I would definitely recommend this book, but it would be worth reading the others in the Cute Mutants series first, to avoid missing some of the details needed to make this fully enjoyable. A summary is provided at the start of the book, in case you are a little foggy on the details.
The plot for this book is COMPLEX. You almost need to be taking notes along the way to make sure you are keeping up with all that is happening, and while I usually don’t like having to think too hard about following a plot, in this case I barely even noticed. In true typical messy teenager fashion, the characters often diverge from their tasks to have a chat about their relationships or to go and get ice cream, which is a nice break for us too, as it stops the book being too heavy.
Quote from Book: A gorgeous man holding a half-feral clone is not my exact sexuality, but it's somewhere on that messy diagram.
The highlight of this book is, as it always is with the Cute Mutants series, the impeccable character development. First off, we get to see Dylan from a different characters perspective. We get to see his messy and intuitive leadership style as it appears to others, and also how much the others in the group truly look up to and respect them. We also get to spend time with some characters that we don’t know too well, in particular Lou, Katie and Ye Shou. I found Lou to be unbearable in the first CM book, but through seeing him through a different eye, as well as how much he has grown since back then, it is clear he is no longer the whiny insecure boy he was. Much more enjoyable reading him now!
Exploring Gladdy and Maddy’s relationship is so great to see! I love when there is aro-ace representation and to me, this is written so well. We get to see how both deal with their feelings for each other as well as for others, and a trope I usually cannot stand, a love triangle, is handled so well and in exactly the way I have been looking for. I just can’t tell you how much I love this book!
Having the two point of views for this book is really interesting. As the team splits up to complete different tasks, we get to see the whole picture. Additionally, Gladdy and Maddy have a complex personal relationship and it is really great to be able to see where they are both at with their feelings. Without giving too much away, their journey through this book is so great and I love them so much!
I would definitely recommend this book, but it would be worth reading the others in the Cute Mutants series first, to avoid missing some of the details needed to make this fully enjoyable. A summary is provided at the start of the book, in case you are a little foggy on the details.
jacemchale's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75