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thiscryptidreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
š - 393 pages
Genre: occult horror
POV: Single
Read via the Libby app
This was a vivid gory acid trip. Constantine meets American Gods vibes with a dash of Angels Wolf, Ram, and Hart.
I loved the characters they all had so much depth you wanted to know more about them with each page turn, you're endeared and invested with Julie and her friends until the end and their mysterious, magical and macabre world.
The book is a bit stuffy to read at times. Using some verbiage, I felt you might need a dictionary or Google search to make sure you were following along right. There were so many layers to the story, and each chapter Ping ponged you somewhere else so quickly it was occasionally hard to follow, so much so that the ending felt rushed and a bit cliffhangery. I was left needing more. (Hopefully a book 2 happens)
The slow burn added a nice tension that really drove the characters all the way to the end despite their being no actual romance most of the time. You want to cheer for them.
Tyler can eat a bag of dicks. (No I won't explain further)
You can find more of my reviews on all social platforms under the username ThisCryptidReads.
Genre: occult horror
POV: Single
Read via the Libby app
This was a vivid gory acid trip. Constantine meets American Gods vibes with a dash of Angels Wolf, Ram, and Hart.
I loved the characters they all had so much depth you wanted to know more about them with each page turn, you're endeared and invested with Julie and her friends until the end and their mysterious, magical and macabre world.
The book is a bit stuffy to read at times. Using some verbiage, I felt you might need a dictionary or Google search to make sure you were following along right. There were so many layers to the story, and each chapter Ping ponged you somewhere else so quickly it was occasionally hard to follow, so much so that the ending felt rushed and a bit cliffhangery. I was left needing more. (Hopefully a book 2 happens)
The slow burn added a nice tension that really drove the characters all the way to the end despite their being no actual romance most of the time. You want to cheer for them.
Tyler can eat a bag of dicks. (No I won't explain further)
You can find more of my reviews on all social platforms under the username ThisCryptidReads.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Body horror
Moderate: Death, Self harm, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Addiction, Torture, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Vomit
istaisa's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Body horror, Self harm, and Gore
jessicafee86's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
I heard someone describe Cassandra Khaw's writing as gorgeously, gooey horror and this book is a perfect example of that. This is the only book I've ever read that has felt weirdly hopeful even while I'm digging through endless piles of intestines and bowel for pages on end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Murder, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Torture, Cursing, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Grief
odunayo_y's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Damn the horror tag was no joke lmao. This was gorier and more body horror than i was expecting. I loved it though(the edgelord in me will never die it seems).
The prose/writing was great! Unless when it wasnāt. I guess this is just what happens when two authors write a book. There were bits that felt disjointed and i felt didnāt really add anything to the overall story nor where they character building either. Also there was the occasional contradiction in characterisation.
But all those i could forgive, what majorly tanked my enjoyment was the romanceā¦it was written kinda badly these women were 30 yet they were acting all blushy and awkward like teens in a badly written fanfic š and i really couldnāt buy that they were that totally 100% head over heels in love with each other. It would technically be instalove if not for the fact that Sarah and Julie had known each other for years prior to the story. I still ride hard for my sapphics and they were cute together but their romance couldāve been written better.
Now enough whinging! The magic oh the Magic it was glorious! Gross and Erdrich and beautiful. Julie was a fvck up but i felt for her like a drowned stinky rat, kinda gross but a little cute too.
Iām still extremely pissed that Tyler didnāt die by the end what a weasly backstabbing bitch man. Imo he had more plot armour than the actual protagonist š. I know heās obviously being set up as the main villain for the next book but damn hate him so much, especially for what what he did to my queens Annabeth & Clarice š
Also loved the Barghest twins, big buff funky eldritch abomination werewolf-thing ladies mwah.
All in all pretty darn good book and highly recommend if you can tolerate the gore(it gets really nasty God damn) and wonāt be bothered by jarring writing shifts.
Bonus: No Sexual Assault! The worst in terms of sex stuff is a sleazy albeit consensual off page sexual encounter between two adults.
The prose/writing was great! Unless when it wasnāt. I guess this is just what happens when two authors write a book. There were bits that felt disjointed and i felt didnāt really add anything to the overall story nor where they character building either. Also there was the occasional contradiction in characterisation.
But all those i could forgive, what majorly tanked my enjoyment was the romanceā¦it was written kinda badly these women were 30 yet they were acting all blushy and awkward like teens in a badly written fanfic š and i really couldnāt buy that they were that totally 100% head over heels in love with each other. It would technically be instalove if not for the fact that Sarah and Julie had known each other for years prior to the story. I still ride hard for my sapphics and they were cute together but their romance couldāve been written better.
Now enough whinging! The magic oh the Magic it was glorious! Gross and Erdrich and beautiful. Julie was a fvck up but i felt for her like a drowned stinky rat, kinda gross but a little cute too.
Iām still extremely pissed that Tyler didnāt die by the end what a weasly backstabbing bitch man. Imo he had more plot armour than the actual protagonist š. I know heās obviously being set up as the main villain for the next book but damn hate him so much, especially for what what he did to my queens Annabeth & Clarice š
Also loved the Barghest twins, big buff funky eldritch abomination werewolf-thing ladies mwah.
All in all pretty darn good book and highly recommend if you can tolerate the gore(it gets really nasty God damn) and wonāt be bothered by jarring writing shifts.
Bonus: No Sexual Assault! The worst in terms of sex stuff is a sleazy albeit consensual off page sexual encounter between two adults.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Body horror, Death, Murder, Vomit, Self harm, Addiction, and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Stalking, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Minor: Sexual content
mmuutthh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is a fun, brisk read that is my introduction to both of these authors. I would be happy to pick up something by either individually to see if some of the things I didn't really latch on to were general interests of both authors or elevated more by one than the other. That tone is one of those "everybody sounds the same and says 'fuck' a lot, does drugs, and is way cooler than you," which is fine, but I kind of feel like I grew out of that after reading too much Warren Ellis. To each their own.
I loved the horror elements and some of it worked good twists on those tried and true cosmic beings from beyond tropes.
I want a book all about St. Joan!
I loved the horror elements and some of it worked good twists on those tried and true cosmic beings from beyond tropes.
I want a book all about St. Joan!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Self harm, Violence, Death, Cursing, Gore, Body horror, Suicide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Murder, Gun violence, and Blood
vaguewhisperings's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
5.0
So fun to read. All characters were interesting, worldbuilding was fantastic. Such good writing- had to look away few times since descriptions were graphic. Fun plot. Ending didn't feel quite right but works as lead up to second book. Great book, would read again; have recced to multiple people
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Body horror, Murder, Torture, Blood, Suicide, Violence, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction and Alcohol
Minor: Domestic abuse and Grief
garyosu's review
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Alcoholism, Blood, Drug abuse, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Murder, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Vomit, Suicide, Violence, and Torture
agentmozell's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
This was gross and I think itās my sign that I am not a cosmic horror fan and perhaps not a fan of Cassandra Khaw. I really liked Nothing But Blackened Teeth, it was weirdly poetic and I was neither here nor there with Salt Grows Heavy, but this one I just didnāt enjoy. Iāve not read anything by the other author, maybe Iāll give one of their books a try to see if I feel the same. But I did not enjoy this.
I did listen to it and maybe it was just too much for a listen. The scenes were graphic, which I donāt mind, but it was like, constant gruesome scenes. It was just too much and lost the effect of horror or creepy and was just disgusting.
The story otherwise was okay I guess? The POVs switched a lot and it was hard to keep upāagain, probably an audio book issueāand I never got a good grasp on what the hell was going on. Too many subplots to keep track of.
I DID however love the cute little romance. Those scenes were absolutely adorable and I could have a whole book of just that and be happy.
Yeah, I donāt think Iāll continue this series, this just wasnāt for me and I feel guilty for saying that. Honestly I mightāve liked it more if it was another short novella instead of full length.
I did listen to it and maybe it was just too much for a listen. The scenes were graphic, which I donāt mind, but it was like, constant gruesome scenes. It was just too much and lost the effect of horror or creepy and was just disgusting.
The story otherwise was okay I guess? The POVs switched a lot and it was hard to keep upāagain, probably an audio book issueāand I never got a good grasp on what the hell was going on. Too many subplots to keep track of.
I DID however love the cute little romance. Those scenes were absolutely adorable and I could have a whole book of just that and be happy.
Yeah, I donāt think Iāll continue this series, this just wasnāt for me and I feel guilty for saying that. Honestly I mightāve liked it more if it was another short novella instead of full length.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, and Gore
embee007's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
āFiction is the lens through which humanity makes sense of the mystical.ā
Well, this was...interesting. Jarring POV changes at times, especially the random throwaway POV characters. I've read Kadry before, but I haven't read Khaw yet, but it seemed like I could tell when it changed from one author to another (maybe it was just the severe changes in POV tho).
I did enjoy it overall, but it was just so jarring at times that it took me out of the book & I would take a (several hours long) break & have to force myself to come back.
āSomeone bring me pants,ā she demanded grandly. āIām going to kill a motherfucker.ā
I do not suggest this book for anyone whom is not okay with body horror, lots of gore, viscera, tentacles, & random eyeballs in places they do not belong. Murder is absolutely negotiable/implied. The characters range from loveably morally grey to "why are they not dead yet?!" To you actively cheer for their death. This is not a sweet & cozy book.
Something I did not understand:it's stated the magic system is basically that rich people have magic. Harvard teaches a class on magic, but it's secret. Wall Street runs on magic... But our MC is & always has been poor, & it's never explained how she got her magic?
"The universe spins. Worlds whirl in the great void. Most of all, things change."
Well, this was...interesting. Jarring POV changes at times, especially the random throwaway POV characters. I've read Kadry before, but I haven't read Khaw yet, but it seemed like I could tell when it changed from one author to another (maybe it was just the severe changes in POV tho).
I did enjoy it overall, but it was just so jarring at times that it took me out of the book & I would take a (several hours long) break & have to force myself to come back.
āSomeone bring me pants,ā she demanded grandly. āIām going to kill a motherfucker.ā
I do not suggest this book for anyone whom is not okay with body horror, lots of gore, viscera, tentacles, & random eyeballs in places they do not belong. Murder is absolutely negotiable/implied. The characters range from loveably morally grey to "why are they not dead yet?!" To you actively cheer for their death. This is not a sweet & cozy book.
Something I did not understand:
"The universe spins. Worlds whirl in the great void. Most of all, things change."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, and Torture
jenny10309's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Domestic abuse, and Self harm