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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I understand the importance of the thematics, but I just could not get into the stories. Almost did not finish.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read to The Coiled Serpent by Camilla Grudova in exchange for my honest feedback.
This is a collection of visceral, half formed fever dreams, vignettes in the lives of strange persons, and snippets of grotesque moments.
Some of the earlier stories meander a bit, seemingly without direction, but the later tales have a more clear purpose.
There is no bodily excretion or human act taboo enough to escape these pages, so if you're seeking the twisted and obscene, you've found the right place. I even read parts aloud to my partner just to share in the strangeness.
This is a collection of visceral, half formed fever dreams, vignettes in the lives of strange persons, and snippets of grotesque moments.
Some of the earlier stories meander a bit, seemingly without direction, but the later tales have a more clear purpose.
There is no bodily excretion or human act taboo enough to escape these pages, so if you're seeking the twisted and obscene, you've found the right place. I even read parts aloud to my partner just to share in the strangeness.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A gross, grotesque, and often grisly collection of short stories.
Grudova’s collection of short stories are vividly described, without becoming stomach churning. Walking the edge of grotesque and uncomfortable. The writing is simple and direct, which can add the to discomfort as you read.
I won’t recap all the stories as there are over a dozen, but some of the highlights for me were:
The Green Hat: a woman works for a chemist (in)famous for making a green poison, which has inevitably been used as a dye in furniture and fashion.
Madame Flora’s: it’s a woman and an eponymous tonic used to restore periods in young women. And several young women go to her hotel for treatment and recuperation. The women go on to try and restore, or remove, their periods through their own means.
The Poison Garden: a woman is hired by a museum and grows a poison garden. She becomes overly invested in a young couple staying nearby, and tries to figure out who’s stealing from her garden.
For anyone who’s read “Life Ceremony” by Sayaka Murata, this book is comparable and I’d recommend it.
Thanks to Carmella Grudova, Unnamed Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
A fantastic anthology of the most bizarre tales! If you appreciate the unsettling and the peculiar, you'll find each of these short stories captivating. Each narrative is uniquely distinct from the others, delivering an impressive impact despite their brevity. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and highly recommend it to anyone in search of something truly different!
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-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:
Complicated
I can confidently say I have never read anything like The Coiled Serpent before and this collection of sixteen short stories embodies a vibes book where the vibes are both classy and gross. Camilla Grudova's writing is incredible with lush descriptions of all of the different horrors that occur in each story. Even when the stories do not necessarily go into stomach-churning territory, there's always something just a little bit wrong with everyone there.
The book starts off strong with Through Ceilings and Walls, where a woman ends up on a mysterious island trying to discover what’s going on there. She finds that all of the inhabitants worship The Crown, struggles to figure out the food situation and...somehow the plumbing is all…poop. It’s poop all the way down. Further into the book, in The Green Hat, we meet Angelica who works for a chemist responsible for making a particularly deadly, green poison and get to know the chemist and his motivations better as well. But perhaps my favorite story was Madame Flora's, both a tonic and a person, who restores menses in a world where women aren't allowed to eat meat or go to the bathroom in public.
If any of those tastes even begin to pique your interest, I would recommend the book - it made me literally feel sick to my stomach with the descriptions at times, but I couldn't help but keep going.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Unnamed Press for the advanced copy.
The book starts off strong with Through Ceilings and Walls, where a woman ends up on a mysterious island trying to discover what’s going on there. She finds that all of the inhabitants worship The Crown, struggles to figure out the food situation and...somehow the plumbing is all…poop. It’s poop all the way down. Further into the book, in The Green Hat, we meet Angelica who works for a chemist responsible for making a particularly deadly, green poison and get to know the chemist and his motivations better as well. But perhaps my favorite story was Madame Flora's, both a tonic and a person, who restores menses in a world where women aren't allowed to eat meat or go to the bathroom in public.
If any of those tastes even begin to pique your interest, I would recommend the book - it made me literally feel sick to my stomach with the descriptions at times, but I couldn't help but keep going.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Unnamed Press for the advanced copy.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Firstly I would love to thank to the publisher for sending me a copy for an honest review, I am very delighted to read and review this book.
This book is a collection of stories. However, I can't help saying that all of them are marvellously written and fictionalised. It was nice that some of the stories were connected within themselves. Even though I'm not a fan of reading a horror story, it still definitely managed to impress me.
This book is a collection of stories. However, I can't help saying that all of them are marvellously written and fictionalised. It was nice that some of the stories were connected within themselves. Even though I'm not a fan of reading a horror story, it still definitely managed to impress me.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I especially appreciated how creative and grotesque this collection was. It also commented on wretched poverty and misogyny really thoughtfully. Surreal and nightmarish horror throughout. However, sometimes it felt a bit too repetitive in its themes and descriptions.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bizarre, disturbing, gross - what the fuck did I just read
The Coiled Serpent is a weird collection of short stories, twisting at every turn. They sometimes left me confused as to what world and era they were set in, which made me feel incredibly uneasy (I loved it - there is a real sense of travel out of space and time). It's a 4/5 stars from me! Publishers, more of Camilla Grudova please!! Some of the stories' best parts include:
- a poem in binary, which wrapped up the whole story perfectly
- a bizarre and almost repulsive sexual theme, from descriptions of the characters' (mostly men) genitalia to the way they pleasure themselves
- a recurring cabinet of curiosities, displaying the most disgusting human beings on the planet
- the disorientation of the reader (me, lol) when confronted to unusual/insane behaviour and almost magical creatures - to quote one, a tiny man living in a cupboard, peeling oranges.
It scratched an itch in my brain I didn't know existed. More than this, what made the collection so enjoyable was the way in which the author delivers the atmosphere of the story in simple yet striking prose. Now I don't know if I was losing my mind by that point, but it felt like the stories were subtly connected, with bits I recalled from previous characters.
The only thing I think would have made the collection better is a more elevated language, especially with descriptions. Lots of 'there was', 'it was', 'they had'...etc. made the prose feel a bit heavy at points.
Read if you enjoy : American Horror Story, Tim Burton films, and Ottessa Moshfegh.
Content warning: mention of rape, sexual material, violence, miscarriage, and murder.
Thank you to The Unnamed Press for providing this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.
UK release date 8th October 2024.
The Coiled Serpent is a weird collection of short stories, twisting at every turn. They sometimes left me confused as to what world and era they were set in, which made me feel incredibly uneasy (I loved it - there is a real sense of travel out of space and time). It's a 4/5 stars from me! Publishers, more of Camilla Grudova please!! Some of the stories' best parts include:
- a poem in binary, which wrapped up the whole story perfectly
- a bizarre and almost repulsive sexual theme, from descriptions of the characters' (mostly men) genitalia to the way they pleasure themselves
- a recurring cabinet of curiosities, displaying the most disgusting human beings on the planet
- the disorientation of the reader (me, lol) when confronted to unusual/insane behaviour and almost magical creatures - to quote one, a tiny man living in a cupboard, peeling oranges.
It scratched an itch in my brain I didn't know existed. More than this, what made the collection so enjoyable was the way in which the author delivers the atmosphere of the story in simple yet striking prose. Now I don't know if I was losing my mind by that point, but it felt like the stories were subtly connected, with bits I recalled from previous characters.
The only thing I think would have made the collection better is a more elevated language, especially with descriptions. Lots of 'there was', 'it was', 'they had'...etc. made the prose feel a bit heavy at points.
Read if you enjoy : American Horror Story, Tim Burton films, and Ottessa Moshfegh.
Content warning: mention of rape, sexual material, violence, miscarriage, and murder.
Thank you to The Unnamed Press for providing this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.
UK release date 8th October 2024.
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual content, Violence
It got too gross for me, I expected weird but every story seemed to include some gross things with shit.