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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sometimes felt a little repetitive but I enjoyed the story nonetheless! Equal measures of gory/gross and emotional. I would very much like to draw a different cover for the book though, it doesn’t do it justice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
I'm such a sucker for dying America.
If you've never grown up in a town like how this one is depicted, it may not hit as hard. But for those of us that have, it's easy to see your own friends, neighbors, and family in it.
Not enough to drop a star, but I do wish the body transformations were more fleshed out and detailed.
If you've never grown up in a town like how this one is depicted, it may not hit as hard. But for those of us that have, it's easy to see your own friends, neighbors, and family in it.
Not enough to drop a star, but I do wish the body transformations were more fleshed out and detailed.
Had to return to the library due to a hold
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
General disclaimer: this is less of a review and more of my notes so i can describe the book in the future.
The Rust Maidens is a character-focused horror/dark fantasy novel, where one of the central characters is the city itself. The main character, Phoebe, is forced to watch as her best friend becomes a Rust Maiden and leaves her
The Rust Maidens is a character-focused horror/dark fantasy novel, where one of the central characters is the city itself. The main character, Phoebe, is forced to watch as her best friend becomes a Rust Maiden and leaves her
- more melancholy than horrific
- has body horror, but wouldn't recommend it specifically as a body horror book because the MC remains unchanged
- but also, love the imagery of the body horror. I only wish I knew what it felt like to have your body turn to rush and metal and decay, not just what it looked like to others
- good portrait of a town centered around a mill that's dying (being killed)
I am going to have to noodle on this book for a while. It is an incredibly unique book, and I feel like there is a metaphor in it that I can't quite pin down.
It reminded me of The Virgin Suicides, the documentation of doomed girls from a caring and involved but invariably separate viewer, but with the added horror/fantasy element of girls turning into rust.
Very good, very different, and perhaps the most grounded in reality bit of nostalgiac fiction I've read in a while. The primary action takes place in 1980, but the time and place feels atmospheric and accurate, not kitschy or overplayed.
Recommend to fans of Grady Hendrix, The Virgin Suicides, anyone who has lived through the slow decline of a city or town, maybe also fans of The Handmaid's Tale? Creeping feminist late-stage capitalism horror is the quickest way I can think to describe it, so if that appeals to you, I recommend it to you, too!
It reminded me of The Virgin Suicides, the documentation of doomed girls from a caring and involved but invariably separate viewer, but with the added horror/fantasy element of girls turning into rust.
Very good, very different, and perhaps the most grounded in reality bit of nostalgiac fiction I've read in a while. The primary action takes place in 1980, but the time and place feels atmospheric and accurate, not kitschy or overplayed.
Recommend to fans of Grady Hendrix, The Virgin Suicides, anyone who has lived through the slow decline of a city or town, maybe also fans of The Handmaid's Tale? Creeping feminist late-stage capitalism horror is the quickest way I can think to describe it, so if that appeals to you, I recommend it to you, too!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes