Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Absurd and uncanny collection of body horror stories
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
fast-paced
This was a pretty solid set of short stories. I found it to be quite accessible in its metaphors, but not to the point that it felt overexplained. Unfortunately, the two stories that resonated with me least were the final two stories, so I was left with a bit to think about while rating this as those two stories were obviously most recent in my head. I think that 4 stars is a fair rating, though! I really enjoyed the very first story, Oddbody, and thought it set me up with some solid expectations for the rest of the book. I enjoy body horror and just general oddities in my books, so this one was certainly a worthwhile read for me.
Thank you to Rose Keating and Simon & Schuster for sending me a physical ARC as a giveaway prize! I am happy that I was able to read this one!
Thank you to Rose Keating and Simon & Schuster for sending me a physical ARC as a giveaway prize! I am happy that I was able to read this one!
Thank you Simon & Schuster #SimonBooksBuddy for the gifted copy.
I honestly have no idea how to rate and review a collection of short stories. This weird girl lit was definitely outside of my comfort zone.
I honestly have no idea how to rate and review a collection of short stories. This weird girl lit was definitely outside of my comfort zone.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I seem to be coming across a lot of female-authored horror short story collections recently, and I can't say that I'm sorry about that. This was another great read. It's impressive that this is Keating's debut - it reads fluently and the prose feels purposeful and well thought out - no wasted words. I didn't expect, though, to find myself getting sad as I did in places - the descriptions of animal cruelty were quite distressing. Overall, though, an excellent collection which I hope finds a great readership.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide, Vomit
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Um, no, yeah, I love spending time on books that are just not good, totally.
First of all, the writing style. I get that this is a debut, but if I had to go through 10 more pages of "She stood. She sat. She twirled." I would be ending my reading career. Short sentences with little detail play a role, when they are used correctly. When they are used all the time because "everything just moves so quick" the story becomes a list and that's not a compliment.
You can go on and on about the feminist message of the book and all of the metaphors, but that doesn't matter even a little bit, when we are presented with the same story over and over again, where a woman experiences body horror, is straight forward with a man and he leaves her. Like, I love chocolate covered candy, but when I buy a variety box, I would prefer to see some variety.
This wasn't written well and I hope that the author continues to grow with their writing style in future works.
First of all, the writing style. I get that this is a debut, but if I had to go through 10 more pages of "She stood. She sat. She twirled." I would be ending my reading career. Short sentences with little detail play a role, when they are used correctly. When they are used all the time because "everything just moves so quick" the story becomes a list and that's not a compliment.
You can go on and on about the feminist message of the book and all of the metaphors, but that doesn't matter even a little bit, when we are presented with the same story over and over again, where a woman experiences body horror, is straight forward with a man and he leaves her. Like, I love chocolate covered candy, but when I buy a variety box, I would prefer to see some variety.
This wasn't written well and I hope that the author continues to grow with their writing style in future works.
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail