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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
release date; 1 July 2025
I can see why this short story collection might not be for some people but it was a hitter for me & I cannot wait to get my grubby hands on a physical copy!
Oddbody is a collection of ten short stories touching on themes like womanhood, sexuality, fear & shame. every story gets even more bizarre but I literally could not flip the pages fast enough!
it's not just weird for the sake of being weird, each story has a metaphor underneath that makes you think. some are clear & straightforward while others you might need to read through again before they click.
the writing was so descriptive, the body horror was great & I really like how the author weaved magical realism throughout each story.
my favorites: notes on performance(this was literally so so good), pineapple, & oddbody.
if you're into weird girl fic & body horror, this is for you.
*Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review*
I can see why this short story collection might not be for some people but it was a hitter for me & I cannot wait to get my grubby hands on a physical copy!
Oddbody is a collection of ten short stories touching on themes like womanhood, sexuality, fear & shame. every story gets even more bizarre but I literally could not flip the pages fast enough!
it's not just weird for the sake of being weird, each story has a metaphor underneath that makes you think. some are clear & straightforward while others you might need to read through again before they click.
the writing was so descriptive, the body horror was great & I really like how the author weaved magical realism throughout each story.
my favorites: notes on performance(this was literally so so good), pineapple, & oddbody.
if you're into weird girl fic & body horror, this is for you.
*Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review*
challenging
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
My pick Libby e book
This was a collection of short stories. The stories were odd and disturbing. There was a lot here on death, motherhood, and being a women. I think the best story was the egg one.
This was a collection of short stories. The stories were odd and disturbing. There was a lot here on death, motherhood, and being a women. I think the best story was the egg one.
dark
emotional
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
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! This book was released in the US on July 1, 2025.
Rose Keating’s Oddbody is a strange, visceral little beast of a book—unapologetically fleshy and, at times, tender in its grotesquery. These stories exist in the liminal spaces between pain and pleasure, autonomy and distortion, shame and self-recognition. With unflinching prose that’s almost clinical in its attention to corporeal detail, Keating writes about bodies—women’s bodies, queer bodies, monstrous bodies—as sites of both horror and possibility.
Rose Keating’s Oddbody is a strange, visceral little beast of a book—unapologetically fleshy and, at times, tender in its grotesquery. These stories exist in the liminal spaces between pain and pleasure, autonomy and distortion, shame and self-recognition. With unflinching prose that’s almost clinical in its attention to corporeal detail, Keating writes about bodies—women’s bodies, queer bodies, monstrous bodies—as sites of both horror and possibility.
There are ghosts and parasites, girls sewing fur onto their bodies, and a worm-dad who rots in the bathtub. In one standout, a woman spirals into consumption—eating phones, napkins, even her sister’s face—because being “too much” is safer than being seen. In another, an artist cuts and reattaches animal parts to human skin in a perverse but oddly affirming act of self-discovery. These stories ask: What does it mean to live in a body that’s been punished for wanting? What does it cost to stay?
Keating’s language is lush and unsettling, dancing between poetic longing and blunt horror. The early stories land hardest—they’re sharp, emotionally charged, and deliciously strange. While some of the later pieces lose momentum and coherence, the overall collection still thrums with a haunting, unforgettable energy. Oddbody doesn’t offer answers. Instead, it invites you to sit with your discomfort, cradle your contradictions, and maybe—just maybe—find a kind of raw, unpretty grace in the mess.
If you’ve ever felt like your skin didn’t fit right, or like your own desire might consume you, this collection might just hold a mirror up to your monstrous little heart. It won’t make you feel safe—but it might make you feel seen.
📖 Recommended for: Fans of body horror with a feminist bent, messy protagonists, and stories that feel like peeling a scab you shouldn’t touch.
🔑 Key Themes: Body and Transformation, Shame and Desire, Monstrosity and Liberation, Feminism and Becoming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gore, Murder
Minor: Animal death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism
dark
mysterious
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
This short story collection of “weird girl” horror fiction was a fun book to finish on the plane while feeling jet lagged, sick, and like I want to bite everyone’s heads off.
Giving this one a 4 star for now but might change my mind later if I want to up it to 5. I gotta chew on these stories (ha ha get it theyre about bodies and eating and stuff ok I’ll let myself out). Will describe and share thoughts on each story later.
Giving this one a 4 star for now but might change my mind later if I want to up it to 5. I gotta chew on these stories (ha ha get it theyre about bodies and eating and stuff ok I’ll let myself out). Will describe and share thoughts on each story later.
dark
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
gross 🤢 🤮