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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
(4.5) ((via audiobook))
I was pleasantly surprised by this read! i had previously read another book by khaw and was unimpressed. this book pivots in the exact opposite direction. it is odd and lyrical while delivering on intense scenes of gruesome imagery. this book is a short read and i recommend if you are looking for something just plain weird.
my only detraction was the fact that i found the actual plot a bit hodgepodge- these two main characters who are VERY interesting just seem to stumble into a scenario a bit unfitting. the plot was engaging, it just seemed a little bit off.
I was pleasantly surprised by this read! i had previously read another book by khaw and was unimpressed. this book pivots in the exact opposite direction. it is odd and lyrical while delivering on intense scenes of gruesome imagery. this book is a short read and i recommend if you are looking for something just plain weird.
my only detraction was the fact that i found the actual plot a bit hodgepodge- these two main characters who are VERY interesting just seem to stumble into a scenario a bit unfitting. the plot was engaging, it just seemed a little bit off.
challenging
dark
fast-paced
I did not enjoy this.
The first chapter had promise, but it felt like the author was chewing my food for me by over-emphasizing the same 3 characterizations over and over in a way that felt designed to make this book super aesthetically quotable and didn't add at all to the narrative for me.
The first chapter had promise, but it felt like the author was chewing my food for me by over-emphasizing the same 3 characterizations over and over in a way that felt designed to make this book super aesthetically quotable and didn't add at all to the narrative for me.
fast-paced
loved this delicious little story!!!!!! creepy and vivid and descriptive. so good
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“It is this desire, perhaps, that drives so many to seek spouses among the inhuman and the immortal. Valkyries who cloak themselves in swan feathers. Long-throated crane wives, foreheads slashed with scarlet. Fox girls with bloody mouths and carnivore grins. Dryads, fairy women, the huldra with spines of gnarled bark. And mermaids, of course, hunger and glimmering scales, like nothing the air might ever produce and nothing the land could hope to keep.”
First published: 12/05/23
Genre: Horror, fairytale retelling
Page count: 113
Series: N/A
Format read: 📖
Others read by this author: Nothing But Blackened Teeth
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A short but memorable novella retelling the story of The Little Mermaid. Khaw’s writing is incredibly lyrical, oftentimes more poetry than prose. It makes for a strange reading experience, as you’re often pulled from the narrative by the inclusion of an unfamiliar word or phrase, & can sometimes feel more like a creative writing exercise than a story. Despite this, it is beautiful, visceral, monstrous; poetry dripping with blood & gore, lines that took my breath away & left me haunted by ghosts with razor sharp teeth.
First published: 12/05/23
Genre: Horror, fairytale retelling
Page count: 113
Series: N/A
Format read: 📖
Others read by this author: Nothing But Blackened Teeth
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A short but memorable novella retelling the story of The Little Mermaid. Khaw’s writing is incredibly lyrical, oftentimes more poetry than prose. It makes for a strange reading experience, as you’re often pulled from the narrative by the inclusion of an unfamiliar word or phrase, & can sometimes feel more like a creative writing exercise than a story. Despite this, it is beautiful, visceral, monstrous; poetry dripping with blood & gore, lines that took my breath away & left me haunted by ghosts with razor sharp teeth.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Truly gross. But that was clearly the goal so not a knock against the story. My biggest problem was with the prose. It felt more extravagant than necessary and veered much too purple for my taste. A lot of ground had to be covered in this short page count and at times it felt like unusual words were just peppered onto the page to create stumbling blocks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Confinement, Grief
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love the story but the writing was a bit thick at times. Over all had a good time. Made me tear up at the end, always a good sign.