Reviews

Hexis by Charlene Elsby

vengefuldime's review against another edition

This was an impulse buy, so I went into this with just the cover and the short excerpt on the back (which I was very intrigued by). The book skips around several different times in the protagonist’s life, showing her obsession with an ex and the harm he had caused her. There is much sexual violence, social conflict, and repetitious death. The stream of conscious style is definitely what made the book stand out, but it did go on and on for me. I don’t regret reading it, but it would have ended on a higher note for me had I stopped reading about halfway through instead.

greyreads's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I get what the author was going for but barring a few moments, it didn't do it for me. Might be worth revisiting in a few years.

cybrgloss's review against another edition

4.0

felt like being confronted with the worst parts of my psyche but in the best way

redfigure's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nelli_lakatos's review against another edition

2.0

Unfortunately I didn't like this book. I don't liked the writing style, it was really confusing sometimes. I was bored when read this book, I just finished it because it was short.
I ended up giving two stars but just because it have some scenes what I liked.

booksofgloom's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

misterkyle1901's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

radicalrachelreads's review against another edition

5.0

How was I to know I needed some philosophical horror in my life? Maybe I did know and that’s why I bought the Hexis ebook after some man on Facebook mentioned he’d be reading it soon. This January is “ladies first” for me. My whole month’s reading list will be books of horror by women. If the authors are indie authors, even better. Why wait when this book meets all the criteria, I thought. I dove right in as soon as I bought it and could not put it down. I read through the night - highlighting my way through this glorious gem of a book. I was perplexed. I was enlightened. I was amused. I was disgusted. I was mesmerized.
It’s nearly dawn as I write this review because I had to get it out. I need a book club discussion for this book! It’s like nothing I’ve read before. This book will be occupying my headspace for quite some time.

tales_of_a_succubus's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

3.75

What's it about? 
Best described as a stream of consciousness, a woman runs into the same man (or maybe multiple) again and again, visualizing how she will murder him. 

Sex and murder are the name of the game in this novella. It explores some of the honest truths women have and is done in a sometimes humorous, sometimes terrifying way. It's dark. We never do learn her name or who the man is. It's mainly a narrative, if anything but a fucked one. It's like being in a scattered brain that is clearly struggling with her mental health. It almost reminds me of a character study, and it is a fascinating one at that. We never really know what happens...was it all in her head? Did she actually murder someone? Did the man only die one of these times and are we left to figure out which time it was? 

Going into this blind may be the best way to do it. I wouldn't do too much research, enjoy the ride. 

This is a smart, philosophical book. I loved the physics references. It made me wonder what her particular job was at times, although the details were never revealed. This won't be for everyone but...try it out. You don't need to understand everything. It's a twisted mindfuck and sometimes that's what the doctor called in. 

There were moments that I had a hard time processing or following along so I had to significantly  slow down my reading pace. Some moments got repetitive but I kept in mind that these are real time thoughts. This isn't a bad thing, but he aware it's not a quick read. 

I'd recommend this to: anyone who likes character studies, wants to be in a murderer's mind, and wants something different. 

spookishmommy's review

4.0

"Every girl wants to be someone else. The commonality between them is that they hate themselves."

Hexis was an EXPERIENCE unlike any other. To fully understand what I mean, you must take this journey yourself. It wasn't until after I finished that I found out Charlene Elsby is a DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY. This explains so much. Basically, she's a genius and while I found that a lot of Hexis may have gone over my head, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am eagerly awaiting more from Elsby.