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blacksphinx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It has some gruesome moments of gore and cruelty that earn it the label of horror. Nothing made me laugh or roll my eyes like the previous novella I read. And yet, I finished it not having the faintest idea what on earth a "mermaid" was in this universe. Perhaps it would have been better less as a standalone and more as a novella in a story collection taking place in the same universe?
Also, really didn't like the audiobook. It was the first time I've gotten completely lost and confused about who was speaking, which didn't help my experience.
Graphic: Child death, Cannibalism, Violence, Death, Torture, Medical trauma, Body horror, Child abuse, Blood, Medical content, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Transphobia, Vomit, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, and Domestic abuse
jessereadsthings's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Gore, Medical trauma, Torture, Body horror, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Rape
mermaidsherbet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Medical content, Child death, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Miscarriage, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
emimli's review
2.0
My biggest gripe with this book is that the ending seemed very rushed and didn’t fit with the overall atmosphere of the story. It also felt very unearned. I’m not a fan of deus-ex-machina style endings where the central conflict is solved using a completely new, previously unmentioned plot/world/character element, which is unfortunately exactly what happens here.
Additionally, from a technical standpoint, Khaw’s writing style is pretty unbearable. Her prose reads like she just discovered the synonym tool in Microsoft Word. It’s overwrought to the point of being nonsensical at times.
The love story at the centre of this book was my favourite part, but even that needed to be built up much more.
Overall, there are some cool ideas in here, but the execution was sorely lacking.
Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Medical content, Child abuse, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Animal death, Confinement, Kidnapping, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Torture
autumnleafgirl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Genre: Fantasy Horror
Themes: Upside down fairytales, blood and guts, ethereal in a good way
"I am a mother of monsters, better than any of my young."
The story begins with our unnamed mermaid narrator basking in the destruction of her husband's kingdom and the consumption of everyone within it. Emboldened by her escape, trapped in her mute human form, and accompanied by an enigmatic plague doctor, she sets out to begin a new chapter of her immortal life.
When they stumble upon a village of vicious children who serve dubious "saints," however, the pair gets mixed up in a gorey tale of macabre magic, attempted rebellion, and the horrific line between creation and destruction, forcing the main character to break the rules that have kept her a prisoner of her own world for so long.
It should be more than clear that this isn't "The Little Mermaid" story most of us know, or even the pessimistic myth from which it originated. Instead, Khaw has built a grim and beautiful mythology that's equal parts poetry and viscera. It's a world of fierce monsters and wanna-be gods. It's grisly and violent, but their command of language is on full display here, and even the most jarring scenes drip with a lusciousness that seems almost unfair for such bloody happenings.
My only complaint around this book - if it can even be called a complaint - is that I wish there was more of it. This novella was a quick read for me at about 90 pages in the ebook version. Khaw does an immense amount with such small real estate, but I would have been more than thrilled to be carried further along on the protagonist's journey through this terrifying, gorgeous world. Which I guess is a long way of saying yes, it really is that good.
For fans of: Admittedly this is my first book by Khaw, so I can't describe where it ranks amongst their prolific work (something I'll be changing in the very near future), but I would happily recommend this book to horror fantasy fans looking for something that feels similar to but is more bloody than Leigh Bardugo's "The Language of Thorns" story collection. Fans of the more supernatural elements of Christopher Buehlman's "Between Two Fires" will appreciate the lushly decrepit world that Khaw has created. I even think that particularly strong-stomached fans of female characters reclaiming their narratives - such as Madeline Miller's "Circe" - may also find themselves satisfied by how Khaw marries mythology and pure rage into a gem of a novella... If they can live with a little eyeball eating.
The verdict: This book is a horror fantasy fan's favorite dessert - it's deliciously rich, complex in all the right ways, and mournfully over before you're ready for it to be. I was intrigued, disgusted, in love, filled with righteous fury, and heartbroken over and over again in 90 pages - an unexpected triumph that few authors could pull off with such grace as Khaw.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for sending an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Self harm, and Torture
erynlasbelin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Cannibalism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Torture
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Genocide, Vomit, and Excrement