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mar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
literally had to come back and up my rating after a couple of days bc i cant stop thinking about this book. i want what they have
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Child death, Medical content, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Body horror, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Animal death and Miscarriage
obscurepages's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Read for Trans Rights Readathon! 🏳️⚧️ (Buddy read with Sap/citrus_seasalt 💜)
I'm not going to forget about this book anytime soon 😭 What I thought was a "monstrous duo taking down a cult" story slash "a very twisted Little Mermaid retelling", turned out to be one of the most magnetic love stories I've read. How the author accomplished that in a few pages, I'll never know. But I think I'll always be in awe of it.
The writing style is dark, gritty, and poetic (even when describing gore and body horror). I absolutely loved that. I admit some of the vocabulary can be a little off-putting at times (I had to search the definition of certain words 😂). But I think the fact that the story was both unnerving and intriguing is enough for me to overlook the vocabulary.
That third part was my favorite most of all. I was holding back tears and crying, something I did not expect when I started this book! 😭 It made me see a different kind of love. A love that transcends time and evils in the world. And I was definitely moved.
Exact rating: 4.75 ⭐️
CW: blood, gore, violence, body horror, dismemberment, burning to death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Gore, and Murder
crisscrossedshelves's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Child death, Body horror, and Child abuse
ceruleanseas's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is a stunning fantasy horror novella. Khaw reimagines a version of The Little Mermaid where the prince wasn't so sweet and spins a tale, not about revenge, but about the aftermath. The mermaid (for lack of a better description or a name) leaves her husband's kingdom in ruins, accompanied by a plague doctor who is more than they seem. I adored the elegant and imaginative prose, and appreciated the complex motivation of characters who are unapologetic about their natures.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Physical abuse, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Torture, Grief, Self harm, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, and Medical content
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Rape
rookdigoo's review
4.5
Oh, how I love retellings that twist deep, deep into the lifeblood of their sources.
Prose that tastes like the other side of the coin from Andersen's. The seamless twining of The Little Mermaid and The Three Army Surgeons? Not an expected combination and I adored every dark, dripping moment of it. This isn't a "dark" retelling where the "dark" bits are played for shock value, to make you gasp, "this didn’t happen in the Disney version". It's a story that knows itself, that doesn't care what pre-conceived notions its reader brings. A fairy tale horror story of love and staying.
I'm so delighted to find a retelling of such totally different fairy tales, mixed in which a healthy helping of more pieces of folklore stitched together with nearly invisible thread.
Prose that tastes like the other side of the coin from Andersen's. The seamless twining of The Little Mermaid and The Three Army Surgeons? Not an expected combination and I adored every dark, dripping moment of it. This isn't a "dark" retelling where the "dark" bits are played for shock value, to make you gasp, "this didn’t happen in the Disney version". It's a story that knows itself, that doesn't care what pre-conceived notions its reader brings. A fairy tale horror story of love and staying.
I'm so delighted to find a retelling of such totally different fairy tales, mixed in which a healthy helping of more pieces of folklore stitched together with nearly invisible thread.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Medical content, Blood, Child death, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Miscarriage
imreallyjk's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The prose was beautifully written despite the very gruesome subject. Not for the faint of heart but perhaps for those who need to break away from humanity for a short time…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Blood, Child death, Kidnapping, Gore, Torture, Physical abuse, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Body horror, and Cannibalism
wardenred's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Myths are full of lies.
This is not one of them.
A short, quick, and lyrical read that felt to me less like a story and more like a mood. There’s a lot of body horror here, and on one hand, the way it’s all wrapped in long poetic sentences and clever similes makes it more bearable. On the other hand, the prose contains some evocative imagery that got stuck to my mind and will probably keep disturbing me for days on end.
Speaking of prose, while there are a lot of beautiful, vivid sentences here, on the whole I feel like the author overdid it a little. All those lacy figures of speech convey a mood perfectly, but sometimes obfuscate meaning and substance. And there is definitely a lot of substance here, too! I liked the horror rendition of the mermaid myth, the scary cult in taiga, the nods at numerous fairy tales, the Plague Doctor’s wry wit, and that underlying thread of how when monsters and humans co-exist, the lines blur between them and it’s no longer clear who’s the bigger monster. But I do feel that some parts of the story would have more impact if they were delivered a bit more clearly and concisely.
Still, as far as moods go, this was a beautiful one. Also, terrible and disturbing (very good for horror).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Confinement, Body horror, Child death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cannibalism
willow1113's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Confinement
kynaeus's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
An intriguing novella with a fascinating pair of protagonists in it! I didn't care much for the saints personally but the plague doctor and mermaid characters were awesome! The writer did well this entire piece, too, a great use of the full range of diction at their disposal. This reminds me of the kind of book I'd read as a kid and learn twelve new words
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Cannibalism
djbagwell's review
challenging
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, Child death, Blood, Body horror, and Gore