You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An intoxicatingly gothic, dark academia fantasy exploring desire and the toxicity of obsession— I genuinely didn’t want to put this put down!
Firstly, I just have to say I loved Francesca May’s debut, Wild and Wicked Things so was beyond excited for the chance to read her newest release. And I’m glad to say it’s just as deliciously gothic and atmospheric! With a sapphic, Rappacini’s Daughter-edge to May’s haunting prose that burrowed under my skin and had me desperate to know how things ended.
The dark academia setting was a gothic feast for the senses too, and I was fascinated by forbidden longing, poisonous double standards and cloying sense of oppression that pervades soo much of our protagonist, Thora’s life.
A recently widowed woman, whose longing to study botany has outlasted both her father, and her husband. Thora was a complex and incredibly compelling character to explore, though not necessarily likeable in the way most MCs are.
Fuelled by her new freedoms and mentorship with the eccentric Dr. Petaccia (the only female botanist on staff and an expert in her field), Thora’s studies have given her a new sense of confidence and purpose.
But it’s her unrelenting hunger and desire for more (knowledge, power, emotional connection) and infatuation with the mysterious Olea that really got me turning the pages.
And with not one but two morally grey characters; Petaccia, the demanding, yet aloof professor, and Olea, the beautifully alluring woman bound to an unusual garden (locked from the outside)— I honestly felt like all my christmasses had come at once!
I will say, it is more of a slow burn read (so do take that into consideration), but with the prose, visceral imagery and immersive setting it’s definitely a book you’ll want to experience in all its decadent glory.
Overall, a poisonously addictive tale of ambition, desire, beauty and obsession that all gothic fantasy lovers need to consider adding to their TBRs this autumn!
Also thanks to Nazia and Orbit UK for the stunning finished copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Vomit, Death of parent
Minor: Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for a complimentary early release copy of This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May.
This Vicious Hunger is an atmospheric type of read, the gothic botanical horror elements are written in an interesting and intriguing way. I like reading the descriptions of the plants but the details of the garden and university were equally as nice. The mystery of the book had me intrigued but at the same time the pacing is very slow and sometimes nothing particularly exciting feels like it’s happening. I was interested in how things were going to play out with Olea, the way she is described as this sick mysterious garden lady is intriguing but I thought things fell a little flat. Both of the main characters Thora and Olea feel fine on their own but together they just make a bit of a toxic pair. I didn’t particularly like these characters nor did I like the romance.
I mainly stuck around to find out what was going on with this sickness of Olea’s. I feel like the book becomes a little nonsensical when Thora starts to look for this cure, I feel confused for what happened/is going on but I still found my reading experience to be somewhat enjoyable. Even though I don't really know what was going on, when the botanical horror elements really kick in my enjoyment went up. It was a slow descend to madness and the horror elements really pack a punch however I’m feeling rather displeased about the ending. Even though the book felt like it was drawing on and on after I finished reading I’m left with a “is that it?” Kind of feeling. There are so many things that feel left unresolved.
This Vicious Hunger is an atmospheric type of read, the gothic botanical horror elements are written in an interesting and intriguing way. I like reading the descriptions of the plants but the details of the garden and university were equally as nice. The mystery of the book had me intrigued but at the same time the pacing is very slow and sometimes nothing particularly exciting feels like it’s happening. I was interested in how things were going to play out with Olea, the way she is described as this sick mysterious garden lady is intriguing but I thought things fell a little flat. Both of the main characters Thora and Olea feel fine on their own but together they just make a bit of a toxic pair. I didn’t particularly like these characters nor did I like the romance.
I mainly stuck around to find out what was going on with this sickness of Olea’s. I feel like the book becomes a little nonsensical when Thora starts to look for this cure, I feel confused for what happened/is going on but I still found my reading experience to be somewhat enjoyable. Even though I don't really know what was going on, when the botanical horror elements really kick in my enjoyment went up. It was a slow descend to madness and the horror elements really pack a punch however I’m feeling rather displeased about the ending. Even though the book felt like it was drawing on and on after I finished reading I’m left with a “is that it?” Kind of feeling. There are so many things that feel left unresolved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Animal death, Eating disorder, Homophobia
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sapphic horror plant girlies. This was cute and gross, haunting and ethereal, and I really appreciated it!
I will absolutely read any other sapphic books Francesca May puts out in the future. She did a really great job of making this garden and the girls within it feel otherworldly and magical and dark and dangerous. This was a wild ride, and I was absolutely buckled in and here for it.
The only negatives were 1) the first chapters before we get to Gay Gardens, while appropriate and effective in setting the stage, were slow and harder to get into, and 2) I don't have a poor communication kink, so Olea and Thora's dynamic got on my nerves sometimes. Although, I will say, it wasn't always without reason.
And, I completely ate it up anyway. I would totally read a sequel or companion novella to this. While the ending does wrap up everything well enough, I'm still left wanting to see what happens next.
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC! My favorite ARC to date!
I will absolutely read any other sapphic books Francesca May puts out in the future. She did a really great job of making this garden and the girls within it feel otherworldly and magical and dark and dangerous. This was a wild ride, and I was absolutely buckled in and here for it.
The only negatives were 1) the first chapters before we get to Gay Gardens, while appropriate and effective in setting the stage, were slow and harder to get into, and 2) I don't have a poor communication kink, so Olea and Thora's dynamic got on my nerves sometimes. Although, I will say, it wasn't always without reason.
And, I completely ate it up anyway. I would totally read a sequel or companion novella to this. While the ending does wrap up everything well enough, I'm still left wanting to see what happens next.
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC! My favorite ARC to date!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Thank you to NetGalley, Francesca May, and Orbit Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This was such a captivating story. I was hooked from the very beginning. I had no idea where the story was going to go. But I enjoyed where it ended up. I love a book with a sapphic romance, a dark academia setting, and supporting women’s wrongs. It’s set in a time when women aren’t allowed to go to university. It shakes everything up when Thora gets to go. I will say that the ending was abrupt. I’m assuming it’s a standalone. I just wanted to know what Thora was going to do next. Overall, enjoyed this book. I would highly recommend it! Please, look up TWs.
This was such a captivating story. I was hooked from the very beginning. I had no idea where the story was going to go. But I enjoyed where it ended up. I love a book with a sapphic romance, a dark academia setting, and supporting women’s wrongs. It’s set in a time when women aren’t allowed to go to university. It shakes everything up when Thora gets to go. I will say that the ending was abrupt. I’m assuming it’s a standalone. I just wanted to know what Thora was going to do next. Overall, enjoyed this book. I would highly recommend it! Please, look up TWs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Self harm, Blood
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Hm. Mixed feelings.
This book starts out really slow, with Thora, our main character, fresh out of mourning for her dead husband (whom she didn't really love. or even like, tbh). The mourning rituals that start the book suggest an amount of worldbuilding that never really comes to anything, a gun with a big-ass "CHEKOV" written on it that never does go off. Anyway, the death of her husband provides a catalyst for Thora to go to university and study botany, in a plot point that really doesn't make sense to me (as in, how did "husband dying" equal "go to uni, where women are barely allowed to be"). Her mentor is this lady I can never remember the name of, despite having read it hundreds of times during the course of this novel. Obviously, it is immediately clear to even ME, the stupidest of readers, that the professor is the big bad evil guy. Or girl, I guess.
The beginning of this book is extremely boring. Thora goes to endless botany lectures and makes friends with a guy named Leo, who seems to be put into the story to basically show how uninterested Thora is in men. Of course, we receive our needed dose of misogyny at this university, which apparently even permeates the botany students, because boys will be boys and all. I mean, I guess? It just felt really clumsy. As in, the author seemingly only included these scenes to show how different Thora is from literally. every. other. woman. She is so special! She likes LEARNING, and she is a WOMAN??? MIND BLOWN.
I admit I zoned out during the whole botany stuff. I am notorious in my family for having the exact opposite of a green thumb, and plants never did interest me. But still, the amount of latin plant names was excessive.
After some time, Thora meets Olea, who tends to a garden of poisonous and rare plants. At first, she only wants to go into the garden, but then ... she wants Olea, too! PLOT TWIST (not really.)
The relationship between Thora and Olea was really strange. Maybe because they only talk through a gate, or because Olea never had contact with the real world outside of her strange garden, or maybe it's because Thora has no personality at all except being a woman scholar. Olea is a really strange character, and this is where the book started getting good for me. I wanted to figure out what was going on with her. I didn't give a damn about Thora, and I still don't, because she really is such a blank slate before. It's only when she meets Olea and starts trying to find a cure for Olea's curse, that she becomes stranger. She's still rude as fuck to everyone, but her character makes a big shift towards what I like to call the Hungry Woman stereotype. Essentially, all main characters in novels like these are the same and undergo the same transformation. First, they're normal, and then something happens that makes them capital-H Hungry, culminating in either literal or symbolic cannibalism. At this point, I feel almost tired of this type of character development. It was fun during the first few times I read it, but by now, it's lost its appeal. This Vicious Hunger brings nothing new to the table (wait, that was unintentional, I swear), except maybe the botany angle. I was so eager to get to the bottom of the mystery that when I found it out, I went like "wait, that's it?" Yes, that was indeed it. And it's a shame.
One thing this book does well is the ... well, the vibes. I'd say athmosphere, but that's not really the word - it's vibes, it brings amazing vibes. A lush, poisonous garden paradise. The moonlit maiden tending to her plants, and the plants caring for her in return and protecting her from those who mean to harm her. The evil professor, tenderly stroking a sentient vine. The crazed couple lusting for human blood, surrounded only by plants, forced to eat those to still the ravenous hunger and desire for blood and flesh (which is a weird description, but it's a "good" vibe - I just can't find the words to adequately describe it). This was the best part. I could basically smell those plants, even though they would have killed me instantly.
In the end, I just wish the plot had risen to the level of those vibes, or that this book has done something ... new.
Hm. Mixed feelings.
This book starts out really slow, with Thora, our main character, fresh out of mourning for her dead husband (whom she didn't really love. or even like, tbh). The mourning rituals that start the book suggest an amount of worldbuilding that never really comes to anything, a gun with a big-ass "CHEKOV" written on it that never does go off. Anyway, the death of her husband provides a catalyst for Thora to go to university and study botany, in a plot point that really doesn't make sense to me (as in, how did "husband dying" equal "go to uni, where women are barely allowed to be"). Her mentor is this lady I can never remember the name of, despite having read it hundreds of times during the course of this novel. Obviously, it is immediately clear to even ME, the stupidest of readers, that the professor is the big bad evil guy. Or girl, I guess.
The beginning of this book is extremely boring. Thora goes to endless botany lectures and makes friends with a guy named Leo, who seems to be put into the story to basically show how uninterested Thora is in men. Of course, we receive our needed dose of misogyny at this university, which apparently even permeates the botany students, because boys will be boys and all. I mean, I guess? It just felt really clumsy. As in, the author seemingly only included these scenes to show how different Thora is from literally. every. other. woman. She is so special! She likes LEARNING, and she is a WOMAN??? MIND BLOWN.
I admit I zoned out during the whole botany stuff. I am notorious in my family for having the exact opposite of a green thumb, and plants never did interest me. But still, the amount of latin plant names was excessive.
After some time, Thora meets Olea, who tends to a garden of poisonous and rare plants. At first, she only wants to go into the garden, but then ... she wants Olea, too! PLOT TWIST (not really.)
The relationship between Thora and Olea was really strange. Maybe because they only talk through a gate, or because Olea never had contact with the real world outside of her strange garden, or maybe it's because Thora has no personality at all except being a woman scholar. Olea is a really strange character, and this is where the book started getting good for me. I wanted to figure out what was going on with her. I didn't give a damn about Thora, and I still don't, because she really is such a blank slate before. It's only when she meets Olea and starts trying to find a cure for Olea's curse, that she becomes stranger. She's still rude as fuck to everyone, but her character makes a big shift towards what I like to call the Hungry Woman stereotype. Essentially, all main characters in novels like these are the same and undergo the same transformation. First, they're normal, and then something happens that makes them capital-H Hungry, culminating in either literal or symbolic cannibalism. At this point, I feel almost tired of this type of character development. It was fun during the first few times I read it, but by now, it's lost its appeal. This Vicious Hunger brings nothing new to the table (wait, that was unintentional, I swear), except maybe the botany angle. I was so eager to get to the bottom of the mystery that when I found it out, I went like "wait, that's it?" Yes, that was indeed it. And it's a shame.
One thing this book does well is the ... well, the vibes. I'd say athmosphere, but that's not really the word - it's vibes, it brings amazing vibes. A lush, poisonous garden paradise. The moonlit maiden tending to her plants, and the plants caring for her in return and protecting her from those who mean to harm her. The evil professor, tenderly stroking a sentient vine. The crazed couple lusting for human blood, surrounded only by plants, forced to eat those to still the ravenous hunger and desire for blood and flesh (which is a weird description, but it's a "good" vibe - I just can't find the words to adequately describe it). This was the best part. I could basically smell those plants, even though they would have killed me instantly.
In the end, I just wish the plot had risen to the level of those vibes, or that this book has done something ... new.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Abandonment
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read the blurb and knew this was a book I needed to read. Unfortunately it fell so flat for me that I almost DNFed it at different points. I wanted more of a gothic horror and emphasis on the "feminist" aspect, but neither of those were really prominent. It was mostly just boring and I found myself having my mind wander while reading it rather than focusing on the story itself. It seemed like there was an interesting story within, but that there just wasn't the execution to get there.
The ending build up was the only interesting part of this book and it was cut way too short for my liking. It was almost like it was trying to do too much and none of it ended up being successful. I am very disappointed that I didn't end up liking this one more than I did since it had such good blurb and premise potential.
The writing could have been stronger to really cement the tone of unsettling and realistic magic as it had hints of this but it wasn't present throughout the entire novel.
I wasn't a huge fan of the characters either - I thought they could have been much more developed and enticing for the reader to9 want to even try to connect with them. I didn't enjoy being in the head of Thora since it felt like she wasn't a solid character at all. There seemed to be a disconnect between what Thora was thinking and feeling and what she was doing with no other purpose than to advance the plot. And the other characters just felt way too one-dimensional to me.
This was a swing and a miss for me, unfortunately!!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy courtesy of Orbit Books and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
The ending build up was the only interesting part of this book and it was cut way too short for my liking. It was almost like it was trying to do too much and none of it ended up being successful. I am very disappointed that I didn't end up liking this one more than I did since it had such good blurb and premise potential.
The writing could have been stronger to really cement the tone of unsettling and realistic magic as it had hints of this but it wasn't present throughout the entire novel.
I wasn't a huge fan of the characters either - I thought they could have been much more developed and enticing for the reader to9 want to even try to connect with them. I didn't enjoy being in the head of Thora since it felt like she wasn't a solid character at all. There seemed to be a disconnect between what Thora was thinking and feeling and what she was doing with no other purpose than to advance the plot. And the other characters just felt way too one-dimensional to me.
This was a swing and a miss for me, unfortunately!!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy courtesy of Orbit Books and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Toxic friendship
Minor: Body horror, Death, Sexism, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail