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alex_wordweaver's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
My wife couldn't finish it, but thought I would like it, and I loved it. Didn't finish it in one day because was driving on the back roads and kept thinking the driver was going to send us over the edge, so had to take some time to drive myself. (The book also lists the trigger warnings associated with the stories, which is thoughtful of them, and handy.)
reedreads4's review
4.0
A mix of short stories and poetry about losing bodily autonomy and its horrors. Each one blends this theme masterfully with the politics and messages it wants to get across. Pick this up! Additionally, profits go to NARAL Pro-Choice America
kieryn_bain's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
mh_doma's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
3.5
Anthologies can be hard sells for me, but I really enjoyed this one. “The Rabbits That Make Us Wolves” by Bri Crozier and “Time’s Torn Seam” by A. J. Van Belle were especially phenomenal. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from these authors as well as from this publishing company in the future!
bozzi1's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
There wasn’t a story or poem here that I didn’t like. Some resonated more with me than others, and some I wanted to see more from, but overall it’s a powerful collection about one of the biggest issues people, particularly people with uteruses, face.
mfrisk's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was a great read - short story collections can be hit or miss but I would say this one rises above the rest for me. All of the short stories and poems were chilling in their discussion of bodily autonomy, fear, body politics, and I felt like the stories all had a good balance where the ideas and information they were trying to convey didn’t feel forced. This is a gory horrific read and all trigger warnings for individual stories are listed at the end of the book. Highly recommend this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Violence, Medical content, Animal death, Deadnaming, Body horror, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Self harm, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Abortion, Gore, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, and Blood
davemusson85's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
Published in response to the overturning of Roe vs Wade in the US last year, this is a powerful and timely collection of horror stories about body autonomy that is well worth checking out.
While not every tale here did it for me, I enjoyed plenty of them. Stephanie Rabig’s There Is No Subtlety, Only Rage was a supernatural revenge story that was on the nose but very strong, The Magician On His Deathbed by J M Sedlock was a highly original story of losing control of your body, and Anne Gresham’s Pre-Baby Bodies was a creepy look at postnatal psychosis that was full of scarily accurate depictions of life as a new parent and was probably my favourite of the bunch. Oh, and Feed Us by Zack Zagranis was nasty in the best kind of way.
Nestled along the stories are poems, a couple of which caught my eye - namely Kelly Brocklehurst’s Womb and the final verse of Marsheila Rockwell’s Child Bride, which was all kinds of ‘woah’.
This collection is being used to raise funds for charity, so is worth supporting for that reason alone. But the stories and the cover art are both great too, so you should definitely give it a try!
While not every tale here did it for me, I enjoyed plenty of them. Stephanie Rabig’s There Is No Subtlety, Only Rage was a supernatural revenge story that was on the nose but very strong, The Magician On His Deathbed by J M Sedlock was a highly original story of losing control of your body, and Anne Gresham’s Pre-Baby Bodies was a creepy look at postnatal psychosis that was full of scarily accurate depictions of life as a new parent and was probably my favourite of the bunch. Oh, and Feed Us by Zack Zagranis was nasty in the best kind of way.
Nestled along the stories are poems, a couple of which caught my eye - namely Kelly Brocklehurst’s Womb and the final verse of Marsheila Rockwell’s Child Bride, which was all kinds of ‘woah’.
This collection is being used to raise funds for charity, so is worth supporting for that reason alone. But the stories and the cover art are both great too, so you should definitely give it a try!
serenity_'s review
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This is an excellent anthology that explores the loss of bodily autonomy through horror. It is a mix of short stories and poetry. The settings of the stories range from taking place in our world after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade to futuristic technologically advanced societies, and everywhere around and in between. Some stories center reproductive health, while others do not. Overall, it is a wonderful collection that delivers on the horror and political commentary for a very satisfying read.