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3.15 AVERAGE
3.15 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
slow-paced
I really wanted to enjoy This Vicious Hunger. The gothic vibes, the morally gray characters, and the promise of dark academia with sapphic tension were all right up my alley. Unfortunately, it didn’t meet my expectations.
Despise the lush prose, the pacing felt sluggish, I often felt confused instead of intrigued. The worldbuilding lacked clarity, which made it hard for me to feel connected to the setting or the characters. While the central mystery seemed interesting, the slow reveal of answers and lack of excitement made it hard to stay engaged. I was waiting for a captivating moment, but it never happened.
I also struggled to connect with the main character; her motivations were unclear. Even though the story tried to be complex, it often felt unfocused.
That said, I think this book will appeal to readers who enjoy a slow burn and are okay with some ambiguity in the story. However, it just wasn’t the right fit for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Despise the lush prose, the pacing felt sluggish, I often felt confused instead of intrigued. The worldbuilding lacked clarity, which made it hard for me to feel connected to the setting or the characters. While the central mystery seemed interesting, the slow reveal of answers and lack of excitement made it hard to stay engaged. I was waiting for a captivating moment, but it never happened.
I also struggled to connect with the main character; her motivations were unclear. Even though the story tried to be complex, it often felt unfocused.
That said, I think this book will appeal to readers who enjoy a slow burn and are okay with some ambiguity in the story. However, it just wasn’t the right fit for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Another Gothic lesbian fantasy that fell flat to me. I think the prose is absolutely stunning and heart wrenching, and a bit disgusting /pos, but prose doesn’t matter if you’re not actually telling a story with it. Thora and Olea are not compelling characters. The world that they exist in is surface level at best. I think there was so much more potential to explore the rituals and traditions, the school and Thora‘s academics, even the characters existed to fill some sort of archetype instead of being developed. The plot and conversations were overly repetitive to the point that I had to check that there wasn’t an issue with my copy of the book and it felt like there really wasn’t a conclusion to the story. It just ended with no buildup or any sort of feeling of this is the end very disappointing
dark
mysterious
slow-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:
Complicated
I was intrigued to start reading this book as the description sounded unusual.
The first half of the book read quite slow but, once it started to increase the pace, it finally got interesting.
The elements of botany and dark academia drew me into the story.
I feel there were a few missed opportunities around world building and where the story was going as it is not clear where and when the book is set, and I feel this could have been explored more.
I didn’t connect much with the characters but you could see their growth throughout the book. You could really feel the passion and hunger thanks to some beautiful descriptions.
Unfortunately this book didn’t live up to my expectations, with a very anticlimactic ending which was quite disappointing.
Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this ARC.
Francesca May authors a novel that satiates a hunger for poisonous gardens, sapphic love, and the gothic diction so elaborately written you will not put this down. Soaking this novel in word for word satiates a desire that dives into the reality of first time sapphic relationships. Do we feel guilty for revoking our heteronormative appearances when we become the toxicity in sapphic narratives? I think these novel answers that question from a perspective of thirsting for something more and always needing to find more to fulfill that craving.
Such a vibrant description that really sets this fantasy apart from others. From the darkness of the garden to between the protagonist thighs – the descriptions are professionally written with eloquence and dainty precision. So much action occurs without it happening simultaneously. Take your time reading each decorated line to truly unravel the horrors of coming to terms with our desires. What is truly the hunger for knowledge or research or at the core what do we gain from it?
The cover presents an antiquated anticipation of what the garden will have the audience explore. This was an absolute must to utterly understand the deception of the human condition. The comparison of the human condition with a garden expresses the ways in which delicacies no longer manifest in our frame of mind and they then become twisted for overconsumption. This garden is beautiful but becomes deadly in the hands of too much satiation! A steamy lesbian romance with a hint of toxicity – but a well-written one at that.
The garden flowers dying are a metaphor for the grace that runs away when we forget how to ground our satiation with bits of knowledge at a time. Overconsumption takes over our thoughts, our actions, and our mental state. This narrative is a notable example of how the human condition overwhelms itself and becomes the monster in the end. Carmilla minus the vampires meets a botanist student on Dorian Gray fashion. Thank you Net Galley and Redhook for the opportunity to review this digital arc in advance.
Such a vibrant description that really sets this fantasy apart from others. From the darkness of the garden to between the protagonist thighs – the descriptions are professionally written with eloquence and dainty precision. So much action occurs without it happening simultaneously. Take your time reading each decorated line to truly unravel the horrors of coming to terms with our desires. What is truly the hunger for knowledge or research or at the core what do we gain from it?
The cover presents an antiquated anticipation of what the garden will have the audience explore. This was an absolute must to utterly understand the deception of the human condition. The comparison of the human condition with a garden expresses the ways in which delicacies no longer manifest in our frame of mind and they then become twisted for overconsumption. This garden is beautiful but becomes deadly in the hands of too much satiation! A steamy lesbian romance with a hint of toxicity – but a well-written one at that.
The garden flowers dying are a metaphor for the grace that runs away when we forget how to ground our satiation with bits of knowledge at a time. Overconsumption takes over our thoughts, our actions, and our mental state. This narrative is a notable example of how the human condition overwhelms itself and becomes the monster in the end. Carmilla minus the vampires meets a botanist student on Dorian Gray fashion. Thank you Net Galley and Redhook for the opportunity to review this digital arc in advance.
dark
tense
slow-paced
I was intrigued by plant horrid and sapphic relationship but I really didn't have a good time. I mostly was just extremely bored and hopelessly waiting for the end. None of the characters felt fully developed at all so I didn't care about any of the relationships. I was expecting more dark academia but she went to class maybe one week. I will not be reading the sequel.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
dark
reflective
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:
Yes
Naval gazing and boring. Just ... a dud. A book that is all vibes, no plot, and ends mid chapter -- reminds me of a student film.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
🌟🌟🌟½ (3.5 stars)
The world-building takes the lead early in the story, with a strong focus on scene-setting. I didn’t fall in love with it straight away, but I really enjoyed the concept and would definitely be open to reading more from this author in the future.
At times, I felt confused about where the plot was heading, but there were a few solid mic drop moments that kept me engaged and curious enough to keep going.
One standout element was the LGBTQ+ representation—it was woven into the story naturally and added depth without feeling tokenistic.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, @LittleBrownBookGroup_UK, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Read this book as an ARC. The writing was great, and descriptions were lovely. The main characters, however, weren’t very likeable, and it was difficult to root for them.