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3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
francesca may does it again, folks! i’ve been a fan ever since i read her debut, wild and wicked things, all the way back in 2022 when it first came out (which, by the way, if you haven’t read that already you know what you need to do). i loved the gothic, spooky, sapphic vibes of that book and i’m so happy that i got to tap into that sphere again with this new one!
first of all, i loved the worldbuilding, especially surrounding the funeral rites and mourning practices since thora was born into that world. it had the perfect balance of feeling realistic while also bringing us into a different world from our own. this is something that i feel like she’s done well with both of her works — the setting has some base in the familiarity of our own history (such as the gatsby-inspired events of her first book, or the gothic-victorian vibe going on here) while leveling up the story with magic and fantastical elements of her own. it’s so good!!
it’s hard to fully describe how i feel about thora and olea without spoiling what happens, but there’s something soooo personal to me about bloody messy poisonous sapphics. the overarching plot does get a little slow around the 75% mark or so, but when i realized what was happening toward the end it honestly made up for it. don’t go into this expecting something very fast-paced and i think you’ll be just as pleased as i was! i can’t wait to see whatever francesca may does next.
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first book by Francesca May, and I really enjoyed it!
This Vicious Hunger follows Thora, who is recently widowed, as she gets the opportunity she has been dreaming of: to study botany at the university. There, she finds Olea. A mysterious woman who tends to a locked garden at night. What starts as curiosity delves into obsession and infatuation.
The chemistry between Thora and Olea is full of longing. They both long for companionship and connection, but there are secrets and a niggling feeling that something is not quite right. I loved the imagery and setting of the book. It was written so well. The pacing was a bit slow in some places and fast in others! I was ready for the drama to begin. When it did, it was over super fast.
I can't wait for more. Thank you, NetGalley and Obit Books, for this ARC.
This Vicious Hunger follows Thora, who is recently widowed, as she gets the opportunity she has been dreaming of: to study botany at the university. There, she finds Olea. A mysterious woman who tends to a locked garden at night. What starts as curiosity delves into obsession and infatuation.
The chemistry between Thora and Olea is full of longing. They both long for companionship and connection, but there are secrets and a niggling feeling that something is not quite right. I loved the imagery and setting of the book. It was written so well. The pacing was a bit slow in some places and fast in others! I was ready for the drama to begin. When it did, it was over super fast.
I can't wait for more. Thank you, NetGalley and Obit Books, for this ARC.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you Net Galley for the arc! I was really excited about this book. I love the dark, nature related horror. Unfortunately the pacing was off for me. They lost me in the last 10 chapters because I felt like things were dragging on. I did feel this earlier on in the book, but there was enough to draw me in and keep me reading. I ended up dnfing this book at 90% because I found myself getting tired of the slow pacing and repetitive nature of the book. I would still recommend this book to a very specific audience, but it ended up being too slow for me.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May is a beautiful and intoxicating mix of historical fantasy and dark academia, with a little murder mystery, and morally gray romance. Set in an alternate Victorian-esque London where magic is infused in the proverbial soil. May crafts a world that is rich and steeped in queer longing, hidden motives and the deep rooted power of knowledge.
The story follows a FMC that is drawn into a web of family legacies, secret societies, and forbidden desires. May’s prose is lyrical, painting a moody and gloomy, gothic landscape that perfectly matches the story’s themes of ambition, deep hunger for power, love, and even identity.
At first I thought this was going to be a sort of "coming-out story"...but to my pleasant surprise, it’s a story where queerness simply is, and that feels both refreshing and.. well, normal. The character dynamics are viciously complex, especially the strained relationships and the slow unraveling of trust - there is this constant doubt glooming in the back of ones mind.
The pacing slows in a few places and some plot elements feel a bit "thick", but the emotional depth and overall world building make up for it. Fans of "The Atlas Six" will feel right at home here.
Francesca May created a gloomy and atmospheric tale that will have its roots deeply seeded in your imagination, long after its last page. Thank you to May, Orbit Books and Netgalley for this adventure!
The story follows a FMC that is drawn into a web of family legacies, secret societies, and forbidden desires. May’s prose is lyrical, painting a moody and gloomy, gothic landscape that perfectly matches the story’s themes of ambition, deep hunger for power, love, and even identity.
At first I thought this was going to be a sort of "coming-out story"...but to my pleasant surprise, it’s a story where queerness simply is, and that feels both refreshing and.. well, normal. The character dynamics are viciously complex, especially the strained relationships and the slow unraveling of trust - there is this constant doubt glooming in the back of ones mind.
The pacing slows in a few places and some plot elements feel a bit "thick", but the emotional depth and overall world building make up for it. Fans of "The Atlas Six" will feel right at home here.
Francesca May created a gloomy and atmospheric tale that will have its roots deeply seeded in your imagination, long after its last page. Thank you to May, Orbit Books and Netgalley for this adventure!
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
Quite literally toxic lesbians.
Gothic, academic, and very supportive of women's wrongs, this book had me hooked very early on. I enjoyed Francesca May's first book though with some caveats, and this book shows her growth as a writer immediately - it's beautifully written and immediately enthralling.
While this is set in a world not dissimilar from an English historical world, the key differences, such as the death rites, were laid out early on and very well-done. Beyond that, the settings came to life, especially Olea's garden.
Where this book focused - and where it shone - was the characters and their relationships between one another. It's best to go into this without knowing much so you can discover the world and discover Olea alongside Thora, but if you're not a character-driven reader, then this may be a bit frustrating for you. If you are a character-driven reader, then can I interest you in sapphics in a poison garden?
I think this would have worked a bit better as a standalone, perhaps - though if you tell me it was a standalone, then I think the ending should have been reworked slightly, so there's just no pleasing me on this matter.
Overall, a captivating and fantastic entry into what is poised to be a toxic lesbian summer.
Thank you to the publisher, Orbit, and to NetGalley for the ARC.
Gothic, academic, and very supportive of women's wrongs, this book had me hooked very early on. I enjoyed Francesca May's first book though with some caveats, and this book shows her growth as a writer immediately - it's beautifully written and immediately enthralling.
While this is set in a world not dissimilar from an English historical world, the key differences, such as the death rites, were laid out early on and very well-done. Beyond that, the settings came to life, especially Olea's garden.
Where this book focused - and where it shone - was the characters and their relationships between one another. It's best to go into this without knowing much so you can discover the world and discover Olea alongside Thora, but if you're not a character-driven reader, then this may be a bit frustrating for you. If you are a character-driven reader, then can I interest you in sapphics in a poison garden?
I think this would have worked a bit better as a standalone, perhaps - though if you tell me it was a standalone, then I think the ending should have been reworked slightly, so there's just no pleasing me on this matter.
Overall, a captivating and fantastic entry into what is poised to be a toxic lesbian summer.
Thank you to the publisher, Orbit, and to NetGalley for the ARC.
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
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes