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anna_hepworth 's review for:
My Throat an Open Grave
by Tori Bovalino
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Complex subtle horror, some of which comes from how steeped the viewpoint character is in a toxic and psychologically abusive culture. Interrogates a number of tropes about the cultures that live alongside humans -- it is strongly implied that this is the fae, but it is so much more complex than that.
It is obvious early on that Leah is an unreliable narrator -- they tell the reader that, that there are things they can't bring themself to speak or think about. And those silences are critical to the story (some of them are implied so heavily that I was concerned that the truth would be so much nastier than it was)
I'd say that more than being a reworking of fairy tales, this is a reworking of Labyrinth, starting from the same point, of the teenaged sibling wishing to not deal with babysitting. But it is so much darker.
It is obvious early on that Leah is an unreliable narrator -- they tell the reader that, that there are things they can't bring themself to speak or think about. And those silences are critical to the story (some of them are implied so heavily that I was concerned that the truth would be so much nastier than it was)
I'd say that more than being a reworking of fairy tales, this is a reworking of Labyrinth, starting from the same point, of the teenaged sibling wishing to not deal with babysitting. But it is so much darker.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Religious bigotry, Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Vomit, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol