titannineteen 's review for:

Someone You Can Build a Nest In (B&N Exclusive Edition) by John Wiswell

3.75

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious 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: Yes

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I picked this one up because it recently won a Nebula Award and it also is one of the finalists for the Hugo Award this year. The idea of a cozy horror seems like an oxymoron but it actually worked quite well in this book. The premise of the book is that Shesheshen is a shapeshifting monster that can appear human and when she wakes from her slumber she finds monster hunters trying to kill her. She is injured after this attack and is saved by a woman named Homily who has a sweet disposition but is also part of the family that has been trying to hunt Shesheshen down for decades. Shesheshen falls in love with Homily and has to hide her identity lest everyone discover she is the monster they are all hunting for. 

While this book is about a monster and there is a lot of death and gore, the story is focused more on the relationship between Shesheshen and Homily. As well as the relationship between Homily and her deranged family. Her family members all have strange names that hint at their character and personality type. Homily and Shesheshen are also ace and I liked seeing a relationship dynamic that isn’t often represented in books. Cozy books are enjoyable as I am reading them but I find that most endings do not feel super satisfying. The fantasy plot in this book is really good and has a great ending, however since it is a cozy book there is an extended ending to update you on the relationships of the characters. For me it made the book linger on a bit too long.

The writing on this one was really enjoyable and the storyline was really unique and worth a read. There is a reason it is garnering all this award attention!