A review by badseedgirl
Vicki Beautiful by Somer Canon

5.0

Is it possible for a story to be splatterpunk and contain not a single drop of blood? This is the question I was forced to ask myself after reading the novella Vicki Beautiful by Somer Canon, published by Samhain Publishing. Because this novel felt like “splatterpunk” in its extreme subject matter, but for such a truly horrific novel there was almost no blood. In fact Vicki’s suicide in the beginning is the bloodiest scene in the entire novel. But in spite of its complete lack of blood, this is most definitely a horror story.

This story is not without its problems. The major one being I don’t care how good a friend (or even family member) a person was, there is no way in hell I (or any sane person) would ever consider honoring Vicki’s request. Because this premise is weak, it actually draws away from some of the horror aspects of the story.

The ending of this story was truly horrific. I am an old school horror fan, and have been indulging in the genre since I was old enough to hold a book. I also adore and enjoy the sub-genre splatterpunk, I read Jack Ketchum as a bedside book all the time. It takes a lot to phase me, but even I was turning my head in repulsion at the end. What a wonderful debut story for Somer Canon.

Thank you NetGalley and Samhain Publishing for the ARC copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.