A review by readinghoneybee
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

For a book that’s marketed as a female rage novel with lots of cannibalism, there wasn’t much female rage or cannibalism. Food critic turned psycho killer cannibal, sounds great! However, I was disappointed. With the hype surrounding it on social media, it didn’t live up to my expectations and I was expecting something more.

It starts off intriguing and I thought it’d be right up my alley with a Basic Instinct vibe straight off the bat. Dorothy, the main character, her inner monologue is repetitive and boring which made for a difficult read. I was expecting a Hannibal Lecter-esque character but I couldn’t cook any interest in her character. After page 100, everything felt the same with long descriptions, sometimes even pages, of the food she eats and the sex she has with little to none about cannibalism, which is what the book is advertised as. Too many pages about food, too many similes and metaphors, too many pages about her lusting over cocks and fucking her lovers with not enough plot to keep me engaged with the story.

The scenes including the killings and cannibalism were the best parts of the book. Each word making you cringe with horror which is exactly what you expect from a thriller novel. Some parts were good with brilliant quotes but I felt like I couldn’t appreciate them because I wasn’t enjoying it. I’m usually one for flowery language and writing styles because I love Oscar Wilde but this felt like she vomited a thesaurus on every page.

I wanted to love this book but I didn’t like the execution of the idea. Just because the cover of a book is pretty and coordinates perfectly with the dark academia aesthetic, doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy what’s inside.
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