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A review by inkychaotics
A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
Deeply imaginative and compelling.
When I was in college, I took a slipstream genre course where we read some of the strangest works of speculative fiction -- I think about the stories from that class all the time! A Light Most Hateful would fit in quite well with this genre of the fantastical that pushes past conventional genre boundaries. It's dreamy and odd, difficult to explain, yet also beautifully written and clearly heartfelt. It showcases Hailey Piper's untamable imagination in so many distinct ways (I adored the stained glass imagery, especially).
I admit there were a few times where I had to reread some passages and got a little lost since there was so much going on, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I could see this book as inspiration for a trippy video game -- the storylines and characters are all quite cinematic.
One of the comp books that was marketed for A Light Most Hateful was Mona Awad's brilliant novel Bunny (one of my favorite books!), and if you've read Bunny, you might end up like me and guess the twists a bit early in this novel. I kind of wish publishers would dial back on the need for comp books in every piece of marketing. I'd rather go in with just the back cover blurb and nothing else! So, that's a personal gripe really with publishers, not the book.
A bold novel with so much to offer! Piper always delivers the unexpected, and I am always here for the ride!
When I was in college, I took a slipstream genre course where we read some of the strangest works of speculative fiction -- I think about the stories from that class all the time! A Light Most Hateful would fit in quite well with this genre of the fantastical that pushes past conventional genre boundaries. It's dreamy and odd, difficult to explain, yet also beautifully written and clearly heartfelt. It showcases Hailey Piper's untamable imagination in so many distinct ways (I adored the stained glass imagery, especially).
I admit there were a few times where I had to reread some passages and got a little lost since there was so much going on, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I could see this book as inspiration for a trippy video game -- the storylines and characters are all quite cinematic.
A bold novel with so much to offer! Piper always delivers the unexpected, and I am always here for the ride!