Review by chainsawmochi - Someone You Can Build a Nest In

chainsawmochi 's review for:

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

"Someone You Can Build a Nest In" is the found family, monster lover, neurodivergent novel I have needed my entire life. I loved every moment of this book, from it's all too human, shape-shifting, person eating protagonist to finding love in people who are perfectly imperfect. John Wiswell has created a masterpiece.

Shesheshen is a monster that is awoken early from her annual hibernation by pesky wyrm hunters. One thing leads to another, and she is fished out of a river by Homily. Honestly, these two characters resonated with me. Shesheshen is othered by way of being a monster; I read her character as being neurodivergent as she has difficulty with verbal language, reading people, and understanding emotion and social queues.

Homily, on the other hand, reminds me very specifically of my spouse. Loving, caring, kind, and gentle, but marred by scars of abuse, both physical and mental.

These two slowly, carefully fall in love--only for it to be revealed that Homily's family consists of people all looking to slay Shesheshen. What follows is a classic "the liar revealed" story, but done in a way that keeps it from being cliche or stale. Not to mention the numerous twists and turns the story ends up taking! Wiswell has woven a story full of emotion, love, misunderstanding, and family (good and bad), all about a monster that is all too human.

Content Warnings