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A review by zoekatereads
Freakslaw by Jane Flett
4.0
Thank you Doubleday books for the arc!
3.5⭐️ rounded up
It’s the summer of ’97 in the repressed Scottish town of Pitlaw where nothing out of the ordinary really happens. The Freakslaw arrives – a travelling funfair populated by deviant queers, a contortionist witch, the most powerful fortune teller, and other architects of mayhem.
The Freakslaw folk quickly infiltrate Pitlaw’s otherwise grey world, and some of the town’s teenagers – Ruth and Derek – are seduced by the possibility of escape.
Behind the funfair façade, these newcomers are harbouring a darker revenge. Tensions rise between the locals and the intruders, and a violence that’s been dormant for centuries is about to be unleashed…
This was absolutely bonkers from start to finish. Visceral, gritty, down right disturbing at times. After a while I couldn't put it down.
Ruth and Derek's stories were interesting, I can particularly understand Ruth's feelings of being stuck and wanting to break out from the life she knows. My only complaint is that for me their arcs kind of felt unfinished/rushed at the end. The ending was generally a bit chaotic but I'm wondering if that was by design?
I've seen others make this comparison - if you enjoyed American Horror Story: Freakshow, you'll probably really like this!
For someone who doesn't read a lot of horror, I was so pleased to have enjoyed this. I look forward to reading more from this genre.
3.5⭐️ rounded up
It’s the summer of ’97 in the repressed Scottish town of Pitlaw where nothing out of the ordinary really happens. The Freakslaw arrives – a travelling funfair populated by deviant queers, a contortionist witch, the most powerful fortune teller, and other architects of mayhem.
The Freakslaw folk quickly infiltrate Pitlaw’s otherwise grey world, and some of the town’s teenagers – Ruth and Derek – are seduced by the possibility of escape.
Behind the funfair façade, these newcomers are harbouring a darker revenge. Tensions rise between the locals and the intruders, and a violence that’s been dormant for centuries is about to be unleashed…
This was absolutely bonkers from start to finish. Visceral, gritty, down right disturbing at times. After a while I couldn't put it down.
Ruth and Derek's stories were interesting, I can particularly understand Ruth's feelings of being stuck and wanting to break out from the life she knows. My only complaint is that for me their arcs kind of felt unfinished/rushed at the end. The ending was generally a bit chaotic but I'm wondering if that was by design?
I've seen others make this comparison - if you enjoyed American Horror Story: Freakshow, you'll probably really like this!
For someone who doesn't read a lot of horror, I was so pleased to have enjoyed this. I look forward to reading more from this genre.