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A review by horrorbutch
The Scales of Seduction by Rien Gray
adventurous
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
5.0
A really interesting retelling of Greek myth, following the last living Basilisk Petra, hiding in her human form to survive as the last of her kind. After being granted surgical intervention by followers of the goddess Cybele to make her body her own, she sets out on a quest to reclaim Perseus’ armaments from his grave in Medusa’s lair. Unlike Perseus’ however, she has no interest in harming Medusa to please the Gods.
I really liked both the journey to get to Medusa’s lair and the erotic parts that happened afterwards. The writing was poetic and lush and I felt transported into the world during Petra’s journey and I found it very interesting to read about the arduous path she traversed to finally encounter Medusa. The erotica afterwards was simply delicious, and with a big focus on reclaiming your body (both from past sexual violence in Medusa’s case and from the fear of being different and othered as a trans woman and a basilisk in Petra’s case). If you like your erotica dark, yet touching, brutal, yet tender and featuring some gorey body modifications as healing and reclamation of yourself I can just recommend this short novella to you! I also really liked how incredibly detailed Petra’s character and backstory was. If the author ever decides to write more with her as a main character, I would love to read it. I also really enjoyed getting to read Medusa's story interpreted as about a traumatized lesbian reclaiming her sexuality, that was beautiful.
The ending is a bit abrupt and I think if it had been a bit longer, it could have been more satisfying still, but all in all I really enjoyed reading this story and especially loved to see some trans butch rep in lesbian erotica!
TW: body horror, body modification (both willingly and for gender euphoria and self-inflicted but viewed as mutilation as a protective measure), dysphoria, gore, injury, lesbophobia (minor), self injury, past sexual assault, past suicide and suicidality, transmisogyny (minor), trauma around fertility and infertility
I really liked both the journey to get to Medusa’s lair and the erotic parts that happened afterwards. The writing was poetic and lush and I felt transported into the world during Petra’s journey and I found it very interesting to read about the arduous path she traversed to finally encounter Medusa. The erotica afterwards was simply delicious, and with a big focus on reclaiming your body (both from past sexual violence in Medusa’s case and from the fear of being different and othered as a trans woman and a basilisk in Petra’s case). If you like your erotica dark, yet touching, brutal, yet tender and featuring some gorey body modifications as healing and reclamation of yourself I can just recommend this short novella to you! I also really liked how incredibly detailed Petra’s character and backstory was. If the author ever decides to write more with her as a main character, I would love to read it. I also really enjoyed getting to read Medusa's story interpreted as about a traumatized lesbian reclaiming her sexuality, that was beautiful.
The ending is a bit abrupt and I think if it had been a bit longer, it could have been more satisfying still, but all in all I really enjoyed reading this story and especially loved to see some trans butch rep in lesbian erotica!
TW: body horror, body modification (both willingly and for gender euphoria and self-inflicted but viewed as mutilation as a protective measure), dysphoria, gore, injury, lesbophobia (minor), self injury, past sexual assault, past suicide and suicidality, transmisogyny (minor), trauma around fertility and infertility