kienn_reads's reviews
68 reviews

Flesh and Bone by Arden Powell

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

far out in the canadian wild west. two cowboys. marshall and everett. frequently and secretly fond of each other. except everett is being eaten alive by the hunger inside him.

also a monster is chasing them. some hungry devil.

this novella is short but it sure is a ride.

if you're looking for queer horror, yearning, corruption, and monsters, this is it.
follow everett as he's consumed by the guilt of doing something he shouldn't have with marshall.

the prose and body horror is raw and grotesque. makes the words spin before you until you see red. stomach churning and mind numbing. you will feel just as feverish as everett is.

this is horror. they are cowboys fighting to survive. the romance isn't soft or fluffy, it's gritty, painful, gut wrenching. teeth clenched. guts and gore. queer horror and guilt and internalized homophobia. sickness, grief, terror. the only time they have to breathe is when they have blood in their lungs. they can't get close to each other, and that's the point. the moments they share are poignant. yearning. the softness hides under a layer of grime and guilt. it's built upon the subdued affection and tension of everett's slow corruption. marshall can only watch the horrifying tragedy as it unfolds. ease the pain a little. come to terms with it all.

the ending was shattering. it all melts away.

loved it.

excerpt, pg 14/58
"You think we got the devil after us because of what we did?"

Marshall shook his head and kept cleaning the wound. His hands were shaking; Everett could feel that much. They hadn't been shaking when he'd been working them down the front of Everett's jeans. "This thing's flesh and bone, same as any other animal. This one's just sick or something. It's got a fever in its blood hot enough to boil its brain and drive it crazy, that's all."
Everett swallowed. It tasted grimy, like copper and iron. He brought the flask to his mouth again, hoping to taste Marshall's lips on it. He didn't. "Whatever it's got, you think it's catching?"
"You're already crazy."

if you're not convinced:

watching the man you've fallen for, the man whose skin you're afraid to touch, gnaw off his own arm?

hearing him choke on his own blood, begging you to help him.

shooting the breeze when you know he's gonna meet a fate worse than death. that he might take you down with him, bones and flesh and all.

and the way he looks at you.

cannibalistic desire. queer yearning and the need to consume you. turning him into a monster.

the horror is in his corruption and the hand you have in it. because as he slips away into something animalistic you might have to put him down.

Content warnings:

warnings for graphic descriptions of gore and violence, loss of limb, self-harm and self-mutilation including cannibalism, suicide ideation, animal harm to livestock, homophobia including slurs.

( Received an advanced reader copy for review. Flesh and Bone, Arden Powell, 3 26 2025. queer mm horror-romance novella, western, canadian wild west )

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Cannibalism

Moderate: Animal death, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts

Bloom Town: Exodus by Ally North

emotional hopeful

4.5

crying. found family. the ending wrapped everything up nicely. making things right. keeping hope. theyll be on my mind. and the chickens

Bloom Town: Genesis by Ally North

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

4.5

SCREAMING THE WHOLE TIME

simping so hard for joey. and. JDHEJEHEJEJEHDH

found family? so sweet. 

the tension? oh my god

religious trauma. desire. guilt

so beautifully written i sped through this one. immediately reaching for the next

Radio Apocalypse by K.M. Gallagher

4.25

post apocalyptic sapphic romance! nightvale meets kipo. loved the world, the characters, the concept. loss and longing. would love to see more of this world, the creatures within it like ghosts

The Crows by C.M. Rosens

4.25

a fun weird gothic horror! vivid characters. i loved the dynamics. a living house and plenty of elements i didnt see coming but enjoyed.

Dead Cowpokes Don't Wrangle: A Weird West Anthology by TK Jameson, Magnus Thorne, Claude Hamesh, Olive J. Kelley, Rain Corbyn, Sirius, Morgan Dante, A.A. Fairview, Tyler Battaglia, Shane Reid, mars adler, Wren V. Lothaire, H.S. Wolfe

4.25

queer weird western anthology ranging from horror to spice!
a fun arrangement of stories from queer and trans authors! lovely writing and riveting

The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle by Steve Hugh Westenra

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense

4.25

TYLER YOU PUKING LITTLE LOSER!!

enjoyed this one. queer horror comedy, definitely walks the line between horror and comedy well. the characters were fun, very camp and twin peaks core. had some good chuckles, and some parts that squirm. the twist was fun, im glad it took the turns it did.

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

dark emotional

4.0

so much rage. some scenes were genuinely sickening. definitely echos alot of pain we're feeling rn. trans autistic mc, historical oppression, and resilience

Recursion by Blake Crouch

3.75

hooked by the nabokov quote, a bit off put by the romance.. not for me i suppose lol.
memory becomes time travel. dead memories. also the un declares war
just not my taste, though i feel theres alot i missed? not sure

Wild Horses by Caleb L. Ambrose

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

such a sweet cozy mm romance. small town wyoming, a farm boy and a city boy. slow burn and plenty of fluffy moments. the yearning, realization, fear. coming to terms with being queer. i just want them to be happy together