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klaartjesmits's reviews
195 reviews
The Spore Queen by Debra Castaneda
3.5
The Spore Queen is a horror novel that combines fungal, eco and cult horror with Aztec mythology and themes of family, adoption, illness and ecology. After a violent storm in Nils Forest reporter Maria Hart travels to the forest for a story but doesn't come back. When other people start disappearing as well rumours spread about a strange new fungus growing in Nils Forest...
Castaneda has a way of describing things that makes it easy to imagine them very vividly. The different kinds of fungi, the strange things happening in Nils Forest and - of course - the Spore Queen herself looked absolutely magical and terrifying in my head.
I especially loved the way fungi, spores and mycelium function as metaphors for the roots/networks between people - here starting from Maria - and between humans and the planet. This makes for a very interesting take on fungal horror, focusing on the use of mushrooms by Indigenous people, elements of Aztec mythology, brujería, ecology and more.
For me personally there were a bit too many themes and characters for the amount of pages (around 250), leaving some not fleshed out enough to connect to. While I think the combination of these different subjects with fungal horror is incredible I would have loved to see them explored more in depth. This is also the reason the ending felt too abrupt for me.
However, I definitely think you should check out The Spore Queen if you're a fan of fungal horror!
Thank you to the author, to Shadow Canyon Press and to BookSirens for the free eARC!
Content warnings: adoption, blood, body horror, disappearance of a loved one, dead bodies & body parts, death, drug use, domestic abuse (off-page), hallucinations, physical illness (Lewy body dementia & Hodgkin lymphoma), racism (anti-Mexican), teen pregnancy (off-page), violence
Castaneda has a way of describing things that makes it easy to imagine them very vividly. The different kinds of fungi, the strange things happening in Nils Forest and - of course - the Spore Queen herself looked absolutely magical and terrifying in my head.
I especially loved the way fungi, spores and mycelium function as metaphors for the roots/networks between people - here starting from Maria - and between humans and the planet. This makes for a very interesting take on fungal horror, focusing on the use of mushrooms by Indigenous people, elements of Aztec mythology, brujería, ecology and more.
For me personally there were a bit too many themes and characters for the amount of pages (around 250), leaving some not fleshed out enough to connect to. While I think the combination of these different subjects with fungal horror is incredible I would have loved to see them explored more in depth. This is also the reason the ending felt too abrupt for me.
However, I definitely think you should check out The Spore Queen if you're a fan of fungal horror!
Thank you to the author, to Shadow Canyon Press and to BookSirens for the free eARC!
Content warnings: adoption, blood, body horror, disappearance of a loved one, dead bodies & body parts, death, drug use, domestic abuse (off-page), hallucinations, physical illness (Lewy body dementia & Hodgkin lymphoma), racism (anti-Mexican), teen pregnancy (off-page), violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Chronic illness, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Pregnancy, and Domestic abuse
The Djinn's Apple by Djamila Morani
4.0
A gripping, philosophical and beautifully written YA historical mystery novella set in Baghdad in the Abbasid period. The Djinn's Apple follows Nardeen, a young girl seeking revenge for the brutal murder of her family after her father had been accused of killing the caliph's cousin.
Many different themes are explored in this relatively short book: medicine and magic, grief, justice and revenge, politics, the position of women, religious persecution, love and more. Morani has a very lyrical and philosophical writing style which often encouraged me to stand still and reflect on the different meanings behind a sentence.
I was especially captivated by the very three-dimensional protagonist and how she changes throughout the story. Because the book is less than 150 pages some other characters didn't feel fleshed out enough for me, Al-Aasefi and Suhaib in particular. I think I would have loved the story even more if it was a bit longer.
However, the shocking conclusion to the murder mystery had me at the edge of my seat and will stay with me for a long time!
Thank you to the author, to Neem Tree Press and to Edelweiss for the eARC.
Content warnings: blood, death of a sibling, death of a parent, medical procedures, misogyny, murder, physical illness, physical injury, physical violence, poisoning, religious persecution, slavery, suicidal ideation
Many different themes are explored in this relatively short book: medicine and magic, grief, justice and revenge, politics, the position of women, religious persecution, love and more. Morani has a very lyrical and philosophical writing style which often encouraged me to stand still and reflect on the different meanings behind a sentence.
I was especially captivated by the very three-dimensional protagonist and how she changes throughout the story. Because the book is less than 150 pages some other characters didn't feel fleshed out enough for me, Al-Aasefi and Suhaib in particular. I think I would have loved the story even more if it was a bit longer.
However, the shocking conclusion to the murder mystery had me at the edge of my seat and will stay with me for a long time!
Thank you to the author, to Neem Tree Press and to Edelweiss for the eARC.
Content warnings: blood, death of a sibling, death of a parent, medical procedures, misogyny, murder, physical illness, physical injury, physical violence, poisoning, religious persecution, slavery, suicidal ideation
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Slavery, Blood, and Murder