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akizato's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I liked the overarching exploration of gender and living with invisible disability but man the pacing really ruined this for me. We spend pages upon pages of the main character waxing lyrical on various topics (the female presentation stuff felt very early 2000s feminism) while doing the same thing over and over, and then at the last minute they get beaten to near death for some unexplained reason, spend a millisecond recovering, and then, after a sex scene that is as close to rape as it can get without being there, the main character is murdered by their assailant. The queer allegory character goes cruising and gets assaulted and then murdered. What was the point? I get that it's horror and that doesn't usually have a happy ending, but this went literally nowhere. The character didn't grow or change, and the ending didn't seem particularly earned after the drudgery of what came before. I put up with a heavier amount of gore and sex scenes that were basically also gore in how viscerally they were described, and for what??
This felt like a first draft that could do with some expansion to explore the more interesting parts.
I will praise the translation though, which is part of the reason it even gets 2 stars. Representing the exhaustion and alien-ness with the font getting all weird was really well done, it's a really good translation!
This felt like a first draft that could do with some expansion to explore the more interesting parts.
I will praise the translation though, which is part of the reason it even gets 2 stars. Representing the exhaustion and alien-ness with the font getting all weird was really well done, it's a really good translation!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, and Hate crime
Minor: Excrement and Sexual harassment
messymimms's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
“Have you gotten the gist of what I look like? I am a being that always requires friendly explanation. If I do not explain, no one understands me. […] You are the default life form. You are the centre of the universe. It must be so0O0o0O0o0O0o nice.”
This was an oddly fun and grotesque book, which I felt peaked pretty early on.
The main character goes on a lot of tangents, some of which are funny, poignant or philosophical. Many just didn’t hit for me, and as a result it ended feeling a bit disjointed.
The concept of an alien struggling with earth gravity and relying on the bodies of strangers to survive was evocative, and the parallels with themes of queer and trans belonging felt obvious and important. I only wish there had been more about disability.
Something that took me aback was a fat woman being described as a rhinoceros, and then an elephant. For a creature who critically analyses Earth beauty standards, that seemed a strange choice. The portrayal was sloppy; fatphobic and boring. I’m not sure a 340kg alien covered in hair (nor their author) is one to judge.
This was an oddly fun and grotesque book, which I felt peaked pretty early on.
The main character goes on a lot of tangents, some of which are funny, poignant or philosophical. Many just didn’t hit for me, and as a result it ended feeling a bit disjointed.
The concept of an alien struggling with earth gravity and relying on the bodies of strangers to survive was evocative, and the parallels with themes of queer and trans belonging felt obvious and important. I only wish there had been more about disability.
Something that took me aback was a fat woman being described as a rhinoceros, and then an elephant. For a creature who critically analyses Earth beauty standards, that seemed a strange choice. The portrayal was sloppy; fatphobic and boring. I’m not sure a 340kg alien covered in hair (nor their author) is one to judge.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
buying this in print both because it was lovely and because my ereader did not do the art justice!
wow! what can i say. such a fresh premise, the narrative voice was so refreshing, i don’t think I’ve ever read a book anything like this. if you have, PLEASE recommend! favorite book this year i think
unapologetically queer and making very interesting points about who this world is designed for both physically and in a more abstract sense. definitely graphic and gory but that takes a surprising backseat to the emotions of the main char. idk this book was just great and a lovely opener for Halloween month.
wow! what can i say. such a fresh premise, the narrative voice was so refreshing, i don’t think I’ve ever read a book anything like this. if you have, PLEASE recommend! favorite book this year i think
unapologetically queer and making very interesting points about who this world is designed for both physically and in a more abstract sense. definitely graphic and gory but that takes a surprising backseat to the emotions of the main char. idk this book was just great and a lovely opener for Halloween month.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Hate crime, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, Excrement, and Injury/Injury detail
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