caitlina's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
skylarkblue1's review
1.0
NSFW review for an NSFW book
Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in return for an honest review!
Trigger warnings (please take these seriously): non consentual sex, dubious consentual sex, mutilation, murder, violence, abuse, female objectification, sexism, demonising sex workers.
Do I need to say much more than the trigger warnings?
This book is just filled with "woman are just whores", basically every single sex scene is essentially non-consentual, and because its so short in the couple times when it does start to redeem itself (a female character saying something other than "haha sex" for example) it just very quickly brushes past it.
The main "romance" (despite 90% being of non or dubious consent..) is also questionable as the man is shown to be sexist and have a massive issue of saviour complex and can't help following his dick despite knowing something isn't right. If you know something isn't right and you don't think the other person is fully there mentally, whether spirit's are involved or not, don't whip your cock out!
I didn't think fifty shades could be topped as the most abusive and disturbing book in terms of sex/romance/etc. This also isn't an erotica. It's a paranormal horror book set in a brothel/strip club with prostitutes/slaves.. (?). It's got sex, but also at the same time I don't really want to count how many times the word "flesh" was used as a descriptor. The sex scenes where also all incredibly brief, only a paragraph or 2 for the most part.
I think my main thought after reading this is really, are the straights ok?
Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in return for an honest review!
Trigger warnings (please take these seriously): non consentual sex, dubious consentual sex, mutilation, murder, violence, abuse, female objectification, sexism, demonising sex workers.
Do I need to say much more than the trigger warnings?
This book is just filled with "woman are just whores", basically every single sex scene is essentially non-consentual, and because its so short in the couple times when it does start to redeem itself (a female character saying something other than "haha sex" for example) it just very quickly brushes past it.
The main "romance" (despite 90% being of non or dubious consent..) is also questionable as the man is shown to be sexist and have a massive issue of saviour complex and can't help following his dick despite knowing something isn't right. If you know something isn't right and you don't think the other person is fully there mentally, whether spirit's are involved or not, don't whip your cock out!
I didn't think fifty shades could be topped as the most abusive and disturbing book in terms of sex/romance/etc. This also isn't an erotica. It's a paranormal horror book set in a brothel/strip club with prostitutes/slaves.. (?). It's got sex, but also at the same time I don't really want to count how many times the word "flesh" was used as a descriptor. The sex scenes where also all incredibly brief, only a paragraph or 2 for the most part.
I think my main thought after reading this is really, are the straights ok?
cameronstbr's review
2.0
I received a copy of the ARC by NetGalley and IBPA in exchange for my honest review.
I wanted to enjoy this book but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. The premise seemed interesting. However, this is pitched as a horror story, but I didn’t get any of it.
I think the title and the cover are perfect. They encapsulate the story and are well done. I also thought for how short this novella is, the world building was well done.
Speaking of the length of the novella, I think this story would have been so much better as a novel. If there was more descriptive writing and dialogue between the main characters, the story could have been believable. Because of the length, there was not a lot of character development. We got a small glimpse at the characters, but it left something to be desired. I just wanted more from them. Also, the ending attempted to express a message regarding female empowerment, but I think it fell flat.
I unfortunately do not recommend this novella because there was too much confusion in the plot. Also, I found it weird that the trigger warnings were in the back of the book. I hope that was just on the ARC copy because they should be in the front and better described. Some of the actions in the book could be triggering to some, yet the warnings are too vague.
I wanted to enjoy this book but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. The premise seemed interesting. However, this is pitched as a horror story, but I didn’t get any of it.
I think the title and the cover are perfect. They encapsulate the story and are well done. I also thought for how short this novella is, the world building was well done.
Speaking of the length of the novella, I think this story would have been so much better as a novel. If there was more descriptive writing and dialogue between the main characters, the story could have been believable. Because of the length, there was not a lot of character development. We got a small glimpse at the characters, but it left something to be desired. I just wanted more from them. Also, the ending attempted to express a message regarding female empowerment, but I think it fell flat.
I unfortunately do not recommend this novella because there was too much confusion in the plot. Also, I found it weird that the trigger warnings were in the back of the book. I hope that was just on the ARC copy because they should be in the front and better described. Some of the actions in the book could be triggering to some, yet the warnings are too vague.
horrendously's review
3.0
Thank you to Brigids Gate Press, LLC and Netgalley for providing an e-arc for an honest review.
The Marionette is a horror erotica novella, that has spirits seances and prostitutes. The characters were decent, there wasn’t that much development which is okay but a bit disappointing. I mean it's a novella, I can't really expect that much development in a short 100 pages. The horror aspect was okay, I do think it could’ve been done a little differently. I enjoyed the idea of spirits possessing bodies and wanting revenge but I wish there was more to it, it personally didn’t feel like there was enough there.
The erotica aspect of the story was nice, but gory which didn’t bother me at all. { gory erotica isn’t for everyone so beware }. I do wish for a little bit more of the scenes, or at least them be longer. There was a decent amount but it feels like they were over in a few sentences. Overall the story was pretty okay and I would read another one of Antonia’s books in the future!
The Marionette is a horror erotica novella, that has spirits seances and prostitutes. The characters were decent, there wasn’t that much development which is okay but a bit disappointing. I mean it's a novella, I can't really expect that much development in a short 100 pages. The horror aspect was okay, I do think it could’ve been done a little differently. I enjoyed the idea of spirits possessing bodies and wanting revenge but I wish there was more to it, it personally didn’t feel like there was enough there.
The erotica aspect of the story was nice, but gory which didn’t bother me at all. { gory erotica isn’t for everyone so beware }. I do wish for a little bit more of the scenes, or at least them be longer. There was a decent amount but it feels like they were over in a few sentences. Overall the story was pretty okay and I would read another one of Antonia’s books in the future!
lindsaylacher's review
3.0
An interestingly haunting tale that mixes erotica and the gothic genre. While I was intrigued by the concepts, the character building fell short for me and the relationship that we as the readers are supposed to feel invested in also felt somewhat flat.
camille_catterpillar's review
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
An interesting commentary is woven in this erotic horror novella, but unfortunately (and perhaps due to the format) I found the characters lacked the depth necessary to truly attach me to the story.
dapperreads's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is an interesting take on an erotic short story. I’m not sure what I was expecting but this was definitely not it.
I’m gonna keep this review pretty minuscule as there are so few pages to it that saying too much becomes a spoiler really quick. With that in mind:
I definitely got the erotic part and the horror part. It’s obvious where both of those lie. While this isn’t scary horror, it’s definitely creepy horror and there’s plenty of it. I really did enjoy this little novella and there was considerably more crammed into it than I thought would be possible.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ebook!
I’m gonna keep this review pretty minuscule as there are so few pages to it that saying too much becomes a spoiler really quick. With that in mind:
I definitely got the erotic part and the horror part. It’s obvious where both of those lie. While this isn’t scary horror, it’s definitely creepy horror and there’s plenty of it. I really did enjoy this little novella and there was considerably more crammed into it than I thought would be possible.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ebook!
aldelapa's review
3.0
received arc of this book through NetGalley
Spiritualism meets 19th century Parisian theatre of seduction ala Moulin Rouge.
Cecelia a rising starlet in a Parisian theatre falls victim to rich man's scheme to bring back his lost love through scène. The new British man in town falls in love enraptured by Cecelia, is he the key to freeing her from the clutches of this Spiritualist conundrum or is he just a cad like all the other men? Find out in the dark and twisted novella.
Reading this is not for the faint of heart as it does tackle some dark themes including suicide, murder, occult, sex work, and possession
Spiritualism meets 19th century Parisian theatre of seduction ala Moulin Rouge.
Cecelia a rising starlet in a Parisian theatre falls victim to rich man's scheme to bring back his lost love through scène. The new British man in town falls in love enraptured by Cecelia, is he the key to freeing her from the clutches of this Spiritualist conundrum or is he just a cad like all the other men? Find out in the dark and twisted novella.
Spoiler
Reading this is not for the faint of heart as it does tackle some dark themes including suicide, murder, occult, sex work, and possession
morningcalm's review
5.0
It’s like Moulin Rouge if Satine got possessed by a horny & murderous ghost! Sitting at ~100 pages, this novella is a fast paced story about possession and revenge and the lengths a man might go to in order to save his beloved.
CW: suicide mention, violence, mutilation, dubcon
[arc review - all opinions are my own]
CW: suicide mention, violence, mutilation, dubcon
[arc review - all opinions are my own]