gothichues's review against another edition
3.0
it should've been better if it were even shorter, in my opinion. i didn't really care about the romance and i came for the horror aspect of it but even that didn't really deliver. overall, it's alright, just not my thing.
itcamefromthepage's review
dark
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
This book absolutely rocks.
See my full review/chat here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lcet2E4uV0
See my full review/chat here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lcet2E4uV0
flexmentallo's review
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Reminiscent of Junji Ito in the way it works through what you think the premise will be very quickly only to launch the story in a bigger, weirder direction as quickly as possible. I don't think it totally works, but I loved the way Hailey Piper queered body horror here.
nicksenior's review against another edition
5.0
Some books know what you want it to be and cackle as it twists the knife deeper into the reader's heart. So many times this book could've become more horrific, more romantic, more sarcastic, or more intense, and wisely, Piper steered the ship only where Magenta wants to take you. I flew through this short novel, but its themes of body autonomy, self-acceptance, and power will resonate for a long time. This is less body horror and more soul horror, in the best way.
cupidcove's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
There were elements of this book, mainly the criticism of the medical industry and experimentation on people, that were very interesting, but the pacing of the book and failure to adequately develop the relationships within them brought down the quality of those explorations. My biggest issue with this book was that the relationship between Yaya and Doc developed too quickly for the actions they take for each other later on in the book. It took away from the overall quality of the other aspects of the book. Overall, this is a fun, gory story that has a surprising amount of depth, but I think there definitely could have been some things done differently.
bozzi1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Vaginas and teeth and tentacles, oh my! Hailey Piper gives a whole new take on “my body, my choice” and I am here for it🙌
I don’t want to give much away about this one, because I really think experiencing it without any preconceived ideas is the best way to go. I can say it has something for almost everyone-it’s horror with heart (as in literal romance) and laughs, but most importantly, the message it’s anchored on is felt throughout. Women, especially queer women, have a voice in this story and that’s such a beautiful thing. Highly recommend the audiobook as the narrator does an excellent job.
A lot of people in the indie horror community are already familiar with Piper because of her prior short stories. I’m late to the boat on this one, but I’ll be looking for EVERYTHING she’s written now💜
jamiedark10's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
rchll's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0