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elliottcrow's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
thesupermassive's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Torture, and Violence
noah_loves_you's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Self harm, Torture, and Cannibalism
jefferz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The writing is typically quite readable with great visuals but then Khaw forces complex and obscure vocabulary in randomly that derails the literary flow. It's as if Khaw flipped open a thesaurus and actively tried to find the most obtuse and unheard of word to give the writing a more classical or educated flair (it doesn't). You can deduce what the random words mean by using context clues and analyzing the sentence structure of the passage, but the fact that you're able to do that just shows how out of the place the vocabulary is when the rest of the writing is straightforward and simplistic. Not only that, the writing itself suddenly drops the vague attempt at old English about 30-40 pages in which is also a welcome relief since it wasn't ever executed well yet also feels lazy and inconsistent.
In an essence, really cool concept, story and themes. Graphic violence everywhere with gothic visuals and romanticism aplenty (hope you don't mind cannibalism and kids getting murdered). Subpar overall experience unfortunately. That being said, I don't regret reading this strange yet engaging novella.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
ceruleanseas's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement, Miscarriage, Rape, and Pregnancy
melshoo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
autumnleafgirl's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Genre: Fantasy Horror
Themes: Upside down fairytales, blood and guts, ethereal in a good way
"I am a mother of monsters, better than any of my young."
The story begins with our unnamed mermaid narrator basking in the destruction of her husband's kingdom and the consumption of everyone within it. Emboldened by her escape, trapped in her mute human form, and accompanied by an enigmatic plague doctor, she sets out to begin a new chapter of her immortal life.
When they stumble upon a village of vicious children who serve dubious "saints," however, the pair gets mixed up in a gorey tale of macabre magic, attempted rebellion, and the horrific line between creation and destruction, forcing the main character to break the rules that have kept her a prisoner of her own world for so long.
It should be more than clear that this isn't "The Little Mermaid" story most of us know, or even the pessimistic myth from which it originated. Instead, Khaw has built a grim and beautiful mythology that's equal parts poetry and viscera. It's a world of fierce monsters and wanna-be gods. It's grisly and violent, but their command of language is on full display here, and even the most jarring scenes drip with a lusciousness that seems almost unfair for such bloody happenings.
My only complaint around this book - if it can even be called a complaint - is that I wish there was more of it. This novella was a quick read for me at about 90 pages in the ebook version. Khaw does an immense amount with such small real estate, but I would have been more than thrilled to be carried further along on the protagonist's journey through this terrifying, gorgeous world. Which I guess is a long way of saying yes, it really is that good.
For fans of: Admittedly this is my first book by Khaw, so I can't describe where it ranks amongst their prolific work (something I'll be changing in the very near future), but I would happily recommend this book to horror fantasy fans looking for something that feels similar to but is more bloody than Leigh Bardugo's "The Language of Thorns" story collection. Fans of the more supernatural elements of Christopher Buehlman's "Between Two Fires" will appreciate the lushly decrepit world that Khaw has created. I even think that particularly strong-stomached fans of female characters reclaiming their narratives - such as Madeline Miller's "Circe" - may also find themselves satisfied by how Khaw marries mythology and pure rage into a gem of a novella... If they can live with a little eyeball eating.
The verdict: This book is a horror fantasy fan's favorite dessert - it's deliciously rich, complex in all the right ways, and mournfully over before you're ready for it to be. I was intrigued, disgusted, in love, filled with righteous fury, and heartbroken over and over again in 90 pages - an unexpected triumph that few authors could pull off with such grace as Khaw.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for sending an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
erynlasbelin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury