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surefinewhatever_'s review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A short story collection that explores the complicated nature of imperfect women and girls. The first story absolutely blew me away. The following were a bit hit or miss for me, but that’s exactly how my relationship to short story collections go; I find one stand-out story, then ebb & flow through the rest. Absolutely a worthwhile read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent
hellalibrary's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This collection reminded me of the suffocating heat of summer. When you’re hot and sticky and feel like you’re moving through a fog and it’s hard to breathe. When everything has that dreamlike quality and no one is any rush to do anything. I picture someone laying in bed with the blinds closed and the ceiling fan is going but all it does is recirculate the hot air. Sweat-drenched.
I took my time with this. I would read a story and then have to sit with it because I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. And I wanted it to rain.
I’ll leave you with a couple of quotes that have stayed with me, because honestly, I still can’t form the words to describe this collection. It’s all feelings.
“She is a vampire queen. She is newly thirteen, hollowed out and filled back up with venom and dust-cloud dreams.”
“From here, her mother looks young - could be any of the girls, making sure the face she’s wearing is the one the world wants - and at this thought, Frankie suddenly breaks through, not just a mother, but a whole person.”
“You learn to be who you are, or you die as someone else. It’s simple.”
I took my time with this. I would read a story and then have to sit with it because I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. And I wanted it to rain.
I’ll leave you with a couple of quotes that have stayed with me, because honestly, I still can’t form the words to describe this collection. It’s all feelings.
“She is a vampire queen. She is newly thirteen, hollowed out and filled back up with venom and dust-cloud dreams.”
“From here, her mother looks young - could be any of the girls, making sure the face she’s wearing is the one the world wants - and at this thought, Frankie suddenly breaks through, not just a mother, but a whole person.”
“You learn to be who you are, or you die as someone else. It’s simple.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, and Suicide
amelew's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
2treads's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moniz's stories capture women and girls' at various points in life, how they find themselves, the roles that are patriarchically grounded and how that affects the many ways they move and are allowed to move and be seen or accepted in their specific communities/societies.
This collection shows how far the ideas of women and womanhood have come and the lengths still to go. There is a fire contained within these stories that truly capture the evolution, identity, and status of women and girls today, still.
This collection shows how far the ideas of women and womanhood have come and the lengths still to go. There is a fire contained within these stories that truly capture the evolution, identity, and status of women and girls today, still.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse
The misogyny and sexism inherent in our society comes through cleanly in these stories.mezzarella's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Milk Blood Heat is exquisitely written, with a tight understanding of language creating an entrancing reading experience. I went into this book blind, as I had heard that this collection of stories were examples of beautiful prose but nothing of its contents. Before I can recommend this book to anyone, be aware that these stories are dark and at times horrific. Moniz's stories deserve to be sipped and ruminated on, rather than read quickly in one sitting.
Although each story is written expertly, it's likely that a couple stories will linger in your mind more than others. The story about a woman grieving after her miscarriage and another woman realizing her child is in a romantic relationship with her teacher in particular stand out a day or two after reading the book. Readers should be warned that while these stories do have a beginning, middle, and end, their resolutions are at times not as clear or complete as some may hope for. (The open ended nature of these stories are part of the reason that each story should be dissected and interpreted by the reader before starting the next one.)
For readers who are fans of horror elements or literary fiction, this book is certain to live up to expectations. For a debut short story collection especially, Milk Blood Heat is a triumph. Despite its taboo elements described in the book, it's clearly capable of hooking its readers.
Although each story is written expertly, it's likely that a couple stories will linger in your mind more than others. The story about a woman grieving after her miscarriage and another woman realizing her child is in a romantic relationship with her teacher in particular stand out a day or two after reading the book. Readers should be warned that while these stories do have a beginning, middle, and end, their resolutions are at times not as clear or complete as some may hope for. (The open ended nature of these stories are part of the reason that each story should be dissected and interpreted by the reader before starting the next one.)
For readers who are fans of horror elements or literary fiction, this book is certain to live up to expectations. For a debut short story collection especially, Milk Blood Heat is a triumph. Despite its taboo elements described in the book, it's clearly capable of hooking its readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Infidelity, Cannibalism, and Religious bigotry
franklybookish's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
4.25 / 5 stars
CW: suicidal ideation, rape, sexual abuse, miscarriage, abortion, cannibalism, suicide, grief
"What is the nature of hate? What's it useful for? And Zey imagines the townspeople, their whispers, and cruel laws, their narrowed eyes. How they ostracized the women [The Scarlet Letter], conspired to contain her light.
They were scared of her, Zey tells the teacher, realizing it as she speaks, and he jabs a finger in her direction. Yes! Exactly that, he says. Now he's getting excited, pacing before their desks, and Zey tilts forward in her seat, angling closer to his truth. Hate, he continues is almost always a cover for some perceived psychological threat-- our guilt or pain. Our fear. And how do we treat things of which we are afraid?" from 'Tongues'
Review: I found this debut to be a remarkable, authentic, and poignant collection of moments, interactions, relationships, and individuals grounded in common situations, yet hidden in the dark spaces of what we keep out of public eyes. Written in a lyrical, truly raw, and unencumbered way it's impossible to not feel compelled and emotionally linked to these characters. Moniz, in so few pages, draws the reader in and develops foundational relationships, in many ways better and stronger than many 200+ page novels do. Many of these stories, although ambiguous in nature and lacking traditional resolutions, find great success in the emotional transference to readers of what the characters are going through, how they are attempting to navigate life, and the impact of their relationships.
As with most short story collections, some stories were stronger than others. 'Milk Blood Heat' the first story presented and from which the whole collection is named, is one of the stronger pieces. Additionally, 'Tongues' and 'The Hearts of Our Enemies' stood out to me, though none of the stories stood out as a true "week link", the entire collection is strong. I personally loved the darkness of these stories, to me that darkness mimicked true life and meant there was no shying away from the truth of difficult situations and the impact of mental health.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advanced e-copy in exchange for a fair review*
CW: suicidal ideation, rape, sexual abuse, miscarriage, abortion, cannibalism, suicide, grief
"What is the nature of hate? What's it useful for? And Zey imagines the townspeople, their whispers, and cruel laws, their narrowed eyes. How they ostracized the women [The Scarlet Letter], conspired to contain her light.
They were scared of her, Zey tells the teacher, realizing it as she speaks, and he jabs a finger in her direction. Yes! Exactly that, he says. Now he's getting excited, pacing before their desks, and Zey tilts forward in her seat, angling closer to his truth. Hate, he continues is almost always a cover for some perceived psychological threat-- our guilt or pain. Our fear. And how do we treat things of which we are afraid?" from 'Tongues'
Review: I found this debut to be a remarkable, authentic, and poignant collection of moments, interactions, relationships, and individuals grounded in common situations, yet hidden in the dark spaces of what we keep out of public eyes. Written in a lyrical, truly raw, and unencumbered way it's impossible to not feel compelled and emotionally linked to these characters. Moniz, in so few pages, draws the reader in and develops foundational relationships, in many ways better and stronger than many 200+ page novels do. Many of these stories, although ambiguous in nature and lacking traditional resolutions, find great success in the emotional transference to readers of what the characters are going through, how they are attempting to navigate life, and the impact of their relationships.
As with most short story collections, some stories were stronger than others. 'Milk Blood Heat' the first story presented and from which the whole collection is named, is one of the stronger pieces. Additionally, 'Tongues' and 'The Hearts of Our Enemies' stood out to me, though none of the stories stood out as a true "week link", the entire collection is strong. I personally loved the darkness of these stories, to me that darkness mimicked true life and meant there was no shying away from the truth of difficult situations and the impact of mental health.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advanced e-copy in exchange for a fair review*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Blood and Grief
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Grief, Cannibalism, and Religious bigotry