kpombiere's review against another edition
1.0
"When he presses himself into the cleft between my legs, I open my mouth and the tongues spill out of me."
I know I'm over-critical of short stories, but this collection of mother-daughter-themed, body-horror-ish, Lovecraft-inspired tales was really not my thing. I kept hoping that one would be redemptive, but I just never really enjoyed them.
I know I'm over-critical of short stories, but this collection of mother-daughter-themed, body-horror-ish, Lovecraft-inspired tales was really not my thing. I kept hoping that one would be redemptive, but I just never really enjoyed them.
liz_in_vividcolor's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
zral_noim's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
night_starry's review against another edition
2.0
After reading the short story "Crown of Leaves" in Black Static magazine #70 I hungered for more.
These stories are atmospheric, surreal and disturbing especially when it come to mother-daughter relationships. The characters never seem to fight back against whatever forces they encounter. The repetitive stories have build up but end abruptly without confrontation
I did come very close to not finishing. There are a couple stories that are worth reading but the majority are mother-daughter relationship stories that felt like repeats with different character names either about swallowing or giving birth. I am surprised that Apex published this title since it is not a strong collection and the editor should have noticed the repetition of theme ad nauseum.
The cover art is really cool and atmospheric.
These stories are atmospheric, surreal and disturbing especially when it come to mother-daughter relationships. The characters never seem to fight back against whatever forces they encounter. The repetitive stories have build up but end abruptly without confrontation
I did come very close to not finishing. There are a couple stories that are worth reading but the majority are mother-daughter relationship stories that felt like repeats with different character names either about swallowing or giving birth. I am surprised that Apex published this title since it is not a strong collection and the editor should have noticed the repetition of theme ad nauseum.
The cover art is really cool and atmospheric.
raforall's review
4.0
Review on the blog and in the January 2018 Issue of IndiePicks Magazine: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2018/01/what-im-reading-indie-picks-january.html
em_harring's review
3.0
[2.5 stars]
I liked this collection, to an extent. DeMeester certainly knows how to write, and some sentences/passages were quite beautiful and creepy and disgusting. When she chooses to use body horror, it's (for the most part) effective, and paints a vivid, visceral image of what's happening. My main issue with the collection is that most of the stories are annoyingly ambiguous. They feel ambiguous for the sake of ambiguity, and not for the actual plot of the story. The plots for most of the stories are glaringly thin, and because of the ambiguity, almost all of the characters bleed into each other. The strongest story is also her longest: "Split Tongues"; the story does have some ambiguous moments, but uses those well combined with other plot elements, rather than relying solely on ambiguity to drive the narrative.
Overall, I'm interested to read DeMeester's novels, because I'd like to see what she does with a long form narrative.
I liked this collection, to an extent. DeMeester certainly knows how to write, and some sentences/passages were quite beautiful and creepy and disgusting. When she chooses to use body horror, it's (for the most part) effective, and paints a vivid, visceral image of what's happening. My main issue with the collection is that most of the stories are annoyingly ambiguous. They feel ambiguous for the sake of ambiguity, and not for the actual plot of the story. The plots for most of the stories are glaringly thin, and because of the ambiguity, almost all of the characters bleed into each other. The strongest story is also her longest: "Split Tongues"; the story does have some ambiguous moments, but uses those well combined with other plot elements, rather than relying solely on ambiguity to drive the narrative.
Overall, I'm interested to read DeMeester's novels, because I'd like to see what she does with a long form narrative.
oddly's review against another edition
4.0
I love a short story collection that shows cohesion even though the stories are all distinctly separate, living in their own dark worlds. DeMeester's short tales have that kind of versatility, where they are interested in unpacking similar themes but never follow the same fanged rabbit down the same twisted hole twice.
Many of these stories, some just a page or two, some closer to twenty pages, center around the idea of transformation, of the liminal quality of the body and the different ways it might be consumed, broken, corrupted, or altered. Sometimes this is a triumphant change, sometimes it is unwanted.
That liminality, that disorienting threshold to transformation that DeMeester has mastered in these stories, often seemed a metaphor for how women's bodies and selves are not quite theirs to inhabit but rather the world's to use or enact violence upon. Here, women take control, becoming the ones who inhabit, who consume, who enact violence.
I loved the intense darkness of the stories and the startling (though strangely beautiful) descriptions of body horror were quite effective. The book is not overtly terrifying, but is unsettling and carries a certain dread that weighs you down as you read—very intense and wonderful.
I definitely recommend this unique collection. I can't wait to read her novel, Beneath!
Many of these stories, some just a page or two, some closer to twenty pages, center around the idea of transformation, of the liminal quality of the body and the different ways it might be consumed, broken, corrupted, or altered. Sometimes this is a triumphant change, sometimes it is unwanted.
That liminality, that disorienting threshold to transformation that DeMeester has mastered in these stories, often seemed a metaphor for how women's bodies and selves are not quite theirs to inhabit but rather the world's to use or enact violence upon. Here, women take control, becoming the ones who inhabit, who consume, who enact violence.
I loved the intense darkness of the stories and the startling (though strangely beautiful) descriptions of body horror were quite effective. The book is not overtly terrifying, but is unsettling and carries a certain dread that weighs you down as you read—very intense and wonderful.
I definitely recommend this unique collection. I can't wait to read her novel, Beneath!
rock_n_reads's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first collection of short stories I’ve read in awhile, and I loved it. The author has created tales that are chilling and hauntingly beautiful at the same time. I love when those two worlds collide. There were some recurring themes and certain words or phrases that showed up again in different stories, and I love how they had that common thread. Some of my favorites were: The Fleshtival, The Tying of Tongues, The Long Road, The Dream Eater, Daughters of Hecate, and Split Tongues. I look forward to reading more by Kristi DeMeester!
totalsassreads's review
3.0
A lot of these stories weren’t to my taste, but there were a few that were excellent - the Lightning Bird and To Sleep in the Dust of the Earth were beautiful.