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tig_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
5.0
Christ, this book. I feel like it is very under-identified as a horror because make no mistake, THIS IS A HORROR. Mentally, emotionally, and physically. It goes hard.
It. Was. Awesome. I loved reading an interpretation of vampires as *actual monsters* instead of the sparkly sexy undead, and my god are they monsters. The author is masterful in the slow unveiling of the villain’s true evilness; you are beguiled down the path, shown instead of told, just like the protagonist.
For those who like audiobooks, the narrator does a fantastic job — adding to the book instead of merely reading it out loud.
If you are a sensitive reader, pay close attention to the content warnings at the beginning of the book. They are accurate but not all inclusive either. I’ve added as many to this review as came to mind for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent
mitzee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
Rating this book is hard because its primary characters are all women and gender minorities, it’s great to see that representation in the romantasy (romance+fantasy) genre especially the spicy scenes. I guess it’s also horror, as the cover says.
On the other hand the levels of abuse are so shocking that I’m not even sure if this is the kind of representation we want.
I did like the surprise ending though. I suppose I would generally recommend this book with major caveats about the explicit sexual content and abuse.
Summary for my own records:
The relationship between Verity Edervane and Gean Choo goes from new lady’s maid to servant and sex toy. There are a lot of layers to their relationship from race and class , master and servant, and abuser and abused but in a love/hate relationship - or maybe just a confused abused person.
The relationship between Gean Choo and Po Lam is one that is a little easier to take but also feels so straight, it’s a little bit annoying because they have had such few interactions with each other it’s like “how could they like each other so much?” Maybe it’s a shred trauma thing.
Anyway, at the end you get to pick which ending you want. It can be nice or mysteriously awful.
On the other hand the levels of abuse are so shocking that I’m not even sure if this is the kind of representation we want.
I did like the surprise ending though. I suppose I would generally recommend this book with major caveats about the explicit sexual content and abuse.
Summary for my own records:
The relationship between Gean Choo and Po Lam is one that is a little easier to take but also feels so straight, it’s a little bit annoying because they have had such few interactions with each other it’s like “how could they like each other so much?” Maybe it’s a shred trauma thing.
Anyway, at the end you get to pick which ending you want. It can be nice or mysteriously awful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Child death and Gun violence
The type of sexual assault isthesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thanks to the author and Netgalley for a copy of this book.
This dark, sapphic horror takes us to 1920s colonial Singapore.
Gean Choo starts a new job as a lady's companion for Verity Edevane, who unbeknownst to her initially is a vampire. Gean Choo falls hard for Verity, and also for Po Lam, Verity's majordomo. This love triangle is unique in that, we the readers get to make the chose for Gean Choo, with two different endings.
I loved the historical setting of colonial Singapore which isn't something often told in literature.
Horror isn't something I usually go for, but I throughly enjoyed the darkness and steamy of this book. Giving two alternative endings is a great way for the author to keep all readers satisfied.I certainly preferred the second ending.
The length of this book ensured we got plenty of time to feel for each character and understand some of their motives.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be checking out some of the author's other work.
This dark, sapphic horror takes us to 1920s colonial Singapore.
Gean Choo starts a new job as a lady's companion for Verity Edevane, who unbeknownst to her initially is a vampire. Gean Choo falls hard for Verity, and also for Po Lam, Verity's majordomo. This love triangle is unique in that, we the readers get to make the chose for Gean Choo, with two different endings.
I loved the historical setting of colonial Singapore which isn't something often told in literature.
Horror isn't something I usually go for, but I throughly enjoyed the darkness and steamy of this book. Giving two alternative endings is a great way for the author to keep all readers satisfied.
The length of this book ensured we got plenty of time to feel for each character and understand some of their motives.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be checking out some of the author's other work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
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