Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Black Sheep

Vesper left her isolated religious community at eighteen and is stumbling her way through adulthood a handful of years later, waitressing at chain restaurants and keeping everyone at a distance. But when she mysteriously receives an invitation to the wedding of her cousin & closest friend, she journeys home. Back to her callous film star mother, her crisis of faith, and the people she thought she would never see again.

But as family secrets come to life, Vesper realizes she’ll have to face her community … and the truth of her upbringing.

I loved witnessing Vesper’s fight for independence, especially as more and more of her past memories are revealed. She’s cynical, sarcastic, and callous, but I found her likable and relatable. Her internal struggle is compelling, as she contemplates nature versus nurture and who she is outside of the bounds of family.

I do think the pacing was a bit off at times (too slow at the start - and too rushed in the second segment), and I would have loved more time exploring the family dynamics and getting to know the supporting characters. Constance (Vesper’s mom) in particular had a very choppy arc and I wanted to dig deeper there.

It’s more dark humor than horror, though there are some supernatural elements (and a bit of gore) towards the final segments. Overall though, the tone is playfully sinister and it never takes itself too seriously. I really enjoy Rachel Harrison’s writing style - super easy to read and sarcastically delightful.

CW: murder, animal death, blood, gaslighting, injury, gore, emotional abuse, fire, cannibalism, body horror, torture, grief, religious bigotry, abandonment, sexual harassment

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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

Content Warnings

cait_reads_and_drinks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

mamawantsbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

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katiemack's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I like my horror with a comedic twist, so Rachel Harrison's quickly becoming my go-to author during Spooky Season. This is the second book of hers that I've read, and I've grown to love her dark, twisted, sarcastic sense of humor; she reminds me of Grady Hendrix in that way. She also creates jaded, snarky, smart heroines that are easy to root for as they get themselves into increasingly weird, terrifying situations.

I'm also a big fan of how Harrison makes a familiar trope feel original and fresh; this is the case with this trope of going back home to one's estranged, extremely religious family only to have something creepy happen. (Don't read any synopses before you start this book--I've had issues with marketing blurbs before, but the publisher did a solid job being informative yet cryptic with this one.) Also, don't be put off by the slower pacing in the beginning--it REALLY picks up later, especially in the last quarter of the novel.

Content Warnings

slimepuppy's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book is deathly allergic to subtlety. There's only so many times you can read about the nature vs nurture internal conflict of the protagonist being spelled out before your eyes start to glaze over.

I really don't get Rachel Harrison. I absolutely loved The Return, steered clear of Cackle (it sounds like it has every single trope that I despise) and found Such Sharp Teeth funny, if a little boring - but this book is just an enigma to me. To have an interesting topic and do nothing with it?

Every character is a different shade of bland. Vesper desperately wants to be loved for who she is, instead of being loved for what she is, but that would be pretty hard, considering that her personality consists of being dumb and insufferable.

This book wasn't even as funny or quick as her other books!!! The body horror (which Harrison is admittedl masterful at) was barely there!!! I was so disappointed. I probably will check out her next book, because she is a talented writer, but wow. What a snooze.

The only part that was enjoyable was the epilogue, because Vesper was a little less of a miserable POV by then.

Content Warnings

nonfictionfeminist's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

While the book takes its time to build to the climax, it still managed to be bingeable. Another solid bite of storytelling from Harrison. While YouI could see the twist coming with my eyes closed, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.

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