johnlynchbooks's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 rounded to 5 for good reads.
My most recent silver shamrock fix, the body will follow by Rob Boley is a book that I’m glad I went into without reading the back cover copy. I had zero expectations and was able to take this book for exactly what it was.
This is going to be a book that I feel you’re either going to love or hate. I love the way that Boley Mixed horror with black humor. It’s a twist on a possession tale, told from the first person. There is a lot of sexual content in here that may put some people off. A lot of talk of consensual sex and rape, a lot of talk of STD’s. So if that is going to be an issue for you to read, than this likely isn’t for you. This book deals a lot with what may happen AFTER a possession, rather than the lead up to it, and the duration of it followed by the conclusion. We start off possessed and what follows is everything after. I don’t want to say anymore because I think Boley did a lot here to differentiate his work from other possession tales.
My only complaint here is the ending. What the author was selling, I wasn’t buying. It wrapped up too neatly for me, and the “mystery” portion of this book felt like too much of a stretch for me to believe once it had been revealed at the end. That was the sole reason for me taking a half star from this.
If you’re looking for a possession story that is shocking, gross, horrific, and don’t mind the explicit and disturbing nature of the sexual stuff within. This is for you. I’ll be on the lookout for more by the author. Props to Silver shamrock for once again finding something that stands out and putting together an excellent package.
My most recent silver shamrock fix, the body will follow by Rob Boley is a book that I’m glad I went into without reading the back cover copy. I had zero expectations and was able to take this book for exactly what it was.
This is going to be a book that I feel you’re either going to love or hate. I love the way that Boley Mixed horror with black humor. It’s a twist on a possession tale, told from the first person. There is a lot of sexual content in here that may put some people off. A lot of talk of consensual sex and rape, a lot of talk of STD’s. So if that is going to be an issue for you to read, than this likely isn’t for you. This book deals a lot with what may happen AFTER a possession, rather than the lead up to it, and the duration of it followed by the conclusion. We start off possessed and what follows is everything after. I don’t want to say anymore because I think Boley did a lot here to differentiate his work from other possession tales.
My only complaint here is the ending. What the author was selling, I wasn’t buying. It wrapped up too neatly for me, and the “mystery” portion of this book felt like too much of a stretch for me to believe once it had been revealed at the end. That was the sole reason for me taking a half star from this.
If you’re looking for a possession story that is shocking, gross, horrific, and don’t mind the explicit and disturbing nature of the sexual stuff within. This is for you. I’ll be on the lookout for more by the author. Props to Silver shamrock for once again finding something that stands out and putting together an excellent package.
whatemsreadingx's review against another edition
2.0
First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing for the advanced reader copy of this book. Publish date: 14.9.2020.
On the whole, this book didn't really hit the mark for me. Individual parts of it were really good and I loved them, other parts just left a bit of a funny taste in my mouth.
To start off our story we meet Carrie, who is possessed by something she calls Wishes. At this point we have no idea how this possession came about and were thrown in at the deep end as she picks herself up after the Wishes forced her to have sexual relations that she cannot remember.
At this point, I really struggled with what the plot was... There felt like there wasn't one.
I also had issues with a lot in this story... This guy just let her in his house after they had sex that she can't remember giving consent for, she had sex with minors, who videoed it and shared it online! There are zero consequences for any of this and we were just expected to accept that this was all OK.
The Body Will Follow was quite a short story in page length, but it was so hard to read, I kept having to take a break and come back to it.
However, I will say that when the author wrote about the ghosts, the possessions and the corpse, it was written really well and piqued my interest. These parts were what a proper ghost/horror story should be about!
I was also really disappointed with the ending and the explanation that we got, it felt a bit rubbish and left me feeling unfulfilled.
Overall, I feel this book missed the mark a little bit. It could have done with less non consensual activities and more ghostly and horror aspects, as these were the best parts.
On the whole, this book didn't really hit the mark for me. Individual parts of it were really good and I loved them, other parts just left a bit of a funny taste in my mouth.
To start off our story we meet Carrie, who is possessed by something she calls Wishes. At this point we have no idea how this possession came about and were thrown in at the deep end as she picks herself up after the Wishes forced her to have sexual relations that she cannot remember.
At this point, I really struggled with what the plot was... There felt like there wasn't one.
I also had issues with a lot in this story... This guy just let her in his house after they had sex that she can't remember giving consent for, she had sex with minors, who videoed it and shared it online! There are zero consequences for any of this and we were just expected to accept that this was all OK.
The Body Will Follow was quite a short story in page length, but it was so hard to read, I kept having to take a break and come back to it.
However, I will say that when the author wrote about the ghosts, the possessions and the corpse, it was written really well and piqued my interest. These parts were what a proper ghost/horror story should be about!
I was also really disappointed with the ending and the explanation that we got, it felt a bit rubbish and left me feeling unfulfilled.
Overall, I feel this book missed the mark a little bit. It could have done with less non consensual activities and more ghostly and horror aspects, as these were the best parts.
readingvicariously's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of this book hooked me very early on. The main character Carrie's POV of being possessed, what the ghosts were using her for, her sense of helplessness and fear - all of it is frightening and interesting. I haven't read a lot of books where the perspective is that of the person being possessed, so I found it to be pretty engaging. There were other ideas/situations that I also liked: the ghosts completely wrecking Carrie's life so that even when she is free of them she still has very real problems to deal with; the presence of other friendlier spirits, and the ways in which they can and can't interact with the world; sometimes even Daniel, and the dark humor they share together. There's definitely a lot to like here and some neat ideas. I also thought the writing was very good for the most part. Unfortunately, the aspects I enjoyed were burdened by several things I didn't care for.
I get the ghosts are using Carrie to fulfil their bodily desires, but the amount of sex and bodily fluids made me a little uncomfortable. Especially considering Carrie's helplessness in all of it, it just comes across as icky (and not in a good way). There's a lot of abuse, in many forms, to the female body and I wasn't crazy about it. And this may sound wrong after saying all that, but I didn't really connect at all with Carrie. I certainly sympathized with all the horrible things happening to her, but apart from that the other aspects of her life and personality felt flat. I certainly don't understand her relationship with Daniel, and the mystery element thrown in at the very end was a little strange.
I get the ghosts are using Carrie to fulfil their bodily desires, but the amount of sex and bodily fluids made me a little uncomfortable. Especially considering Carrie's helplessness in all of it, it just comes across as icky (and not in a good way). There's a lot of abuse, in many forms, to the female body and I wasn't crazy about it. And this may sound wrong after saying all that, but I didn't really connect at all with Carrie. I certainly sympathized with all the horrible things happening to her, but apart from that the other aspects of her life and personality felt flat. I certainly don't understand her relationship with Daniel, and the mystery element thrown in at the very end was a little strange.
paperbackstash's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely...different. The ending is a happy ending of sorts considering how dark and bleak the book starts out. I am surprised she did not take stronger revenge on her friend, the nerve, would have been nice to see stronger karma in that regard. A companion she picks up along the way keeps the second half of the story firmer. Full review to come
kerasalwaysreading's review against another edition
4.0
This was weird, plain and simple... This. Was. Weird. At the same time, I truly didn't hate it. I rather enjoyed reading it. Strange as it is because this kind of book isn't what I would ever just pick up for myself. But the cover is so intriguing and the title as well... Upon reading reviews for this, I came across some really bad ones, and then reviews that explained that they read this book because of it's bad reviews, and while that one was much more cohesive and thoughtful, was still a pretty low review. So I decided to give it a shot... I mean it was an under 200 page read, so what did I have to lose?
The Body Will Follow is about a woman named Carrie who is being possessed by not one spirit, but a mass of them. They have been inside her body for a few months and in that time, they have ruined her runner's body by gorging on as much food as they can cram into her mouth and have partaken AT LENGTH in debaucherous sex with multiple partners, riddling her with stds, draining her bank accounts, ruining her friendships, relationships and her career... When she all of a sudden wakes up to a woman atop her, exorcising the monsters in her body, we get a ridiculously graphic play by play of the exorcism process.
Let me tell you, this book is pretty graphic. There are depictions of sex and some graphic accounts of what Carrie's body goes through in various phases throughout the book. But, none of this stuff bothers me in books. After she is no longer possessed, she has to deal with the aftermath of the months where she wasn't herself. Her home is a completely irreparable dump. She has no money and nobody to turn to... Until she realizes that she remembers, through the fog of her possession, one of the *ahem* partners she had, a guy who seemed to be genuinely kind to her, and collapses outside his home.
The guy, Daniel, was what truly made this book a four star for me. He was so kind to Carrie... like unrealistically so, considering the last time they saw each other, she left him tied up in his kitchen after a night of sex and then eating all the food from his fridge... But he is good to her and the friendship that they form, while unlikely, is great. The humor their banter brings to this book had me chuckling.
The quirky humor in this book was another compelling aspect for me. The fact that Boley could take such terrible experiences and make it funny made for a fun reading experience. This book was FUNNY. So, now we have two unlikely friends, Carrie and Daniel, who go around living this weirdly platonic, but very domestic life together. She starts to see ghosts, and ultimately, finds another person who is possessed as she was.
This book won't be for everyone, but I am so glad that I jumped on this one. It was just the right side of strange that it totally worked. It was dark and funny, with just the right amount of length to keep you fully engaged without getting bored. I feel like if this were a full length novel, I would not have liked it nearly as much. It held my attention perfectly and I look forward to checking out more from this author.
The Body Will Follow is about a woman named Carrie who is being possessed by not one spirit, but a mass of them. They have been inside her body for a few months and in that time, they have ruined her runner's body by gorging on as much food as they can cram into her mouth and have partaken AT LENGTH in debaucherous sex with multiple partners, riddling her with stds, draining her bank accounts, ruining her friendships, relationships and her career... When she all of a sudden wakes up to a woman atop her, exorcising the monsters in her body, we get a ridiculously graphic play by play of the exorcism process.
Let me tell you, this book is pretty graphic. There are depictions of sex and some graphic accounts of what Carrie's body goes through in various phases throughout the book. But, none of this stuff bothers me in books. After she is no longer possessed, she has to deal with the aftermath of the months where she wasn't herself. Her home is a completely irreparable dump. She has no money and nobody to turn to... Until she realizes that she remembers, through the fog of her possession, one of the *ahem* partners she had, a guy who seemed to be genuinely kind to her, and collapses outside his home.
The guy, Daniel, was what truly made this book a four star for me. He was so kind to Carrie... like unrealistically so, considering the last time they saw each other, she left him tied up in his kitchen after a night of sex and then eating all the food from his fridge... But he is good to her and the friendship that they form, while unlikely, is great. The humor their banter brings to this book had me chuckling.
The quirky humor in this book was another compelling aspect for me. The fact that Boley could take such terrible experiences and make it funny made for a fun reading experience. This book was FUNNY. So, now we have two unlikely friends, Carrie and Daniel, who go around living this weirdly platonic, but very domestic life together. She starts to see ghosts, and ultimately, finds another person who is possessed as she was.
This book won't be for everyone, but I am so glad that I jumped on this one. It was just the right side of strange that it totally worked. It was dark and funny, with just the right amount of length to keep you fully engaged without getting bored. I feel like if this were a full length novel, I would not have liked it nearly as much. It held my attention perfectly and I look forward to checking out more from this author.
curiosityboughtthebook's review against another edition
3.0
Previously reviewed on www.curiosityboughtthebook.com
2.5 stars (rounded up for GR)
Being a reviewer isn’t all about only reading books you love. Sometimes you will find some you even hate. I’m going to be honest here, I neither love nor hated The Body Will Follow. I’m really torn.
On one hand, I loved this fresh take on the old possession trope. It was refreshing seeing what happens to a person AFTER they are possessed. The effects it has on their lives and those around them. It’s a new concept to me in horror.
On the other hand, it wasn’t pleasant at all to read about how the ghosts took advantage of Carrie and how she was literally left with nothing. There is a lot of sex in this book, especially in the beginning, and it is pretty gross considering Carrie isn’t “there”. The way Carrie reacts to having STDs and her life being in shambles isn’t very believable either. I’m not saying I’m an expert on women (even if I am one) or on being possessed, but it is extremely out there.
A big thanks to Netgalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing for the review copy!
2.5 stars (rounded up for GR)
Being a reviewer isn’t all about only reading books you love. Sometimes you will find some you even hate. I’m going to be honest here, I neither love nor hated The Body Will Follow. I’m really torn.
On one hand, I loved this fresh take on the old possession trope. It was refreshing seeing what happens to a person AFTER they are possessed. The effects it has on their lives and those around them. It’s a new concept to me in horror.
On the other hand, it wasn’t pleasant at all to read about how the ghosts took advantage of Carrie and how she was literally left with nothing. There is a lot of sex in this book, especially in the beginning, and it is pretty gross considering Carrie isn’t “there”. The way Carrie reacts to having STDs and her life being in shambles isn’t very believable either. I’m not saying I’m an expert on women (even if I am one) or on being possessed, but it is extremely out there.
A big thanks to Netgalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing for the review copy!
erinxmegan's review against another edition
1.0
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.*
So I got about 50% into this book and just couldn’t finish it. I hardly ever DNF books, like ever. I’m just someone who thinks they have to finish a book once they start it, but I’m trying to work on that because why waste your time on a book you don’t like?
So, I didn’t like this book. It made me feel uncomfortable, and not the kind of uncomfortable that’s thought provoking or making a statement. It just made me feel weird.
The story starts off with Carrie who is possessed by, what she calls, The Wishes. With no control over her body, they force her to have sex with random people. Like a lot of people. Including: men, women, and underage teens. Carrie is then exorcised and given back control over her body, but not without consequences. The Wishes have drained her back account, ruined her house, lost her her job, ruined her relationships, and even gotten her into legal trouble. With the help of Daniel, one of the men she had been forced to have sex with, she starts trying to piece her life together.
I’m a big fan of possession stories, I find them to be fascinating and I really thought this one was going to be a fresh outlook on the trope given the plot.
I like the idea that the majority of the book focuses on the aftermath of the possession. It’s not something I’ve seen and I think it could’ve been done really well, but it’s just the beginning of the book that ruined everything for me.
I found the first few chapters to come across very insensitive and off putting. I really don’t know why the possession had to be centered around rape. I’m not opposed to triggering ideas being written into books, but there needs to be a purpose for it. This felt like rape for no reason or purpose. If the rape had been exchanged for something else, I think it would’ve had the same, or even better, affect.
It also put me off that there had been non consensual sex with minors. It was all just too much for me.
I wanted to give the book a fair chance, so I kept reading, but I just couldn’t get into it. I think the rape had just really left a bad taste in my mouth. Now, I’m not going to tell someone what they can or can’t write about, horror is horror and authors should be allowed to write what they want. However, it should be handled with sensitivity and carefulness. This didn’t feel like that. As a woman, I just couldn’t stomach this and I don’t know if the author spoke to any women or let them read this beforehand. If not, it’s something I would highly encourage them to do in the future. Male authors who write sensitive topics from the perspective of women need to be talking to women. If they don’t, it comes across very poorly and uneducated.
I’m sure there will be people who don’t feel the same way, but this is just my personal opinion on this book and how it made me feel while reading it.
So I got about 50% into this book and just couldn’t finish it. I hardly ever DNF books, like ever. I’m just someone who thinks they have to finish a book once they start it, but I’m trying to work on that because why waste your time on a book you don’t like?
So, I didn’t like this book. It made me feel uncomfortable, and not the kind of uncomfortable that’s thought provoking or making a statement. It just made me feel weird.
The story starts off with Carrie who is possessed by, what she calls, The Wishes. With no control over her body, they force her to have sex with random people. Like a lot of people. Including: men, women, and underage teens. Carrie is then exorcised and given back control over her body, but not without consequences. The Wishes have drained her back account, ruined her house, lost her her job, ruined her relationships, and even gotten her into legal trouble. With the help of Daniel, one of the men she had been forced to have sex with, she starts trying to piece her life together.
I’m a big fan of possession stories, I find them to be fascinating and I really thought this one was going to be a fresh outlook on the trope given the plot.
I like the idea that the majority of the book focuses on the aftermath of the possession. It’s not something I’ve seen and I think it could’ve been done really well, but it’s just the beginning of the book that ruined everything for me.
I found the first few chapters to come across very insensitive and off putting. I really don’t know why the possession had to be centered around rape. I’m not opposed to triggering ideas being written into books, but there needs to be a purpose for it. This felt like rape for no reason or purpose. If the rape had been exchanged for something else, I think it would’ve had the same, or even better, affect.
It also put me off that there had been non consensual sex with minors. It was all just too much for me.
I wanted to give the book a fair chance, so I kept reading, but I just couldn’t get into it. I think the rape had just really left a bad taste in my mouth. Now, I’m not going to tell someone what they can or can’t write about, horror is horror and authors should be allowed to write what they want. However, it should be handled with sensitivity and carefulness. This didn’t feel like that. As a woman, I just couldn’t stomach this and I don’t know if the author spoke to any women or let them read this beforehand. If not, it’s something I would highly encourage them to do in the future. Male authors who write sensitive topics from the perspective of women need to be talking to women. If they don’t, it comes across very poorly and uneducated.
I’m sure there will be people who don’t feel the same way, but this is just my personal opinion on this book and how it made me feel while reading it.
bookmarked642's review against another edition
4.0
I have seen a lot of mixed reviews of this book. I understand where a lot of the criticism is coming from, but honestly didn't feel the same way. I enjoyed it. Yes, it had some... touchy topics, but that's part of what makes the whole possession thing so creepy and uncomfortable, isn't it? The idea of doing things you don't want to do, you wouldn't normally do, you shouldn't do. And to me, though there was obviously a lot of focus on sex in this novella, I didn't find it overly sexualised - which I was definitely worried about. It was quite matter-of-fact regarding the things that happened, not too detailed or anything. But, I will emphasise that I do see where the criticism is coming from and I can definitely understand that this book is not for everyone.
To me, this was a kind of quirky little story about the aftermath of Carrie's possession. It's something we just don't really hear a lot about and I thought it was a great idea. And it was really quite funny, too, in a dark way. There's kind of a zombie in it, and someone Carrie refers to as 'Binkertell' throughout the whole book because she doesn't know her name and thinks she resembles Tinkerbell (albeit, a more trashy version).
Overall, this was just an odd little read from a different perspective on possession. It was fun, it was kind of disturbing, and there was an intriguing plot twist when Carrie goes to accuse who she thinks got her possessed in the first place. 4 stars from me!
To me, this was a kind of quirky little story about the aftermath of Carrie's possession. It's something we just don't really hear a lot about and I thought it was a great idea. And it was really quite funny, too, in a dark way. There's kind of a zombie in it, and someone Carrie refers to as 'Binkertell' throughout the whole book because she doesn't know her name and thinks she resembles Tinkerbell (albeit, a more trashy version).
Overall, this was just an odd little read from a different perspective on possession. It was fun, it was kind of disturbing, and there was an intriguing plot twist when Carrie goes to accuse who she thinks got her possessed in the first place. 4 stars from me!
readingwithsammi's review against another edition
2.0
A gruesome horror story about the aftershock of possession. This is one part comedy, one part dead bodies, one part intense BDSM & another part descriptive gore.
It’s actually a “realistic” portrayal of post-possession: stds, jobless, lice, poor, no friends etc.
It was just... a lot...
*arc in exchange for an honest review*
It’s actually a “realistic” portrayal of post-possession: stds, jobless, lice, poor, no friends etc.
It was just... a lot...
*arc in exchange for an honest review*
bookishjaybird's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to Silver Shamrock Publishing and Netgalley for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!
Goodness, where do I even start with this. I wanted to enjoy this because I sounded genuinely interesting and like a good story, but just...eh. I didn't like how the characters, especially the female characters, were written and how the story played out. I wished it had been more about the after effects of the possession, the seeing of the spirits, and Carrie wanting to help someone else before their life was ruined and less about the bondage and just sexual elements in general. I didn't like the resolution or the ending for the characters at all honestly, and just was very disappointed in general.
Goodness, where do I even start with this. I wanted to enjoy this because I sounded genuinely interesting and like a good story, but just...eh. I didn't like how the characters, especially the female characters, were written and how the story played out. I wished it had been more about the after effects of the possession, the seeing of the spirits, and Carrie wanting to help someone else before their life was ruined and less about the bondage and just sexual elements in general. I didn't like the resolution or the ending for the characters at all honestly, and just was very disappointed in general.