Reviews with content warning for Classism - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me

Reviews tagging 'Classism'

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

52 reviews

grey_jayne's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

This book is super rad and I look forward to the sequel.

It's a little slower than I would have liked, but I read this in chunks as my life was busy and I always enjoyed returning. The horror, the blood, the gore, the creatures and ancient beings, this book has it all. If the cover and title grab your attention like they did mine, it lives up to its promise and then some.

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hayy6747's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

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kemikemi's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This book did get slow in the middle for me, and it took me a long while to finish the audiobook copy I borrowed, but there was a lot I liked about it. I actually loved how much ballet was in it, ballet kind of became a character of its own with how in-depth the descriptions of each dance scene and of the politics/social drama surrounding the company/career became; as someone who knows little about ballet, I found it all fascinating and I loved how the author depicted how cutthroat and evil it all could be underneath the perfectly polished performances. The ballet drama appealed to me more than Laure’s developing relationships with her new friends/love interest, although I can appreciate what good they did for Laure socially and emotionally. I do wish Laure’s friendship with Coralie was expanded upon more at the very beginning of the book and we got to see more of their bond before the main plot events began, but I loved the author’s quick build up to the big climax at the last part of the book and how it all unfolded from there to the end—I was listening aghast and fabulously stunned when it all went down, just sitting there trying to process everything.

the disaster of toxic and subtly homoerotic girl best friendships, amirite? but i also wish the author capitalized on it more, i would definitely trade majority of the scenes of elysium for ones that intensify the relationship with coralie and how it starts fraying sooner, so that the line at the end about her being laure’s first love hits harder when you finally get it to it.

because i wasnt all that into laure’s elysium friends, i dont see myself reading the upcoming sequel, but im glad i read this book and parts of it will definitely stick with me for a long time

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pastelhxrmony's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I loved this story all the way through. I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me follows the story of Laure, a ballerina in Paris, as she sacrifices herself to the ballet and an eldritch god and slowly becomes a monster.

*SPOILERS*

The things I liked

Great prose
Absolutely feral main character
Lots of great elements that kept me intrigued
Very good attention to detail, I could visualize the story unfold in my head very vividly

Things I didn’t like

The pacing was a bit rough in some areas but not unbearable.
I found it weird how some details are brought up and never addressed again. For ex, it’s mentioned that Laure had talked to the police after finding Joséphine yet this is never brought up again although it seems important
I also feel like Joséphine died too early and I think she could have been utilized a little longer. It felt like she was set up to play a bigger role imo

Overall an awesome debut. I did enjoy reading very much and I will definitely read the sequel !

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msrae89's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book! It’s a dark story of a girl becoming a monster and finding her power. The book was beautifully written, and the story was fascinating! For comparison it felt like a blend of Black Swan and Vicious by V. E Schwab but still wholly unique.
There were some pacing issues but my biggest critique is that I wish Laure would have gone darker at the end. She had to suffer so much racism and classism, and in the end

just giving her notice and staying “you wanted too much from me”

just felt a little frustrating. Those other characters will never know the kindness Laura showed them.

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nicolewhopickedthisbook's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

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katyakat's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

The story takes a bit of time to really get going, and it requires some knowledge of ballet to fully appreciate the nuances. Jamison Shea clearly did extensive research for this book, and it shows. She’s not afraid to delve into the darker sides of friendship, exploring themes like jealousy and toxic traits.

One aspect I particularly enjoyed, and something I always appreciate in books, is how Laure accepts that she has a darker, not always kind personality. It’s refreshing to see a character who acknowledges their flaws and struggles with the societal pressures to fit into a box of what others think they should be. This adds a layer of depth and realism to her character, making her journey all the more compelling.

The second half of the book truly shines. However, the first 150 pages felt a bit slow, lacking the pace that would make it more gripping. While this slower start does provide a clear insight into Laure’s character and mindset, it could have benefited from more action to keep readers engaged.

Despite this, Shea crafts a fascinating world that kept me intrigued, and I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel. She has a talent for creating compelling settings and complex characters, and I’m excited to see where she takes the story next.

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