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brynnfai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This was so unique from all my other reads lately, and so much was packed in a lil dark fairy tale novella, woweeee! This follows a serial killer mermaid (but like, idk give her a break okay) and a nonbinary plague doctor in an apocalyptic wasteland.
The prose was lyrical, lush, dreamy, eerie, visceral. I don't really know how to write a review that does this novella justice, but I had a great time. The commentary on what it means to be human, connection, love, and more in a society where those sentiments, concepts, or practices are almost extinct?
I had to look up a lot of words because again, the prose is incredibly flowery and I'm just a mere peasant, but oh wow, the vibes were immaculate!!!!
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
jmtleaf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
e_l_k's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
That doubt was dashed from my mind from the first page onwards.
Khaw has a way with descriptive prose that my English teachers would have envied, coveted, before gagging at how vivid the depictions of viscera and horrible violence are. This is NOT a book for the faint of heart or stomach. But it is a spellbinding tale of rediscovery, self-acceptance, and love in the face of pure, selfish evil.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
There is a short story at the very end of the book that presents the events directly precluding the main narrative.pacifickat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"I recall once, there was an astronomer in my husband's court, who extolled the poetry of the universe, how numinous we were despite the mucus and the blood we shed. 'Stardust,' he'd said, inebriated with his own doctrine. 'We are made of stardust.' Or maybe of primordial elements, such as the ocean, and the dark, and the killing flame, and love."
For one, this is a story about stories.
The narrative takes the shape of a dark mashup of
It is also a commentary on how the stories humans tell themselves shape their beliefs and behaviors, sometimes leading to their own suffering and ruin, even as those same stories are defended as sacrosanct. Sometimes horrors in this upside-down world mask themselves in holiness. The true enemies, the charlatans wielding power, want people to believe that evil is found elsewhere, and to fear the outsider rather than questioning the darkness in their own midst, in their own systems of belief.
"Man mistakes his own experiences as the canvas on which all truths are drawn. He is rarely correct in his respect."
"There is a reason The Hunt is central to so many narratives. For all that humanity professes to delighting in its own sophistication, it longs for simplicity, for when the world can be deboned into binaries. Darkness and light. Death and life. Hunter and hunted."
This is also most definitely a horror story.
While the prose is a mesmerizing, undulating, hauntingly beautiful (unless big words bother you) thing, the plot beneath is feral and eviscerating.
This is also a haunting love story.
"I wonder sometimes if this consciousness is the same, if I am the same. Or, if I am a mere fabrication strung together by circumstances."
"There is nothing wrong with being a monster."
"You always know the right things to say."
The story reminds me more than a bit of This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone: the sumptuous use of language, the poetic cadence of the narrative, the distinct natures and voices of the main characters, and
"[...] Eternity is a worthless bauble without their conversation. [...] I will love them to the death of days."
Conclusion
I really enjoyed the telling of this tale. As one Barnes & Noble reviewer put it, "For someone who simply loves words, this novella was practically a playground [...]."
However, the weirdness of the plot and sheer quantity of strange vocabulary and odd phrasing employed throughout made me wonder if the author may have been aided by AI in their writing process. I saw online that she has utilized AI in the past for visual character studies, but it made me wonder if she also used it to create this written work. It is a weird world we live in where this might even be a question a reader would think to ask -- but there it is, sitting in the back of my mind even as I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
In the absence of further evidence, I am going to give the author the benefit of the doubt and offer up 5 stars. This kind of story is totally my jam.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Xenophobia, and Vomit
garfluvr420's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
mar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death and Miscarriage
ceruleanseas's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement, Miscarriage, Rape, and Pregnancy
fox_at_the_circus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
And I really like the two main characters and their relationship with each other, too. This is a story about two people dealing with their trauma together, healing together in a way, and supporting each other throughout it. They are not perfect or try to be, but they feel realistic and are loyal to each other. I especially loved the line, where the plague doctor calls out the "your trauma makes you stronger" bullshit.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Grief, and Pregnancy
anderska1011's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Fire/Fire injury