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A review by twilliamson
The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Firstly, I wish to be totally clear: I don't think this book is bad. In fact, I think a whole lot of people would attest that they loved it and it sang to them and they understood its worm call and that is utterly lovely.
But I didn't get it. There's a lot of cosmic horror packed in here, with big, all-consuming concepts that I think are genuinely interesting. And there's a lot of human horror in here, too, representation especially of trans body horror, which is undeniably important and I think is one of the best things in this book (certainly its most unique concept).
Yet for all that I think The Worm and His Kings does well, I just could not connect with it. I am the outlier, and I think I'm okay with that.
Read Hailey Piper. I've seen enough of her work to know that she is worth reading, worth celebrating, worth supporting. This one just wasn't for me.
But I didn't get it. There's a lot of cosmic horror packed in here, with big, all-consuming concepts that I think are genuinely interesting. And there's a lot of human horror in here, too, representation especially of trans body horror, which is undeniably important and I think is one of the best things in this book (certainly its most unique concept).
Yet for all that I think The Worm and His Kings does well, I just could not connect with it. I am the outlier, and I think I'm okay with that.
Read Hailey Piper. I've seen enough of her work to know that she is worth reading, worth celebrating, worth supporting. This one just wasn't for me.