A review by reads_vicariously
The Mud Ballad by Jo Quenell
4.0
Yes the cover definitely caught my eye, but this is an example where the plot synopsis grabbed me just as quickly. Murderous conjoined twins, talking corpses, flesh-eating hogs? Yes please! Thankfully it was worthy of the hype I built up in my own head haha.
Mud Ballad is sort of a warped folktale starring a conjoined twin who murdered his other half and a disgraced surgeon who will go to unimaginable lengths to be reunited with his dearly departed crush. It's a mix of southern gothic, some elements of Frankenstein and the occult, and healthy dash of black humor (which is fantastic - example: an unhinged schoolmaster is training her young students for a fight to the death with the prize hog in town...so bizarre but it works in the world the author has created).
This is a dark book full of violence and gore with a town seeped in grime and poverty and characters who make their way in life through manipulation and brutality. The author does an amazing job building out this world and I felt like I was slogging through the mud with these characters. I love that I had no idea which direction the story was going to go in and I really enjoyed spending time with this cast of quirky and strange characters. Hats off to Jo Quenell and Weird Punk Books for putting out this hilarious, gross, and highly entertaining tale.
Mud Ballad is sort of a warped folktale starring a conjoined twin who murdered his other half and a disgraced surgeon who will go to unimaginable lengths to be reunited with his dearly departed crush. It's a mix of southern gothic, some elements of Frankenstein and the occult, and healthy dash of black humor (which is fantastic - example: an unhinged schoolmaster is training her young students for a fight to the death with the prize hog in town...so bizarre but it works in the world the author has created).
This is a dark book full of violence and gore with a town seeped in grime and poverty and characters who make their way in life through manipulation and brutality. The author does an amazing job building out this world and I felt like I was slogging through the mud with these characters. I love that I had no idea which direction the story was going to go in and I really enjoyed spending time with this cast of quirky and strange characters. Hats off to Jo Quenell and Weird Punk Books for putting out this hilarious, gross, and highly entertaining tale.