Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

18 reviews

sonygaystation's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.25

I enjoyed this for a lot of reasons, but it definitely comes second to Mary (which blew me away with how much I just LOVED it). I really liked Ana as a character - her disability and her relationship with motherhood were so good. I also absolutely loveeeed the inherent Jewish-ness of the novel. I think the way it was incorporated was so satisfying and the fact that you couldn’t have major plot beats happen if you erased the Judaic aspects is so chef’s kiss. I’m not even religious and I want to see more religion in horror. The vampires were an interesting new take too. Not my favourite the way they were presented but definitely novel and cool! I do wish the book had maybe been a bit more scary or had more of the vampires doin their thing than it did, but also hearing about it was so GROSS LMAO that maybe I’m good with what we got. I also really enjoy hearing Nat Cassidy’s thoughts at the end of the book and it felt comforting that his 2021 was as much a dumpster fire hell year as mine was, even though I wish very much that there wasn’t need for comfort or to be comforting. Also Reed wins shittiest man award I hated him and baby bird was the cutest friggin nickname ever ok that’s all :)


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gilmargirl's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

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brandon_the_beldam2993's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad fast-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? Yes

4.0

This was my first read by Nat Cassidy and boy am I intrigued to see what this guy does in the future.
There’s no other way to put it: The story is Cassidy’s take on Judaism Vampires.
Now the story itself is excellent and the characters feel incredibly authentic and not paper thin bores. Ana and Reid with their one year old daughter Charlie win a penthouse Apt in Manhattan in a housing lotto.
After escaping a landlord who as Cassidy says in the foreword “a racist sexist piece of shit” believe me that is the TIP of how unbearable the character of Frank is. The apt at The Deptford at first seems too good to be true, but as the novel moves along the atmosphere and building itself as well as its tenants become more deranged.
At the core of this story though is a theme of Motherhood and Ana’s experiences/adjustments living in a wheelchair after a dance injury caused by a hemorrhage in her spine and the effects of childbirth worsened it.
The book follows her conceived thoughts and attitude about her daughter, her husband, depression, anger, her mother’s internalized gaslighting on what it means to be a mother to her own daughter.
On top of all of all this horrific other shit happening in the building.
The imagery in this book is not for the faint hearted and will lead to some being upset especially if they’re new mothers. Because the climax of the book will you leave some devasted but it also leaves with a feeling of hopefulness.
I really really enjoyed this book.
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blacksphinx's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

When it was pitched to me as "Rosemary's Baby meets Salem's Lot in New York City", I was interested. When I listened to Nat Cassidy talk about this book and he said it was, in part, a Jewish vampire story, I was sold. It more than delivered on those promises with a building that feels alive, some of the most horrific body horror I've ever read, and an extremely satisfying series of Chekov's guns going off at the end. 

Please publishers, give us more disabled protagonists and more Jewish horror!
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aparker89's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

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bookb1itch's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'd like to thank the random bookshop who posted a picture on FB of a display of "Horror novels NOT by Stephen King."  I looked up a couple of titles, wondering "who is Nat Cassidy?"  A very good writer, that's who!  I loved the terror and humanity of this book.  It's essentially about dealing with misfortune and desperately wanting to belong.  The apartment building, the Deptford, is a character and although I don't want to be responsible for "spoilers" let's just say I want to research further about estries and the Jewish Vampire lore.  One of the best trigger-warnings I've ever read, which mentions various things including anti-semitism, depression and various other themes, but ends with "There's also a character who's a real racist, sexist piece of shit".  Frank is, unfortunately, so very believable.
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minimicropup's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

Eerie. Apprehensive. Brave. 
🇺🇸 Set in a gothic-style Art Deco apartment across from Central Park in New York, USA 
POV: Told in third-person narration, we mainly follow a married couple grappling with the challenges of new parenthood and post-birth trauma. 
 
Mood Reading Match Up: 
-Infusions of grown-up Goosebumps vibes set against a gothic Manhattan backdrop. 
-Integrating folklore horror and mythological creatures into urban life 
-Strong, complex character studies (including the monsters) with gradually evolving atmospheric plots 
-Exploring themes and social commentary on luck, heritage, Jewish identity, the rawness of parenthood, birth trauma, and struggling with new parent identities. 
 
— 
🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕 
✏️ Writing: The writing style is direct and to the point, immediately drawing me in. 
 
🫥 Characters: The narrative provides a ‘fly on the wall’ perspective, mainly from Ana and Reid’s points of view, but also includes other characters when relevant. 
 
🗺️ Worldbuilding: The setting in Manhattan feels authentic and immersive, with sensory details that create a parallel universe feel. The lore around the building adds an extra layer of intrigue. 
 
🔥 Fuel: Suspense is masterfully built through scenes that lack context, keeping me guessing and engaged. 
 
🐇 Pacing: The pacing is well-executed, maintaining momentum even through intense scenes. 
 
🎬 Scenes: The novel has a cinematic quality, I want a movie/mini-series adaptation! 
 
💭 Random Thoughts: The portrayal of a parent struggling with bonding and resentment towards their child is handled with depth and realism, exploring the complexities and often unspoken aspects of parenthood. I love how this veers away from the typical mother-child bond, momma bear worship. 
 
— 
 
Content Heads-Up: Medical (birth injury). Disability (inaccessibility, paralysis). Ableism. Covid-19 (recall). Racist character (antisemitism). Anxiety, panic attacks (experienced, triggered). Toxic parent. Sexual content (consenting, relationship). Post-partum depression (recalled, insinuated). Unemployment. Suicidal thoughts, attempt. Sleep deprivation. Loss of a parent (recall, grief). Body horror (mutation, feeding, body fluids). 
Rep includes: Jewish American, differently-abled (wheelchair mobility) and White characters, delving into their experiences and traditions. 
 
Format: Library Digital via Libby. 
 
🤩 This was one of my Favourite Books of 2023
 
“Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI Bestie ✨”
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ripxreads's review against another edition

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

4.75

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