Reviews with content warning for Antisemitism - Nestlings

Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

68 reviews

grey_jayne's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Nestlings is a page turning blast! I've been enjoying Jewish horror films and I'm glad to report that this was a great Jewish horror book. And there's quality disability representation.

The Chapters all have numerical chapters within them, a clear indicator that Stephen King is a strong influence here. Cassidy's writing flows in that vintage King way too without the problematic voice of much of King's work.

It was a lot of fun and many people are calling Nestlings the best horror book of 2023 so definitely check it out.

Content Warnings

opossum_readz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

ellejaereads's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This book had all the horror tropes that I enjoy. Unreliable narrators, a “lucky” break that has a dark side, something is in the basement… I also felt like it was unique. There was postpartum and disability rep. Overall, it was a good horror read.

Content Warnings

kari_f's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

If unsettling books are your jam, you need to check out Nat Cassidy’s writing.

It felt reminiscent of a classic Stephen King novel, where its horror has mysterious, thriller-esque vibes. Add in the discomfort of a book like School for Good Mothers, and that might come close to describing the feel and tone of this novel.

While it definitely falls into the horror genre, there are so many deep topics that are explored through the writing. Just some of them include the grief of sudden disability, the difficulties of being a caretaker, complicated ideas on motherhood, postpartum depression, generational trauma, economic inequality, modern Judaism and antisemitism, and the overwhelming desire to fit in. Because of this, the book is quite heavy even before the urban horror aspects start to come into play.

I loved the creeping dread the author was able to infuse throughout the book; even after the reader has an idea of what’s going on, the tension and paranoia practically drip off every page. The descriptions are vivid enough to imagine oneself right there with the characters, which only added to the atmospheric unease. Be sure to read/listen to the afterward from the author - it’s quite powerful.

I will say that, much like a Stephen King novel, it took me a while to get into the story. But once I was invested, there was no way I could put this book down! It was a perfect spooky season read, and now I need to go pick up something light and happy!

*Note: I was given the advanced audiobook edition of the book, and I felt that Cassandra Campbell’s narration gave the perfect voices to the characters and added to the dread and unease of the book.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy!

Content Warnings

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense

4.5

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the eARC!

First let me preface by saying I loved that there’s content warnings at the beginning of the book, I think it’s something all authors should do! Now onto the review.

The book is told through switching POVs between Ana and Reid mostly, but occasionally we get POVs from some minor characters. I was immediately pulled in and didn’t want to put this one down! The writing is atmospheric with Very tense, eerie vibes. I had goosebumps, felt like I was being watched and general creepy crawlies while reading (do not recommend reading at night right before bed) 🫣

It slowed a bit in the middle but overall the pacing was well done! The character development was also fantastic, I really liked Ana and watching her grow throughout the novel. Although both MCs were well written, Ana was so complex and had great depth to her 😍

This novel is incredibly written in its exploration of grief and motherhood. The topics of postpartum, disability, and infertility were well written/handled with care! I can’t speak for the disability community but the infertility rep made me feel so seen.

I loved the acknowledgements as well! I’ve never been so moved by an authors note 💗

Nestlings is a unique horror novel in terms of the plot and adding to some horror lore with a new twist. If you like horror novels or movies/shows, I’d highly recommend! Nestlings is marketed as Salem’s Lot meets Rosemary’s Baby, but it also gave me Midnight Mass vibes 👻 I’ll definitely be checking out more of Cassidy’s horror novels!

Rep: Jewish MCs and author, paraplegia FMC, infertility rep

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sarahweyand's review against another edition

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dark 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

4.25

Thanks to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feedback are my own.

This is the first horror book in a good long time that genuinely scared me. Very wary of reading this one too late at night, and that's such a good thing. The atmosphere and slow-burn mystery was so well executed that my mind went wild trying to guess the endings and twists. I was right on a couple, but that is rarely something that "ruins" a book for me.

I really enjoyed the relationship dynamics between all the characters and watching how our protagonists evolved. The characters and their motivations were all realistic and it made some of the choices they made easy to empathize with even if I hated the character themself. The inciting incidents leading up to the climax were some of the most haunting things I've read recently, and I found myself gasping and talking out loud while reading, which doesn't happen often.

I will say that once everything was revealed and the climax was occurring I found myself getting a little more bored and confused, but it didn't do a lot to mar my overall enjoyment of the book. Nestlings is being marketed as Rosemary's Baby meets Salem's Lot and while I haven't consumed either piece of media, I can totally see where they're pulling from and I think it's brilliant.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to my fellow horror lovers and I can easily see Cassidy becoming one of my favorite authors in the horror space today.

Content Warnings

tbretc's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

anxietee9's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

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