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stephanieanneauthor'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Blood, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol and Pandemic/Epidemic
cottagecoregrandma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It wasn’t as scary as I would hoping (or told) it would be but it still creepy enough. I really loved the new take on vampires in this as well! I’ve also never teared up at an afterword before so thanks for that Nat Cassidy.
I didn’t personally like the mentions of covid and the pandemic, just because I read books to escape reality, but I understand why Cassidy included it.
I will definitely be picking up more Cassidy books in the future.
Graphic: Blood and Grief
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Racism, Vomit, and Antisemitism
brandon_the_beldam2993'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
4.0
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.
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
The writer gives a pretty straightforward disclaimer before the book begins about the hardship the reader is about to be subjected to. This book isn’t for those faint of heart.caidyn's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy
alisonvh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Dementia
aparker89's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
sarahweyand's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Medical content
anxietee9's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Classism