Reviews with content warning for Murder - Nestlings

That was nuts! And gross! It was a more gruesome version of Rosemary’s Baby and it really packed a punch. I enjoyed the setting and the creatures and the dynamics of disability and Jewishness at the intersection of horror. I did find this book a little long, it felt very flat plot-wise until the end. But the payoff was really interesting and the ending was unexpected in a good way. This was a compelling horror read, would definitely recommend!

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stephanieluxton's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This book started off feeling like it'd be a 5 star read then slowly went downhill until it reached an unsatisfying ending.

Something fantastic about this book was the authors ability to create an intense feeling of isolation in New York City. The setting is fantastic - so ominous. Our FMC is in a wheelchair which I thought was quite clever as it added to her isolation. The pacing was also quite good. The author didn't reveal too much too quickly. There were quite a few genuinely scary and unsettling moments!

There are a few issues with this book and Id say the one that struck me the most is that I didn't feel like the author didn't really capture parental love well in his writing. The FMC had basically no maternal instincts. This isn't entirely a spoiler but

the FMC is resentful towards her baby because a very difficult birth left her disabled in a wheelchair. I thought this added an interesting dynamic but my problem is that I think that was a character flaw that she should have overcome by the end of the story. It kind of seems like she will but she doesn't

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The reveal of what's happening felt a little too much like an info dump after a nice slow build. I didn't like that in the end

the dad, who has been a mostly great dad for the whole book decides that he should just let the vampire gargoyle leech people have his baby. Why have him searching so desperately for a way out just to make him change his mind about it in a whim then kill him off. Also the wife didn't seem traumatized enough by basically killing her husband. Her whole world fell apart and she just seems fine at the end. So dumb.

I hated Frank. More specifically, I hated that frank existed as a character. He feels like he was inserted for political reasons because the author wanted to write about a stereotypical far right extremist but he genuinely added nothing to the story. I think it actually would have been more effective if

instead of being a horrible ex landlord who wants revenge of the couple for moving out and damaging his apartment, he instead was an excellent nice landlord who was seeking the couple out to return some belongings they left behind. What happens is he goes to their apartment to kill them because the dad swore at him, the couple is Jewish, and Frank is a bad person. Then he immediately gets killed by the monsters at the same time the FMC is trying to escape elthe building. What's the point? If he was a nice neighbor, he could have helped the FMC escape and then his death would have had a huge emotional impact.

Anyways, I get annoyed when it feels like authors are trying to hard to insert a political message that didn't fit naturally into the story. One more thing that bothers me is that

after the physical therapy woman gets killed/ goes missing (which was a great scene, by the way. Truly spooky), why the fuck did no one reach out to the FMC? Her coworkers would have known that was the last place she was working. Does no one notice this lady missing?

Can we also talk about how the history of the building is shrouded in mystery, but for some reason every delivery or Uber eats employee refuses to enter the building? Why do door dash employees seem to know it's a bad place but no one else seems to know?!

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laneychaney's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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dijigoo53's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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meyeram30's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious

Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

This one was weird! Not weird in a bad way exactly, but definitely different from other horror stories I’ve read. Nestlings, while housing a truly unique and intriguing take on Jewish vampirism (didn’t see that coming), didn’t tick all the boxes for me. I would have loved much creepier detailing to engage an eerier and more uncomfortable reading experience. This story has some gore and mystery, but not enough overall scare factor, imo!

I did really enjoy reading the afterword. It rounded out the story well, gave clearer insight into the motivations in Cassidy’s life at the time of writing, and showcased the well thought out subtleties of this story and its characters. The blanket message of pushing through life even when shit hits the fan is important and appreciated.

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cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

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