Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Nestlings

I'm so happy I decided to listen to this audiobook so soon after finishing "Mary" as there are a number of parallels between the two stories. It also made me realize just how much I adore Cassidy's writing style. He's exceptionally skilled when it comes to writing characters I love to hate (and I thoroughly enjoyed how one character in particular got what was coming to them). I also love that his stories tend to focus on the marginalized and the outcast. This particular book has strong "Rosemary's Baby" vibes in addition to taking a completely unique approach to vampire fiction. There are so many elements at play that at times I worried that they'd all crash into one another in some sort of tangled mess, or something would be forgotten and unresolved. But Cassidy is a master at weaving those many, many threads together to form a satisfying conclusion.

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jameszabik's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

4.5

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dcnireads's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

in conclusion, men are weak unreliable trash and FUCK them kids. (just kidding. but also not really.)

in all seriousness, this book was unnervingly gross and terrifying with a freaky as shit (but unique) depiction of a mix between vampirism and cannibalism. it has dark and sometimes genuinely triggering takes on disability and mental illness, specifically postpartum depression and the realities + struggles of motherhood. it was, however, written with a truly understanding and considerate perspective towards the latter topics mentioned above, and it even got a bit inspiring towards the end. i feel the need to say that im surprised considering this was all authored by a man, and you normally wouldn't expect them to have sensible opinions about such matters that aren't downright disrespectful, tone-deaf and/or written insensitively. at this point i didn't even mind the jarring inclusion of covid out of nowhere.

i'm so sorry mr. cassidy, i was unfamiliar with your game. 4.5 stars for you sir.

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chessakat's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

A creepy, claustrophobic tale of motherhood, body horror, belonging/outsiders, and weirdly, community. The audio production is excellent! Hearing Cassidy describe the events of 2021 that led to the writing of the book was so harrowing - don’t skip the afterword.

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a_bos's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

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brea's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense

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nexusgoblin's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Well, that was equally unsettling and disgusting. fantastic though.

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