angelkisses's reviews
195 reviews

too much undernegotiated kinky straight sex for prolonged periods of time and I really dgaf. Sorry. The audiobook made it worse because it was just right in my ear. 

This is a fairytale retelling of “The Little Mermaid” that leans fully into its gruesome origins, with a feminist subversion that is reminiscent of Angela Carter’s collection “The Bloody Chamber.” There is no doubt that the protagonist and her companion (who is a nonbinary plague doctor using they/them pronouns) are monsters, each in their own right. The pages are filled with brutal gore, mostly enacted by our protagonists. 

This story resonated with me in part because of its atmosphere and central themes which I could relate to a video essay I had recently watched about the monstrous feminine in Bloodborne. It is a very dark novel, not just because of the violence depicted (explicitly or implicitly) but because it tackles issues of trauma, bodily autonomy and the patriarchy. It is a wonderfully queer monster love story for anyone who’s ever been made to feel like an outsider.

The language Khaw uses reminds me of an Old English epic (like Seamus Heaney’s translation of “Beowulf” or even “Sir Gawain the Green Knight”). That is to say, it’s not for everyone but for those seeking a story written with intensely verbose language and a particularly descriptive voice – here is a gothic fairytale for fans of vicious mermaids, cultic sacrifice and the cathartic release of vengeance. Great for lovers of epic female revenge stories like “Lady Snowblood.” Can you tell I loved it a lot? 

The only issue I had concerns my reading experience. Oftentimes I would come across words I was completely unfamiliar with where context wasn’t helpful for suggesting a meaning but rather implying that the word I didn’t understand was essential to the image that was being constructed. Therefore I would have to stop my reading and go look up words so that I could adequately visualise what was happening or being described before continuing. Either way it interrupted my flow and made it harder to understand at times. I had to start over about halfway through the text because I was having a hard time visualising what had happened so far. The second time through I had a much smoother experience, heavily utilising the “define” tool in my phone to quickly search up definitions. It didn’t impact my connection with the story but it was slightly frustrating. Still, I am excited to one day reread this on audio because I believe it will be a better experience for me.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

the mushroom ghost :D

tragicomedy at it's finest. I'm surprised this is Jimenez's debut novel because it is expertly crafted. all the praise for it mentions how Jiménez deftly weaves together dark and heavy subjects with light hearted hilarity and family dramatics & they're correct! It is difficult to combine two moods that contrast to this degree but Jimenez proves it is possible! I'm excited to dive into their short stories at some point in the future because I imagine her snappy voice suits the medium very well.

 I had various issues with the structure of this novel but it was an extremely emotionally satisfying experience. Perhaps it's because I blasted through this novel in less than a day but I'm having a hard time coming up with cohesive thoughts about it. I love Anna as a protagonist and her relationship with her younger sister Grace, which is also the driving force propelling the narrative forward. I appreciate the focus on building community (the idea of "it takes a village to raise a child") as opposed to the individualistic notion of the nuclear family. And I can't lie, the epilogue did make me tear up. In fact I was holding back tears while on my shift because of it. 

Still, the alternating timelines are confusing, especially at the beginning when the reader hasn't yet been introduced to many of the relevant characters who are mentioned in these "flashforwards." On top of that a lot of information is repeated from chapter to chapter, which feels like a cheap way to communicate with the reader.

Even with my complaints, it's no lie that this book made me FEEL things. I felt an intense sense of discomfort, anger, frustration and deep, deep sadness knowing that even though this story is fictional, it unfortunately reflects the experiences of many Native women and girls. 

funny sexy and insightful.

Bumped up .25 stars for the acknowledgement. i love le guins discussion of the reception this story received especially when she shares a letter that was sent to her by a young reader, discussing the various ways they interpreted the story. my feelings for this story are of course complicated by le guins family's own involvement in a similar practice to what was going on in her fictionalised Omelas -- her father Alfred Kroeber, an anthropologist who exploited an indigenous man he named Ishi who was the last surviving member of the Yahi people. I think it's important context to have to consider how fiction doesn't exist in a vacuum -- I feel like this context adds an element of intrigue to the story itself.

this is amazing. rivers solomon is 3 for 3 in my books now. their work is absolutely phenomenal. try and go to this experience with as minimal explanation as possible. this novella is an explicitly sapphic, gender/sex diverse (interspecies? kinda?) monster romance a la the shape of you (mermaids<3). While I enjoyed those passages elaborating on Yetu and Ooris budding relationship, the bulk of this story discusses the legacy of slavery and the impact of intergenerational trauma on marginalised communities. There is also a large seed of hope sown throughout this story, much in the same way that hope is weaved throughout Solomon's other work. I am grateful for their perspective on such heavy topics, as they provide a distinct feeling of possibility.

Seriously, no more talking about this book because this review should only be read quickly before any of you reading finally make the push to prioritise this off your TBR!