poegostick's reviews
171 reviews

Okay, well, I'm not going to eat pork for a while.

Deeply disturbing, unsettling, and gory.

There was a lot that worked for this, and a lot that fell short. The premise, the setup, and the formatting were engaging. However, I'm not sure all the disturbing parts were worth the payoff. The abrupt ending made me question why I stomached the gross parts. It felt almost unfinished. While ending at that point certainly served for shock value, I think some resolution or description from Zoe's side might have been a better use of time. As a reader, I've been shocked for nearly 100 pages, what more do you want from me?

All that being said, I didn't quite hate the book. Agnes and Zoe felt somehow real with their limited development. Not sure I would recommend it to anyone, but also, if you're a person with a strong stomach, I think you might be interested in the ride.

2.5 stars, bumped up to 3.

It was cruel that this was only a novella. There was so much going for this book, and I think its biggest weakness was that we didn't have the length of a novel to develop Ariel's character. There were a lot of beautiful moments, and then other moments that I skipped because I wasn't given the time to be truly attached to this pairing. I loved the representation in this book, and feel like the good outweighed the bad!

I picked this book up because I found it at Half Priced Books, and likely wouldn't have gone for it otherwise. It did end up enjoying it, despite my expectations! While the situations were a little fantastical, the two MMCs were well-developed in their motivations and personalities. There was a depth and explanation to their thoughts that I found myself enjoying.

This is the other's first novel, and it certainly showed. Some of the chapters were a lot disjointed and a lot weaker than the others. Some of the plot beats were off, and I honestly could have done without a lot of the politics (understanding that yes, this is a book about characters in the political world).

I think what the author did with grace is the third-act breakup! It wasn't your typical miscommunication trope and was eventually resolved satisfyingly.

This was silly and fun in all the right ways. It's a short novella, easily read in an hour or so. Good for a bit of reading burn out, or something silly to distract from a bad day. I'll probably pick up the rest of the series!