Some recent reads/recs
So I hear we want some recommendations that maybe haven't been heavily posted already. So here are 4 - with reviews - that I have read recently: (note I read things that lean into the genre of horror so keep this in mind with the reviews)
Hysterical- Amber Dean: this book is about obsession. Raz(Jessie) is absolutely infatuated with her best friend Tinsel. They both seem incredibly toxic for one another. But Raz's obsession for Tinsel begins to spiral, and the obsession even begins to extend onto her sugar daddy only ever referred to as "Mr Wall Street". The book was an absolute spiral of madness that I could not put down. Id give it a 4.8/5. I did not have any idea where it was going, and being inside Raz's head was an absolute clouded mess.
Our Wives Under The Sea- Julia Armfield: This one broke me a bit. It is utterly bleak and sad in a really refreshing way though. The book bounces back and forth between the perspective of Miri and Leah. They are Married and Leah is a marine biologist who goes on a deep see expedition only ment for 3 weeks of research but the submarine results in some failures altering the trip into a 6 month absence. The perspectives switch between Miri in current time, dealing with the changes in Leah since her return and Leah's perspective in the past from what occurred while under the sea.
This one gripped me and then broke me into a million pieces. The need to get to answers kept me flipping pages. I will give a warning that the prose is supper fluffy. I would rate it a 4.7/10
The Salt Grows Heavy- Cassandra Khaw: This one isnt something I typically read. I would say it leans more into fantasy? Ish? So imagine if the bluebeard story mixed with the little mermaid. So the story follows a mermaid - who eats people. As she journeys with a plague doctor. They stumble upon a village run by only known as "the surgeons" who bring people back to life, but the revival seems to cause great agony, and the surgeons seem to be eating the body parts of the sacrificed dead. This one, hard to explain but it really kept my attention. It is a weird one and the prose is very heavy/flowery but I think I really had fun with it. Id rate it a 4.5/5
Sour Fruit- Ahana Virdi: wow! This one I JUST finished, and I saved the best for last. This one was WILD. I was absolute fully attentive and sucked into this story. The book follows Avni, an indian girl navigating adulthood in London. She has delt with some awful traffic events, like the death of her parents at the age of 10, living with a fairly cruel and unkind aunt. She goes on to become deeply obsessed and in love with a girl named Alice, so obsessed she desires to eat small parts of Alice, starting with the tip fo her thumb. Alice eventually, tragically dies (there is a mystery surrounding her death and I will let you all experience it and I will only say that). To cope with the tragic loss of the person she desperately craves to regrow within herself - she begins to find meaningless and aggressive sex/ hook ups. She eventually stumbles upon a dating app called Unicorn, involving the dating of couples. This story also spirals out of absolute control and madness. The book is also HILARIOUS I was laughing my ass off through so much of the book. Example of a quote - "Ken looks like the sort of man that fucks his wife with his socks on and announces he’s coming every second until he does, like a choo choo train." This one Id rate a 5/5
Happy reading fellow wierd gals ❤️