Cheyenne Corty

Oh wow. This book was a wild ride. It’s for sure one of the most jolting books I’ve read. But it’s far from perfect, and that’s ok. I was thoroughly impressed with how dislikable the villains were, and how disgusting the depictions of gore and violence were. Felker-Martin does an exceptional job of fleshing out characters with interiority and depth, she crafts a believable narrative, brutally unforgiving and complex. However at times the narrative felt too muddled and stagnated for me. 🌲

Have you ever read a book that feels like a romance novel but it keeps reminding you it’s sort of not a romance novel? This was that! This book felt like watching “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” for the first time. It felt like being roundhouse kicked in the gut. It felt like sipping your tea and burning your mouth on it because you’re too impatient.

This collection of short stories was really enthralling. I devoured this book in small doses because of how intense each narrative was. And that’s a good thing! I thoroughly enjoyed the narratives, even when I felt put-off or anxious while reading them. I love how each narrative shifts voices fully, and how each character was a unique part of the tapestry MacLaughlin crafts for the reader. The brutality of the first half of the collection fits excellently with the poignant and somber second half