This was not what I expected or wanted it to be.
When I got this I went in with expectations (based on the blurb) of an apocalypse with body horror and cosmis eldritch horror. What I got was a long winded tale about an ordinary woman in an ordinary world where a new pandemic spreads, and as she gets infected her rights to data privacy are taken away. Which, to be fair, is fairly apocalyptic, bot not really what I imagine when I hear that word.

It starts out pretty long winded, with things progressing slowly, and told in a retrospective fashion that I am personally not a fan of. Things do begin to ramp up, but slowly, and I am not sure why but despite the subject matter being quite horrifying due to the changes an infection does to the body, it still felt... ordinary.
Then all of a sudden and out of nowhere there's massive skips ahead and a very intense escalation that feel like a fever dream to both reader and protagonist.

Then the POV changes and a new character is introduced. From here on out, things progress a lot faster, though there is still a lot of retrospection and ordinary-ness.
Only when the POV switches again do things become truly apocalyptic, and even then it's all held very local and we hear nothing about a global scale or pretty much anything about the world outside the house where the main character is kept. And it wasn't even done in an intention mystery "what really happened with the world?!" kind of way.

The cosmic horror part also left much to be desired. There were some incoherent dreams that tied back to the passages of Stoker's Magdala Amygdala, but to be honest the meaning was lost of me (and to be fair, I'm really bad with poems and deeper meaning.) As each protagonist gets infected and changes, there is mentions of old gods, and in the third act quite some grand scheme things happen, but ultimately is was pretty in the background, with the three women's personal fates being the center.

And those fates features a lot of body horror, so I guess the book lived up to that expectation. Overall it felt much more like it had an almost fetishistic focus on grotesque changes to women's bodies, with themes of violations of privacy and loss of bodily autonomy. Which, eh.

What I did like was how interconnected the three arcs and the three protagonists were on a personal level. Despite them all having very little in common personally, there were so many small and seemingly random connections which I really enjoyed. It all tied together so nicely and in ways that seem inconsequential but were still present.

Lastly, the ending felt weird to me too. Whole new concepts were introduced while other seemingly important plot threats that came up again and again were abandoned. Nothing was explained. I am not sure if part of this was that the author seems to have written in this universe before (there seems to be a short story connected to this novel?) but I would have appreciated at least some closure. I am aware this is a horror novel so I didn't expect a happy ending, but the ending was very unsatisfying and, to me, a let down.

Humanity, and the world itself, is fundamentally and irrevocably altered following the emergence of a new stomach virus, polymorphic viral gastroencephalitis (PVG), which initially presents itself as "the stomach flu on nightmare mode." Those who survive, initially at least, fall into one of three Types - the asymptomatic Type Ones, and Types Two and Three whose bodies and digestive systems have been so wracked and torn apart by disease they require daily supplements to manage the symptoms of their now-chronic illnesses, in the form of either fresh human blood if they're a Two or raw brains if they're a Three.

Told in three parts, Lucy A. Snyder's Sister, Maiden, Monster charts of the course of mankind's transformation through the eyes of three women. The first, Erin, is a recently engaged desktop support specialist who finds her body all but decimated by PVG. Savannah is a sex worker turned serial killer cannibal for the elder gods. Mareva's body, meanwhile, is prone to producing benign tumors even at the best of times, but in the face of PVG is forced to reconcile with even more horrific possibilities.

Based on her two previously published short stories, "My Knowing Glance" and "Magdala Amygdala," from the anthologies Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors and Dark Faith 2 respectively, Sister, Maiden, Monster allows Snyder to dig deeper into the lives of Savannah, and Erin and Betty, and expand on their stories with more expansive ways than those shorter works allowed. Through the four women making up the backbone of her narrative, Snyder smartly charts the growth of an unchecked pandemic as America sinks deeper into dystopia before sliding toward the shockingly apocalyptic. It's a narrative that is, by turns, beautiful, horrific, transgressive, and more than a little bit horny as we are taken into the changing natures of desires between two women and, later, life in a brothel. It's also an opportunity for Snyder to display some properly fucked-up Cronenberg-like depictions of sex and body horror as PVG grows and human bodies transmorgify and change in desultory ways, blurring the lines between lust and addiction. Around the time Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future release, an article from Collider noted "Blood. Guts. Sex. Horror. Disgusting bodily fluids. If you see all of these in one place, you're likely watching a David Cronenberg film." But if you're reading it in a book, it's gotta be Lucy A. Snyder's Sister, Maiden, Monster!

While the monstrous elements are certainly well done, at times uneasily so, it's the initial societal impacts PVG has on America that really drew me in. The world building and displays of a nation fracturing are top notch and wholly believable, particularly amidst still-fresh memories of COVID-19 lockdowns. At the risk of oversharing, I began reading Sister, Maiden, Monster while sick with diarrhea and stomach cramps while my youngest child is grappling with a COVID-19 infection and vomiting while combatting a high fever. The opening chapters dealing with Erin's infection, which certainly made my own symptoms pale in comparison, were brought to much too-vivid life for my liking and far too often gave the book it's own version of sensurround and smell-o-vision. It's not a route I would recommend to most readers, but it certainly helped make the narrative all the more personal and realized for your's truly. Reading this while ill was a nice mental escape, even if it didn't exactly help me feel any better physically, and I don't think I've been more empathetic with a character on the verge of shitting out their entire digestive system as I was while reading this on the throne with similar worries. Thankfully, I didn't have to eat anybody's brains to feel better!

Of course, it was the societal impacts that really got to me - the government's forcible restrictions of civil liberties, the basic imprisoning of women in their homes, the imbalance in medical treatments for the fairer gender and preferential treatments given to men (women who are lucky enough to survive PVG are advised to get an IUD to stave off troubling pregnancies, but telling men to get vasectomies is unheard of and met with skepticism). America quickly and easily becomes a police state, with people fearful of the 15% chance that Type Threes will turn into unstoppable cannibalistic maniacs at the drop of a hat. It's beautifully, horrifically done, and all-too real a possibility given present-day threats to our democracy. And we don't even need the encouragement of ancient cosmic horrors urging us toward our own extinction!

Sister, Maiden, Monster is so smartly constructed and intellectually stimulating, as engrossing as it is just gross, that I fully expect to see it cropping up on Year's Best Of and award lists following its Feb. '23 release. Such accolades would certainly be well-earned, and I would hate for horror fans to miss this one, because it really is quite likely to be one of the best books, not just of 2023 but of quite some time, I think.

I am not your usual horror reader, so I don't know if my issues with this book stem from my ignorance of the genre or if they would be there regardless. Sister, Maiden, Monster is the story of three women in the the same viral pandemic but narrating the three separate acts of the story for us. The simple virus becomes body horror becomes an eldritch nightmare becomes a serial killing. And all for what? One of the narrators goes from being a SW to a serial killer and I found her section of the book the most disturbing. Remorseless, she compares herself as one point to Dahmer, wondering what he would do in a certain situation, and in the current climate of his disgusting and egregious glorification (thanks to the netflix docudrama), I found that inclusion in bad taste. There is also a character that could be regarded as transgender who, in addition to being a bad actor in one of the women's lives, appears to be the first character to "change" into one of the eldritch horrors. I found this inclusion uncomfortable and unnecessary.

Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder
Pub. Date: February 21st, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 /5

I would like to thank @NetGalley and @Torbooks for a copy of the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review. I am so grateful for this opportunity!

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What was that? This book was so disturbing and weird and uncomfortable. But it was also fascinating, captivating, unputdownable. I kept gasping for air after each page. I feel like I had a morbid curiosity about the story and I was reading it through my fingers not-wanting-but-wanting to keep reading. It's very quick paced and set in three parts focusing on a main character. All of them are linked in the end.

Be aware that it is a dystopian horror novel. Please check the triggers before reading.

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The Blurb

It's been ten years since the last pandemic (Corona) and a new terrifying disease is spreading. Erin, the first MC is infected and struggles with the aftermath. She's alive but she needs to eat brains to remain functional and mentally stable. She starts seeing another infected person and both of them nourish their new cravings.
Savannah is a dominatrix. She loves her job, she loves sex, but the pandemic makes it difficult. She's being careful but an encounter with a client changes her behaviour.

Mareva is Erin's coworker. She always had health issues since a young age and her family has pushed her aside for it. She struggles with making friends and connections until she meets Erin before the pandemic.

The three characters' path will collide in this intense horror novel. The future of mankind is at stake and each character has a role to play.

Holy **** you guys! I was hoping I was going to like this one but I wasn't prepared for how much I would absolutely LOVE it. I DEVOURED it. I didn't want to put it down, it was just that fricken good. I stayed up reading past my bedtime because I had to know how it ended.

Told in three parts by three different women who become irrevocably connected to one another through a pandy-apocalyptic event, we're introduced to a horrible new virus that tears through the planet like nothing we've ever seen. If you catch it, you're going to end up so fucked up you'll wish it killed you. Because to survive it means you're ushering in the end of the world as we know it and unlike R.EM. claims it will be, shit ain't gonna be fine. You are all soooo fucking far from fine!

Oh the things this book does and the places it goes! The body horror! The cow brains! The Cleaving! And that weird ass crazy ending! If this wasn't on your radar already, it is now. If you aren't sure it's for you, you're wrong, it is! If you don't like it when you're done reading it, do I even know you and how are we even friends?

I want to say Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a early review copy of this book.

For reference, I rate my books from 1 star being DNF, to 3 stars being most common rating for a good book, to 5 stars being a book that completely amazes me so much I would read it again.

This book is very unique and different than the suspense/thriller or true crime books that I usually choose. I would classify this book as a Horror with a little Science Fiction, and I do love a good horror book every now and again. I found this book enjoyable and quick to read, but there are lots of gory and disturbing scenes (hence the Horror classification I gave it).

The story takes place in a city after the covid 19 mess that was unleashed on the world. Just when things start going back to normal, where people are going back to work and enjoying life without government imposed restrictions, a new 'virus' is quickly spreading. The infected people can be classified into categories from seemingly asymptomatic to dying within a few days in a hospital. Unlike Covid 19, the survivors find themselves mentally and physically changed. The infected survivors are divided into categories themselves with different evolving 'mutations'.

There are three parts to the book that follow three different main characters that have intertwining stories. Each of the three main characters have different reactions to the 'virus', so you get to explore all the different, and horrifying ways the infected can turn out.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys disturbing horror novels about human/zombie/demon/alien monsters.

The only reason I am giving this book a 3 star rating, instead of 4 stars, is because at the end of the book, I felt like the story was over, but the book wasn't ended. I personally do not like books that endings up to interpretation. I prefer to have books with complete and total endings. The only exception is if the book is part of a series, and nothing in the description or title of this book indicate that it is the beginning of a series.

I have never read anything quite like this and that's what made me love it so much. The way that Lucy A. Snyder details the events leading to an absolutely crazy eldritch horror scenario is brilliantly planned out. The main characters were well written and it was interesting to see the different ways they dealt with the virus and their own symptoms. There is LGBTQ+ inclusion in this story which is always welcomed.

I would have liked to have learned more about the eldritch beings, however, saying that the mystery behind them was equally as enthralling.

For how normal it begins, the novel evolves into one of the weirdest, Lovecraftian apocalypses I've ever read. Somehow it stays grounded to the present day, and its resonance with current issues doubles the eeriness. For me, this moved it from another pulp story to a tale that stays with me.

I'd like to thank #Netgalley for letting me read an eArc of #Sister,Maiden,Monster by #LucyA.Snyder.

This book was so totally out of this world! I'm not even completely sure what I read but I know that I enjoyed it, and was very disturbed at the same time. It is certainly an interesting take on virus's, how they are transmitted and where they originate from. I am finding to no surprise that covid has made its way into books more and more often. The virus that comes after covid in this book is far more horrifying.
You follow 3 different women oon their journeys through this virus and how they end up connected to one another and the importance of each.
If you have a hard time following pretty out of this world stuff this may not be the book for you, but if you love intrigue, biology, and dare I say aliens, then this book is totally for you!

A post-COVID virus brings about the apocalypse, and we witness it through different time periods from three different POVs.

Snyder’s end-times tale felt a bit messy at first, but the novel works well when you look at it as 3 separate novellas coming together to deliver a brutal, cosmic, madness-charged nightmare of Lovecraftian proportions. Even to this jaded reader, I found myself surprised a few times over certain situations and some unexpected levels of violence.

The ending felt a bit unfinished, but considering the novel eventually won me over after a couple days of digesting it, perhaps the finale will at some point, too.

It’s nice to see a major press release something so extreme, and horror fans should enjoy Snyder’s wild twist on apocalyptic horror.

5/5

This had every element over Horror, creepy, weird and dark for me! I loved the entire story from beginning to end. Also the cover is stunning and I knew I just needed to get my hands on this one. I loved the Sci-fi element in the story. At times this was bizarre but in a a good way. Enjoyed this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me read an ARC of Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy N Snyder!!!

I loved this book. I feel like it was written personally for me! I do believe that this book will not be for everyone, there is body gore in it, but if you have no problem with that, then tou should definitely give this book a chance.

I originally thought I was going to love this book, the description sounded intresting and unique and the cover is what drew me in and made me want to read the book asap. The story is told from 3 POVs, Each woman's perspective gives the next part of the apocalypse caused by the a virus. I enjoyed the weirdness of the book, people who enjoy body horror and cosmic horror might enjoy this book but check the Tw as there are plenty.

However, I feel like the plot was messy, it was all over the place with so many different ideas. It just had too much going on which made things a bit confusing. More isn't always better. I also felt there was too much ranting, I found myself losing interest and skimming though paragraphs just to move on.

Finally, there was a paragraph that I personally found to be very problematic, its quoted below;
".... After all, Dahmer did. Straight up had the cops find his teen victim Konerak Sinthasomphone on a street corner. Naked, bleeding from his ass, and disoriented because Dahmer had drilled a fucking hole in his skull and injected hydrochoric acid, trying to make him into a kind of zombie. But Dahmer played it totally cool, and they handed the kid right back to him."

I read quite a bit of horror as well as splatterpunk so I am not new to extreme topics but I think there should be a line between writing fictional characters and including real victims. I don't think Dahmer needed to be mentioned. I definitely don't think the 14 year old victim should have been mentioned in FULL NAME and especially not in such disrespectful way. I found this extremely insensitive and in poor taste.

Ultimately this book is not for me for the above mentioned reasons.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group, Nightfire for sharing the digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my authentic review.

Part of me is still processing what I just read. It was an entirely unique experience, full of twists and turns and disturbing Lovecraftian imagery. Unfortunately I can't say that I felt like it was anything more than "good", however, and can't see myself reading this again or bringing it up with friends unless it was a specific situation. Not a bad book, by any means, but also not great.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I enjoy a good dystopian novel more than most, and boy is this good. Not "The Stand" or "Swan Song" but certainly not Y.A. like "Hunger Games" or the "Maze runner" Brutality, and chaos reign and Mrs. Snyder does a fantastic job making characters who the reader may loathe not into two-dimensional caricatures of villains. This hit the spot for the spooky season and should be snatched up in February upon release.

Three stories merge into one monster of a tale. I thought there was too much in-depth scientific explanation.

This is what I have been looking for!
The perfect mix of horror, madness, uncomfortable, and Sci-Fi elements.
'People still talk about contagion control as if it matters, as if masks and gloves and sanitizers and prayers can stop the future.'
This may resonate with many people during this time of our own contagion.

This book does have very descriptive gore scenes that did not gross me out but made me cringe because I had to read it!

I just absolutely adored this. Best read without looking up too much about it! Three women in a post pandemic world with separate but converging plot lines that come together to an insane ending. SO good.

This is more like a 4.75 only because there are still so many unanswered questions I have…

This book is freaking WILD! It is gruesome and twisted and I LOVED it. This tells of a dark and horrific coming of end times and it completely engrossed me. I have found a strange new reading interest, for sure.

Covid has come and gone pretty much and a new pandemic is taking over the planet. This book follows three women who are integral to the fate of the planet, Erin, Savannah and Mareva.

This virus has the strange ability to mutate humans into one of a few different types: ones that have mild flu like symptoms for a handful of days, ones that thirst for fresh blood, ones that hunger for brains and some that exceed far past that… but believe me when I tell you, that is the absolute vaguest sense of these types of mutations. In actuality, the was the author describes all of this is with an intensity and an in your face severity. This isn’t for the faint of heart. This is NOT for everyone… but if you can handle the gore and the sexual depravity, than I HIGHLY recommend this book!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. When I requested this book, I knew I was in for something unique and abstract, but I don't know if I was prepared for how much so. I LOVED this book. It's absolutely nothing like what I was expecting. Gory, graphic, but that's exactly what you want in a creature horror book like this. You won't find a book that's anything like this one, and that is rare. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.