On the Savage Side may be one of the bleakest books I’ve ever read. It may also be one of the most beautiful. Tiffany McDaniel’s lyrical writing is absolutely superb. Aside from the writing, the nonlinear timeline and first-person narration work wonderfully, which is not always the case in some books. However, the characters and the societal commentary were the stars of the story. Arc and the other “Chillicothe Queens” were complex and sympathetic characters I rooted for the entire time. Additionally, the book does a fantastic job touching on hard hitting topics, such as addiction, gender, class, law enforcement, the military, violence, and family. Unfortunately, the multi-genre aspect didn’t really work for me in this story; however, I do think that’s because I was reading an ebook and assume a physical copy would be much better. Finally, I did not love the ending and the many unanswered questions it left upon the reader. Overall, On the Savage Side is a hard read, but also a must-read!

Absolutely amazing and heartbreaking. This isn one of those books that will stick with me for a very long time. I loved it. I cried. So good. There are a lot of trigger warnings with this one.

Genre: Literary/Mystery

Format: Audio

Pub date: February 14th, 2023

5 stars - I loved it!

Thank you @aaknopf for the finished copy and @prhaudio for the complimentary audiobook!

Say hello to one of my new all time fav books and my favorite book of the year so far! Tiffany’s writing is so special, and she is absolutely one of my favorite authors. I’ve never read books quite like Tiffany’s, and she is undoubtedly a gifted literary voice that deserves all the recognition and praise.

Everything about this book was incredibly haunting, atmospheric, heartbreaking, poignant, raw, and gruesome. This book holds such deep emotion while sustaining a gripping and propulsive storyline.

This book is incredibly heavy, but I wanted to simultaneously devour and savor every word. There is just something so compelling about her storytelling. Knowing that this novel was based on a true missing girls case where the author is from, added even more depth and meaning to this story.

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy from Tiffany, and she send along name plates for all her books. Not only are her books amazing, but she is so lovely!

Overall, a gut-wrenching, compelling literary mystery, coming-of-age story with stunning prose that is a new favorite!

Hear me when I say this. ON THE SAVAGE SIDE is not the book for everyone. It is one of the darkest yet most beautifully written stories I have read.

Based on the true story of the Chillicothe murders, the novel follows twin sisters Daffy and Arc and their life in a small Ohio town crippled by opioid addiction. While local authorities turned a blind eye, many women with addiction and involved in prostitution went missing or were found dead in the river. No major investigations took place because of who the victims were.

The rawness and heartbreak of addiction is highlighted as we follow Daffy & Arc through childhood and emerging adulthood. I became deeply invested in their struggles and couldn’t tear myself away from the brokenness they experienced. Tiffany McDaniel makes a searing point that these girls were somebody’s beloved daughter and worthy of not only a proper investigation, but love and compassion.

As with her debut novel BETTY, McDaniel creates a stark juxtaposition of deeply disturbing content paired with the most lyrical prose. I was simultaneously in awe of the poetic writing and unsettled by so many aspects of this story. Name a trigger warning and you’ll likely find it within these pages. It’s important to know that the book is not not traumatic or gratuitous for the sake of shock value; McDaniel has a clear purpose and thoughtful message.

ON THE SAVAGE SIDE raises important questions about those who our society values and the vulnerable people that are overlooked. Brimming with symbolism and bleakness, your heart will break and you should go ahead and let it shatter. This is a story I won’t soon forget.

RATING: 5/5
PUB DATE: February 14, 2023

Many thanks to Knopf for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook.readsbooks in advance of publication date.

“In life, there is a savage side and a beautiful side.”

Wow. This is one of those books that punches you in the heart and then embeds itself there to stay.

Eerie, foreboding, unsettling, frank, and powerful, On The Savage Side is an up close and personal look into the lives of twin sisters, Daffy and Arc, their childhood and upbringing, their trauma and loss, their grief and pain. It's inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six. This story was poignant, thoughtful, raw and profound in many ways. As beautiful as it was hard to read. The writing was abstract, haunting, and incredibly impactful.

While there is a thriller element, it’s definitely secondary. Even when the plot twist leaves you questioning everything and also nothing, this story is much more a focus on the lives of the girls who have gone missing, their hopes, their dreams, their struggles and suffering. Their survival. It's an ode to remembering them. To remembering them as mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, and just...people... despite the hardships of their lives and how each of them inevitably ended up.

There were difficult and darker themes of addiction, poverty, abuse/child abuse, neglect, assault/sexual assault of a minor, death/murder, and miscarriage that were unabashedly explored.

But there were also those lighter, more heartfelt themes of found family, friendship, bonds of sisterhood, turning the hard things beautiful, the love of a grandmother, the power of imagination and affirmations, hope, dreams, and new life.

This is a story that will not easily be forgotten.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an early copy for review.

On the Savage Side is the third novel by Tiffany McDaniel. I’ve read her previous two works and was so excited to have the opportunity to read her latest. The author’s bio lists her as a poet as well and it certainly shows in her writing. On the Savage Side is beautifully written however so many aspects of the subject matter are difficult to read. Multiple trigger warnings.

Inspired by the true story of the murder/disappearance of six women in Ohio, the novel is part mystery, part primer on heroin addiction. At times grim, but always beautifully written with gorgeous dialogue, On the Savage Side is a compelling read. If you’ve read McDaniel’s previous works, this is as good as you’ve come to expect. If you haven’t, do yourself a favor and get this novel and her back catalogue

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher Alfred A Knopf for the chance to read this outstanding novel.

“In life, there is a savage side and a beautiful side”

When I heard Tiffany McDaniel had a new novel coming out I was thrilled. I read Betty back in 2021 and it was one of my stand out novels of the year.

Similar to Betty, McDaniel has fictionalised a real life event, this time she pays tribute to 6 woman who went missing in Chillicothe, Ohiho.

On the Savage Side is a brutal, heartbreaking book which follows twin sisters Arc and Daffy Doggs as they grow up trying to find the beautiful in the savage. McDaniel flicks the reader between the past and present to explore how Arc and Daffys childhood tragedies impact their adult life, exploring their friendships with incredible detail whilst simultaneously writing a compelling plot. McDaniels writing is poetic and atmospheric. The characters within her pages are ones you won’t forget for a really long time. From Arc and Daffy, to their friends - the Chillicothe queens, Mamaw Milkweed, and John Theresa.

The content is so heavy yet I didn’t want to part from Arc and Daffy. There is A LOT of trigger warnings in this one (child sexual abuse, neglect, abuse, substance use, the list goes on), but despite this I really loved this novel. I loved the personification of the river, I loved her and felt apart of her. From the characters to the environment, it was so easy to picture because of the meticulous detail.

I think I’ve found another 5 star read for 2023. Thanks to @hachetteau for the copy and @netgalley for the digital copy.

I would like to start by stating that this book will not be for everyone - heck, it won’t even be for A LOT of readers. This story presents with the entire spectrum of triggers, and therefore will be a turn-off for many.
My thoughts on the story: I can’t breathe enough life into each time I was thankful that the life I have been born into was not at all the same as Arc and Daffy’s. As stated in the first few pages of the book, this story is loosely based on the murders of six women from the small town of Chillicothe, Ohio. Although the story is lyrical, metaphorical, and poetic, it gave the sense of validating the existence of not only the six murdered women, but of women anywhere that may live in small town, rural America. Born into poverty, into existing family addiction and drug use, not many opportunities for education or employment, these heart-breaking characters bring to life the grim, depressing, and hopeless lives that often turn to and become dependent on prostitution and drug use. The story touches on how women like this are often thought of as the lowest members of society. Therefore, when crimes are committed against women who live this type of lifestyle, the crimes are often ignored and no justice is brought against the men that possess a savage power over them. Brutal, yet beautiful story.
Thank you to Knopf Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loosely based on the true crime mystery dubbed the "Chillicothe Six", On the Savage Side follows two twin girls, Arc and Daffodil, as they grow up in a home and town riddled with addiction. As the girls grow up, they form a circle of close friends who all share the same struggle of addiction and sometimes the need to turn to sex work. Throughout the story, the girls are picked off one by one by the "River Man", an unknown killer who drops their victims in the nearby river to be found later.

I’m not a squeamish person, especially when it comes to reading. But this one did it. This has to be the first book I’ve ever read that had me squirming in my seat and wondering if I could go on.

As with all of Tiffany McDaniel’s work, On the Savage Side is incredible. McDaniel has solidified her place in my library as an auto buy/read. She has to be one of the greatest present day writers.

Read this book for the ending. That’s it, that my review.

Okay, just kidding, I have more to say. But honestly, this book had one of the best endings I’ve read in a while. It was shocking in parts, and heartbreaking in others, and just wrapped the story up perfectly. It’s *chefs kiss*

In general, this book is DARK. It does not shy away from the hardships of addiction, living in poverty, and being a woman. Some of the sections are not for the faint of heart, so I encourage you to be cautious of that going in (and I’m happy to provide specific trigger warnings if you’re worried). However, because it fully embraces the darkness, this story is just so powerful. I worried deeply about each of the characters and viscerally felt pain when things happened to them.

My only (small) issue is that, while I really enjoyed the writing when it came to the action and character descriptions, I had a hard time getting into this style of dialogue. It took me quite awhile into the book to get into a rhythm reading it, and even then I didn’t love the dialogue because it felt slightly over the top. But again, the rest of the book was so good that it was truly a minor personal issue.

Despite my slight complaint about this story, I really enjoyed it and definitely recommend you check it out. Thank you to Knopf Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC!

4.5/5 stars

Wow, this was a very, very tough (but also moving) read, a mystery a very different kind. Inspired by a real unsolved true crime case in Chillicothe, Ohio, the book focuses on twin sisters, Arcade and Daffodil (Arc and Daffy).

Just a heads-up that the book includes sexual abuse, domestic violence, and drug abuse. It's a dark book that doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of poverty, abuse, trauma, and human suffering.

This was my first book by Tiffany McDaniel. She is a writer and poet and her writing is definitely on the poetic side. I loved how nature and the river tied in to the story. In this sense the book reminded me somewhat of The Paper Palace, which had a similar style and some similar themes. It also felt a bit like The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey, which also was inspired by a true crime case and was very focused on humanizing the victims.

I could see part of the ending coming, but it still packed a huge emotional punch.

On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel is a brutal, heartbreaking and beautiful lyrically written novel. McDaniel's previous novel, Betty, is among my favorite books of all time.

On the Savage side tell the story of Arc (Arcade) and Daffy (Daffodil), twins born to drug addicted parents and set against the backdrop of the Chillicothe Ohio Murders.

The positive light in the twins' lives is their grandmother Mawmaw Milkweed. Mawmaw teaches the girls life lessons.

"A witch is not a pointy hat or a broom or warts. A witch is merely a woman who is punished for being wiser than a man. That's why they burned her. They tried to burn away her power because a woman who says more than she's supposed to say and does more than she's supposed to do, is a woman they'll try to silence and destroy."

This was such a stunning novel. The beauty of the prose was exceptional. The characters Daffy and Arc glimmered with creativity, magical thinking and potential, all while surrounded by corruption and neglect, it
was gut-wrenching.

This was a hauntingly beautiful novel; the characters will stay with me a long time. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this novel.

A hard and difficult book to read.
The story line was hard because there’s a lot of bad things that happen.
One has to read between the lines to discern what is actually happening.
I didn’t connect with any of the characters. This book was not for me.

Compelling enough story with writing that takes chances. My one critique is that the girls' living situation was so dark and extreme that it drew attention to itself and away from the storyline.

Well, that was a wild ride! Inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chilecothe Six in Ohio, the author follows a group of friends as they live their lives in a small town. However, these friends are the products of alcoholic and drug addicted caregivers. They also are involved in prostitution. Such twisted lives! We hear their thoughts and words but through a drugged out lens. Their twisted thoughts..and those of the adults around them are hard to read. I was cheering them on as some tried to get out of their toxic lifestyles through rehab and support of others.
Not a typical read for me but I had to know how it would play out!

This book is loosely based on true events, the Chillicothe Six - six women who went missing in Ohio beginning in 2015. Some of those women were found dead, but others were never found at all.

In a way, to me, the murders were not the worst horror in this book. The environment the characters lived in is overwhelming, with every social disaster you can imagine - crushing poverty, prostitution, drug and alcohol addiction, abuse of every kind. The murderer was enabled by that environment, particularly the rampant addiction which led to increased prostitution.

The two main characters in this book are Arcade and Daffodil (Arc and Daffy), twin girls born to a mother who lived with their aunt and grandmother in a dilapidated trailer. The narrator is Arc. The girls were mirror images of each other including their mismatched eyes, one blue and one green. Their mother and aunt were addicts and prostitutes, and did not spare the girls. The book was narrated through their eyes, and it was heartbreaking.

There is a huge twist at the end of the book, where you realize that almost everything you thought you knew was wrong. This book is masterfully written. I would not call it entertainment, but reading it will open a window into a terrible reality.

Trigger warnings include child neglect, child abuse of every kind, prostitution, drug addiction, and death.

I received a review copy from the publisher Knopf via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

"When a woman disappears, how is she remembered? By her beautiful smile? Her pretty face? The drugs in her system? Or by the johns who all have dope breathe and graceless desires?"

This book sucked me in from the very first sentence. It is written so beautifully even though it's about such a dark topic. The desciptions really made me feel like I was there with Daff and Arc. It left me with the same dread filled feeling in the pit of my stomach that I had when I read lullabies for little criminals. I won't say that I enjoyed this book. But it impacted me. I devoured it in a couple sitting and maybe should have read through it slower, took time away. As it's brutal and not easy to read.

This is an emotional sucker punch of a book that deals with severe drug addiction, abuse, poverty, and death. Based on the Chillicothe Six - women who had gone missing and were found murdered in Ohio- the story of Arcade and Daffodil (or Arc and Daffy) will grab you and not let go. Arc and Daffy are twins who love each other so deeply that they’re unable to untangle themselves from each others’ lives. They endure unspeakable tragedies - their mother and aunt are addicts who sell their bodies for drugs. When the twins are forced to repeat the cycle we follow their lives and those of their friends as they try to survive, but the river ends up claiming them one by one.

This novel is hauntingly beautiful, but equally dark and tragic. Arc and Daffy stole my heart as two young girls who want to be loved and protected but are forced to endure hell. You will not forget this book; it will stay with you.

TW: drug abuse, drug addiction, death, rape, pedophilia

Wow, what an incredible and important read. This book is dark and hard to read at times, but necessary. Inspired (not based on) the murders of six women in Chillicothe, Ohio, it immerses the reader into a time and place full of addiction, drugs, abuse, murder, and life. It shows the power held over women, but also the power they hold in a savage world.

Beautifully written, this book has so many deeper meanings behind its words. The symbolism throughout the story is poetic and creative. It makes the reader think not just of what is happening in the plot, but also real life. And if that wasn't enough, there is a major twist in the book that I did not see coming. It's the type of twist that you could reread the book and it would be a completely different story.

I think more authors should write beautiful stories such as this one when writing about true crime. It brought awareness to the real lives lost and how society continued to fail them. It's almost like the author did exactly what the main character always did: turn the savage side around to the beautiful side.

It’s taken me a while to try and process my thoughts into words and still do this book justice.

Tiffany McDaniel’s third novel follows Arc and Daffy, twin sisters from Chillicothe, Ohio. We follow their past and present, and uncover a whole world of trauma. In the present day, a local woman is discovered dead in the river, with more floating bodies racking up fast. Arc’s promise to keep her sister safe become more and more desperate, as they could be next.

This book ripped little pieces of my heart out one by one, and left me an empty shell. Despite the murder mystery element of this story, which is inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six, it is a story of trauma of the deepest, darkest kind. The way that Tiffany touches on abuse, addiction and prostitution is incredible - the issues are tackled very delicately whilst being a stark depiction of the trauma these characters are experiencing. There are some particularly graphic scenes surrounding these topics which were difficult to read, but I kept being drawn back the book despite this because it was so beautifully written.

Tiffany has created such depth with Arc and Daffy, as well as with a lot of the secondary characters in the novel, and their stories were all intertwined perfectly. I wanted to scoop up Arc and Daffy and physically protect them myself from what they went through, as they have such a heartbreaking history. I was in awe as to how Tiffany wrote them with such a pure innocence and naivety, whilst being forced to mature faster than anyone should be expected to and adapt to the violence that surrounded them.

This book honestly left me speechless, and my words here definitely cannot express how incredible this book really is. I cannot recommend this enough.