I really enjoyed this author's writing style. I can't really explain why it was so appealing to me but it sucked me in and I didn't want to stop. I look forward to more from this author!

Interesting and plot driven. I didn’t find it overly engaging but enjoyed the concept. I struggled to finish it.

5/5⭐️

Narrative fiction inspired by the Chillicothe Six, On the Savage Side follows tightly-bonded twin sisters, Arcade and Daffodil, who are victims of generational trauma and addiction. Throughout their lives, they are left to fend for themselves in rural Ohio where bodies of women like them are found floating in the river, discarded like trash.

“A mother’s hands are hourglasses to her children. Our lives fall into yours as we pass the sands of time to you. I give you the grains of my unspent days and enough time to look back on a moment we both remember with love.”

After I read Betty, I was hooked on McDaniel’s writing. Her talent is so palpable; each and every sentence she writes is intentional. The prose is so effortless in this novel, and I truly feel like I’m a character myself in her novels. I don’t know how she does it, but I’m so impressed every. single. time. by McDaniel’s ability to effortlessly weave real-life experiences into fictional narratives.

As far as the plot goes, On the Savage Side does not disappoint. Each and every character is raw and dynamic, the sequence of events is both straightforward and winding. The ending? Totally unexpected.

TL;DR you can’t go wrong with a Tiffany McDaniel novel, and this one is a fantastic place to start exploring this author’s incredible art.

I started this book months ago and it was not catching my interest. I put it aside and recently picked it back up and was immediately engulfed in the story.

This is a powerful story of the generational effects of addiction and trauma told through the eyes of two girls as they grow up, Arc and Duffy.

I do think that this was a bit too long, given the heavy subject matter. Also recommend checking content warnings before diving in.

I do not know how to do this book justice but as someone who usually prefers plot driven over character driven stories, I have to say this was an exception. Beautiful writing in a haunting story.

On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel is a powerful novel set in Ohio based (with liberties) on the unsolved Chillicothe murders. At the heart, however, it's a story of sisterhood. Twins, Arlys and Daisy, have to navigate a harsh world.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy.

I know this book is among the favorites with reviewers but I had an extremely hard time with it. Every single woman in the story had a depressing narrative and I fully understand that was done intentionally to portray their poverty and lack of resources. However there were also instances where certain female characters seemed to do nothing and just be bystanders where they had some potential to do something, especially mothers protecting their daughters. I have a very hard time with books that show women as utterly defenseless and not wanting change. Some of the names and descriptions were also very repetitive, and the coping strategies adopted by the main character were bizarre and just downright depressing.

This was a very graphic book. It was disturbing to read at times. Haunting, gritty, and unsettling. There’s an uneasy feeling from the first page and it continues through all the twists, especially that last one!

I was gifted a copy of this book from Net Galley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor books in exchange for an honest review. This book is currently available. Tiffany McDaniel sure knows how to write a brutal story that keeps you reading! This is my third Tiffany McDaniel book and my third 5 star Tiffany McDaniel book. This book was a rough one to get through due to the subject matter but it was so well written. It was heart wrenching, made me angry at times, and I couldn't stop thinking of Arc and Daffy. Highly suggested.

I don't even know how to describe my feelings on this book. What an absolute heartbreaking, brutally breathtaking story. I have never read anything so incredibly difficult to read, yet it was so intriguing and deep that I couldn't stop reading. I plan to share it with my friends with proper trigger warnings.

On the Savage Side is a gritty book that follows the lives of a handful of women and their relationship to a crime. But honestly, the crime portion takes a backseat to the horror of their everyday lives. We follow them through abuse, addiction, and violence, which shapes them into the people they are. This book is certainly not for the faint of heart, as it features so much violence. The writing was amazing and was both understated and striking. The comparisons to those who pretty on the women to animals was both hard-hitting and completely appropriate. Overall, such an emotional read. It was hard to read but I just couldn't put it down.

Sisters against the world. A hauntingly beautiful journey through the life of two girls that had nothing but eachother to lean on. Written in a way that will have you wanting to soak in every sentence, this was a book that will stay with me for a very long time and is a real contender for my book of the year.

Shoutout to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

5 ⭐️

I don’t mind dark books, but this is DARK and bleak - making for a combination that had me putting down my kindle after each chapter. I tried this on Kindle

Upon finishing this book I actually exclaimed out loud 'what a load of Bullshit', It was long and even from the first chapter I was sick of certain things being repeated over and over, the name Mawmaw Milkweed must have been mentioned about 50 times in the first chapter. At times I enjoyed the strange writing style and at times I was just annoyed by it. I really wasn't a fan of the ending at all, it really made me feel like I'd wasted alot of time reading it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There was a savage and a beautiful side to this book, for me. On the savage side, this book was STEEPED in mysticism, imagery, and a poetic prose that I found very off putting. And there were just parts of it that had me scratching my head and audibly saying “huh?” I mean, “mother’s hand” anybody??? But, that was just a small blip in the beauty of this story, if you can call such a dark and tragic story “beautiful”?! There is no doubt in my mind that Tiffany McDaniel is one helluva writer. Her story was captivating, gut-wrenching, raw and REAL AF!! I could not stop turning the pages. And that twist at the end?!? #whiplash The ending was just gorgeously, masterfully written. I was just in awe. Those last few chapters pulled this one from a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 all the way back to a 5. WHY aren’t more people talking about this book??? I loved it so much more than another certain book about addiction that was awarded a Pulitzer… I cannot wait to see what TM crafts for us next. Now, to go read Betty!

This book was marketed as an "inspired by story" of the Chillicothe Six. I had never heard of these Ohio murders before, six women were killed in 2014/2015. The cases remain open.

The story centres around twins, Arcade and Daffodil. The story is told through Arc's POV in two timelines, one when they are children and one when they are in their early twenties. They were born into poverty with a single mom, who's a drug addict. Their mother frequently brings home Johns to sleep with for drug money. The twins name the Johns "Spiders" because they prey upon them. We follow the twins as they try to escape the hell hole they grow up in, but they are doomed to fall into the same patterns as their mother. They frequent the river nearby where Arc discovers a dead woman.
As they mature and try to get clean with their friends, they relapse into a life of drugs and prostitution and their friends start going missing or found in the water.

This is a heartbreakingly good book and it's intense and heavy and you can't stop reading. The writing is beautiful and evocative.
Can't stop recommending this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 60%

When I say I tried, I TRIED.

I’ve been reading this since June 10th (today is September 10th) and I only got to 60%.

I don’t mind dark books, but this is DARK and bleak - making for a combination that had me putting down my kindle after each chapter. I tried this on Kindle via eGalley as well as audio from Libby.

While I know that it’s important for authors to inform readers of things that often get forgotten by using fiction, I get concerned when they started using overly descriptive language that seems like it would fit more in a romance novel.

I wish that she had used the River aspect more because once that was gone, there was no flow.

I finally set it down once animal neglect was added in because of course the author just has to pile on more dark things.

I will say, the narrator for this is fantastic. Without the audio, I’m not sure I would have gotten to 60%.

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is one of those books that you won't stop thinking about for days after you read it. Its so incredibly written and also heartbreaking so prepare yourself! If you like impressively well developed characters, beautiful writing and a story that forces you to reflect, this is for you. I found the commentary about women particularly poignant. I don't want to say more about the plot because I want you to just read it for yourself. Let Tiffany McDaniel destroy you!

I received an advanced copy of On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel from the publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Arcade and Daffodil are twin sisters and have an unbreakable bond their grandmother’s stories and their imaginations. But surrounded by generational chaos and addiction. As the two women grow up in this environment, they struggle with opioid addiction. This is all set as women (their friends) keep disappearing into the river, likely from a serial killer.

What I Loved: This book is really dark and takes an unflinching perspective on those struggling with addiction. The book pushes us into an uncomfortable position of recognizing that we as society ignore this challenge and overlook those who are struggling and minimize their fortunes and futures.

What I Didn’t Like: I wish I hadn’t listened to this. The book is a little experimental and was challenging to follow. This made the impact less than me. I highly recommend reading this one instead.

Who Should Read It: People who aren’t afraid of challenging reads. People who can deal with really dark topics.

Summary: A killer is on the lose in a town damaged by the opioid epidemic.

tiffany mcdaniel is an incredibly gifted writer, and on the savage side was evidence of that. through the twins, mcdaniel portrays the horrors of girlhood and being a woman. i had no idea about the chillicothe six murders, but i read with a pit in my stomach as soon as i searched it up. the sharp juxtaposition between mcdaniel's gorgeous prose and the dark matter made for a book that i will remember for a long, long time. what a poignant, brilliantly written story.