I don't know what to think on this one. It was definitely unique and the author has a fantastical mind for sure. But I'm not sure if it was for me. I really struggled to get hooked. I kept starting, setting it down, picking it back up, on a loop lol The plot just didn't stick with me.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of sister, maiden, monster by Lucy a. Snyder. Oh my goodness. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting into but I listened to this in one day, couldn’t press pause, didn’t want to. This story of what worse could happen to the world after Covid is this. So modern that it was scary to listen to. A new dangerous virus, causing mutations and destruction. Creating a kind of zombies. We follow 3 women during this time that brings them together in a way. They all have some connection and the ending. Such a shock. Honestly I think the ending was not good. I think they went way to sci-fi all the sudden. The first 80 percent of the book is fantastic scary and draws you in. The ending just ruins it for me honestly. Especially the last few chapters. I think if this had a different ending I would be in love. But I did love the beginning.

✨ Review ✨ Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder
Narrated by Arielle DeLisle; Katherine Littrell; Lindsey Dorcus

TW: massive pandemic set in a post-covid world

I finished this and thought: "I hated it. I loved it. What did I just read?!" 😂

The book has three parts, each in the POV of a different character -- Erin, a newly engaged tech worker, Savannah: a badass dominatrix, and Mareva, a colleague of Erin's who's been plagued with chronic tumors. All three are impacted by the spread of this new virus and find their place in this new plague-ridden world. As the virus spreads, leaving more people impacted in its wake, these characters are forced to adapt

The book incorporates truly gruesome imagery (sushi lovers beware), and there's also a lot of gross bodily stuff going on here. However, I was HOOKED and struggled to put this down. The religious iconography as fascinating, and I want to know more about Snyder's thoughts in writing this, especially around the Mary Magdalene connections. Weaving in excerpts from the Gospel of Mary Magdalene really captured my imagination!

The first part of the book builds on a novella or short story that Snyder had written, and tbh this was the strongest section of the book. By the end, some of the pieces fell apart a little for me or left me wondering how things were resolved. I truly flew through this though -- it was a lot of fun to read with my fellow buddy readers, Amy and Becky.

I listened to a bit of the audio, but primarily read from my physical copy. I loved the relatively short chapters and engaging writing!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: horror, sci/fi
Pub Date: out now!

Read this if you like:
⭕️ bodily fluids and viruses
⭕️ vivid (albeit gross) imagery
⭕️ dystopian settings

Thanks to Tor Nightfire, Macmillan Audio and #netgalley for an advanced copies of this book!

This just wasn't what I was hoping for, it was slow and a bit chaotic. It took forever to feel like we got anywhere with the story.

I was so intrigued by this book. I wanted to like it so much. But from the jump there were parts of the characters that I just did not enjoy. The woman who becomes engaged then gets diagnosed. Then immediately decides she wants to cheat on her fiance. I can understand the drive, it could have made sense. But the way it was presented and discussed and how it actually unfolded in the story was such a miss. I also know that the boyfriend was cheating on her already. (And that its how she caught the disease) That was so painfully obvious and blatant that it was annoying. I would have loved to have built a more believable rift between the two instead of just vague insinuations that he's cheating. Otherwise, this really just makes her seem like a terrible person who I'm not rooting for and don't care about. I don't personally enjoy books about terrible people, and I felt like this falls into that category.

Synopsis:
"A virus tears across the globe, transforming its victims in nightmarish ways. As the world collapses, dark forces pull a small group of women together.
Erin, once quiet and closeted, acquires an appetite for a woman and her brain. Why does forbidden fruit taste so good?
Savannah, a professional BDSM switch, discovers a new turn-on: committing brutal murders for her eldritch masters.
Mareva, plagued with chronic tumors, is too horrified to acknowledge her divine role in the coming apocalypse, and as her growths multiply, so too does her desperation."

My Thoughts:
This was a very interesting read. It included horror of many varieties: pandemic horror, cosmic horror, body horror, apocalyptic horror and the horror of regular people behaving in irrational ways due to things they don't/can't understand. The story starts with Erin who is infected with the PVG virus. She quickly realizes the virus doesn't just make her sick, it changes her - now she's craving human brains. The story takes a bizarre turn as it switches to Savannah and her insatiable need for murder, which only begins to prepare you for the divine role of Mareva. I'm not sure how to summarize my thoughts on this book, it was a bit strange but intriguing all at the same time. While it definitely wasn't what I had expected, the story was very original and I'm glad that I read this one.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to @netgalley, @tornightfire, and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy of this book.

Sister, Maiden, Monster Review!

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this gifted Audio, in exchange for an honest review! Sister, Maiden, Monster is out now!

People on Bookstagram said this one was similar to The Last Of Us, so I immediately requested it! Sister, Maiden, Monster was a 2.75/5 ⭐️ for me! Yeah, the only similarity to The Last of Us compared to this read was that it was an apocalypse. I loved how graphic this one was and was totally disgusted with the whole brain scenes. 🥴 I thought that the first half of this one was awesome. I loved where the story was going and the characters were so fun to listen to. The last half was just a big mess for me though. 🤷🏼‍♀️ The switching between characters was confusing and the very end was a bit disappointing.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio, NetGalley, and Lucy A. Snyder for the opportunity to enjoy this eARC audiobook of Sister, Maiden, Monster.

First and foremost let me say that the narrators did a phenomenal job bringing these three interwoven tales to life and I cannot recommend Arielle DeLisle, Katherine Littrell, and Lindsey Dorcus enough. If you're considering an audiobook with any of the three of them as narrators, give it a listen!

This book is bizarre, topsy-turvy, original, and absolutely horrific without turning fully into body-horror-porn. If that sounds like your kind of jam, I suggest this book. If not, stay away!

This book was not what I was hoping for. I really enjoyed the first part of this book but then it took a crazy turn and not in a good way. Everything was just way to weird and I felt like the author threw way to much at you way to quickly. There are definitely people out there who will love this book it just sadly wasn't for me.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Tor Nightlife, & Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review

SYNOPSIS:
“Absolutely recommended for readers of the cosmic and gloriously horrific.”―Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author

Sister, Maiden, Monster is a visceral story set in the aftermath of our planet’s disastrous transformation and told through the eyes of three women trying to survive the nightmare, from Bram Stoker Award-winning author Lucy A. Snyder.





A virus tears across the globe, transforming its victims in nightmarish ways. As the world collapses, dark forces pull a small group of women together.

Erin, once quiet and closeted, acquires an appetite for a woman and her brain. Why does forbidden fruit taste so good?

Savannah, a professional BDSM switch, discovers a new turn-on: committing brutal murders for her eldritch masters.

Mareva, plagued with chronic tumors, is too horrified to acknowledge her divine role in the coming apocalypse, and as her growths multiply, so too does her desperation.

Inspired by her Bram Stoker Award-winning story “Magdala Amygdala,” Lucy A. Snyder delivers a cosmic tale about the planet’s disastrous transformation ... and what we become after.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire.


First Impressions:
I really enjoy listening to the audio version of this book. The actors keep everything engaging and propel forth the story within their inflection and tonality. It is hard to be bored when listening.
It has also been a while since I've read or listened to a piece of horror fiction quite like this. I was nervous picking this up due to the pandemic fiction it totes itself to be however I was quite surprised from the first chapter.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


Review:

Let me start this review with the preface that I did not know anything about this book going into it other than it lives within the Horror Genre which happens to be my all-time favorite genre. I did not read the synopsis, reviews by other book friends, nor did I look up thoughts on the ol TT to see if it was a hot-to-read book for Feb 2023. I requested this solely for the cover and the title alone. I went into this audiobook as blind as a bat and honestly would suggest anyone who wants to read this to do the same. The cover is magnificent. I am a cover consumer. If it is a great cover I will yearn for that bad boy until it is in my possession. Much like many characters in this book find themselves yearning for their needs but we'll get to that in a moment. I will also say that I am not going to get into spoilers as I HIGHLY suggest that everyone read this with as little context as possible. It aids in the experience. TRUST. This story centers around three women. Each of their stories will be told as they experience a new type of pandemic that no one saw coming.

With that said, Let's get into what I enjoyed in this book.

Erin. Erin was easily the most likable, relatable, and hilarious character in this entire story. Did she mean to be funny? Not at all. Her quirks were many and I found myself rooting for her despite the circumstances she found herself in.

The gruesome, disastrous, and sometimes disgusting way that Snyder described events or experiences in such detail had me squirming while listening. I loved it!

The pace of the audiobook. As mentioned in my first impressions the actors did not disappoint.

The problematic:

I say problematic because I cannot describe it another way.
There were times within this story when I was disappointed in the way that LGBTQ+ characters were presented. More specifically the character who was Trans. I feel like it was done in poor taste and that the author could have been more sensitive to the experiences that someone may go through when they are trans. It felt a bit exploitative and honestly wrong.

There are additionally a few scenes that while I enjoy squirming due to graphic descriptions in horror novels once again was a bit too far for my own tastes. I was uncomfortable, to put it mildly.

Lastly, while I don't mind alternating narratives I wish that this wasn't one narrator after the other. It would've been nice to have alternating points of view while the story progressed. This is purely my own personal preference and not something to detract from the story overall.



Final Thoughts

If I had to rate the story alone this would be 2.5 to 3 stars for me. However, the audio performance was fantastic. I feel if I was reading this story versus listening I could've found myself stepping away a few times but the audio production kept me hooked and enthralled.
Overall the story was original and weird which is my favorite type of horror to read. The body horror was terrific, the descriptive nature alluring, and one of the best pandemic fictions I've experienced. If you are planning on diving in I suggest checking the trigger warnings beforehand and opting for the audiobook.

Thank you again to MacMillan, Tor Nightlife, and Netgalley for the chance to listen in exchange for my honest review.

What an intensely strange and slightly nauseating story. I want to start by saying I love horror, it's my favorite genre, and I've seen and read plenty of gore. Just replayed Dead Space recently! But Lucy A. Snyder's Sister, Maiden, Monster is in a league of its own.

I struggled to finish this because I've been suffering from gastro-intestinal issues, meaning I was already nauseous before I started this audiobook. But I think even if I felt great I would need to take some breaks from this story.

Snyder paints a bloody, fleshy, mutated world of cosmic horror to a splatterpunk level you don't often see. It's Lovecraft at the end of the world when the Old Ones wake and devour, and those that survive only do so because they've evolved into monsters themselves. It is explicit. And so very well-written.

Each lead character is totally unique from the other, and the actresses they got to voice each were phenomenal. The world and science were fascinating as well, and the distinctly female point of view lends a feminist taste to it all.

If you've always wanted a Lovecraftian story similar to The Fly, this is the story for you. I just recommend it in small doses because it is a LOT.

Holy *bleep* Lucy A. Snyder’s Sister, Maiden, Monster really hooked me. Seriously, I started listening yesterday afternoon and finished it this morning. A new pandemic is upon us, an eldritch pandemic, the likes of which the world has never seen. You don’t just get sick, you get altered…and become a potential threat to the rest of society. Sister, Maiden, Monster tells the story of 3 infected women and the horrors they endure…and cause! The story is twisted, unnerving, even intentionally gross at times, but always completely engaging. If you’re a fan of Lovecraftian-esque fiction, this is one you’re not going to want to miss. As for the audio, all three narrators—Arielle DeLisle, Katherine Littrell, and Lindsey Dorcus—are fantastic. I’d like to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audio version of Sister, Maiden, Monster.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2A86B5Y39UA3P/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This is a pandemic based horror with a virus that you can bet your bippy you do NOT want to catch! Super contagious, the higher levels leave you prone to severe bouts of rage and violence, and you have to eat brains! 🫣😬

I am still kind of speechless after finishing this horror Yesterday, and it’s been a while since a book has left me like this. It’s weird, it’s gory, it’s creepy….. this is everything I love in a good horror novel, and then some.

I gave this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and I cannot wait to grab a physical copy to reread.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for granting this arc.

Wow! That was a TRIP! I'm not completely sure how I feel to be honest. I think I enjoyed it but was left with so many wtf feelings. Based on the synopsis I knew it was going to be this new to me genre of Pandemic Fiction which i had no problem with as I'm trying to branch out more. I think I learned that it might not be for me though. The writing was a bit awkward in some place but still good. I enjoyed the body horror aspect of it. Savannah was my favorite of the three women we follow in the story. In my opinion Erin was a bit annoying. I was tired of her POV pretty early but pushed on. Mareva was down right flat. I didn't see anything redeeming her outside her incubator position in the new world. The queer representation of wonderful however I feel that the one transgender character was done dirty. They come out only to be ridiculed and then die shortly after? There was no other trans rep so it just came off concerning. There was a lot in this story over all and I'm not sure where to go after but I enjoyed the experience of branching out into a genre I knew nothing about.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ALC.
First off, WTF did I just read? And I mean that in the most positive way! I laughed out loud, I was completely grossed out, I still don't entirely know what happened, and I loved every minute of it!
This book is set in three parts, each following a different woman through the pandemic/apocalypse, but they all converge in the end. I loved all three of these characters, and seriously wanted more when the book ended.
If you're in the mood for something not quite like anything else you've ever read, then this is the book for you!

I read my fair share of horror and this one is not for the faint of heart. Not necessarily because it's scary but it's got it's fair share of body horror/gore with a side dish of cosmic horror. This one is set in the aftermath of a very different pandemic and the earth is in the midst of a transformation, where strange new base instincts and paranoia is starting to become an everyday part of life. The audio has three narrators for the three POVs we have in the book and I thought they were all distinct and great! Following the story on audio wasn't hard at all.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this one.

Sister, Maiden, Monster is a deep dive into cosmic horror within the context of one of these most fascinating viruses I’ve ever read about. I was hooked from the very beginning of this story starting with meeting Erin and watching as her life changed due to this new pandemic sweeping the country. What continued to keep my attention was learning about the various ways in which people reacted to the virus and what those long-term effects meant for the world. Spoiler alert: It’s freaking wild!

This book is incredibly imaginative, creative, and wholly unique to anything else I’ve read in recent years. There’s a lot of gore and intense moments, so I highly recommend checking out the content warnings on Storygraph. If you’re up for the content, then this one is definitely worth checking out!

🎧: I started this book reading my physical copy, but switched over to the audio from NetGalley. This is one of those books that I think works great in both formats, but I’m going to push people to check out the audio more. There are three narrators and they do an incredible job bringing everything to life!

A huge thank you to Tor Nightfire for my gifted copy!

3.5 stars

Sister, Maiden, Monster is a unique take on a pandemic horror. In fact, this is the first post-Covid 19 pandemic book I have read, and it was interesting and kind of surreal to read a book where the characters went through the Covid pandemic which then shaped their reactions to the book's pandemic. This book is unique in the way that it combines pandemic and cosmic horror.

The main critique I had was that the author tried to tackle too much. The cosmic horror elements seemed to be rushed at the end and not fully explained, though that may add an air of mystery that some people would enjoy. The book also had three sections told by different narrators, and the switch each time seemed a little jarring. I would have enjoyed a more complete story from each person. My last critique is with the representation of characters and some of the wording in the book. From my perspective, there was a reference to one of Jeffrey Dahmer's victims that was unnecessary, in poor taste, and took me out of the book. There were a couple of mentions of asexuality that also could have been worded slightly better. I would also encourage people to look at reviews from other readers regarding poor trans representation in the book, since that is not part of my identity I will hand it to others to give their perspective.

However, I would applaud this book on its great horror elements. There were numerous gory moments where I was disgusted (in the best way for this type of horror). I also enjoyed that this book featured three distinctive women main characters which had careers/life-stories that you do not often see in books, and the book was narrated well in a way that I wanted to keep listening to their stories. Overall, I think this was a good, interesting book, though it could do with a couple changes in terms of representation (and maybe those will be made before the final copy).

Thanks to Tor for a copy in exchange for a review!

Sister, Maiden, Monster is not a book for everyone but it’s absolutely one that everyone needs to read 👏

It’s best to go in mostly blind. All you need to know is this follows three women as they navigate their new roles in a terrifying pandemic, post-Covid.

I highly recommend the audio. Not only are we graced with three incredible narrators, it’s a full production. I felt like I was at each characters side as they walked through this unfamiliar world.

Snyder holds nothing back. This book was vulgar, in your face, and makes you confront a lot of social topics really quickly. And I mean that in the best way 🖤 It makes you think and will leave you with chills when you realize that some of this could actually happen.

The underlying theme of choice is what’s stuck with me the most. How even from the dawn of time it’s never been part of the equation for certain sections of society and how in some cases it’s even celebrated to an extent as part of a holy figure’s narrative.

All of this thought provoking commentary is wrapped up in a really twisted, incredible cosmic horror package that hopefully many will try to open. Or prod at a little bit.

There are times when I really wish I read reviews before reading a book. This is definitely one of those times. Sister, Maiden, Monster follows three women amid a horrifying new pandemic which manifests in different ways. Synder relies heavily on body horror in this book, something I loathe more than anything else (a statement which will surprise no one). Also, do we really need a horrifying pandemic book? I mean we're still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Maybe if you like gross-out horror then pick up this book, but this was not for me.