Member Reviews
It’s been quite some time since I’ve read or listened to a fantasy book, and I really enjoyed this one! Highly recommend.
Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this arc audiobook which is available Feb 21,2023.
Oh the book is dark, creepy and freaking gross. Like gross gross. And listening to it instead of reading it of course made the gross parts worse. However it was an epic horror novel. It’s post apocalyptic about 3 women. I won’t say I necessarily enjoyed it but I was entertained as all hell. Like it’s been quite a while that a book has made me literally gag
3.5-3.75 Stars
Probably one of the weirdest books I have read, but I like it.
TW: Blood, gore, graphic scenes, cannibalism, and violence.
The story is split into three parts. Each part follows a different woman and her frightening journey of being infected by the new deadly virus. The virus affected each woman differently. Erin started to crave brains. The more she ate, the more her body changed and mutated. Savannah, on the other hand, had urges to murder people. Last was Mareva. She had always had chronic tumors. But after being infected, she noticed new growths on her body. Little does she know that those growths are not tumors but something more terrifying.
This book was weird and disturbing but in a good way. I like how everything came together at the end. Although I wish there were more to Mareva's character. Her character felt bland compared to the other two. Besides that, I found this novel different and entertaining.
I would recommend this novel to fans of zombies, gore, or disturbing horror!
***I would like to thank NetGalley, Lucy A. Snyder (the author), and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.**
Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook copy of Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder in exchange for an honest review. Wow, this book was not what I expected at all and it kept changing with each viewpoint. It was amazing and felt a bit like George Romero's book, Night of the Living Dead. This was a graphic, intense, thrilling book that left me horrified and intrigued. I feel like it is hard to give a synopsis without giving away spoilers, so I'll just say I really enjoyed it.
An interesting story full of twists, turns, fun characters and overall a book I would consider reading time and time again.
This might be one of the most bizarre books I've ever read. It's hard to put into words just how horrifying and crazy this story was. The synopsis of the book had me expecting a nightmarish apocalypse with body horror and eldritch terror which is exactly what I got. I'm not squeamish, but I was thoroughly disturbed by this. It is brutal and gory from beginning to end. If you like fictional horror and gore then this book is for you! While I'm not generally a fan of horror I couldn't put this down. I binged the book in one night and proceeded to have the most vivid nightmares I've had in years. I'm honestly impressed at how long this book is going to haunt me. I also loved the queer representation and feminist undertones this story had.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS
What is the catalyst for this apocalypse - eldritch monsters from the deep? primeval gods? aliens from another world? When the answer is somehow yes to all, you might understand why I consider this book a bit of a mess. It's a wild ride that's pretty entertaining, though the writing is sloppy.
A new virus causes a terrifying pandemic that sweeps the globe. The disease manifests in half a dozen different "types" (some of which are mentioned briefly at best and are hard to keep straight) that are inconsistently recognizable on sight or able to blend in seamlessly with their peers. Some of the types feel like nods to traditional paranormal creatures (vampires, zombies) which is a good deal of fun! The early setup of a survivor story with familiar trappings quickly turns into an "adapt or die" horror story filled with monsters, weird dreams, and chaos. The book follows three consecutive protagonists facing the new roles these changes thrust on them. Their paths and relationships connect in interesting small ways, a touch I genuinely enjoyed
Because this is an apocalypse book, there's a lot of death and gore. The body horror is appropriately disgusting and well written. However the deaths featured on page left me feeling uncomfortable as often as not. A significant character with gender dysphoria is killed off immediately after the reveal of their struggle, and the Black character is killed shortly after. But the Black character doesn't just die - she comes back as a ghost and calls out her killer, who readily agrees that killing her is messed up but isn't bothered by it. The social commentary is blunt and heavy handed in a similar way throughout the entire book.
The pacing of the story has some issues. Nearly the entire first protagonist's story is told via flashbacks, a choice that I found puzzling and weak in contrast to the other protagonists' more standard timeline POVs. The second protagonist's story moves along nicely, but the third drags. The ending itself is an abrupt deus ex machina that is thoroughly unsatisfying.
Despite the drawbacks, I - oh wait, one more. Stop with the "rat brain" already. I hated that phrase the first time I heard it, and then I had to hear it thirty more times before the end of the book. *ahem* Despite the drawbacks, I had a good time reading this book. The story moves along nicely and there are plenty of interesting characters without becoming too large a cast. There's enough mystery and "wtf" to keep readers hooked, plus death and apocalypse for the horror girlies. And yes, I say "girlies" (a word I abhor) because the audience for this story is unequivocally white women, bisexuality preferred but not required.
The audiobook is easy to listen to and the narrators do a good job. If I'm being honest though, I didn't even realize until I checked for the narrator's name that there are three narrators - one for each protagonist. The voices just aren't distinct enough to be obviously different people.
Addendum: I find myself stuck on the book's title. Is each identifier meant to refer to a different protagonist? If so, Savannah is obviously the monster. Mareva's sister is an important factor in her life, so perhaps she's the sister. But I don't clearly understand how any of the three work as maiden, a word that doesn't feel like it belongs to this book. The title is mostly likely arranged in the order that orally sounds best, but I am miffed that the descriptors aren't in the order the protagonists are introduced. Or perhaps the title just sounds cool, and I'm reading way too much into it.
geez, WTF did I just read...
I haven't read a lot of body horror stuff, but I loved this. If this is your thing, you'll like it.
I just reviewed Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder. #NetGalley
DNF at 50%
OMG I do NOT have the stomach for this. I normally don't mind body horror, but Snyder takes it to a whole new level. This book is going to be for a very niche group of people, which isn't me.
Rating: 4/5
Pub Date: 02.21.23
I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.
Wow, I wasn’t really sure what I requested when I did, at first I was like wow what the heck is going on in this book but by the end I was so invested in everything. You will follow 3 different women in different timelines, but all come together in the end. You will get to see all of their different POV of the situation and how they’re all handling it. I won’t lie this new crazy virus that is slowly taking over everything becomes so much worse and yet beautiful at the same time.
I thought the world building in this book was beautiful and at the same time so horrific. The story will have you captivated, the female characters with their storylines will have you wondering what will happen next. However, the body horror in this book may not be for everyone, there were a few parts in this book that I wanted to jump up and just run around my house just to get the wiggles and gross feelings that I was getting out of my system, but in a weird/uncomfortable way this book was so interesting and written so well that I could not put it down.
I was given the audio of this book to review and wow the 3 different narrators in this book really helped to bring the words to life. I loved how each of the women narrating this book really got into it and made you forget that you were listening to a book and not just them talking about the experiences. I love when narrators can do that to the audience. I really could feel the emotions of the characters when they spoke, and I think that helped me to connect to some of the characters not all of them because well I do not think I could ever connect with Savannah that chick is crazy!
I did love how Lucy Snyder had twists and turns in the characters' own storylines and the plot twists for the whole book. There were moments I was like WTH, and oh no that did not just happen.
If you love horror books, with evil viruses, shocking twists and turns, strong female characters, doomsday, and just an overall great book you should give this book a try.
I want to thank NetGalley and Tor Nightfire & Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this audio.
This book was messed up and so good wow. It follows three women’s stories following a crazy new virus which becomes so much more. Queer apocalyptic body horror. If you’re a fan of horror check out this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this ARC. This was a wild ride! Sister. Maiden, Monster is a bloody good time. Body horror, mixed with unusual sexual themes and creature features! Definitely wasn’t expecting what I was in store for. All I know is I’m not eating raw octopus anytime soon, if you know… you know.
Really enjoyed all the narrators and they added so much to this gory story!
Thank you to Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy of SISTER, MAIDEN, MONSTER by Lucy A. Snyder!
SISTER, MAIDEN, MONSTER is set in a not too distant future where a new pandemic hits. This pandemic is a flu on steroids, killing many and permanently changing those who survive. The survivors are marked, labeled in different categories by their changes in appetite. The world as a whole can’t continue without them, but they become a danger to society and new laws and regulations are in place which severely impact their lives.
Erin is the first character we meet who is struck down by this horrifying bug. When she awakes, she is hospitalized and put under new laws. With a little bit of testing, it is determined that she falls in the category of survives with a taste for brains. Savannah is a professional sex worker who discovers a new preference for violence. Mareva is beset by tumors of a very unique nature. Each woman must learn to grapple with the changes to this world they are living in.
This book is successful at taking a pandemic story and making it into something entirely unique. This does very much acknowledge that it is set in a world that learned from Covid, but the disease and the way the world handles it is very different. I did at times feel that the author was working to put across various messages which wasn’t always seamlessly integrated to my mind. I also struggled a bit to believe how quickly the government put new law and restrictions in place. That said, the idea that they would limit women’s control over their own bodies absolutely felt believable.
The stories of the three women from the synopsis almost act as three short stories within the larger novel as we move from one to the next with just some links in the situation. The plot for each does take some wild twists that I didn’t expect.
I would recommend this one to those who enjoy a book that delivers shocks and weirdness and are okay with not getting solid answers to all the outstanding questions. I struggled with it in places, but it did keep me hooked wanting to know more. I did enjoy the audiobook for this one!
I'm so happy to share a book birthday with this brutally gore-ridden mess of a horror novel. I can't thank Tor Publishing and Lucy A. Snyder enough for sending over this advanced reader copy so that I could join in on the hype before its publication date of February 21, 2023 (my birthday!)
Sister, Maiden, Monster follows the storyline of three women as they struggle to survive the latest pandemic, PVG, which monopolizes one's ability to eat normally, leaving them to experience violent outbursts and the desire to eat human brains... So that's fun.
As the virus begins to grow and mutate, medical professionals can conjecture that there are several different strains of the virus going around; type 1 patients have seemingly no issues after a few days, Type 0 Patients are asymptomatic super-spreaders, and Type 2 + 3 patients tend to turn into zombies with their blood-thirsty rages. Oh, and don't forget about Type 5, which can speak to the eldritch overlords as a vessel for planning the world's end.
This book is a TRIP! This book is for you if you like zombie horror with a tinge of doomsday/dystopian medical madness. Maybe don't eat anything while you read this one, word to the wise...