Projections by S.E. Porter is a thought-provoking and inventive blend of psychological thriller and speculative fiction. The novel explores the boundaries of reality and perception, weaving a narrative that keeps readers questioning what is real and what is imagined. Porter’s writing is sharp and precise, drawing readers into a world where nothing is quite as it seems.

The story follows a protagonist whose mind is as much a maze as the plot itself. As the layers of mystery unfold, Porter skillfully balances suspense with introspection, making for a deeply cerebral yet gripping read. The themes of memory, identity, and the human psyche are explored with nuance, inviting readers to reflect on their own perceptions.

While the complexity of the plot may require some patience, the payoff is worth it for those who enjoy cerebral thrillers with a twist of the surreal. Porter’s ability to craft a story that challenges and engages is impressive, marking Projections as a compelling read.

A really cool concept and novel. Deep, emotional, and captivating. Also how cool is the cover!? A dark historical fantasy, the concept is unique and otherworldly. I enjoyed the writer's style switching between the two characters, the character development was good, and Gus was super unlikeable. Trippy, surreal, and hauntingly human.

The cover hooked me and the premise sounded deliciously vengeful and angry, but actually trying to read the book, I just didn’t get far into the book. It just wasn’t working for me, though I may give it another chance at a later date.

Felt so repetitive at times which really messed this one up for me. The base is so good and it’s such a wild story. It’s well told aside from several moments of repeating information for no reason (that I could tell).

While I liked the concept for Projections, and it sounded amazing, the writing style was difficult for me to read. I found myself really struggling with the different layers of the story and didn't care for Gus' character. Not my choice of read.

This one was one of those titles where the expectation vs. execution did not meet up. The plot and time jumps make this one super confusing. I found it hard to really understand what was going on all the time. And just think that this one could have been better planned out.

Book was okay, but it read definitely like a YA. I was intrigued by the premise, but overall it didn't attract my attention as much.

This book was incredibly slow paced and had time jumps that took me way too long to understand. The premise sounds fun: a woman is murdered by her lifelong friend and taken to a new city as a ghost that haunts him. The time jump has him creating “projections” of himself to find her in the future and make her love these projections. Unfortunately for me, the projections were the problem. I hated Gus in Chicago and could NOT stand to read from him. Catherine is also hella pretentious for what reason?? Reading her POV made me want to gauge my eyes out, I get it. It’s a writing style but Jesus Christ, it was a poor choice.

I really liked the concept of this story a lot! I loved how unique the plot was. There are so many layers to this story, and the nonlinear timeline slowly revealing everything was very well done. However, the writing style wasn’t my favorite and I found this to be extremely slow paced and hard to get through at times.
I believe that this might be a story that I happened to read at the wrong time and wasn't able to appreciate it for everything it had to offer. With that being said, I can see myself picking this back up when I can be fully immersed in the story.

S.E. Porter's "Projections" is a genre-bending novel that takes readers on a thrilling ride through a world of dark fantasy, revenge, and historical fiction.

The story centers on a young woman seeking vengeance on a murderous sorcerer, her rejection fueling his twisted magic. This sorcerer creates projections of himself, ensnaring women with promises of love before delivering a deadly consequence. Our protagonist is determined to stop him, embarking on a gothic journey filled with strange characters and a magic system unlike anything you've encountered before.

What works:

Unique blend of genres: Porter masterfully weaves together elements of historical fantasy, horror, and magical realism, creating a truly captivating atmosphere.
Compelling themes: The novel explores the destructive power of obsession, the complexities of revenge, and the fight for agency in a world that often seeks to control women.
Vivid world-building: The world Porter creates is rich and detailed, transporting readers to a place both beautiful and unsettling.
Things to consider:

Slow burn: The story takes its time to unfold, which may not appeal to readers who prefer a fast-paced narrative.
Dark and disturbing: The themes and imagery can be quite dark and disturbing, so be prepared for a mature read.
Overall:

"Projections" is a must-read for fans of dark fantasy and anyone who enjoys a story that challenges expectations. With its unforgettable characters, haunting plot, and exploration of powerful themes, this novel will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Recommendation:

If you enjoyed works by Jeff VanderMeer or China Mieville, then "Projections" is likely to be right up your alley. This novel is also perfect for readers who appreciate strong female characters and stories that don't shy away from complex themes.

It felt very fever-dreamlike! Such a unique concept and the cover was astoundingly beautiful.
While I would not recommend this to everyone, I enjoyed it. I wouldn’t reread it necessarily but I am interested in more work by this author.

This story is seriously twisted, following Catherine, who's stuck haunting her friend Gus after he murdered her in a wizard city. The first few chapters are tough, showing Catherine's agony as a ghost tied to her killer, Gus, who's not satisfied with just one victim. He's out to target women like Catherine.

The book doesn't pull punches—it's a raw look at how women get trapped supporting men and how guys restrict women without even realizing it. It's heavy stuff, so be warned. But once you push through the slow start, it picks up speed. With Catherine and Gus leading the way, the story takes you on a wild ride, ending with a bang in the heart of Nautilus, the city of sorcerers.

There's a whole cast of characters, magical and not, that you'll love or love to hate. Overall, "Projections" offers a unique blend of gothic vibes, fantasy, and mystery.

Thank you Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for this ARC.

This book is such a high mixed bag of things I loved and things I really did not gel with. I loved having the story jumps intertwining the way they did but it was also a bit much and borderline too confusing. I loved the writing style but again found some of the prose to be hard to grasp what was happening. And while I enjoyed the plot unfolding, the book really stretched out so long that it felt a bit unnecessarily lengthy.

After a bit of a slow start, S.E. Porter's "Projections" found its footing and moved much more fleetly than I expected it would at the beginning. The unique premise unfurled at a decent clip after the first fifty or so pages, under the guidance of not-wholly-reliable narrators Catherine and Angus, and by the end - which came cannonballing out of the ether of Nautilus, the central city of the sorcerers' community - the reader was wholly onboard the train towards the oncoming climax. Populated with a cadre of excellently-drawn characters both magical and non-magical (some of whom were an absolute delight, and others who were absolute delights to LOATHE), Porter has created a world of magic and mystery and murder that will make for a great read for anyone looking for something a little gothic, a little fantasy, and a lot unique. (As long as you can get past the slow start.)

I struggled a bit with this one. I love the premise, and the old-fashioned writing style is fun and immersive, but Gus's perspective is hard to take. While I like darker reads, and I see the point the author's making, the misogyny is a bit too much for me right now and I'd decided to DNF. I also found the world a bit confusing -- I might try this one again in the future though, because I really did want to get more into it.

So this is by the author who wrote Vassa in the night and she is coming out with her adult debut with Tor. This is part historical fantasy part horror that was very strange, we’re following Catherine who has been murdered by her childhood friend and the connection that they have keeps her spirit alive long enough to seek revenge. It has like a ghostly murder mystery thriller vibe to it. It was okay I guess? I couldn't get super into it.

Dark and deeply fucked up, this story follows Catherine, who was murdered by her friend Gus and is trapped as a ghost haunting him in the wizard city. The first few chapters are difficult to read, detailing Catherine's suffering as a ghost unable to do anything but scream, tied to the man who ended her life and chance to do or be anything free. Gus isn't content to only kill one bright woman, but schemes to send out the titular projections to find women like Catherine and kill them too. Unsparing and unsentimental, the book rages against all the way women are conditioned to support men, and the ways men restrict women without even noticing or caring. Heavy on the trigger warnings - the emotional abuse is rendered so exactly that it rings deeply and can be hard to shake. Still brilliant and likely to be talked about all year.

This book was quite long and slow, and a little hard to follow at times, but I enjoyed the fantasy and revenge elements. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys multiple timelines/universes and POVs.

3.5 stars. This was compelling to start with but eventually not my cup of tea. I found it exploring very important and interesting themes of misogyny and abuse, but I think I’ve learned my lesson about horror — it just isn’t the genre for me; and I found this to be a bit too graphic for my liking at times. I know it’s a good story for the right reader so I am still rating it semi-high.

DNF at 50%.

I tried after seeing several reviews giving this one 5-stars. I thought maybe I only needed to readjust my reading speed to make the most of it. However, I just wasn’t getting into it (or getting it, for that matter) and I wanted to so much. There are a number of timelines through varying points of view which aren't entirely linear and jump around too much to make sense of what is happening.

I feel bad as it’s rare I don’t finish a book and am still rooting for Catherine to gain her vengeance and have hope that she does! This unfortunately couldn’t capture my attention.