Reading Gretchen Felker-Martin's "Cuckoo" felt like embarking on a journey through a nightmarish landscape that was both deeply disturbing and incredibly compelling. With a solid 4.5-star rating from me, this novel captured my attention from the very first page and refused to let go. The story's tension is palpable, the scenes disgustingly vivid, and the raw emotion that permeates through the narrative is hauntingly beautiful in its execution.

As a queer individual, I found an unexpected resonance with the characters and their struggles. The depiction of a horrific conversion camp hit close to home, evoking a mixture of fear, anger, and empathy within me. It was during these moments, as the characters fought back against their oppressors, that I found myself silently cheering them on, feeling a surge of pride and solidarity that took me by surprise. Their fight became more than just a plot development; it felt like a personal battle, one that mirrored the struggles faced by the queer community every day.

Felker-Martin's ability to weave this deeply emotional thread through a narrative filled with horror and despair is nothing short of masterful. However, the journey was not without its hitches. There were moments when the story seemed to lose its pace, meandering a bit too long in places where I craved progression. Additionally, the large cast of characters, while rich and complex, occasionally became difficult to keep track of. Yet, these minor critiques hardly detract from the overall impact of "Cuckoo." If anything, they're a testament to Felker-Martin's ambitious storytelling, which perhaps asks for a level of engagement and attention that I sometimes struggled to maintain.

In essence, "Cuckoo" is more than just a horror novel. It's a reflection on the resilience of the human spirit, the power of rebellion, and the importance of finding light in the darkest of places. Reading it was an experience that left me both haunted and inspired, a reminder of the power of fiction to reflect the deepest truths of our lives.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an ARC of Cuckoo.

I rated this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Cuckoo follows a group of kids who are sent to a religious conversion camp by their families who want to "fix" them. After a few days being worked to complete exhaustion, the kids start hearing a voice in their dreams and notice that the ones who are sent to the mountains at the end of their stint come back as completely different people...and they realize they need to escape or they will cease to exist as the people they truly are.

This story started out with a bang in the prologue; lots of body horror and gore, which definitely was terrifying and set the tone for the rest of the novel. After that we meet various characters, and learn their tragic back stories about how they were ripped from their homes and sent to this camp to "convert" them into the kids their parents wished they had. It was extremely triggering and depressing to see how these kids went through this, and felt so alone and unloved. Once at the camp, the horror picks up again. It definitely felt like a combination of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and It. I do think this was more of an LGBTQIA+ verison of It, with the kids fighting this monster that no one believes exists, only to come back and finish what they started years after the fact when they were adults. Overall it was very emotional, the horror scenes were very terrifying and graphic, and the plot was very well-fleshed out.

I did get a bit confused at times, as a couple of the characters were trans, so they were referred to multiple times either by their names given at birth or their chosen names. There also were a lot of characters in general to keep track of, so that was just another level of complexity added to the story. Also, I do feel parts of this book dragged on past the 50% mark, and there wasn't a lot of growth from the characters as they got older, which I would have liked to see since I felt an emotional connection to some of them from the beginning. The ending also seemed a bit rushed, and if some of the fluff was removed and more attention added to the ending instead, this would have been a 5-star read for me.

Overall this was an emotional roller-coaster and I enjoyed it a lot.

I loved reading this book. It was different than what I expected but also was also one of those books that exceeded my expectations as to how good I hoped it would be. Great read!

This book definitely grips you… or completely repels you.

There is a message here, but it’s buried under tons of gratuitous sex and gore, seemingly for the sake of being gratuitous. My stomach hurt reading some of the lines in this book.

This is an unapologetically intense horror book that deals with both fairly hardcore body horror as well as the even more disturbing real-life horrors of conversion camps and the way homophobia and transphobia manifest in our Christo-fascist and TERFy society. The characters were incredibly well-developed, which made the no-punches-pulled aspect of the book all the more heartbreaking (don't go into a Gretchen Felker-Martin book expecting happily ever afters for every character, to say the least).

I wanted to like this and the premise is a good one, but it slogged. So much description over and over and over lost the tension for me. It wasn't scary, it was just gross and repetitive. I only give 3 stars because there was potential there and for those that need 15 ways to describe a slit and the smell of blood/vomit/cum, it will be a delight

gretchen felker-martin is bringing a whole new vibe to not just queer horror stories, but the horror genre itself. this was my first read by felker-martin and it was well worth it! the writing is so well done, it puts you right into the story alongside the characters and makes you feel goosebumps and the instant need to wash your hands from how digusting some of these scenes are. I loved the set up of this story, the first half being during the 90s following each character at the camp and then the second half years later with those who survived coming together again to end everything (it gave a bit of IT vibes in terms of the "we lived, we're adults now, so we're gonna end this") I really enojyed this and I can't wait to see the influx of more queer horror on my reading list because of this read, gretchen felker-martin really knows how to write an outstanding horror novel!

4.5/5

I went into this ARC rather blind, only really requesting a copy since I enjoyed Felker-Martin's Manhunt. Let me tell you, going in blind was a great decision. I had no idea what was going to happen, so each chapter felt like a surprise gift on insane, queer craziness. Between watching a documentary on a program similar to that of the book while reading this ARC, loving Holes (even as an adult), and knowing queer media is my favorite type of media, all of the conditions were perfect for me to read Cuckoo. I simply could not set it down. At first, I was a little confused about why the book started the way it did, but the deeper I got into the story, the more I realized why. I think the thing I loved the most, aside from the weird, disgustingly amazing descriptions of the Cuckoo, was each of the queer characters and the relationship between them all. I hate the notion that protagonists have to be "likeable" and only slightly flawed to be good protagonists. Felker-Martin, both in Manhunt and in Cuckoo, does a great job and writing *human* protagonists. Characters that are all flawed, some more than others, but I still loved them despite those flaws. I can't wait to reread Cuckoo.

Cosmic horror is always iffy for me, and I guess I wasn’t expecting it? The writing was great and the story was good, and I guess my only complaint is holy **** is this a sexual book. Is gay conversion camp horror becoming a thing? I’m really enjoying it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this ARC. This book will be out in June!

This is like a cross between Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Stephen King's IT, except it's queer and takes place at a gay conversion camp instead of in the sewers.

When a group of teens are forced into a camp because of their sexuality, they'll be faced with harsh conditions in the middle of the desert, staff who physically and mentally abuse them, and threats of pain if they don't comply with instructions.

But that's just the beginning of their nightmare. Once they discover the true significance of this camp and what its true purpose is, a small group of kids realise they will have to escape or never be the same again.

Years later, their inner and outer scars from their time there still linger. And when one of them informs the others that whatever lurked in their time at camp is back, they will have to get back together to try and kill it once and for all.

This novel not only paints a horrifying picture of these so called "Christian" conversion camps but also ramps up that terror with a monstrosity that wants to replace their true selves with something supernatural, evil, and blood thirsty.

From the very first chapter, you know you're in for a creepy frightening ride as it begins with an oozy bang and never eases up on the tension throughout.

And, if you've read Manhunt by this author, you know that nobody writes about queer angst, anger, and horror like Gretchen Felker-Martin.

I highly, highly recommend this epic novel.

The LGBTQIA+ representation that Felker-Martin brings to the horror genre is so refreshing, and Cuckoo is no exception. There are a lot of characters from many different backgrounds, gender identities, and sexualities, and all of that mixed with their collective and individual traumas makes for a very intriguing and gripping story. That being said, at times the timeline felt a little disjointed. The book opens up with a scene that reveals a huge part of the main monster/villain in the story, and then we are led into Part 2 with a whole new cast of characters. The main part of the story, that makes up about 65% of it, I believe could've stood on it's own; and having the mystery of what the villain/monster actually was throughout instead of revealing a part of it in the opening could've made for a stronger sense of unease. The third part, which takes us forward in time to when the main cast of teens grow up, was also something I didn't see much of a point to, initially. Then, upon further reflection, I think it's very important to have stories and media that show queer children and teens growing up, and that's what adding this third part in did. It also tied in the first part of the novel, but if you weren't paying close attention, the tie in was fairly easy to look over.
That being said, Felker-Martin has a very unique way of writing gore and body horror. This novel is chalk full of character introspection and self-discovery and incorporates many of the struggles and tribulations queer teens face in day to day life; with monsters real of fictional.
Felker-Martin is a very important newer voice in the horror genre and I will always look forward to reading anything this author produces.

The followup to "Manhunt" does not disappoint! "Cuckoo" is a visceral, layered, thrilling read, with strong, sympathetic characters. It feels like the update to "It" that this decade (century?) needed. It rightfully skewers conversion camps, TERFs, abusive parents, and self-hating bullies. The kids are genuinely voiced, their interactions believable. The horrors here take many forms, real and imaginary. We all need to take stock of our participation in a society that allows these abuses to keep happening.

Wow. This book kicked major ass. Imagine if the thing and IT were in a conversion camp. It was written so well. So many characters and stories. Reminded me of clive barker. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.

In the mid 1990s, a group of queer teenagers are sent to the middle of the desert where an isolated “conversion camp,” is located. But what they discover controlling the camp is far worse than the strict people running it. Those who survive this terrifying experience meet up again sixteen years later in an attempt to put an end to a nightmare that continues to haunt them.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like if David Cronenberg remade ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ in the world of ‘It,’ wonder no more. While Martin’s story is familiar, it’s so over-the-top (and in the second half, exciting) and full of inventive creature-feature goodness it gives the formulaic plot the feel of something new … and that’s no easy feat.

While I think some sections of this could’ve been trimmed, I found CUCKOO superior to the author’s highly praised debut, MANHUNT, and I’m willing to bet we’ll be seeing big things from this writer who is obviously hell-bent on freaking people out.

Gretchen Felker-Martin does it again with CUCKOO, a twisted mass of body horror as a group of young queers find themselves facing down their replacements in a world in which seemingly no one cares.

In conversation with contemporary horror classics such as THE THING and IT, a stellar allegory for the ways in which society attempts to turn the queer community against itself. Could have used a stronger editor.

I tried reading this one but I could not get into the story. I found the story and characters quite flat. I always am looking to read books with translated rep and other forms of gender diversity but this author is just not for me

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Content Warnings: Homophobia, Transphobia, Gender Dysphoria, Body Dysmorphia, Eating Disorders, Gore, Graphic Violence, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression Conversion Attempts, Conversion Camps, Substance Abuse/Drug Use, PTSD, Body Horror, Suicide & Suicidal Attempts, Sexual Content with Dubious Consent

On a technical level, Cuckoo has some good imagery and clear writing. I didn’t enjoy it, as I’ll discuss below, but I can tell that Felker-Martin has some good craftsmanship as an author. I also appreciate that each protagonist had different cultural and racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities/expressions; diversity here was definitely not lacking.

However, I can’t recommend this book for many reasons. First, I think the book suffered from bloat. One form of bloat was structural. There are several one-off sections that, while related to the main plot, also take away from it. The book opens with a one-off section, so the real meat of the book didn’t start right away, for example. Related, this bloat rendered big moments being underwhelming. For example, there was no mystery or anticipation of the monster because we saw the monster basically in the first one-off of the book.

Another form of bloat was characterization. This is partially related to the structural bloat; for the one-off sections, the characters were there too briefly to deserve much attention and interrupted retaining information on the main protagonists. However, it’s also related to the main protagonists. Seven was too many for me to keep track of, especially when only a few stood out. Then names switched between two sections of time, which only furthered the confusion. Others may not have this issue, but other than Nadine, Jo, Shelby, and Malcolm/Mal, I truly struggled to remember the rest.

Finally, the horror for me fell flat. Most of the book relies on detailed, body horror that I just found gross. I usually don’t mind body horror, but here it wasn’t scary or interesting. Most ideas felt like I had seen it from somewhere else and lacked subtlety or nuance. Partially due to the bloat I mentioned earlier, readers don’t get to sit with the juxtaposition of different forms of horror characters experience and how they weave with each other. I think the horror of changing as people and not knowing who to trust was the strongest thread, but with so much else around it didn’t get the more intricate treatment it needed.

3.75 stars

I enjoyed this far more than her first book. The subject matter was just more entertaining I guess. There is a lot to unpack in this so be ready.

In this captivating read, the author masterfully weaves a narrative that is both engaging and thought-provoking. Through a blend of richly developed characters and a meticulously crafted plot, the book offers a unique exploration of its central themes, inviting readers to immerse themselves in the story's depth and complexity. The narrative is paced perfectly, balancing moments of intense action with thoughtful reflection, ensuring that readers are hooked from the first page to the last. The author's ability to evoke emotion and create a vivid, immersive world is truly remarkable, making this book a must-read for anyone looking for an exceptional literary experience.

Beyond its compelling storyline, the book stands out for its insightful commentary on the human condition, weaving philosophical questions into the fabric of its narrative. The author's skillful use of language not only enriches the text but also elevates the reader's experience, offering new perspectives on familiar themes. Whether it's the intricate dynamics of relationships, the exploration of identity, or the confrontation with ethical dilemmas, this book tackles complex issues with sensitivity and intelligence. It's a testament to the power of storytelling to illuminate the nuances of life, making it a valuable addition to any book lover's collection. Regardless of genre, this is a work that resonates on multiple levels, affirming the enduring impact of well-crafted literature.