As with any Cutter book, don't read this if you can not read body horror. If you have triggers regarding animals, it's better to just stay away from any Cutter books, though I feel this one isn't as bad as others.

Are there moments where the voice of a teenage girl seems awkward coming from a late 40s male author? Yes, it does, and it would be silly to pretend it doesn't. However, I could forgive it because the story was just addictive. I also am a Cutter fan, so may have a bias.

Unlike his other books, this one is firmly based around teen female friendships, and how they can evolve and devolve. Sometimes in ugly monstrous ways. The way he formed the ending to the story had me a bit uneasy on if it would work, but having finished it, I don't know if there could have been a different way to go about it as it fit so right to when it was set in modern(ish) day.

That last line....

I wanted to like this one, but sadly it just wasn't for me. It's me not you book :(

Thank you for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

THE QUEEN by Nick Cutter

I gave this one two chances. I received the ARC a couple months ago, started reading it then set it aside. I figured maybe the audiobook would be better. While I did manage to finish reading it, the story just wasn’t my vibe.

The dialogue was cringey. The characters were underdeveloped. The timeline was all over the place. The insect scenes seemed to be there for shock value rather than adding to or advancing the plot…

In short, this wasn’t for me, but don’t let my review deter you. If you’re into SciFi, body, bug/insect gore and horror there is a lot of it in this book.


Rating: 2.5/5 ⭐️

This one just wasn't for me. I am sure that some readers will like it, but I couldn't even get into it. The characters didn't grab my attention, and I typically have a hard time connecting to books without a character that I love. The plot was fine, but it didn't blow me away. I don't know - this one just didn't grab me like I hoped it would.

Plum and Cherry have been best friends ever since growing up in the same Canadian trailer park together, even giving each other nicknames after the streets they lived on. But then Cherr’s dad hit the patent jackpot and moved her family away to a wealthier part of Port Dalhousie. Perhaps more fatally for the girls’ friendship, high school drama ensued. After one bizarre night at an outdoor party, Plum disappeared, leaving only the tatters of her reputation behind her.

After months pass with no sign of Plum, even Cherr has to concede that her best friend is probably dead. Cherr has been quietly grieving, locking herself in her bedroom and isolating herself from pretty much everyone except her parents, when an unexpected package lands on her doorstep. It contains a phone, allegedly from Plum, who has very definite ideas as to what Cherr needs to do next in order to find her.

Cherr is conflicted, even before she begins following the strange trail of clues Plum has constructed. Her unease only grows as she unravels the truth behind Plum’s disturbing fate, finally admitting to herself:

QUOTE
I wish that she’d stayed gone. I didn’t want her to be hurt or tortured, to feel any pain at all. More that she’d just evaporate painlessly and stay away for good this time. I couldn’t fix what I’d done to her. What we all had done. The past was inflexible that way. It stubbornly resisted alteration. But if she wasn’t around then at least I could begin the hard work of recontextualizing our past, erasing the worst bits, reframing things in an effort to remember them how I needed to, and forgive myself just a little. I could go back to accepting that Plum really was gone (and I already had in the most honest chambers of my heart), and oh god what a piece of shit I am, what a bad friend, a bad person, a fucking ghoul–
END QUOTE

Over the course of a single nightmarish day, Cherr must grapple not only with her warring feelings but also with the horrors that Plum is leading her through. For Plum has become something different, something terrifying, something that transcends their town. Is she intent now on revenge for what Cherr did to her before she disappeared? Or is their bond truly as strong and unyielding as the girls had once believed?

Just as hot on Plum’s trail is a mysterious billionaire with his own agenda. Rudyard Crate suffered an unimaginable tragedy as a child, one that marked him both physically and mentally, and drove him to unthinkable acts. To his credit, he’s not completely lacking in self-awareness:

QUOTE
In that crushing moment so long ago, Rudyard Crate had discovered his life’s purpose.

He was intelligent enough to realize it was wrong. Also clear-sighted enough to see that his experience had left him with significant mental instability. Hell, he may even be full-on demented! But who gave a ripe shit? Of every benefit conferred by obscene wealth, the best was that people treated you as they would a toddler waddling around with a load of shit in his diaper: everyone smiled pleasantly and plugged their noses, so long as the check cleared.
END QUOTE

As Cherr and Rudyard’s paths converge, the lines between hunter and prey will blur, with Plum reeling them in alongside everyone else who has ever wronged her. As allegiances shift, who will survive the nightmare lurking inside their quiet Canadian town, and who will be utterly consumed?

This was a deeply creepy and disturbingly, but never gratuitously, graphic look at science and industry gone mad, and the traumas that orbit these events. Plum is a tragic figure, a manufactured villain who finds agency in power, even as it leaves her deeply isolated. Cherr is your more traditional heroine, fighting tooth and nail to escape a grotesque fate. In a deadly allegory for the social life of young North American women – if not young women worldwide – the two are pitted against each other by circumstances outside of their control, and must fight just as much to keep from harming each other as to save themselves.

And therein lies the surprising heart of this novel: the complicated relationship between Cherr and Plum, brought so vividly yet sensitively to life by Nick Cutter. It honestly felt like he’d ripped out parts of my teenage diary for his book, as I, like Cherr, once agonized over various friendships that felt as vital to me as oxygen. The grace that he shows with his plot choices is exemplary, even as his plausible depiction of what happens when humanity meddles too far with biology leaves long-lasting chills.

This book is between 3-4 stars for me. If it had ended with the main character getting out of the nest, it would have been a solid 4 stars. I felt the multiple endings and new perspectives (tourist’s perspective, main character’s writing sample, and nest-diver’s perspective) took away from the powerful ending and I found myself wanting them to be over. I think maybe just the writing sample and the subtle indication that there was controversy surrounding the sole survivor (mentioning they should reject her) would have been enough to make the reader think what happens after the action ends. Over I felt the middle of the book was the strongest part, I was really engaged in the story. The author did a great job with descriptive language and imagery.

Nick Cutter’s The Queen is a chilling dive into body horror and psychological dread. Set in a remote, desolate location, the novel explores themes of isolation, scientific hubris, and the fragility of the human mind and body. Cutter masterfully combines vivid, grotesque imagery with a sense of claustrophobic suspense, forcing readers to confront the depths of human depravity and fear. The story unfolds with relentless pacing, driven by well-drawn characters whose inner turmoil adds emotional weight to the unfolding horrors. True to Cutter’s style, The Queen is not for the faint of heart, delivering visceral shocks and moments of profound unease.

The novel shares thematic parallels with The Fly and John Carpenter’s The Thing, especially in its exploration of the monstrous transformations that blur the lines between humanity and abomination. Like The Fly, The Queen uses physical mutation as a metaphor for deeper existential anxieties, exploring the loss of identity and autonomy in the face of uncontrollable forces. Similarly, the paranoia and distrust that permeate The Thing are echoed in Cutter’s portrayal of relationships strained by isolation and fear. Cutter taps into primal fears of infection and contamination, weaving a story that feels deeply rooted in the tradition of body horror yet distinct in its execution.

Fans of Cutter’s earlier work, such as The Troop, will recognize his trademark blend of harrowing violence and psychological tension. However, The Queen leans even further into philosophical dread, delving into questions of what it truly means to survive when one’s humanity is at stake. While The Troop focuses more on youthful innocence lost amidst carnage, The Queen opts for a darker, more reflective tone. For readers who relish a blend of visceral horror and thought-provoking themes, The Queen stands as a gripping addition to Cutter’s oeuvre and a worthy companion to classics like The Fly and The Thing.

I really enjoy Nick's work and this is no exception. If you like anything else he has written you will love this.

Well, this book, as many others have said, gets an A+ for having the most graphic, horrific, gory scenes. What Cutter does with ants and wasps is ... ugh!! It creeped me the f%*k out. This book is full on gory horror, so be prepared. What I didn't love was, the plot and the ending.

The 2 kids are running all over town because their possibly dead friend is sending them messages - this got a bit stale after a while. And when they finally catch up with their friend turned human-insect-new species, and shit goes down ... the government just lets everything be?! And this new species, instead of going scorched Earth on the World, just digs underground?! Like, this new-species-thing killed a whole bunch of people, but then left the rest of the World alone? I just don't get it.

Nick Cutter but somehow it's more Nick Cutter-y than ever? A book that will crawl and burrow under your skin with its gruesome insectile body horror and unsettling narrative, themes of friendship, love and revenge make this a coming of age with a disturbing twist, gripping, smart, visceral and gross this was everything you'd expect from Cutter plus a bit more.

Another amazing horror novel from Nick Cutter! I'm always excited when it's announced that he has a new book coming out because each one of them is epic! Just like this one. It's so original and I couldn't put it down

Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

If you’ve seen my reviews in the past, you will notice I am a HUGE Nick Cutter fan! So naturally when I saw another of his books coming out, I immediately had to pick it up! That being said, I have been dragging my feet to write this review because it will not be very positive. And if I’m being honest, I feel bad even saying these things because I adore and respect Nick Cutter as an author so much. But I must.

This book isn’t absolutely terrible, it’s just not IT. The biggest issue is the pacing. OH MY GOD the first half is a SLOGGGGGGGGGG. I was literally contemplating my life in the beginning of this book trying to get through it. I assumed it would pick up on the next page, but it never really did until it was too late. By the time things started to happen, I really didn’t care anymore...and that bums me out to say.

Nick Cutter books are known for being gory and wild with the horror and this one definitely does the same. Unlike his other books where the gore and horror were well placed and incredibly written, the gore here just felt like an author attempting to get a rise out of their audience. It was weirdly placed and overly descriptive in odd areas of the book that just made me feel confused as to what was happening and what it had to do with the actual story.

I assume Nick Cutter has a teenage daughter because this book is about two teenage girls and their relationship as you get older and move away from each other physically but also emotionally. I could relate to BOTH the female characters because I’ve had friendships in High School where I was on both sides of their issues. At the end of the book there is a recap of sorts from a perspective that feels like Cutter speaking to his own daughter, and honestly that was the best part of the book. I’m not sure if this was supposed to be an homage to his daughter (sister maybe? Just women he knows in general?) but it doesn’t paint a great light for females.

I understand that Cutter himself is not and has never been a teenage female, and although he does address that, stating he tried his best to create two characters he was not, it really did fall flat for me. I felt almost offended with some of the ways this female teenage friendship was shown. Having gone through some of those issues myself, I felt like it was simplifying and dumbing things down in order to have these characters fit the gory story that was going to SHOCK the readers. I don’t think it was meant to be offensive, I just think it wasn’t glanced over by enough teenage girls to really make the main message sink in.

Sadly, I did not enjoy this one. I am sad to even write that. I adore Nick Cutter and I will continue to read anything he writes from here on out, and just forget this one was ever written. I would suggest reading The Troop or The Deep from him, both in my eyes are incredibly well written, fun, and books I could not put down!

Nick Cutter never disappoints, and I’m absolutely obsessed with his brand of horror. This book was disgustingly thrilling and diabolical in the best possible way. The villain’s origin story was fascinating, and I honestly wanted even more of it. I loved the climax—it totally exceeded my expectations, especially since I wasn’t sure where the story was heading at the halfway point. It turned out to be even better than I imagined. Highly recommend this one!

I was having a great time with this book up until the end. It just felt like it was building up to something really big, then just kind of stopped. It was a wild ride for most of the book, so I'm not sure why it ended the way it did. There were monsters, gore, body horror and all kinds of interesting twist and turns for most of the book, so to see everything kind of wrapped up in a frankly pretty boring epilogue was very unfortunate. I still really liked it and will read anything Nick Cutter puts out, but that really affected my opinion on this pretty hard. Before that, I was a little turned off by the YA leaning nature of it and the Serena stuff, which I found kind of convoluted and dumb, but I was still having a great time and would have easily recommended it to any horror fan with a strong stomach, but I would definitely have to do so with a pretty big caveat because of that ending. Again, very unfortunate because it was great before that!

The plot took a different path than expected and it was a little too gross and gory for me. I found the hard way that I do not like reading about insects. The characters were dynamic and interesting, though the story didn't always connect for me. I am definitely not the audience for this one but it wasn't a bad story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Nick Cutter has a way of burying under your skin and living there.
The body horror in The Queen is nightmare fuel, and Cutter is constantly throwing more gasoline on the flame.
It's dark, depraved, and disturbing. A horror feast that will leave you terrified and paranoid of that buzzing sound you can't seem to get out of your head.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read about half of this book but had to give up, I did not finish. I'm not sure what was supposed to be happening here but it just was not anything I was interested in continuing.

11-13 update: posted expanded review on Tiiktok. The link is below.
The Queen is one of the best new releases I've read this year in any genre. 
At the heart of this book is the passionate friendship of two teenage girls. The forces around them–and acts sparked by a long-ago horror–add layer after layer to the story. It grows with a clear though-line, with the economy and pacing of a perfect short story. It's a gem of a novel. 

The precision of the writing makes it a feast to read. The descriptions of the sights and sounds bring the events into clear, close focus. The horror builds, treading in small specific ways and creeping hugely–a devouring thing that like the best monsters retains shadowy edges. I particularly enjoyed the insect research and fantastic details that made some of the most imaginative and far-out aspects of the tale read as being possible. 

The atmosphere, the dread, the well-timed reveals, the clawing suspense, and the complex characters kept me in thrall. The depth, humor, intensity, and moments of tenderness raise this novel to a memorable level.

Highly recommended for readers of horror and thrillers who are comfortable with intense, graphic scenes. Thank you, Gallery Books, for the eARC for consideration. These are solely my own opinions.

Prepare yourself for a chilling ride with Nick Cutter’s latest horror novel, “The Queen.” This book is a masterful blend of body horror and psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

🧬 Plot Summary: Margaret Carpenter’s life takes a terrifying turn when she receives a mysterious iPhone with messages from her missing best friend, Charity Atwater. As Margaret delves deeper into the mystery, she uncovers a shocking truth about Charity’s involvement in a clandestine gene manipulation experiment. The story unfolds over a single, harrowing day, filled with suspense, dread, and unexpected twists.

This story is fast paced and reels you in from page one. The plot revolves around the FMC, Margaret, searching for her missing friend, Charity, and her journey is both relatable and heart-wrenching, adding emotional depth to the horror. Honestly, I had an emotional connection with several of the characters. There was so much going on and to learn, I could not put this book down. If you enjoy your horror with a sci-fi twist, you will enjoy The Queen, but be warned, it includes grotesque and disturbing transformations of the human body.

Nick Cutter takes the nightmare fuel of the insect world. I felt bugs while reading. Will recommend for fans of body horror.