For this to be a debut in horror I can say it honestly blew me away. Ajram combines several tropes of horror (often found in horror games too) such as liminal spaces, hooping moments and isolation but creates something that has an air of uniqueness about it. At the same time they depict depression in such a way that as a reader we are inclined to understand and sympathise with what Vicken is going through.

Vicke is an interesting protagonist, not the cookie cutter perfect character but one who suffers and yet still carries on. The atmosphere Ajram creates is oppressive and claustrophobic but at the same time you need to know what will happen next. The pace fits the novel perfectly and gives you a sense of creeping dread that it’s hard to shake even after finishing the novel. An easy 5 star.

As always thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for my copy. My review is always honest and truthful.

Coup de Grace is an incredibly dark novella that makes excellent use of its setting both as an unsettling location for a book, and in many ways a metaphor for the lost and nihilistic thoughts of the lead character. Personally, I found this to be a perfectly ok story with a superb ending - I won’t go into spoilers, but the way this book wraps up is incredibly inventive and worthy of a star by itself.

The story follows a suicidal man called Vicken who, on his way to a planned suicide attempt, finds himself lost in an endless and deserted Montreal subway station. Understandably, the themes tackled in the story are incredibly heavy and viewing of the trigger warnings is very much recommended, as the themes of suicidal thoughts and self harm are persistent throughout. In all honesty, I thought the exploration of these themes through the story was a bit shallow, with not a lot of character progression from start to finish. The setting though makes excellent use of creepy neon-lit liminal spaces to mirror what is going through Vicken’s head.

As long as the trigger warnings aren’t off-putting to you, I’d recommend giving Coup De Grace a go mainly so you can experience the ending! I think it works incredibly well given the nature of the story. Similar to how Vicken has had to explore endless corridors without knowing where the end is, you as the reader are drawn into the same fate. I absolutely did not see it coming, and I was amazed just how well it fitted this story so well. Thank you to NetGalley and to Titan Books for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review!

This dark, twisting fever dream of a novel serves as a poignant metaphor for suicidal ideation but veers too deeply into the macabre for my tastes. The gory, violent imagery aptly mirrored the protagonists spiraling mental state but nauseated me so much that I struggled to focus. I feel that the blurb does not do a good job of prepping the reader for the story: describing a Piranesi style mystery that reveals itself as pure dark horror. I did enjoy the "choose your own adventure" style of the ending, but found that it didn't work well in ebook format.

Coup de Grâce is a brutally honest descent into a depressed and suicidal psyche. I really resonated with the theme of struggling for agency versus submitting to external loci of control. As the writing style evolved, it drew me in until I felt just as much part of the story as our main character.

Depression is as varied as the people who experience it. That being said, I think that this book could help those who haven't experienced suicidality conceptualize what that might feel like. For those who are going through or have been through this journey, I recommend reading while in a safe headspace as the beauty of this piece is in its poetic frankness.

Ajram's latest brief yet layered novella would lend itself well to buddy reads and book clubs willing to confront one of the most difficult battles a person can face.

I'm very grateful for the chance to check this book out for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram is a haunting and immersive journey into the depths of psychological horror. This debut novel stands out for its experimental narrative and the visceral experience it offers readers. Set in an infinite Montreal subway station, the story follows Vicken, a young man grappling with profound despair and suicidal thoughts. His plan to end his life is thwarted when he finds himself trapped in a seemingly endless labyrinth of corridors and rooms.

Ajram masterfully crafts a claustrophobic atmosphere that mirrors Vicken’s internal turmoil. The setting itself becomes a character, with its ever-changing, surreal landscape that keeps readers on edge. As Vicken navigates this nightmarish maze, the narrative delves deep into themes of isolation, mental illness, and the human psyche’s fragility.

The book’s structure is reminiscent of a choose-your-own-adventure, but with a dark twist. Each turn Vicken takes leads to new horrors and revelations, making the reader feel as trapped and disoriented as the protagonist. This innovative approach not only heightens the tension but also engages readers in a unique way, making them active participants in Vicken’s harrowing journey.

Ajram’s prose is lyrical yet raw, capturing the intensity of Vicken’s emotions and the eerie beauty of his surroundings. The author’s ability to blend poetic language with stark, unsettling imagery creates a powerful contrast that lingers long after the final page.

Coup de Grâce is more than a horror novel; it’s a profound exploration of the human condition. It challenges readers to confront their own fears and vulnerabilities, making it a deeply personal and unforgettable read.

Coming in right under 150 pages, this Horror novella delivers a fantastic prose from a new voice in the genre, well-executed, claustrophobic, and anxiety-inducing horror, and some true to life mental health and trauma representation.

Thank you so much for letting me be an ARC reader. I will be on the lookout for this author's next project.

This book is perfect for for October!

one of my favourite reads of the year, I don't want to say to much because going into this not knowing is the way to go in my opinion BUTTTT be sure to check the content warnings as this contains some heavy themes.

I read this in one day because I just couldn't put it down, but it's also doable because this is a short little novella coming in at just under 150 pages. I also really loved what the author chose to do with the ending.

Read this if you want to read a mind-bending, visceral experimental horror with poetic prose and liminal spaces that will make you feel like you are suffocating while your heart is being ripped out.

This is one of those books that I plan to re-read in the future. and I don't do this often.

many thanks to Titan and Netgalley for providing a copy to read. as always opinions are my own.

I went into this book blind - other than the note that the story is primarily about depression and suicide, I had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised! Once Vicken arrived at his (unplanned) destination, at the end of the subway line, the story could have easily become repetitive with Vick wandering the maze within the subway station for an endless amount of time, but it was the perfect length to put you in Vick's shoes as he descends into madness without becoming boring. It's a dark and disturbing story, with some humorous moments, that keeps you engaged right until the end.

thank you to netgalley for the eARC.

this was one of those books where i had very little idea as to what was going on. people normally recommend to sit with your thoughts before reviewing, but i’m still not entirely sure what happened after doing that.

i don’t have much to say. the body horror was an interesting aspect that i didn’t expect. when it came to a backstory transitioning into the storyline, i was often thinking we were still following the backstory. there was quite a few details that felt like they had no correlation with what was being talked about.

the read wasn’t terrible, i think i just got lost in my reading somewhere along the way. might reread this at a later time.

I like reading books that feel like fever dreams, and this book definitely felt like one. The plot was fairly interesting, and while not everything worked for me completely, I still liked it overall. I highly recommend reading it if you like feeling confused or want to ask yourself, 'What just happened?'.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for this eARC!

3.5 stars

I'm sad to say that this book didn't hit for me like it did for other reviewers.

Some things I did like: There were some good gore scenes and the story itself started out intriguing. I also really enjoyed the elevator scene. I actually had feelings of dread when he landed on a certain floor.

What I didn't like: The flowery writing. While I don't mind adding more descriptors, it was very over the top for me. At times I even got confused and had to reread pages to understand what was happening. This made me not want to continue to be honest, but since it was short, I pressed on.

I didn't really enjoy most of this, but it had an interesting concept.

Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for an early copy for me to review.

Coup de Grâce is a suspenseful read that has so much depth to it, and is the kind of book that will have you thinking “what just happened?” for days after finishing. Sofia Ajram’s descriptions, both of brutalist architecture and bodily fluids, were so detailed and impressive.

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

I've never hated a book before. I've read books that I've considered bad. I've read books I've given one star before. I've hated plot points in books, or characters, or writing styles. I have NEVER in my life had an experience like the one I had reading Coup de Grace.

This book is the most overwritten, gimmicky, self-indulgent garbage I have ever read.

I like "weird" books. I like books that are slightly experimental, and I like books that are considered overwritten by others. I enjoy Mona Awad, even though her style is stunningly dense and verbose. I loved reading Chelsea G. Summers, though her character in A Certain Hunger was quite wordy. I'm reading Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride right now, and man she writes a LOT! But this book? Good lord.

I have never seen a writing style that evokes such word salad. It didn't feel stylistic. It read like the author wrote her sentence, and then put every single word through a thesaurus. It was so overwritten that it was genuinely difficult for me to figure out what was happening sometimes. I understand that the confusion and the surrealism is the point, but there were many, many times where I had to wind back several pages to figure out what was happening. It just ruined a lot of the tension that was building.

For example, at one point, someone falls over a railing and onto the concreate below. It was described in such a way that I was certain that person was dead. It was described like they fell into the grand canyon, that's how deep this pit was. However, the next chapter started with that person having a fractured leg and no other mentioned injuries. I was baffled.

The main character, Vicker, is also just so completely unlikable. Vicker hopped onto the subway to take himself to the beach and drown. The "in-between" that he ends up in seems to be a place for people who were considering suicide to be trapped and suffer forever for their choice. It becomes extremely obvious (like serious the author just straight up spells it out) that this endless, impossible subway station is depression.

Vicker is clinically depressed. I think that in some ways the author does an interesting job expression how depression manifests, and how people who are treatment resistant can become very frustrated. In doing so, the author also categorically dismisses medication and therapy as a whole. I hate that, for obvious reasons.

Vicker meets another person while he's in the tunnels, a woman he calls Pashmina. Pashmina is here because she has practically incurable cancer, a 3% survival chance. She didn't want to wither away slowly and in pain, so she wanted to end things on her own terms. Because of her suicidal intention, she ends up in the hell dimension with Vicker and she has the most visceral, graphic death in the whole story. I'm wondering what the lesson is here? I'm wondering what the author could possibly be trying to say. Why is it better, more compassionate, to make this woman suffer through a painful cancer that is slowly killing her? What did she do to deserve being in the tunnels?

Additionally, Vicker compares his depression to Pashmina's cancer. As someone with depression, oh my GOD! What are you even talking about? I understand the comparison on a surface level. Yes, both can make you feel hopeless, and yes sometimes both are incurable. But, are you kidding me? Comparing depression to CANCER? One of the worst things that could ever happen to a person? The BIG C, CANCER? It's so self-indulgent.

I feel the same way about the depiction of self-harm in Coup de Grace. It's SO self-indulgent. If you have ever self harmed or ever had thoughts of self harming, seriously do not read this book for your own safety. There is an author's note at the beginning of the book that states the book is about suicide, but there are no trigger warnings for the amount and extent of self-harm in the book. It's extremely graphic. It's somewhat understandable within the context of the story and the metaphor, but the whole time I was just struck by how gleeful it felt. Like the author was pissed off and trying to shock and offend others. It was horrible.

This is a cosmic horror novel, and there are some conventions of that genre. We don't learn anything really about the tunnels. We don't learn what creatures are living there, or what they really do to people who get stuck. We don't learn about the people in the elevator, or the room full of beetles, or the flesh tunnel (yes, I said flesh tunnel). This is completely fine, and it's a real staple of cosmic horror. It's something too strange, too big, too impossible to understand, and so the protagonist doesn't understand it. In a way, I think the genre is perfect to explore feelings of depression and hopelessness. I will say that sometimes it felt like the author was throwing anything at the wall to see what stuck.

For example, the aforementioned elevator. After walking for days or weeks or years, Vicker comes across an elevator, and the author explains to us what the Elevator Game is. She explains all the steps and what's supposed to happen at each step, and then Vicker plays the Elevator Game. It's difficult to say "nothing happens" because nothing at all happens in the entire book. There's a layer of metaphor here, and a peek into Vicker's past, but I wouldn't say that it's a creepy or memorable part of the book. There's also a "fake-out" THE END here? Though I don't know if it's a fake out or one of the many ending in this book.

Oh? Did I not mention that there are MANY endings to this book? You cannot imagine my rage when I'm pushing and shoving my way through this dense nightmare of a novel and then it suddenly turns into a choose your own adventure story. I hate that gimmick, first of all, but secondly the author hates you for not choosing the RIGHT path in the choose your own adventure. Seriously, every single storyline except the correct one sees Vicker mocking the reader directly. Oh? You want Vicker to escape the tunnel? He berates you for thinking that's even possible. Oh? You want Vicker to end it all and be in peace? He berates you for "wanting people to be miserable". Oh? You want Vicker to choose? He berates you for putting this on his shoulders. He's such a terrible, nasty, irritating character.

You get to pick your ending. Kind of. There's only one ending that the author actually wanted you to pick, and it's the "a significant other will fix my depression" route. Yes, a person in your life you loves you makes it easier for you to love yourself. I'm just really irritated that the solution to getting out of the tunnels, getting out of your metaphorical depression, is a MAN.

I will say, the gore and horror in this book is pretty good at times. I was engaged when our characters discovered a horrifying part of the tunnel made from the flesh of everyone who had given up. I wanted to read more. Again, Pashmina's death was completely horrifying. Some of the most intense gore I've read outside of the extreme horror genre. There's just so little of it in favor of going on and on about how horrible Vicker is feeling.

I hated this book. I hated it with a fiery passion. I understand the metaphor. I understand the conventions of the genre. I understand that not every book has to have a good main character or a positive moral. But when your book has no plot, bad writing, an annoying character, AND a bad moral there is NOTHING left to enjoy.

Coup de Grace is out today! Don't buy it. Don't waste your money.

A man, who has decided to kill himself, gets onto a subway car and when gets off of the car, he becomes trapped in a looping, never-ending subway platform.

At least I think thats what Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram is about. Almost from the start, this book was way too dreamlike and confusing. The descriptions made no sense to me and the main character was uninteresting. I will admit right up front that I couldn’t finish this book. I had no idea what was going on and found the book too frustrating.

I received this book early and find myself wanting to apologize to the publisher and author. This book was clearly not for me. I’m not saying its a bad book at all, but it just didn’t interest me. The dreamlike quality of Coup de Grâce lost me and I couldn’t finish the book no matter how hard I tried. I do think there is an audience for this book and feel like its well written and something that people who love dreamy horror novels will enjoy.

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this one but would like to thank the publisher for giving me a chance to check out the book. I feel honored to get to read books early and it always bothers me when I can’t finish them. This has been the third book I’ve had to write an attempted review for. The problem with book reviewing is that you never know which books you’ll like or not. Will I be able to even finish this book? Sometimes, you just can’t.

Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram is out today. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an early copy.

Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram is a dark, chilling book that I couldn't put down and will stick with me for a long time. It deals with depression and suicide, and Ajram handles these heavy topics very well. Coup de Grâce is not a book for the faint of heart, but with its labyrinthine setting and gripping horror, it is not one you will soon forget. I highly recommend this book to fans of House of Leaves.

This was such a dark, eerie and experimental book with gorgeous writing, perfectly finished off with Vicken’s acerbic narration. The title fits in perfectly as well. Ajram just lost me with the structural choice for the final parts of the book.

So this wasn't for me, but there is definitely a specific person that this book will appeal to.

First, for me, there was a lot that went wrong. It was way too gory for my taste and it actually made me feel a bit ill at points. I also despised the writing. It was like reading a book written by someone who wants to prove they keep a dictionary on their side table. I will say that the small section where chronic illness was talked about, was beautiful and made me cry. It explained perfectly how it feels to be betrayed by your own body. I wish the writing in this section was how the entire book was written.

The people who will love this are people who love quirky horror books, especially with the "choose your own adventure" aspect at the end. Fans of "House of Leaves" will salivate over this book or if you are looking for an existential crisis. Otherwise, there are way better books that have a similar vibe.

Stricken with depression and anxiety his entire life, Vicken has decided that today's the day. He's going to end it. But when he wakes up in a subway station that seemingly never ends, a horrifying new reality gets in his way. How did he end up here and where is here exactly? While I did not enjoy it really, I think it is an interesting read.
Let's start off with something I did like. I thought the way Vicken's depression is written was relatable and well done. You can nearly understand why it is that he wants to end his life. His snarky attitude rings true for someone who's given up on life. I also think the horror is well done, it's body horror and tense. The liminality of the space only adds to that, with the neverending gray-ness and voidness of the space feeling like an apt metaphor for depression. However, Vicken is almost too snarky for my taste. It's trying to be comedic but it didn't really work for me. The suddenly choose your own adventure style of the ending was also out of left field and didn't really fit with the rest of the story. The primary issue I had though was the writing style. It was a bit too flowery and purple prose style for me. Which is fine if you like that, but I've learned that I do not.
Overall I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone but maybe if they wanted a book to dissect on depression. It just simply wasn't for me in the end.

“No Exit” meets “House of Leaves”

Vicken boards a train, determined to commit suicide. Depressed and suicidal, he is determined to end his life. After having a sexual encounter with another male passenger, he arrives at the end of the train route. But after disembarking the train, he cannot find a way off the platform. Stuck in an endless maze, Vicken slowly loses his mind and grip on reality. Where is he? Will he ever escape? Is he alive or dead?

Sofia Ajram is a fantastic new voice in the horror genre. Her mind-bending debut novella explores the slow destruction of personhood through a grotesque, claustrophobic, and uncomfortable psychological nightmare. Vicken’s fever dream makes the reader feel uneasy as he slowly succumbs to necrosis through bleak, monstrous imagery and hallucinatory terror. It deals with body horror, suicidal ideation, and invokes a constant existential dread. Through Vicken’s sarcastic narration, we are given a choice as a reader to interpret the ending in many different ways.

One final thought: The title Coupe de Grace translates to “a final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal.” Therefore, this narrative must represent Vicken’s final moments. The dark and depressing plot might be triggering, so please read the warnings carefully.

Trigger warnings: suicidal ideation, cutting, suicide, depression, claustrophobia

4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the ARC of Coup de Grace in exchange for an honest review.

Great book!! I am looking forward to purchasing this book for several of my friends and family members. I know they would appreciate it as much as I did