I was immediately intrigued based on this cover and the summary and based on the synopsis this book is one that I should’ve loved. Unfortunately it fell a little flat for me.

There were definitely some creepy vibes and it was enough to keep me reading, but I just didn’t love it as much as I thought I would.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for my copy

This book had all the keywords to excite me. Queer, architectural horror, inspired by House of Leaves. I'll start with what I liked, which is the prose. The way the book deals with text and images is incredibly playful and meaty. As a fan of the Gothic, I like purple prose, which this book has in abundance.

One gripe I had is that I wish the book trusted its audience a bit more with its metaphors. Every few chapters, I feel like the protagonist Vick turns to the fourth wall to tell the audience exactly what an image or motif represents regarding mental health.

Leading me to the end, which unfortunately felt incredibly rushed. There is a tonal shift, with changes of tense, form and as many metafictional tropes as possible suddenly cramped into about 20 pages. The protagonist suddenly starts being super glib and swearing with what feels like a Holden Caulfield impersonation. It's out of the blue and takes away from the earlier gothic tone.

Ultimately, I think this book flip-flops between a gothic nightmare and postmodern pop culture, without developing either half enough. I think it wears its inspirations from House of Leaves too much on its sleeve, rather than taking the time to build its own identity.

It's a very short book, so definitely worth a read if you're intrigued by a take on architecture horror intermingled with contemporary mental health issues and a dash of creepypasta.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley. I really enjoyed the first 75% of this book. I was invested in the character, embedded in the situation, loving the rainbow representation, loving the way the MC's mental health was depicted. I was all in.
But about 3/4 of the way through, it felt like the author wasn't sure how to end the story, and was just throwing ideas at the wall, hoping something would stick. The "choose your own adventure" schtick really didn't sit well with me either. At that point, I was ready for this story to be done. So ... I think it might be one of those books that people love or hate. I wanted to love it, but I really hated the ending, hence my ambivalent 3 star rating.

Ajram has certainly created an unsettling work where the world sent me, the reader, into a breathless panic. The very idea of navigating corridor after corridor and never finding a way out is the stuff of nightmares for me. I have been thinking of how to review this novella but can really only emphasise how it made me feel. The content is mysterious, hopeless and dark. There are many mentions of suicide or suicidal ideation and body horror so this is not for the faint of heart. It is a fast read but one that has certainly stayed with me since I finished it.

Poetic and dark and draining and glorious.

I am a fan of Sofia Ajram's work since reading Bury Your Gays anthology.
When I saw the book trailer for Coup de Grace, I immediately wanted to read it. Liminal spaces are a favorite trope of mine and this felt like Back Rooms only darker. While it is that, it is so much more. The twists and turns felt like The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper but with a far more claustrophobic and unrelenting story line.
Ajram's poetic language is soporific and lulls the reader into a dream-like state to skim the surface of the main character, Vicken's own depression and existential terror. There were moments I was worried this story would leave me in a fugue state afterwards and wondered if I should stop reading for my own mental health. I kept going though.
The end, with its choose your own adventure style and fourth-wall breaking point of view was brilliant.
I can tell this book will be sticking with me like cement dust in my pockets for a very long time.

The premise of the book drew me in, but the writing failed to capture my attention. I was eager to start the book but it became difficult to stick with.

Content Warnings: Suicide/suicidal ideation, Body Horror, Gore, Mental Illness, Existentialism

Ajram's novel is extremely successful in its vivid descriptions. Whether it is the mystery of the looping train story, body horror heavy experiences, or the first person narrator The descriptions of the train station, body horror heavy experiences, and lived experiences of the first person narrator were all wonderfully penned. However, I found the book lingered too long for me. I eventually began to skim because it felt too repetitious. Then, when it got to the Choose Your Own Section, I couldn't participate easily in the ebook version. That part may be a me problem; the links themselves worked fine, but it was hard for me to keep track of what I had or hadn't done, as opposed to a physical book where I can hold a finger or put a place holder.

While this book is not for me, it's NOT poorly written, and I think there are many would may enjoy it. Specifically, Ajram's book reminded me immediately of horror video games, which have recently had a lot of settings that use looping, liminal spaces, and often multiple endings based on the player's actions. Those who enjoy those kinds of narrative will, I think, dig this book.

I was really enjoying this one until about halfway through when it went a little too surreal for my taste. That’s ok, I was still along for the ride until the choice to end it on a choose you own adventure type of interactive storytelling. It took me right out of it and any hope of a cohesive narrative was gone. I still really enjoyed the premise and there are amazing parts. It just gets a bit bogged down by its own cleverness.

Thank you Netgalley and Titan books for the ARC copy for review.

Sofia Ajram's Coup de Grâce is an unsettling journey into the depths of depression and existential dread, masquerading as a subway station from hell. The story follows Vicken, a suicidal man who finds himself trapped in an endless, labyrinthine Montreal metro. Ajram's vivid, often poetic prose creates a claustrophobic atmosphere that mirrors the protagonist's spiraling mental state. While the metaphor may be heavy-handed at times, the book's strength lies in its visceral portrayal of despair and the human psyche. If you're looking for a less conventional, more cerebral take on horror that delves deep into the human condition, this experimental horror novella offers a unique and unsettling experience.

I haven't a single solitary clue what to say about this book. It was haunting and horrific but left me plagued with thoughts about my mental health. I would not recommend reading this if you're feeling particularly suicidal at the moment, as this may cause you to spiral down even further (thank you Zoloft for keeping me afloat here).

My one gripe with this book is that at times I felt like I was too stupid to be reading it. There were many times when it felt like Ajram went a little hard with the thesaurus, but I powered through. I feel like in the end I wound up with more questions than I had answers, and I rather think that was the point. Life doesn't often provide us with the exact answers we want, and we also don't always get the happy ending, despite what Hollywood desperately tries to convince us of.

I think it was worth the read, but like any other book with triggers, proceed with caution.

A haunting and atmospheric experience. Juxtaposing concrete brutalism and organic decay all throughout was brilliant and works so well with the subject matter of depression and suicidal ideation.
I really enjoyed this book despite how deeply upsetting it was, and as far as whether or not I recommend it? Just make sure you're in a good headspace.
Formatting-wise the choose-your-own adventure type links to different chapters was a neat idea but I personally feel as though that only works in a print.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing a copy of this book for review in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher dir this arc!

I really wanted to like this book. I am a big horror fan but this one just fell flat for me.

This book had an interesting synopsis but unfortunately, I was unable to follow it and found myself rereading parts I'd read. Well it turns out I didn't miss anything.
I found that the story rambles along like being stuck in a dream. And it makes about as much sense as a dream. This book was completely lost on me.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy somewhat ambiguous endings but the whole book was ambiguous.
Unfortunately I am unable to recommend this book.

The premise sounded so intriguing to me especially being a fellow Montrealer, I've been wanting to dive more into horror type books, but I am realizing it is truly not for me. I can't get into it or just relate or see the realistic aspect of it. It was good and very well written and fans of horror will love it.

A darkly beautiful experience of a novella. A quick read about a man who’s struggling greatly and has decided to take his own life. After taking the train to what he expects to be his final destination he finds himself trapped in a series of rooms and tunnels inside the station.
Find my more in depth spoiler free review here: https://youtu.be/R179-fUwhD8?si=Bf8JJguOuiCsDS0O

Sometimes a book offers more of an experience than a story. This is one of those.

The atmosphere is Clive Barker meets introspection, loneliness and a desperation to feel.

It’s gruesome at times (extremely), surreal, and…odd.

At roughly two thirds in, the format does…a thing. I didn’t particularly like that thing, but others may be delighted.

This is an intelligent and clever experience, though sometimes I wanted more of a story.

Kind of nonplussed, but I did like it.

• ARC via Publisher

I loved how lyrical the words were. The references to literature and mythology really built into the lore of what was happening even without explaining it. I would be sure to check out trigger warnings if you are someone who struggles with suicide or depression as this character's struggles are incredibly realistic and relatable (some of the best I've ever read in fact). I will note that there are some parts that felt a little disjointed and didn't work for me like the choose your own style narrative humor in the back, I understood what the point was, it just took me out a little bit. Other than that, wow.

Also, Sofia made my engagement and wedding ring and I'm amazed that someone so gifted with their hands can also be so gifted with their words.

This one is going to be on my mind a while. Filled with so much dread, it’s impressive how much it affected me. The ending with a choose your own adventure section was unexpected but worked for me. Thanks for the arc, I will be purchasing a physical copy for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

“Coup de Grâce” is the type of book you have to read multiple times, and still may not fully comprehend after a few-throughs. Like the subway station our protagonist wanders through, the book has layers upon layers upon layers, and it takes time and dedication and a certain understanding of the mentally ill state of mind to begin to tease them apart. Within the sub-200 pages were the promised horror, mind-bending visuals, and poignant points about depression. I very much enjoyed the novel, though I do feel like I need to read it a few more time before I can claim to have understood it.

My only complaint about this liminal space-based novel, is that it didn’t actually feel liminal enough for me. So many descriptions were given, especially when Vick first arrives in the station that it felt much more grounded in reality than I’d have hoped for a constantly shifting metro station that exists out of space and time.

This was a hard one to rate. While I definitely enjoyed the book and appreciate the style in which it is written, I feel like there is so much more that could be done with it. It's very much worth a read, in fact I may even read it for a second time in the near future (a rarity for me) because I feel like it would be a different experience the second time around. If you enjoy vague horror and liminal spaces, don't miss out on this gem!