This is not the book for me. I just couldn't get into. It took me awhile to get 30% of the way through and it felt like a chore to do. I ended up dnfing this book

Queer Dystopian Horror is a unique literary niche that I didn’t know I needed until this very moment. The author melds together complicated family relationships, queer love, grief and zealotry all while the rising tides threaten to drown us all. Another remarkable work by Julia Armfeild that won’t soon leave my mind. It felt timeless and dystopian all while being a very real potential for our future planet as the oceans warm and weather patterns shift.

The audio book was beautifully performed, each character had a distinct vocal personality that was easy to follow. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for the honest review!

I think that maybe Julie Armfield just isn't the author for me, and that's okay! I didn't love Our Wives Under the Sea (to put it mildly) but this one sounded really interesting - in general it just let me down a bit

Private Rites is an ambitious book that deeply explores themes of childhood trauma and dysfunctional family dynamics against the backdrop of climate change and a dystopian future. The imagery and the characters’ musings on how families shape us were high points for me.

As a King Lear lover, I have been looking forward to this book, but the plot felt a bit muddled to me. There were chapters that had me fully engaged and others that made me feel a bit lost. I do think the narrator did great job with this novel and would still recommend, just wasn’t a favorite for me.

Julia Armfield has such a unique voice that grabbed me with Our Wives Under the Sea an her second novel, Private Rites, has similarly demanded my attention. In her re-telling of King Lear, three sisters, Isla, Irene, and Agnes are brought back together after their architect father dies. In dealing with his death, the three sisters' lives each begin to spiral in different ways all with the backdrop of a climate crisis where the persistent rain has forced everyone to figure out how to live with rising waters.

If you are in the mood for a ~vibes~ book I absolutely recommend Private Rites - you get queer, sapphic relationship drama, sister drama, parent-induced trauma, and a what in the world just happened ending, all with Armfield's exquisite writing style.

I both read and listened to Private Rites and really enjoyed the audiobook. The text version does not have quotation marks for the conversations, which sometimes trips me up while I'm reading, but certainly gives a different effect than listening. I would absolutely recommend either medium while reading.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and MacMillan Audio for the advanced copy.

Private Rites follows three estranged sisters in the aftermath of their difficult father’s death. Set in an ever raining, apocalypse like state leaves the ready feeling uneasy throughout the book.

This is a particularly character driven book and as with every Julia Armfield book written beautifully. I did find it a little bit slow at points but the end was shocking and fantastic. I could not recommend this book more ! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

It's not often I pick up an audiobook but I'm glad I did for this one! The atmosphere was palpable, each character so dimensional, irritating (I mean this very affectionately) and all surrounding the complex sister relationship (as a person with two sisters, there were parts of this that were maybe a little TOO relatable).

The way Julia Armfield writes is so addictive and pair this with a narrator (narrators?) that matches this atmosphere and makes it thrive really elevated this story for me. There is so much to unpack in this story and so much that made me pause to hold it all in. It was everything I wanted when I picked it up, a world that'll drown you in immersion.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Private Rites is a loose retelling of King Lear, following three queer daughters who are drawn together upon the death of their father. Also the world is apocalyptic in constant rainfall.

Julia Armfield is a fantastic writer and she brings this surreal world to life. I enjoyed learning more about the climate these sisters lived in. My difficulties with this work were that I had trouble telling the sisters apart and found myself not really caring much about them. The beginning was slow and I lost interest in the middle half of the novel. The apocalyptic setting was more subdued than I thought it would be given the premise. The ending brought me back and had me gripped. My overall rating is increased by the payoff of the final 10% which I adored.

I really enjoyed the audiobook narrator and would recommend this work via audiobook format. Highly recommend to fans of Armfield’s prior work Our Wives Under the Sea - other readers be aware this is a slow atmospheric work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

As my second Julia Armfield book, I really enjoyed this though I thought the pacing was a bit weird. The first two thirds of the story focus around three sisters and their relationships as they grieve the loss of their father. The relationships are messy and complex, which I felt was very realistic. I also liked the representation of anxiety in the sisters and how they each deal with their grief differently.

The last portion of the book seemed to center around the semi-apocalypse that has been plaguing the world with rain for the last number of years. I had wished that this story line was woven into the earlier parts of the story more, rather than simply mentioned. I think it is a very unique take on an apocalypse but was incredibly poignant since the world just continued on, people still had to go to work and do their regular duties, all while drowning slowly.

Private Rites is a modern dystopian version of King Lear. Three daughters - all estranged from their wealthy father as well as each other come together after he dies. All three have been spiraling in their own lives and then putting them together doesn't help. The world around them is drowning from incessant rain which mirrors their own personal drowning.

This one is probably better to read (at least the end) because I did get a bit confused a few times. While the individual backstories of the sisters as well as their interactions with each other kept me engrossed, there were other parts that I found a bit slow. The author has a water thing since this is the second book where water is a large theme running throughout both. I thought the narrator was great, but because her writing is so complex at times, I think having a readable copy of the novel would have upped my enjoyment level (I still liked much of it). I still liked the novel but felt I missed something.

3.75 stars
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Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC to review

Did I instantly drop everything I was doing to dive into this arc the moment it landed in my inbox? Oh Hell Ya!

This is a slow-burn dystopian horror that follows three adult sisters as they each grieve in their own neurotic way as well as their collective dysfunctional way, following the death of their influential father, all while the entire world is gradually succumbing to catastrophic flooding.

Maladjusted grief + apocalyptic dread = Damn good reading!

I’m a huge fan of Armfield’s atmospheric writing style; I always find myself deeply invested in her female main characters and completely absorbed in her strange narratives. The audiobook narrator, Hanna van der Westhuysen, does a fantastic job capturing the off kilter dynamics between the sisters and the ominous end of the world vibes . I loved every moment of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for letting me listen to an ALC of Private Rites by Julia Armfield narrated by Hannah van der Westhuysen! I rated this book 4.5 stars, but have rounded up to 5 stars for the purpose of this review.

Armfield strikes again! A poignant look into the private lives of three estranged sisters after receiving the news of their father’s death. What starts as a slow burn of a book quickly devolves into drama and chaos as we follow these sisters - Isla, Irene, and Agnes - as their father’s passing and the reading of his will bleeds into every aspect of their lives. We bear witness to their failing and burgeoning romantic relationships; the uncovering of secrets left behind by their father and long-lost mother; and the way that the same group of people keep popping back into their lives in the most unexpected places. This is all while facing the constant battle of the climate apocalypse as their world continues to steadily be submerged under water, which, ironically, is important to the plot as their father’s crowning achievement was a glass house that rises with the tide and is a beacon of hope for their small family.

Armfield explores grief, sisterhood, the impact of climate change on society and social classes, and above all - she comes armed with a wonderfully weird twist involving a huge body of water. Hannah van der Westhuysen’s voice really created the perfect atmosphere of mystery that felt right for this novel. I only wish that there had been slightly more distinctive voices for each character POV and that Armfield had expanded on or drawn out the ending just a little bit more because THAT is the Armfield that I love to read. If you’re accustomed to Armfield’s style, I encourage you to check this one out! I’m considering actually reading King Lear before giving this a reread, myself.

I was really excited about this one but I was disappointed. Nothing happened until the last chapter and it wasn't really explained well.

As the world draws ever closer to a watery end, three sisters contend with their dysfunctional relationships with one another following the death of their cruel father. A revered architect, the glass house he designed is both a testament to his work and his continued oppression of his children even after his death. Private Rites is a poignant exploration of grief, family, love, social class and a unique take on environmental horror.

It is a beautifully written novel, with prose that both entrances and unsettles. Atmospheric, with a consistent feeling of dread that rises immensely at the story’s climax, the almost mundane adaptations civilization’s to a drowning world is a stark contrast to the vibrant rage, anxiety, uncertainty and affection that Irene, Isla and Agnes experience in each of their perspectives.

Private Rites expertly captures the painful nuances of sibling relationships that are linked through blood, but not necessarily possessing the inate closensss that is often viewed as synonymous with “family.” Irene, Isla and Agnes are interesting characters with flaws and their interactions are at times unpredictable and difficult to “witness.”

Narrator Hanna van der Westhuysen does an excellent job of infusing each character with a distinct presence and her narration of Private Rites was both enthralling and foreboding as the story eventually took a dramatic turn. And while there was some foreshadowing of what was to come, I did find myself wishing for a bit more in terms of explanations.

The ending also left me feeling devestated, though there was also a measure of hope as well.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Flatiron Books and NetGalley for access to this audiobook. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was lush and atmospheric, a series of vingettes seemingly unmoored by plot but eventually tying in at the end. I loved the idea of a slow moving climate apocalypse filled with people still trying go to go work and unable to afford necessities but just going through the motions anyway as the world drowns foot by foot. The horror element was also really interesting, and I loved the deep dive into the sisters.

It can be quite difficult to tell who is talking when and I appreciate how much the narrator tried to differentiate between the various voices. The urgency and tone in the last chapter was particularly impressive.

After reading Our Wives Under the Sea I immediately read Salt Slow because I just needed more. I was so excited to be approved for an ARC of Private Rites. I'm not sure if I just had different idea of what this book was going to be but my first time though I landed at a four star rating. It is a great book but it didn't quite hit the high I was expecting from her previous books. But I have to say the story and the characters really stuck with me. I couldn't stop thinking about the book. When the audiobook was added to Netgalley I decided to request it too. The second time through really got me! This will absolutely be one of my favorite reads of the year. Julia Armfield is an incredibly talented writer. I think this is a book that is best gone into knowing as little as possible. The book description doesn't quite convey what the book is about, to be fair I would also have a hard time describing it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up. I loved Our Wives Under the Sea, so I was really excited for this audiobook. This was different than Our Wives, but it wasn't a disappointment. Armfield is still very good at writing suspenseful and detailed fiction without it feeling bogged down or hard to follow. Even though this was set in a dystopian near future, this book had a well-built slow and suspenseful gothic horror vibe which I loved. It was easy to forget this was a horror book as the suspense built until suddenly things all came together in a really interesting way. The complicated family dynamics between the characters and the well-fleshed out characters were well-written and reminded me a bit of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. This was a very unique read though, but in a good way.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for an advanced listener copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Julia Armfield is an incredibly talented writer. I fell in love with her prose with "Our Wives Under the Sea" which was beautiful and heart-breaking. There was something magical about that book, and I hoped it would feel the same with this one.

"Private Rites" felt less surreal to me, and more as something of this plane of existence for most of the book. Perhaps this is due to it being based on "King Lear" (a fact that didn't dawn on me until I neared the end), and therefore it had a solid thread to follow.

It wasn't until nearer to the end that it felt more like the book I was hoping for, when Armfield brings the book to its dramatic conclusion and once again, much in like "Our Wives..." returns to the sea. I think I will always enjoy the way she writes about the still coldness of the sea. In fact, her writing is a delicious treat.

This book was not as engaging for me, but I still found it to be one worth listening to. The narrator did an excellent job, and I would recommend the audiobook if that sounds appealing to you.

I work in the Climate/Environmental field, so I’m always drawn to books that include themes of climate change. My personal interest is in how climate change has and will continue to affect our oceans, so this book really spoke to me when I first heard about it. Unfortunately though, it just didn’t give me what I was hoping for. The characters did have a lot of wonderful depth, but I just found them all to be unlikable which led to my loss of interest in the story. I did finish the book, but it was a bit like pulling teeth (pun not intended- once you read the book iykyk).

Familial drama meets apocalyptic hell in this incredibly bleak tale that settles into the deepest parts of your bones. Just like with my favorite book of all time (Our Wives Under The Sea), Armfield wrote "Private Rites" with heft and poetic consideration, though "Private Rites" is a more subtle and literary affair that is also much larger in scope.

Set in a Britain that has been flooded by rising sea levels and endless rainfall, capitalism remains, people continue to commute to and from work daily, everything has become too expensive, and travel is almost impossible. Our protagonists, three nearly-estranged sisters from a King Lear-inspired family are forced back together after their father, an architect who designed homes that could adapt to the changing climate, dies.

Unlike many apocalyptic stories, this one depicts a slow, almost dull collapse, and there is something so utterly unnerving, chilling and bleak in that. This is a novel that will surely be studied in the future.

An easy 5 star book.

If I have any critique about this book at all, I would say that I do not find that the cover of the book is fitting to the story at all. Other than that, this was perfection.