This book took me by surprise almost the entire time after looking at the description beforehand I was expecting a lot but boy oh boy was I still surprised. I enjoyed it because of how the writing was not afraid to get unhinged for the subject that it was portraying in the story. It was a little too graphic for me but overall an enjoyable read for a newish horror reader like myself.

The divine flesh - Drew Huff

Where to start, the book was chaotic and messy at first, took me a bit to get
into it as the pacing started off a bit slow, expecting you to stay interested
because of the world and the body horror, which were enough for me. The world
also is a bit supernatural coded which i quite liked.

Halfway through the book it dawned on me that the chaotic messy style is on
purpose and perfectly fits jennifer and the story. The gore and body horror is
beautifully described and the characters are very realistic. They don't always
make the smartest choices and you'll end up feeling bad for them which is what i
quite enjoyed.

The only thing id say i enjoyed less about the book was the subplot with the
mirror people, id loved to have that wrapped up a bit sooner and focus more on
the divine flesh

If you like messed up things happening to characters and described in a
beautifully gruesome way, with characters who are awful in the best way, with a
hint of jennifer's body, you'll like this one.

Drawn to this book by the cover and the title.... and boy did it not disappoint. top tier body horror written with sharp prose and never gets away from itself with the grossness.

Unfortunately, I did not connect with this book. I found it impossible to keep track of what was happening throughout the book. This may be because of the way that the e-book was set out, sentences being disjointed to the point where I had to back track and re-read things. I did however really appreciate the way that Drew Huff had a story to tell that was so different from anything I’ve read before. I will continue to look out for their work in the future.

The Divine Flesh tells the story of Jennifer and “Divine Flesh” who is a cosmic goddess that shares a body with her.

“This is not my body. I’m not burning”

The world is filled with cosmic creatures, gods, mirror people, and so on. Our poor girl has to share a body with the Divine Flesh, and apparently lost her lover to her as well. Daryl is a jerk, tbh, I didn’t like him from the start. The author keeps the characters grey throughout the story anyway. It’s good, but it also kept me out of the story.
The writing style is literally “alive and breathing”. It’s fast, descriptive but also leaves enough room for the reader to fill in the gaps which adds a new color to the reading experience.

Still, i felt like the action could be written better. I didn’t feel like the balance between action and emotion was present in the book. Something kept the characters emotions vague.

I give this book 3 stars, because i loved the creative aspects of it, but the reading process wasn’t as smooth as i’d like it to be.

This novel has a very interesting premise, but the execution is lacking. So many main and side characters get introduced without explanation, and the details of their lives just leaves one confused. This novel almost reads like a sequel with the characters discussing events that have taken place prior, but don't ever get explained to the audience.

I really had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up this book. All I knew after reading the synopsis was I was going to get a weird book, and I love weird books. The book is unhinged and chaotic, to say the least but it was fast paced (although too fast at times for my liking), full of body horror, and I felt like I was the one on meth reading it, which means I loved it!

The unhinged mayhem of this cosmic body horror is absolutely mad in the best possible way.

"𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀. 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗵-𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸-𝗜-𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱-𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗵."

And that deliriously capricious cosmic god/entity/living nightmare, Divine Flesh, shares a body with the unwilling young drug mule and addict, Jennifer Plummer, who deals in weird alien eggs and just wants the body interloper/hijacker 𝗼𝘂𝘁. And just when she thinks she's found a solution to her problem, it all gets rampantly worse. Jennifer-Baby just might cause the end of the world...

There is a lot happening in this novel and yes, admittedly parts of the plot are a little hazy. Like a gonzo Hunter Thompson writing eldritch horror with a dash of Tarantino. But somehow this chaos ultimately didn't bother me. Even those distracting side stories and characters were interesting in their own equally bizarro way. The writing is snappy, sharp, beautiful and at times positively dreamy in the most disturbing way. The grotesqueries on offer here are sublimely alluring.

Everything about this was like a drug-induced deranged Cronenberg nightmare. It's an absolute wild ride, and although I found the ending a bit drawn out I still really enjoyed this book and look forward to more of this author's work.

Ever wonder what you get when you put cenobites and Marvel's Venom in a blender then sprinkle in some meth?
The Divine Flesh!

Jennifer and The Divine Flesh share the same body. Neither of them wants this living situation, but both of them want to be with Jennifer's ex-husband, Daryl. The problem is, Jennifer is a self destructive addict drug mule for aliens. And The Divine Flesh is a deity whose idea of love is tearing apart the bodies of people and reassembling them as her sycophants. So let's find out how they deal with being separated for the first time after taking a magical drug? Separation anxiety or...mass killing spree?

This is a fast paced, high energy story with lots of narratives and dialogues and the inner thoughts of people due to telepathy. So I had to take a break from it because I found myself losing the thread a few times. But I'm also ADHD. So there's that. But it does take some focus to get on board with this wild ride. The characters are fun, there is gore and guts and drugs and mayhem. I thought of Venom and Hellraiser but also Critters (the movies from my childhood). Once I got back into it, I enjoyed myself. Wild ride, this one.

You know what? I dont really know what to say here. I kind of felt like I was on drugs while reading this. What a sickening ride this was. And what a feat to accomplish that with me.
This is absolutely not my genre, I do try to broaden my horizons though, and Im glad I took a chance here.

The Divine Flesh by Drew Huff is a cosmic and body horror with strong themes of love.

You have to be in a certain mindset to read this book. It collects trigger warning categories like Halloween candy. It is very effective at making the reader uncomfortable while reading—which is a compliment to a horror story.

Plot:
Jennifer has shared a body with the Divine Flesh for as long as she remembers until an inciting incident separates them. The Divine Flesh then tries to show everybody her love through assimilation (basically making people weird flesh morphed creatures). Jennifer and Daryl then go on a mission to try and stop her. Although this is made more complicated by Jennifer still being in love with Daryl while Daryl loves the Divine Flesh instead (not cute romance, very disturbing).

Characters:
Jennifer - Self-destructive drug addict. Has a motto about no drug going untried. She shares her body with the Divine Flesh. Currently works in smuggling mirror person eggs. Can be rather clever in her solutions to situations.
Daryl - Used to make drugs with Jennifer. Weirdly into monsters.
Divine Flesh - A flesh manipulating god. Just wants to love everybody. Sees beauty in warped flesh.

The world of the story concentrates everything bad about our world and humanity. Most of the characters are not straight up evil though (except one, hell would be too good for him). Other than the Divine Flesh the only other main fantasy element is the mirror people who are basically like humanoid parasitic wasps. The main characters start off as relatively unlikable, but as I learned about their traumas I did start to root for them. The descriptions are really well written. I felt very tangible disgust while reading them. I would say the book has a medium pacing, being slightly slow at the beginning. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading disgust inducing horror. I didn’t love this book, mainly because I was expecting it to be cosmic horror, which I wanted to try reading, but it was mainly body horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dark Matter INK for providing this e-ARC

The Divine Flesh by Drew Huff

Jennifer and Darryl are a lovely couple. Upon adjusting my goggles, I see my mistake there. Beginning again, Jennifer and Darryl are most definitely not a lovely couple. Jennifer, a person prone to sabotage, recklessness, drug abuse, and an affinity for alcohol, is a problem. Darryl, with good intentions, equally has motivations for being with Jennifer. It’s what is inside her. Now, that may seem the most apparent thing to readers, but in this instance, it refers to something that coexists in Jennifer's body. The Divine Flesh, or DF for short. DF is a god, or as much of a god as one can be. DF loves Darryl, or as much as a godlike entity can feel for any human. DF is a being who wants to assimilate humankind so she can love them in return. Through various scenes of carnage and mayhem, DF and Jennifer are split into two beings. Multiple mysteries ensue, some of which require DF and Jennifer to both solve. A question arises: Are they even on the same side? As the mysteries build, this is only the beginning of a deranged story. One involving a being born of the light and one of darkness within the same womb. Concluding in unexpected twists that bend the mind.

I deeply exhale as I attempt to gather my thoughts. Confusion rings loudly. Why am I confused, you may ask? First of all, the cover art, in all its splendor, is a perfect representation of this book. Hearts with mouths, teeth upon rows of shark teeth, aptly describe this endeavor. It must be said that I applaud author Drew Huff and his creativity here. It is ambitious, and for that, he should be commended. With that said, it meandered in spots far too long. The DNF button looked me in the face; it said, C'mon, Orb, just do it; end your misery. I refused; I committed to sticking it through until the very end. That said, this was rocky. During the middle portion of my read, I was lost. The substance of the story leaped off the track, and it never regained its steam. However, while entering the last leg of my journey, I began to gain a small bit of understanding. Restoring my faith that I will endure during times of reading laboriousness.

The white light blinded me in a sense of serenity and calm, being on the hero’s team, vanquishing those draped eerily in darkness and evil. Luke Skywalker, clad in his billowing white garb, versus Darth Vader, cloaked in his onyx shroud of deception. However, in this story, there seemed to be a polar opposite take on this normal train of thought. To avoid giving readers any spoilers, there was an unexpected element of cleverness. I would not say I had an affinity toward any of the characters within the book, and in all fairness, this may have lent a bit to my frustration. There was a fair amount of “side quests” going on to probe and gain some understanding. I could not escape the fact that perhaps it could have been more streamlined to greater effect. We have shape-shifting mirror people, created by a woman/godlike being, for her to reproduce more of her kind on Earth. A town lynching by bigoted individuals, a fatal car crash, and drug deals gone wrong. There seemed to be many moving parts, and I, as a reader, wanted to focus solely on the main relationship and characters within that small circle.

In conclusion, has this been my best review? Certainly not. I might DNF my own review if I could. I struggle with this, as is apparent with the aloofness brought upon by my inability to articulate this review. I wanted to love this. The cover art demanded it! For me, this never reached that level. I am giving this 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Many thanks to Drew Huff for the ARC through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

This book is an absolute rollercoaster of insanity and cosmic horror, blending grotesque imagery with a twisted, almost beautiful exploration of love. Jennifer, a flawed, self-destructive junkie, shares her body with the eldritch god Divine Flesh, who wants to assimilate everything in her path—including Jennifer’s husband, Daryl. Through a chaotic series of events, including Daryl’s murder, the struggle for control between Jennifer and Divine Flesh creates a brutal, mind-bending narrative that’s both unsettling and strangely heartfelt, leaving readers hooked from start to finish. If you're looking for something truly bizarre and unforgettable, this book is a wild ride you won't want to miss!

huge fan of body horror, and this was great. Never read Drew Huff before but I will be checking out more. Only criticism is it was a bit long for my tastes

This book was disgusting, bloody, gory and absolutely FANTASTIC. I loved everything about this book. From the Divine Flesh, to Jennifer doing her absolute best. Please write more books for me to read.

A Gore-Drenched Gnostic Nightmare - Yet Somewhat Lacking...

This is typically the type of book I'd go nuts for. Eldritch. Body Horror. Dark as hell. But "The Divine Flesh" by Drew Huff misses the mark for me.

- Things it Does Well:

GRISLY: If I had to conceptualize this work into one word, I think "visceral" might be it. There's an insane level of grisly detail on display here. Cronenberg would be pleased.

GNOSTIC: The author is well-versed in occult and gnostic terminology. I especially like the details concerning the number of teeth the Divine Flesh has (108), which is synonymous with Eastern tantric numerology. Additionally, there is a heavy Gnostic bent with the themes on display here. Demiurgic and wannabe-Demiurgic characters run amok. I certainly wish to see more themes such as this present in eldritch literature moving forward.

- Where it Falls Flat:

- PACING: The book could have used some serious shearing. "The Divine Flesh" would have been fantastic as a novella or something far shorter. I would characterize this as a page-turner despite its surreal and completely beyond-the-pale subject matter. This confounded me because, again, this is the type of book I usually fiend for.

DIALOGUE CONFUSION: The Divine Flesh, as a character, shares a body with a human being. This can cause issues with perspective regarding dialogue and understanding what is happening at any given time.

Now, I understand that the writing style for this work is intended to be trippy, surreal, and Burroughs-esque in its approach, I fear it may have missed the mark in terms of something that is easily digested (no alien meat-goddess joke intended... maybe).

CONCLUSION

While I didn't necessarily enjoy this book, I'm still extremely intrigued by what else Drew has up their sleeve in terms of content down the road. There's a uniqueness in voice, style, presentation, and hellion-esque attitude that is enticing.

Simply put, Drew Huff has a distinct voice, which is evident within the first few pages of this monolith of meat and depravity. If you've got a hunger for the truly out-there in terms of surreal writing topped with a candy-coated gore-infused frosting, give this one a read.

I requested this book because I like to enjoy a horror story once in a while. I don't mind gore and all that but I couldn't get into this one. It was confusing as hell and I had no idea what was going on half the time. I also felt the writing was convoluted and pretentious a lot of the time. I know this was intentional, it just didn't vibe with my style unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc. This book was crazy. The divine flesh is trapped in Jennifer's body and they each despise each other. Jennifer takes an experimental drug and her ex husband help her to free herself from the divine flesh's control.

The Divine Flesh by Drew Huff is an intriguing fantasy novel that blends adventure with deep philosophical themes. The story follows Elira, a young woman who discovers that her body is connected to a divine power, leading her on a journey that challenges her beliefs and identity.

The novel does a great job of building a unique world where gods and mortals interact in complex ways. The main theme revolves around the idea of the human body as a vessel for divine power, and how this affects Elira’s understanding of herself and the world around her. As Elira grapples with her newfound abilities, she faces both external threats and internal struggles about faith and morality.

While the pacing can be slow at times, with multiple storylines unfolding gradually, the story ultimately comes together in a satisfying way. The ending leaves some open questions, setting up possibilities for future books.

Overall, The Divine Flesh is a thought-provoking read that combines rich world-building with a compelling character journey. It’s a good pick for readers who enjoy fantasy with deeper themes about faith, identity, and power.

I hate to dnf a book, but I couldn't find myself enjoying it. The synopsis sounds intriguing and I really wanted to like it as a big horrror fan, but when I started the book I found it repetitive and kinda underwhelming. I'd like to give it another chance, but maybe it's just not for me!
Thank you to NetGalley and Dark Matter INK for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.