I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder Published by Tor Nightfire on February 21 2023
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
The nitty-gritty: An apocalyptic virus, eldritch horrors, brain eaters and more, Sister, Maiden, Monster feels like the literary equivalent of thrash metal, and that’s a compliment:-)
“Living with her is breathtakingly terrifying. She seems aware, occasionally, that she’s become a complete maniac. If you crossed a savant with a perfect predator, gave that hybrid a cocaine high, and put it in the body of a model-poised, machete-swinging blonde…you’d have Savannah.”
If you think the cover of Sister, Maiden, Monster is crazy, then prepare yourself for a wild ride. This was a visceral, bloody, terrifying story about a pandemic that heralds the end of the world—literally. If you love cosmic horror, graphic violence and sex, and just plain weird/gross/shocking content in your stories, then grab a copy and join the fun! Yes, this is yet another pandemic story, but Lucy A. Snyder takes that trope and twists it into something unexpected. This is a pandemic on steroids, and trust me, you do not want to catch PVG…
The story is broken down into three sections and each follows a different main character. Erin has just been proposed to by her boyfriend Gregory, when she discovers she’s caught the highly contagious virus PVG, or polymorphic viral gastroencephalitis. She finds herself in the hospital, where she’s told she’s a Type Three, because she suddenly has a taste for human brains. Erin eventually gets to resume her former life—sort of—although it’s no longer safe for her to be around Gregory. Instead, she meets a woman named Betty and starts an affair with her. But Betty isn’t completely normal, and the more time Erin spends with her, she comes to realize that her body is changing in some very strange ways.
Savannah is a prostitute who becomes exposed to the virus, after which she’s convinced she must kill in order to absorb the knowledge of others. Her god demands it of her, in fact. Leaving a bloody trail of bodies behind her, Savannah is searching for someone important, someone the gods want to find and use.
Finally, when Mareva discovers a huge lump in her breast, she isn’t too surprised. She’s had strange benign tumors her entire life. But this one is different. This one sets Mareva on a future path she wants nothing to do with. Too bad the gods have a plan for her, with no way out.
All three women are connected in interesting ways, and each section gets progressively weird and violent. I would say I’m pretty well versed in body horror, as I’ve read a fair amount of it, but even I had trouble with some of the scenes in this book, they were so over the top.
I did love Snyder’s idea of a virus that transforms people in various ways, and not in good ways, mind you. In fact, I’m surprised I haven’t run across this idea before. After the horrors of Covid during the last three years, it’s almost nice to see that things could be so much worse!
In the midst of all the sex and gore, the author manages to make some points about important issues, like the sorry state of women’s healthcare (at least in the U.S.), and some of our basic human rights, like the rights of infected people to receive care and protection. This story might be fantasy, but at its core there are some very sobering truths.
I really enjoyed the three main characters, all of them thrown into horrifying situations that they don’t have control over. Out of the three, Savannah scared me the most, but she’s such a bad-ass woman, I couldn’t help but admire her in some ways, despite all the slaughter and eating of brains, lol.
The ending was great! Yes, the world goes to shit, but on a slightly happier note, Mareva gets a reprieve of sorts, and I was glad to see at least one character get a (somewhat) happy ending. This was a bunch of good, bloody fun, and I look forward to seeing what Lucy A. Snyder does next.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
I’m conflicted here, because I was already aware of the abundance of graphic violence and outright grossness of the book and was ready to pass, but your review made me think again, because experience taught me our reading tastes often coincide and I can’t ignore your 4-star rating…. What to do… What to do…. (((SIGH)))
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…THE OVERLOOK (Harry Bosch #13), by Michael Connelly
I love her writing, and I loved the way she constructed the story. Those elements may have pushed this into a 4 star read for me:-)
“An apocalyptic virus, eldritch horrors, brain eater”. Can you top that? YES, I know you can, lol!
Emma @ Words And Peace recently posted…Book review and Friday Face Off: The Hunting Gun
LOL it does sum up the story;-)
I’ll probably hold off on this one for the moment, though there was a time long ago when I’d have immediately grabbed it. I remember really enjoying some of Clive Barker’s earlier graphic stories. No clue how they compare to this one.
I haven’t read Clive Barker in ages, but they do have some things in common for sure.
Definitely not something for me, but I love your description of it!!
Thanks Lisa!
This book was wild! The author definitely set out to write a book with “messages” but I think the story would have worked better if she wasn’t so heavy handed on them.
For me, the violence sort of overshadowed the messages, lol.
This sounds grossly awesome and so violently epic! I like the analogy with thrash metal, that somehow says so much haha! Great review, Tammy. 😀
Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes recently posted…Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) Video Game Review
Thanks Lashaan!
This really does look and sound like a crazy ass book but in a brilliant sort of way. I like that the story is broken down into three sections and three different characters. Also think it’s great that the author makes some important points!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Review: Women of Myth by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy
I really loved her writing too. I want to read more of her books now:-)
Awesome review and now I must read this one! What a killer cover too!
Laura Thomas recently posted…The Lost Journals Of Bud Wiper by S.M. Morgan ~ Excerpt And Giveaway
The cover is really good, and works perfectly with the story:-)
Well, you got me wanting to read this book with the first paragraph. I never really looked into it but the cover and title were strange to me. I might just have to see if my library has it!
Molly @ Molly’s Book Nook recently posted…The Last Thing He Told Me: Was a Useless Crock of Shit
I hope you have fun with it if you decide to read it:-)
Totally agree about the great social commentary- like how do you manage to do such a fabulous job in the midst of all the utter mayhem!? And I agree about Savannah, wow did she scare me bwhaha. I think the only thing I didn’t totally love was that the end confused me a bit, but I still liked it enough. So. A win, certainly. Glad you enjoyed it too, great review!
The end was crazy for sure! Really, it could have spiraled out of control, but she really kept it together.
This book has been on my radar since its announcement. However, why does your review have me comparing this book to “Hell Followed With Us” by Andrew Joseph White?
Aquavenatus recently posted…SCKA 2023: We’re Back!!!
I haven’t read Hell Followed With Us, but now I’m curious!
Wow! This book sounds so wild. I’m intrigued, but I’m pretty sure I probably won’t get on with it.
Ha ha it’s not for everyone, that’s for sure:-)
This one sounds so crazy! And so good! I will definitely have to see about reading it at some point. Great review!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Review: Right Man, Right Time (The Vancouver Agitators #3) by Meghan Quinn