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rock_hyrax's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, and Rape
Minor: Toxic relationship
the_literarylinguist's review
FAR too gruesome
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence
perusing_panels's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I definitely appreciate the craftsmanship in this collection, some incredibly lyrical writing, and some very interesting themes explored. However, I did find some stories got so surreal and abstract at times, they were quite challenging to follow and make sense of. I think this would definitely be a very interesting collection to reread and analyse in greater detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Violence
Minor: Chronic illness and Ableism
aishathebibliophile's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Nudibranch is a wildly inventive collection of 15 short stories. Difficult to categorise because it almost minimalises it but the closest category may be weird speculative fiction.
It is unlike any collection I’ve ever read before, the stories are daring and artful which can be challenging, so I can see why it wouldn’t be for everyone, but I loved it.
Irenosen writes with flair and an imprecise precision which makes it easy to get lost but also there's never a sense of directionlessness. It's gripping and never feels dull, and some stories are easier to extrapolate meaning from than others, but I enjoyed how many of these flung me off-kilter. I love the idea of transformation throughout the collection, how everything feels alive, how visceral, and how unpredictable the setting for each story is - temporally and geographically. It's perfect for a range of moods, from the gothic to sensual to melancholic.
It is unlike any collection I’ve ever read before, the stories are daring and artful which can be challenging, so I can see why it wouldn’t be for everyone, but I loved it.
Irenosen writes with flair and an imprecise precision which makes it easy to get lost but also there's never a sense of directionlessness. It's gripping and never feels dull, and some stories are easier to extrapolate meaning from than others, but I enjoyed how many of these flung me off-kilter. I love the idea of transformation throughout the collection, how everything feels alive, how visceral, and how unpredictable the setting for each story is - temporally and geographically. It's perfect for a range of moods, from the gothic to sensual to melancholic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Suicide, and Violence
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