One thing I know about myself is that I do not like the experience of body horror and gore, so why do I keep doing this to myself? That said, there's definitely body horrors, but the number of times I wanted to metaphorically shield my eyes was comparatively few.

I read this almost entirely in one sitting. It's extremely atmospheric, broody, bloody, and queer.

We have two sisters - twins - one married to a man with extra teeth and living in a manor whose name translates to Black Water, one living genteelly as a companion for an elderly woman. One twin has a history of madness, an obsession with a bog mummy found on the estate, and now a terrible illness and rising hunger. The other has always been the rock, and runs to care for her twin.

Naturally, as this is gothic horror, strange and terrible things happen. Dread pervades. Because this is not my primary genre, I don't know all the beats. There's a moment early-ish in the book, 30-40%, where I thought that it would be over and we'd move on to some different bit of story. But the author twisted it in ways I didn't expect or see coming (which I adored).

If this is your genre, absolutely give this one a go. If it's not... maybe give it a try anyway.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.