SkywardStrange's Book Journey

I think I have at least two new fears now.

Atomic Coffin gets inside you. There's so much tension and anxiety throughout, driven by both the plot and the writing style. If you're already claustrophobic, this is a big ol pile of trigger warnings for you because it perfectly induced the feeling of being trapped in a cramped space and not being able to breathe properly.

I found Heidi to be intensely compelling - she's very honest and raw about her experiences and anxieties and how fucked up the situation is making her in a way that made it impossible for me not to empathize with her. I also really liked how straightforward Anning is about Heidi's past attempts at suicide and her relationship with wanting to live. I feel like a lot of horror that deals with such things either glosses over it or obscures it behind metaphor, so it was refreshing to just say it out loud and be honest about its role in Heidi's story.

Stylistically, this was intense in a way that I really dug. There are beautiful turns of phrase and relentless, winding paragraphs and some really nice use of mirrored syntax and its just mwah perfect. I liked how sensory and visceral the descriptions were throughout - it made the story feel very present to me.

Do be mindful of hella trigger warnings for suicidal ideation, claustrophobia, panic attacks, and self harm. (Side note: thank you Benedict Anning for including absolutely 0 instances of sexual harassment or assault, you put one lady on a submarine with 100 men and you could have done super gross shit but did not.)