This shit HURT 😭

Sadly, I didn't end up loving this book the way I thought I would. Get ready for an essay, because I've been stewing about this for a couple weeks.

I suppose my main issue is that I went into this thinking it was a horror with sapphic romance and it's more of a (kind of toxic) sapphic romance with a nebulous horror subplot. That's more of an issue with marketing than an issue with the book itself, so I'll try to keep me not being in the right mood for this novel from biasing my rating of it, but I can't say it didn't influence my experience.

Since it is a romance though, let's talk about the romance. Quite honestly, I did not enjoy this relationship at all. I bought their infatuation with each other, I bought their lust for each other, but there's just nothing deeper than that. These women are not in love, I don't even think they really like each other. And there's nothing wrong with telling a story like that if you're going to go all in, but you can't then reframe that relationship as some grand, selfless, almost fated soul connection. It just didn't land for me, and I found it difficult to invest in them as a couple. This is quite probably compounded by the fact I didn't like either of these characters. Think of the most annoying, self-obsessed, messy, kinda repellant queers in your wider circle at university - that's Jagvi and Angelina. Idk something about them gives tumblr lesbians which, given this is set in the 90s, really pulled me out of the story. I will, however, give points for spicy, passionate, explicit lesbian sex scenes that actually include oral and don't just fade to black or get overly poetic about it. These girls fuck, and thank god because their sexual chemistry is possibly their only saving grace.

My other gripe is that the setting/history feels very under-researched or just underdeveloped. I didn't understand the decision to set the novel in this particular time or place, since neither really contribute anything to the plot. This could have been set in the US in the 2000s or somewhere in Latin America in the 2010s and it would have had very little bearing on the narrative or the characters. To add to that, there are a few points where the fact that this is set in what we can assume to be Italy (based on breadcrumbed narrative clues) just doesn't make sense at all.

For example, there is a scene that relies on a linguistic misunderstanding around a mixed race character possibly being referred to as 'dark' (i.e. 'malevolent') that works in English but largely falls apart if the characters are actually speaking Italian. To extend some grace, the authors are probably relying on the English-language ambiguity to convey the themes they're developing and since it's not actually written in Italian, they're not trying to reproduce how the conversation would literally unfold in Italian. But that begs the question, why make it Italian to begin with? Very little about this story felt grounded in an Italian or Southern European cultural identity, despite the authors signposting this as the narrative location. Similarly, the 90s setting is baiting a nostalgia it never earns, particularly as any authentic vibe it cultivates is undermined by a parade of anachronism. It's a lot of set dressing, but not a lot of substance in that regard.

I found out after reading the novel that it has duel authorship (don't know how I missed two author names on the cover), and that explained so much for me. Have you ever read a fanfic write-up of a roleplay where you can still hear the distinct voices even when it's edited to single POV? This is like that. There is a sense of discordance in the narrative voice at times, and the tonal inconsistencies are clunky enough for me to have noticed them before I ever knew there were two hands involved in writing this. I'm sure they're a strong writing duo, but the disjunctions in the prose and emotional register here don't read as intentional authorial decisions but rather as competing instincts that unfortunately weaken the novel's otherwise cohesive atmosphere.

I've been very critical so far, but I want to be clear that this isn't a bad book. There's a lot to like. The horror is definitely not at the forefront but when it's there, it's good. The Thing From The Pit of it all is probably the strongest aspect of the whole story. I loved the concept and the mythology built up around it, and the demon thing itself is great as an antagonist. I really loved its voice, the dialogue between it and Angelina especially and the elements of humour/banter that come through. There is a particular scene involving the dog that is both singularly horrifying and campy, comedy gold. Actually, there is a lot of excellent campiness in this book and I think it would have been amazing if pushed a little further.

The authors are also great at building dread layered with intrigue. Though there are some tonal issues and ahistorical missteps, the overall creeping, sultry atmosphere is well built. I also appreciated the discussions of queerness, race and identity in this small, stifling community and the themes of hunger, parasitism/symbiosis, power and embodiment that emerge. The ending is fun, if a little cheesy (this is what I mean when I say the campiness could have been pushed further) and the payoff is generally satisfying.

Overall, this ended up being a book where I just know a slightly alternate version would have hit so much harder. It's a frustrating read more than a bad one. Lean further into the horror, commit to the camp, ground it more convincingly in its setting and this could have easily been a new favourite. I found the creature to be very compelling and the atmosphere is precisely oppressive enough that when the folkish horror is centralised, it's great. I just wish the rest of the novel had trusted those strengths instead of getting bogged down in an unconvincing, unearned romance. I'd definitely read these authors again, but I'd like to see their knack for the weird and creepy take the lead next time.

This is a very fun, quick summerween read. It's kinda goofy in parts and can essentially be described as the literary equivalent of watching a cheesy, low-production horror movie with a sub 50% score on rotten tomatoes. But I generally have a good time with those kinds of movies, and I had a good time with this. It's not a masterpiece of literature, but it keeps a good pace, it has enough intrigue and twists to keep you interested (even if they are pretty obvious) and it's overall very entertaining.

Also I know they were going for a culty Beast Games/Fyre Festival angle but I could not stop visualising the Scooby Doo movie.