[ 369 ]

[katara]

Title: Tender is the Flesh

Author: Agustina Bazterrica, Sarah Moses (Translator)

Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Dark, Thriller, Horror, Dark, Contemporary, Fiction

Warning: Cannibalism, Disturbing Imagery, Gore, Violence

Date Started: January 6th, 2023

Date Finished: January 6th, 2023

Status: Finished

Rating: 3.8/5

Sypnosis: Everyone's eating human meat. Would you? A vivid, shocking dystopian novel from an Argentinian rising star

'This book will pull you in, take hold, and not let go until you reach the final page – perhaps far longer than that. Without a doubt, my favourite read of this year' Christina Dalcher, author of VOX

It all happened so quickly. First, animals became infected with the virus and their meat became poisonous. Then governments initiated the Transition. Now, 'special meat' – human meat – is legal.

Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans – only no one calls them that. He works with numbers, consignments, processing. One day, he's given a gift to seal a deal: a specimen of the finest quality. He leaves her in his barn, tied up, a problem to be disposed of later.

But the specimen haunts Marcos. Her trembling body, her eyes that watch him, that seem to understand. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost – and what might still be saved…

Agustina Bazterrica is an Argentinian novelist and short-story writer. She is a central figure in the literary scene of Buenos Aires, where she co-curates the event series 'Siga al Conejo Blanco' and coordinates reading workshops. Agustina has published a short-story collection and two novels, for which she has won several awards. Tender is the Flesh, her second novel, won the prestigious Premio Clarín Novela and has been translated into nine languages and optioned for a TV series.

Review: Before I dare begin this review, I have a question for the author - did you get the idea of this book from the movie Soylent Green? Because this sort of reminds me of that movie.

A virus has decimated animal populations. Vaccines do not work and the animals that are alive have been condemned and thrown into bonfires. This includes even pets. With no animals to placate the human population's palate, humans turn to cannibalism. Enter breeding programs where humans are bred like mindless cattle and slaughtered for their flesh.

Marcos is our lead. Coming from an older generation, Marcos has watched the decimation of the animal population and humans finding satiation in the form of cannibalism. He has been raised to learn from his father in the slaughterhouse and now he is needed to help with one where animals have been replaced by humans - both female, male, and children. As Marco navigates his life through this new world, he also has to grieve not only for the loss of his son but also for his marriage. His wife has left him to grieve the loss and is currently spending her time with her mother. Marcos's world has been colored in grey and when he is gifted with a female, the grey starts to melt away and give way to color.

This book is both horrifying and disturbing. You might stop and think that this might be ridiculous and nothing like this will ever happen. How can we be so sure? Our world, environment, and climate are changing quickly and things from the permafrost could easily be released into the air.

This book is not meant to scare you but to give you something to think of. To make you wonder what humanity might be like if this happened in the real world. Could you be able to consume your own kin? Or could you consume a child in order to continue your survival on the consumption of meat?

Again, all speculative fiction. But let's get real. This story is really not for the faint of heart. There are a lot of details of gore and things that will make you squeamish. There may be a moment when you might be like me - set it down and walk away for a moment. We never stop to think about things like this because we always believe that none of this would ever happen. Half of us probably prefer to be ignorant of the world where cannibalism is still in practice. Even History has recorded times when cannibalism has been felt in the Americas - ex. Donner Party.

I will say this - if you plan on eating or snacking while reading this, don't. You won't be able to hold it down, trust me when I say this. This book is meant to be read without food in front of you. You will thank me.

[ 370 ]

[katara]

Title: The Ritual

Author: Shantel Tessier

Genre: Erotica, BDSM, Academic, College, Contemporary, Adult, Suspense, Kinky, Didn't Finish

Warning: Sexual Assault, Depravity, Stalker, Taboo, Dub-Con

Date Started: January 6th, 2023

Date Finished: January 7th, 2023

Status: DNF @ 35%

Rating: N/A

Sypnosis: THE CHOSEN ONE

I vow. You vow. We vow.

Barrington University is home of the Lords, a secret society that requires their blood in payment. They are above all—the most powerful men in the world. They devote their lives to violence in exchange for power. And during their senior year, they are offered a chosen one.

People think growing up with money is freeing, but I promise you, it’s not. My entire life has been planned out for me. I never got the chance to do what I wanted until Ryat Alexander Archer came along and gave me an option for a better life. He offered me what no one else ever had—freedom.

I chose to be his. He made me believe that anyway, but it was just another lie. A way that the Lords manipulate you into doing what they want.

After being sucked into the dark, twisted world of the Lords, I embraced my new role and allowed Ryat to parade me around like the trophy I was to him. But like all things, what started out as a game soon became a fight for survival. And the only way out was death.

Review: This was a book I had seen off the smutty books and booktok hashtags up on Tik Tok. These had been great reviews and a lot of the creators were singing the praises of this book.

Oh! It will be a great read, they said.

You will enjoy it, they said.

This is my first DNF of the new year. I could not stand either character. Both are toxic and both really annoyed the shit out of me. I love dark romances. They are one of my favorite genres but this one just made me want to bang my head on the desk. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to bother writing a review despite not finishing it.

This entire book made me lose brain cells and I am still trying to figure out if the author just made Blakely stupid and horny on purpose or if this was just an experiment to see how many times we would facepalm throughout the book each time her nipples hardened or her pussy was wet.

And please don't get me started on Ryat. This guy was a psycho and a stalker. The things he did for the LORDs just made me - I don't know how to explain it. Maybe a complete turn-off? I get that the author wanted him to be appealing to the women that would enjoy being the center of attention of this type of psycho but yeah just no for me.