Mary: An Awakening of Terror | 
pickA horrifying tale of a woman going through life changes and physical changes (perimenopause). The story unwraps a dark childhood and a town with many secrets. There are paranormal aspects to this book and some very gross imagery. Definitely check trigger warnings. This hit true as someone who is 49 and menopausal. 5⭐️
panLots to unpack
I'd rather stay packed and move on
5 tropes too many
⭐️⭐️
Well, that went completely off the fucking rails. It started off great, really had me hooked. Then it just got to be too much. Ghosts (I mean FURIES), cults, serial killers, misogyny, perimenopausal madness... bro just pick ONE. Not every single thing needs to packed into a stand alone book. ⬇️⬇️
#bookreview
#haikureview
This is like... really good so far. I can already tell the narrator is unreliable, and can't wait to see how unhinged this becomes. As a huge fan of Carrie, (Stephen King), I can definitely see the correlation the author noted in the introduction/author's note. I feel for this main character, but am also low-key afraid of what she's capable of doing.
#currentlyreading #horror #sofarsogood #debut
panI'm thinking the audiobook version was def not the way to go for me. The constant angst - the yelling, cursing, anger. Ugh. It was too much. I experienced ptsd. Aunt Nadine was pretty hilarious. I had to laugh at some of the insults she was throwing around. It was much needed comedic relief in this ocean of negativity and anger. What menopausal women has Nat Cassidy been around to write these characters? Who hurt him? 😅
This wasn't for me. ⭐⭐
pickWow, this book was not what I expected. A story about a 49 year old woman experiencing strange menopausal symptoms morphed into a story about a religious cult in the desert. The theme of how older women are not seen by society. This was pretty thought provoking, and also pretty gory.
The first casualty of the year. My 7 month old puppy destroyed my book. At least most of the damage is to the cover so it is still readable. 🙄
so-so⭐️⭐️appreciate the try and loved his latest book but being inside this characters head was way too long. I‘m not sure what this book is going for but it didn‘t really work for me.
And even more birthday love…
Thank you so much @TrishB ! This one looks crazy (in the best sort of way) AND you ordered it from one of my very favourite local indie bookshops. I love it! ❤️
#MenopauseHorror 😆
pickI really enjoyed this one. It had creepy imagery and a very original storyline. It didn‘t have major twists or anything but did have a few directions that were unknown. We kind of knew what was going on as it was happening but that didn‘t take away from the story for me. Aunt Nadine was hysterical and made me laugh a few times. Highly recommend to horror lovers. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickBook 154🎧 4.2⭐️
The afterword of this book speaks volumes.
This book is so packed with body horror, you feel your own face melting.
A book about horror, transformation, and menopause😉
pickI started this book- read about a quarter of it and then went into a reading slump for about 3 months. The entire time, this book still popped into my head. I knew I wanted to continue reading it. I‘m so glad I did. I loved the story of Mary, a middle aged woman who got fired from her job in NY. She moves back to her hometown in Arizona and unspeakable things start happening. This story was gory and kept me on my toes. Enjoyed the afterward too!
pickHighly recommend the audiobook! Susan Bennett does an incredible job bringing the story to life and imbuing Mary with humor and ferocity. Nat Cassidy gives me Grady Hendrix vibes w/his compassionate characterization and gleeful dive into horror and gore. It is a bit long, but overall it is an exciting, twisty horror novel critical about sexism & ageism.
so-soI really don‘t feel like this book needed to be as long as it is. It was definitely interesting and held my attention but ultimately just not really my fave thing. Also had its very gross moments
This book helped me to articulate one of my least favorite horror tropes: amnesia. Reading horror you‘d think everyone blocked out entire years of their life on the regular. (Still really enjoying this book, though!)
pickLoved this!
Middle aged woman going though menopause as a main character isn‘t something we see enough of and I thought Nat did a fantastic job bringing it to the page. Also a serial killer connection!
Started a new book today- hoping it takes me out of my reading slump. My cat, Harold, always comes running to me when he sees I‘m getting ready to read, so wanted to snap a photo this time 😅
pickThis one was unlike anything I‘ve read before. It was definitely a horror novel full of ghosts and murder and faces falling off in mirrors…some really grotesque stuff…but also a pretty interesting approach to looking at how aging women are looked at - or not looked at - by men and society at large. It surprised me how much I enjoyed this and how scary it actually was (the narrator was amazing!!!). Definitely recommend! 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
so-soConceptually, it was interesting. But, it just went on for way too long.
pickMary is a woman going through menopause who is mostly invisible to the world around her. Then everything changes when she starts seeing strange things. 💀 This horror novel does a great job of setting up a haunting story laced with snarky commentary on how women, especially middle-aged women, are not noticed in society.
It's a bit longer than it needs to be, but I still really enjoyed it.
#LittenListen @aperfectmjk #Scarathlon @Clwojick
bailed
