![]() I really liked how Cottingham thought out of how The Hollowing pandemic and fall out would have worked, from the way information would have spread to how the population would have reacted to how it would have adapted to try and contain it/cure those who were turned into ‘ghouls’. The references to “Jennifer’s Body” in the description of this book are pretty on point both in theme and tone, but I also felt like we got some “Left 4 Dead” elements with the descriptions of the way that the ‘ghouls’ look (to me, very much like The Witch in those games. And along with all that, I really really liked all of the representation this book had, with trans characters, lesbian and bisexual characters, characters from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.Īnd now the horror. The gal pal flesh eating teenage gumshoe vibe REALLY worked for me, and you throw that into a conspiracy whodunnit with the backdrop of a Coachella-esque music festival and you have a really, REALLY unique and fun story that will appeal to teens and adults alike. I loved their banter and their humor, and I loved as they band together to help protect Valeria after she goes feral and kills someone, and how they want to solve what is happening. ![]() You get to see flashbacks to when all of them were first infected with the Hollowing illness that transformed them into ‘ghouls’ that now can only live on human flesh (synthetically produced now, however), and how they all dealt with that change, that trauma, and how they all came together as friends who are now close as close can be. While I wasn’t super invested in the will they or won’t they dynamic of Zoe and Celeste, I did like them a lot as friends and really liked how all of these girls have seen some serious shit and are still processing, all while relying on each other. In terms of the characters, our core four feel like a pretty realistic and typical group of teenage girls with the usual insecurities and ride or die friend dynamics, just with a bit of a flesh eating twist to round it all out. I really liked all of the characters, especially the core friend group of Zoe, Celeste, Jasmine, and Valeria, and I liked the ‘zombie’ (if that’s even the right word) mythos that Cottingham has created for the story. This was just such a fun read from start to finish. But also because when I saw that it was about cannibal monster girls going to a music festival, I was fully invested and on board.Īnother example of a book that teenage Kate would have been so into. Partially because I really wanted to see what she followed her debut up with. So when I was offered a copy of her newest horror novel “This Delicious Death”, I jumped at the chance. I was also lucky enough to be able to say hello during ALAAC 2022, and she was super awesome and gracious over my awkward fangirling. I read Kayla Cottingham’s debut novel “My Dearest Darkest” last year and enjoyed it due to the tone and the characters. Review: Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an ARC of this novel! And if they can’t figure out how to stop it, and soon, no one at the festival is safe. As other festival guests start disappearing around them the girls soon discover someone is drugging ghouls and making them feral. They have a cooler filled with hard seltzers and SynFlesh and are ready to party.īut on the first night of the festival Val goes feral, and ends up killing and eating a boy. As a last hurrah before their graduation they decided to attend a musical festival in the desert. Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine are all ghouls living in Southern California. As a result, humanity slowly began to return to normal, albeit with lasting fear and distrust for the people they’d pejoratively dubbed ghouls. However, scientists were able to create a synthetic version of human meat that would satisfy the hunger of those impacted by the Hollowing. Those who went without flesh quickly became feral, turning on their friends and family. Those impacted slowly became intolerant to normal food and were only able to gain sustenance by consuming the flesh of other human beings. Three years ago, the melting of arctic permafrost released a pathogen of unknown origin into the atmosphere, causing a small percentage of people to undergo a transformation that became known as the Hollowing. Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat | Amazon | Indieboundīook Description: Jennifer’s Body fans will clamor for this new sapphic horror standalone from New York Times bestselling author Kayla Cottingham. Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher. ![]() Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Fire, April 2023 Book: “This Delicious Death” by Kayla Cottingham
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