 First Impressions:
My perception about the characters in this story shifted several times as I was reading. At first, I had Clint pegged as the bad guy, but that quickly changed when I realised he was just a sad guy who was after a quick bit of fun with no strings attached. Laura became the next suspect - surely she had something planned for the unsuspecting Clint. I figured she might be a crazy axe murdered or something along those lines, or perhaps something supernatural. I wasn’t far out, but your story was actually a lot deeper than that. In the end, I wasn’t sure if the actual ‘monster’ was the monster after all.
The story raised some interesting moral questions, and even though the setting was supernatural horror, the plot seemed very realistic. Laura’s sacrifice vs. the horror she’s created was compelling, and the alternating seduction, kills and lab scenes created a loop that reinforced the tragedy.
 Suggestions:
The story was very polished and I didn’t notice any technical errors. I do have one small suggestion though: I wonder if it might work to make Laura more sympathetic earlier. Right now, her first major action was feeding men to a monster, and she knew what she was doing. You make her sympathetic later, but giving the reader one small sign of emotional hesitation earlier might make her more believable. For example, before shoving Clint down the stairs, even one line like She whispered “I’m sorry” under her breath, too quietly for him to hear might hint at inner conflict before it becomes explicit later.
 Final Thoughts:
I really liked the voice - calm, almost clinical at times - which made the atmosphere even creepier. The blend of body horror and emotional despair was very intriguing and left the readers thinking about what love can compel someone to do. The story was unsettling in all the right ways, and I enjoyed the read.
 You responded to this review 11/26/2025 @ 11:50am EST |
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Review #4845211
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