Review: They Bloom At Night by Trang Thanh Tran

CW: Body horror.

They Bloom at Night combines two horror trends. The first is body horror for adolescents, focused around unwanted transformation. Yes, this is absolutely puberty horror, with a twist that I won’t reveal because spoilers.

The second is authors of color taking Lovecraftian ideals and twisting them in ways that would absolutely have old H.P. powering a city from spinning. In this case, it’s the variant in which being a monster? Not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.

Instead of the cold waters of Innsmouth, the story takes place in the warm waters of the fictional Mercy, somewhere in the Mississippi Delta. A hurricane. An algal bloom. (Climate change exists in the background) and a young person going through changes she neither wants nor understands.

And a lot of body horror. Also, I hope the octopus makes it.

Body horror here comes in the form of mutated animals and mutated people…but there’s also violence, confusing relationships, and lots of gender. Just saying. Lots of gender.

Give this one to your kid who feels betrayed by their body…regardless of why.

I received a copy of this book for award consideration purposes.

Review: Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

The sequel to Little Thieves sees Vanja involved in even more shenanigans. This volume of the trilogy is almost 100% about family.

Blood family. Chosen family. What it means to be in a relationship with somebody. Well, with evil “gods” and an unpleasant woman who wants to hurt Emeric because…

It’s also more than a little bit about grudges. About how we cling to them and why. About what they can turn us into.

We have people who become…well…grudge holding little grudgebeasts in the worst possible way.

Also, teenaged romantic stupidity, of course. Our heroine might be brilliantly competent.

She’s also still 17. That might be an adult in her society. She’s…still 17. And it shows.

Even better than book one, and quite enjoyable, albeit less heist-y.

I received a copy of this book for award consideration purposes.