Hi, hey, hello!

How are you doing blogiverse? Well I hope. I haven’t done a buddy read in a while, so my book bestie Iseult Murphy and I recently decided to try out a book together.

This time we read The Worm and His Kings (The Worm and His Kings #1) by Hailey Piper.

I’ve been following Hailey Piper for a long time on social media, and I’m kind of kicking myself for just now getting to some of her work. This review is my opinion and mine alone, soon to be followed by another post where Iseult and I gab all about our experience (there will be spoilers on the buddy post).

So, how was this book? Let’s find out. On with the review!

Blurb

New York City, 1990: When you slip through the cracks, no one is there to catch you. Monique learns that the hard way after her girlfriend Donna vanishes without a trace.

Only after the disappearances of several other impoverished women does Monique hear the rumors. A taloned monster stalks the city’s underground and snatches victims into the dark.

Donna isn’t missing. She was taken.

To save the woman she loves, Monique must descend deeper than the known underground, into a subterranean world of enigmatic cultists and shadowy creatures. But what she finds looms beyond her wildest fears—a darkness that stretches from the dawn of time and across the stars.

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

This is my first time reading something by this author, and I had some mixed feelings about my experience.

In this novella we follow a trans woman Monique. She’s been searching for her missing girlfriend Donna for months after they fell on hard times and became homeless. One night she witnesses another homeless person getting taken by a terrifying beast and something tells her that Donna may have been taken by the same being. As she follows the monster into the depths beneath New York, Monique unwittingly embarks on a terrifying journey that will test her determination and challenge everything she knows.

Okay, so there were a lot of things to enjoy about this work. The premise was great. A theme like this seemed very promising, and I loved the dark world that was explored just feet below where the population carries on with their normal lives.

Monique’s personality and backstory were easy to understand. Donna’s been there for her through thick and thin, so she’s not going to give up on her so easily.

The strange cult characters were definitely odd and peaked my curiosity, and I liked Corene too.

However, I had some issues plotwise. The story starts out simple enough, but once we really get into the thick of things a lot of concepts are introduced, enough that it was hard for me to keep up with and understand. I just felt really confused throughout the book, even when small parts of the mystery were explained. Maybe I just didn’t grasp it, but it was kind of frustrating.

There were also spots were I had a lot of trouble visualizing mentally what the author was describing. I don’t usually have issues with this, so I kind of went through most of the book feeling like I was in a funk or something.

I’m not gonna give up on this author, but I do think this wasn’t the right book of theirs for me to read.

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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