e-Audio, 07:38:15
Narrated by: Nhi Do
Release Date: March 4, 2025
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Read from: February 23-24, 2025
Stand-alone
Source: LibroFM (I received an e-ALC from the publisher and Libro FM in exchange for a just and honest review. A huge thank you for the free e-ALC.)
Content Warning: Body Horror, Injury/Injury Detail, Blood, Sexual Assault, Rape, Racism, Dementia, Pedophilia, Grief
For Readers Interested In: 2sLGBTQ+, Adventure, Horror, Sparkly Covers, Libro FM, Most Anticipated, Racial/Ethnic Diversity (Asian-Vietnamese)A red algae bloom has taken over Mercy, Louisiana. Ever since a devastating hurricane, mutated wildlife lurks in the water that rises by the day. But Mercy has always been a place where monsters walk in plain sight. Especially at its heart: The Cove, where Noon’s life was upended long before the storm at a party her older boyfriend insisted on.
Now, Noon is stuck navigating the submerged town with her mom, who believes their dead family has reincarnated as sea creatures. Alone with the pain of what happened that night at the cove, Noon buries the truth: she is not the right shape.
When Mercy’s predatory leader demands Noon and her mom capture the creature drowning residents, she reluctantly finds an ally in his deadly hunter of a daughter and friends old and new. As the next storm approaches, Noon must confront the past and decide if it’s time to answer the monster itching at her skin.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I’m not going to lie… Tran’s first book I wasn’t too fond of. (Yes even with all the awards it won lol) So I was on the fence when I found out there was another one coming out. But then I saw the cover and that was all she wrote. Nothing else mattered after that lol
But as it turns out, the synopsis was awesome too. Vietnamese sea monsters?! YES PLEASE! And listen, when I tell you this one DELIVERT!! The whole book has this sense of foreboding the entire time. The whole time they’re trying to figure out what this weird rash thing is while trying to figure out what they can do to get out of the clutches of the man that’s trying to take control of their spot at the Gulf. We don’t figure out what the reason behind all of this is until like way late in the book. And honestly, it makes the book so good! The vibes were vibin -or whatever the kids be saying these days. I remember feeling like something was going to jump out at me every few pages.
The spooky factor was also better than the last one. Tran’s first book was more gothic horror and I did not like it at all. I guess because I don’t usually find gothic books scary at all. But since this one was more horror (and body horror at that. And y’all KNOW how I feel about that lol) I liked this one way more. I wasn’t exactly scared, more grossed out, but it was infinitely better than that last one. I think the girlies will love this bit about it.
The characters in this were amazing. I DID wish there was more Queer content between the two of them tho. It always annoys me when books say it’s Queer but then there’s like barely anything in there. Idk I felt a little cheated lol And ok I know this was like the end of the world and there was a transformation happening, but if there is mention of the romance, I want it lol But when they finally do get together, it is something.
This book was so much more fun than the other one. I hate that this one was so much more fun than the other. I hate that I keep comparing the two, but after I’ve now finished both, I keep looking at them next to each other. I think I liked this one a bit more too because I knew the setting a little more too. As someone who lives near The Gulf, I knew almost every place they were talking about on the coast of Louisiana. This also made me laugh because this book is hilariously filled with pop culture without even trying. There’s the Gulf of Mexico and there’s also a mention of an angler fish. And Lordt that was a time. But, please, don’t let that make you not want to read it.
This was so much fun. I was so hesitant for no reason. This is proof that you won’t always love every book by an author, but you should always give them a second or third chance. Don’t be like me and just read them because the cover is pretty lol
Overall, I give this
