I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was the other week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry. Thank you to Titan Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
On an otherwise ordinary street in Chicago, there is a house. An abandoned house where, once upon a time, terrible things happened. The children who live on this block are told by their parents to stay away from that house. But of course, children don’t listen. Children think it’s fun to be scared, to dare each other to go inside.
Jessie Campanelli did what many older sisters do and dared her little brother Paul. But unlike all the other kids who went inside that abandoned house, Paul didn’t return. His two friends, Jake and Richie, said that the house ate Paul. Of course adults didn’t believe that. Adults never believe what kids say. They thought someone kidnapped Paul, or otherwise hurt him. They thought Paul had disappeared in a way that was ordinary, explainable.
The disappearance of her little brother broke Jessie’s family apart in ways that would never be repaired. Jessie grew up, had a child of her own, kept living on the same street where the house that ate her brother sat, crouched and waiting. And darkness seemed to spread out from that house, a darkness that was alive-alive and hungry.
Publication Date: 4th November
CW: death, murder, violence, gore, injury, blood, suicide, grief, domestic abuse, abusive relationships, addiction
My Thoughts:
The Place Where They Buried Your Heart found a place to live in my heart. This is a brilliant horror about the impact violence leaves on a place, the ripple effects through the community and the quiet horror grief can wreck on a family.
Christina Henry is a phenomenal talent and I continue to love her work. So when I heard she was offering her take on a haunted house story, I knew I had to snap it up. What was in store was excellently unnerving with a deeply emotional heart. It is so layered and complex, delving into the bloody history of this house and the monsters lurking inside. Right from the opening you are entirely enthralled. The pacing is relentless from there on and builds to a conclusion that sears itself into your soul. You get glimpses of those doomed souls that interact with the house and their stories, it very much feels like Jessie is honouring all those lost to the darkness in her pursuit of the truth. It also adds texture to the story as you read more encounters that are stomach-churning and just the perfect type of horror that I adore.
Henry does not mess about, going straight for the jugular with a haunting opening. That sense of guilt and grief intertwined tears Jessie’s family apart and irrevocably changes the course of her life. She is fundamentally altered by her split-second decision, a childish dare to entertain and distract her brother that has fatal consequences. You see the ripple effects of this play out and the sliding door moments that lead on. It is a poignant portrayal of bereavement that really struck a chord with me. I also enjoyed how Henry explores the ghost of violence that stays with a place – the blood that remains unseen through the years. That spectre of previous atrocities is not simple to remove, instead it must be faced down head on.
The Place Where They Buried Your Heart epitomised the potential of horror to explore the monstrosity of humanity and the ripple effects of violence on a setting and a community. It was an unforgettable and profoundly impactful book that I will treasure for years to come.
Next up, I’d like to talk about I, Medusa by Ayana Gray. Thank you to Zaffre Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Meddy has spent her whole life as a footnote in someone else’s story. Out of place next to her beautiful, immortal sisters and her parents-both gods, albeit minor ones-she dreams of leaving her family’s island for a life of adventure. So when she catches the eye of the goddess Athena, who invites her to train as an esteemed priestess in her temple, Meddy leaps at the chance to see the world beyond her home.
In Athens’ colourful market streets and the clandestine chambers of the temple, Meddy flourishes in her role as Athena’s favoured acolyte, getting her first tastes of purpose and power. But when she is noticed by another Olympian, Poseidon, a drunken night between girl and god ends in violence, and the course of Meddy’s promising future is suddenly and irrevocably altered.
Her locs transformed into snakes as punishment for a crime she did not commit, Medusa must embrace a new identity-not as a victim, but as a vigilante-and with it, the chance to write her own story as mortal, martyr, and myth.
Publication Date: 20th November
CW: death, murder, violence, rape, sexual assault, misogyny, sexism, racism, xenophobia
My Thoughts:
I, Medusa was a fantastic take on the well-known myth with plenty of exploration of female rage and the intersection of oppression in an unjust society.
The characterisation was stellar. Gray offers such a compelling voice with Meddy, our central protagonist. She has always felt like an outsider as a human amongst gods in the court of her illustrious family, who themselves are shunned within the new power structure of the Olympians. I really enjoyed this dynamic and how Gray chose to focus on the power plays here, the desperation of trying to hold on to fading glory and how quickly the powerful can fall. Meddy is kindhearted, smart and strives to escape, so when an opportunity is presented, she grabs it with both hands. Unfortunately she finds herself an outsider again with new prejudices from the close-minded community she enters, but there is a spark of friendship from one girl. With Meddy’s story, there is that sense of gradual erosion – the way you can be slowly brought to nothing. It will push you to the brink even though you may be excelling. The way people can chip away at your self-esteem is devastating and Meddy fights against this but cannot prevail in a society built to only favour a certain few.
Gray’s take on the familiar story is fascinating and I liked how it primarily focuses on Meddy’s backstory. You know where things are headed and yet you root for them to change course anyway. It is a horrible, fateful story but also one that speaks to fighting back, though you want to avoid vengeance consuming you. Within the plethora of stories exploring female rage, this is an empowering and brilliant take accessible for a wide array of readers. You get depth and nuance and Meddy’s anger is never villainised – though this is twisted by the narrative of those with more power. You understand her motivations entirely even as you may disagree with her actions. There is a beautiful throughline that offers a shred of hope as a good counterpoint too. This was well-developed and believable, an unexpected delight for me as I read.
I, Medusa is a bold and brilliant reimagining that shifts the focus of the myth back to that brutal and beguiling figure.
A Short Book Lover 
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