This was gross and I loved it. Are you kidding me? First of all, The Fall of the House of Usher is a delightfully creepy read and wow Poe was really into the mushrooms and the fungus. So, with this, it feels like a proper expansion on it.
Easton is a sword soldier and there’s mention of chest binding. I know a few trans readers who will love this book for a character they can see themselves in. Not to mention the multiple pronoun options. It was nice to see.
It’s not a terribly long book so I really don’t want to spoil the story however if you’ve read Poe’s work then you know a decent amount of what’s going to happen. It’s the why of it. And it’s glorious.
There’s an older Englishwoman who wants to be a recognized mycologist but due to the sexist limits of the day, is forced to be seen as a hobbyist. We’ve got the Usher’s themselves and the American doctor, Denton and Easton’s man Angus.
For such a short book, the characters shine and that’s all thanks to the author’s skill. Not to mention, Easton is pretty entertaining. Some of the language was possibly anachronistic but I didn’t care, it honestly added to the charm of the character. Especially when the story gets particularly gross.
The cove is a pretty solid promise of what you’ll find inside.
The twist of this was great. I couldn’t put it down. Made the mistake of reading it after eating dinner though, if you’ve got an easily queasy stomach, I recommend maybe not doing that.
But I absolutely recommend this book.
Five (5) out of five (5) from me.
I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.
Go buy this book.
theworldsbetweenpages 