This book is not really for me. It's gross and triggering, while I expected this in the book, I feel like it was not presented in a way that allowed me to process what the book is trying to say. I personally don't have to like a book to acknowledge that there is a good message lying underneath it, yet with this book, I never really felt like I got to the message at all, instead it just came across as misogynistic and sex-crazed.

DNFed

This is definitely a unique read. It is not for everyone and has a lot of triggers in it. When you read it you need to have an open mind and not compare it to anything else as it is a unique read. It moves along at a good pace, has characters that you want to know more about and you want to know what makes them click. The story will either grab you or not. But give it a chance you never know.

It took a bit for me to get into this book and at first I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it. It jumped around a bit but about halfway through I got more into the story and by the end I really enjoyed it. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart as it does get pretty violent and graphic at times, but the commentary on the nature of humans especially today is really compelling (even though it takes place in a hypothetical future).

The concept of this book had huge potential. Unfortunately, it fell way short for me with the writing. I understand that is an ongoing theme for this book but I believe my problems with the writing are slightly different than most reviews. Yes, the book has some cringe worthy, trigger warning issues. But I just all and around think the book is rushed. The content is rushed, which was the biggest let down for me.

This is in the horror genre so I expect some not all that great things to happen but it’s a bit vulgar for my taste. Just the way scenes are describes and things like that.

Unfortunately, I DNF’d this at 30%. I wish the story was a longer version of Vincent’s cloning and not multiple stories for the same effect. If this was a complete book with the content from the first 25% or so I think this could have been an amazing book. But I just couldn’t get through the rest. I wasn’t interested and was kind of like over it.

Book Review for Bodies: A Romantic Bloodbath
Full review for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

I really appreciate the author's honest admission that he knew what he was writing and wanted to go there. He was looking for the "shock value". The author got it. I know I was shocked but at the same time appalled and disappointed with this book.

Let me explain:

I was appalled because of the derogatory way in which the female clones were portrayed in the first part of the story. They were used as sex objects. Now for the disappointment. I was disappointed/bored by the latter two thirds of this book. It kind of had the feel of a futuristic story which I liked but it was like I was reading two different books. I got the tie in from the first part of the story to the other part but I was not looking for a futuristic story but a horror story.

To be honest, I was expecting a bunch of gore and gruesome scenes. Especially from the book cover, the title of the book and the warning that comes with the book. So for me this book was a sad fail. I would have been fine even with the "shock value" if it had been portrayed in another way.

ooooh baby get ready for a ~rant review~

This book is a misogynist's wet dream. Truly. I could feel the visceral hatred of women on every. page.

This novel is told like some sort of bloody sci-fi version of Love, Actually, except these individual stories just… never come together. The puzzle pieces of Bodies: A Romantic Bloodbath simply do not fit. One character has his chapters told in first person, and everyone else has theirs in third person, except half the time Mikheyev just randomly switches whose perspective the chapter is supposed to be following.

Honestly, this book could have been so freaking good. We could have had an exciting, black-mirror-esqe sci-fi thriller with themes morality, purpose, mental illness in the age of advanced technology; we could have had conversations about the literal joke that is the “American Dream”, about rampant conservatism in America, about the way the top 1% have our politicians in their gucci-lined pockets. The novel could have even delved into some questions about what it means to be human, questions we might have to start asking ourselves for real very soon, with the advancement of technology, AI, human genome testing, ect.

Instead we get a sex crazed, turtle-paced book with just a hint of political intrigue that goes literally nowhere and a crap load of thinly-veiled misogyny. Nearly every guy in the book wants to r*pe or kill women, almost every girl in the book thinks other girls are “sluts” and “bitches” and “wh0res” and “c*nts”. For a book so filled with needless sex (AMONG MINORS),we hardly get any sex scenes about female pleasure.

There were issues plot wise, too. For instance, clones are a part of every day life but when a man - one actively involved in assassinating and replacing people - gets a call from his dead wife, his first assumption is that he’s died and gone to heaven? And not that someone had cloned her? What??

Or when Sara, in one chapter, is surprised when he mom tells her her dad used to be a romantic -

“‘What? Daddy was once a romantic?’ Sarah had asked her mother, surprised.” [68]

and then 10 pages later, cried to her boyfriend Leo -

“Mom and dad were perfect. They were perfect up until last year. It’s like something happened. Dad just… I don’t know. He changed. He used to be so sweet and romantic and tender.” [81]

Like, huh??? So did you know he was romantic or not??

Oh, and the big ~mystery~ mentioned in the blurb about bodies showing up on Leo's doorstep, the one that made me think this was an actual thriller? It’s touched on in the beginning and not talked about again until 90% INTO THE BOOK.

Also, there’s just… no conclusion. Leo finds his way to the Outpost, the wilderness society where the people who escaped their assassinations go, the Counsellor kills the president clone, the Queen is still a clone, Vince just killed his son, and that’s… it. There’s no big conflict, there’s no wrap up, no comeuppance, and it’s not even a cliffhanger because there’s no second novel (not that I would read it, anyway). It just ends. And I wasted like 8 hours of my life reading it.

Honestly, the whole thing just felt so f*cking hopeless. What was the point?? Oh, but don’t worry! The author provided the longest author’s note I’ve ever read in a book to assure us that there definitely ~was~ a point and that you probably ~just didn’t get it~

Mikheyev tries to say all the dead bodies in the novel are a “metaphor for the people we kill on a daily basis, with our words, our actions, and our emotions”???

Some other great little excerpts from him are:

“I wanted to paint Vince Nilsson… as the little voice inside all of our little heads. He’s not evil. Not really. Vince is all of us.”

VINCE?? You mean the guy who murdered the girl who broke up with him because she couldn’t accept his “perfection”, cloned her, fucked her, killed her again when she had too much personality for him, cloned her, r*ped her, killed her, on repeat until he realized he could never “perfect” her, killed HIMSELF, and let his clone take his place??

Yeah, I’m pretty sure i don’t have a voice like Vince in my head.

“‘I will never write a novel that includes rape scenes,’ I remember telling myself. ‘I will never join the BDSM bandwagon and talk about women and sex and lovemaking as if it were some animalistic, beastly activity reserved for low-class monsters that have no sense of dignity or self worth.’”

Yeah, I wish you hadn’t.

“And then something happened.”

Oh, god.

Someone take microsoft word away from men, please. I’m begging you.

Or maybe I just ~didn't get it~

This did not make sense. It did not capture my attention. The way the author chose to use words is odd. Could've been better uses of words. Sexism evident. Not realistic in terms of the characters being teenagers and obsessed with s*x. I don't recommend to anyone.

It was hard to read this book. It very good written. I love the style, I love the idea of the story. A brilliant mind of sociopath, Vincent, who is capable of creating clones, is absolutely awesome. It's a good thriller too. It's pretty interesting and the pacing it's perfect.
But, this book wasn't for me. I wasn't prepared for it because of triggers. Tw: sexual abuse, murder, psychological abuse, physical abuse.
If you can manage all this you will find a very nice and interesting read. Because it's good, it's very good.

This was an interesting and intriguing book but at the same time it was also eerie and creepy AF. To think someone can request the perfect mate all because of gene harvesting and kill off the host... gives me the heebee jeebies. This idea comes to fruition by Vince when he is dumped by his sorta girlfriend, Melissa. Later he makes a business out of this for people around the world called Emergence seeking his help. Is it ethical? Is it murder? You will have to read yourself to find out!

DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED!! Not your usual thriller and getting this at publishing to own!

Thanks to Netgalley, Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev and Emergence Inc for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 5/25/21

Vince Nilsson a high school genius kid is in love with Melissa. However, Melissa rejects him and Vince decides to take revenge by cloning the perfect version of Melissa for himself. So he sets about to kill Melissa and obtain her DNA.

What follows is a weird tale of cloning that takes place repeatedly in an effort to obtain the perfect version of Melissa. In a futuristic setting, it followed several characters in their experiences with illegal cloning and a mysterious corporation named Emergence.

Trigger warnings:
graphic content, explicit language, profanity, sex, suicide, violence, abuse, rape, death.

Summary:
The author's writing is brilliant and so captivating. However, it was not my cup of tea. If you love sci-fi, romance, horror, and techno-thrillers, then this just might be your next read

I would like to thank Moses and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

It’s always a bold move to try and appeal to fans of such and such an author, in this case Stephen King. Bodies: A Romantic Bloodbath began with the introduction of Vince Nilsson, a misogynistic high school genius that just happened to be the most capable murderer in the world (seriously, he completely aced that totally unrealistic double murder in the beginning), as well as the sole individual responsible for perfecting human cloning. Let’s face it, clones replacing people is thought-provoking in itself, so the potential was definitely there, but it missed the mark. The truth is that I found so SO many issues here, and it wasn’t the graphic content I didn’t connect with – my tastes lean toward mature themes in general – but more at just how disjointed and uneventful the entire book felt from the get-go. The POV constantly shifted from first-person to third, and there were pages and pages of chunky dialogue with multiple characters making nonsensical decisions – I was either in a state of boredom or disbelief. The bouts of violence and death that did occur were either glossed over or, as I mentioned above, extremely far-fetched. I really believe it could’ve benefited from more extensive feedback overall.

In conclusion: I didn’t like Bodies: A Romantic Bloodbath, but I’ll admit it touched on some interesting subjects relating to identity. In a futuristic setting, it followed several characters in their experiences with illegal cloning and a mysterious corporation named Emergence. I had a difficult time getting through it, all told, as the majority was either people sitting around talking philosophy or making stupidly ridiculous mistakes.

It just wasn’t for me, I’m afraid.

I give it a 2 just because the premise of this book is good, but the rest of the story, for me, it's all over the place.

I was so intrigued by the blurb and immediately requested an ARC. The very first chapter about Vince who was obsessed with his girlfriend and then killed her and then clones her to make a perfect Melissa sounds disturbingly good. But after that, it went downhill. Like I said it was all over the place. Too many characters and not a single one I feel attached to. I almost DNFed it but the book is readable and honestly, the world-building is good. Also, I'm curious about the ending. But then again the ending disappoints me.

This book has a lot of trigger warnings. The ones that really affected me are the dehumanization and degrading toward women.

I found this under the YA section since some of the POVs are from a highschooler, but I don't think it suits since, in my opinion, it was too graphic for YA readers.

Trigger warnings: sex scenes, rape, suicide, mass shooting, abuse, rape, etc.

❗Thank you to the author for giving me the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review❗

A very interesting read. Cant say how much of it I enjoyed, but I do like the paths the author took with the story. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I absolutely loved the writing style. It was easy to read and enjoy. But this book was a lot. I do think there is specific market for this book and who will love it.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an Honest Review
2.5 Stars????
What in the world did I just read??? I was initially really intrigued by the blurb for this book. As days past the rating continually dropped and I became more hesitant. Now I'm just left pondering the insanity of it all. The trigger warnings let you know some crazy sh*t is about to go down but personally I thought it was a little overzealous. While I think the trigger warnings sort of exceeded the crazy in the book all I'm left feeling is how overall weird it was and why?!?!?. The beginning starts just as the blurb states, sans any surprises really. The start is probably the most deranged of the book and while that madness does not let up, it really sets the stage for the rest of what's to come! It is rather disturbing at times, the man behind the clones (Vince) always trying to mask his depravity and explain it away. It all starts as a way for him to basically make cloned sex slaves of his ex one right after the other when time after time, he keeps killing them and has to continue to make more smh. After awhile I felt there were just too many characters to get straight which made this already confounding book that much more hard to grasp. I don't get the opening part with the Queen, in the sense of what was the point! In the end I'm not sure what the author was trying to get across other than clones=bad and they will take over the world! In fact aside from two non-clones, were there even any normal humans left? It was a bit intense to also include a school shooting and replace all those involved with clones and impair peoples memories. That was all kinds of f'd up especially given how commonplace that is in the US. It just felt a little too far overboard/taboo and considering the many other crazy moments in this book that's saying a lot! Also I feel like I missed things here and there as my mind could only take so much. And the man behind it all Vince, what happened with him? After all he did, I'm to believe he's happily married and even has a kid? I dunno it's all just a little to wild, weird and out there for me. He replaces his own son after he tries to undermine him and then what???? As this was an ARC I'm not sure if this will be the final copy as the book could also use some serious editing and formatting. Crazy read, certainly not for everyone.

This was a very strange read. The plot was interesting but the story kind of fell flat. I also was not able to connect with any of the characters.

Well despite the warnings this was weird. I like Tarantino and I've watched most of his films but this was something else. I didn't get it. the parts didn't really mess well and I kept thinking it was a series of short stories. The story line had potential and it was a unique take on clones, but it just fell flat. I could see where the author wanted to go but it just didn't work for me.

I'm grateful to NetGalley for allowing me access to this prior to publication, but I'm struggling to form coherent thoughts about this one after having recently finished reading.
The focus on cloning and exploration of the dilemmas posed by scientific breakthroughs is definitely something that encouraged me to pick this up. The lacklustre reviews and emphasis on trigger warnings was a little off-putting, but I was prepared to try it. It will certainly not be to everyone's tastes, and, while there are elements of it that I think warrant recommendation, it is a book that I can't help feel would benefit greatly from some further edits.
In the publicity material we're told this is for fans of Tarantino and American Psycho, amongst others. The influence of these two in particular is evident, but something about the style/content felt like a pale imitation.
After a bizarre opening with an attack on the Queen, we open the novel with our focus on high school genius, Vince Nilsen. He is obsessed with his girlfriend, Melissa, and much is made of his love of scientific study. As someone with a lot of money at his disposal, Vince is a character who has trawled the internet, dark web and all manner of places to find the latest innovations and scientific knowledge. There is no doubt that he could be a character who could change the world...but what we get is a character who uses his ability for intensely selfish gain. Vince - in secret - finds a way to successfully clone humans. In his quest for the perfect girlfriend, Vince becomes a killer...time and time again.
The opening section focusing on Vince was almost enough to make me not bother finishing this. He was a character who had potential, but he was presented as a classic narcissist. His detachment towards the others he interacted with suggested a highly disturbed psychological state, and the attitude towards the female characters was repulsive. Page after page focusing on the sexual gratification he achieves, and killing in order to attempt his ideal woman - a submissive whose only aim is to please her master - was not something I found remotely entertaining.
Imagining that we might get further details about Vince in some attempt to 'flesh him out' I continued reading. What we quickly shifted to then was a seemingly different story focusing on characters that appeared from nowhere.
There were attempts to loosely connect the myriad of characters with the one we'd focused on at the start. There were some scenes that encouraged you to consider the ethics of cloning and the potential implications - for good and bad - if science is allowed to develop without clear controls. However, nothing felt tied-up and with so many characters involved it was hard to really develop much interest in any of them.
There will be fans of this, but I have to say I'm not one of them.

I tried to like this book. I truly did but I didn't. The synopsis was really fascinating and truly intrigued me to read the book but the book actually fell a little flat. The content was creepy, as promised, but a little too dark for my tastes and while the author's writing was good as well as the buildup, the characters weren't very interesting. I was still okay with the book in the first part with Vince but as the second part started, with new characters, I stopped liking the book and had to force myself to finish the whole thing. The characters, not counting Vince since he's a psychopath, were very very unrelatable. When I was reading the book I had so many wtf thoughts because the way they thought etc was, in my opinion, very abnormal. I think my review might've been different if the storyline was different, maybe continuing with Vince's story only and not adding the other characters or something else altogether. Also, I'm not sure this book can be classified as YA. The perspective it was told from was of course teenagers but there was so much graphic and sexual content for it to be classified YA. I'm not sure I can give this book any more than 2 stars unfortunately, even though I really wanted to like the book.