This was a book that I chose based on the blurb - it sounded so good and really intriguing. As a relatively short audiobook (around 4 hours I think) I feel as though we only really skimmed over the surface of what was a fantastic premise. This story was a blend of horror, psychological thriller and (kind of) queer romance...I think! We follow an un-named protagonist as her life gradually but steadily falls apart. She becomes obsessed with a woman called Helene who seems to have everything our main character doesn't. I definitely wanted to keep going back to the story and it held my interest but I was left feeling as though I wanted more by the end. This wasn't a short story but didn't quite seem to be enough for a whole book either. Interesting but not quite what I was expecting! I would, however, be interested in reading more by this author in the future.

What struck me most about this book were the cover and the title.
The story of Dead Animals has complex nuances, but is very well developed. Very easy to listen to/read and with a brilliant narration by Anna Burnett who managed to hold me until the end of this book.
Phoebe Stuckes has managed to materialize a simple premise, adding several complex topics, but arriving at the end of the book with everything making sense together.

Dead Animals starts out quite strong and right from the first sentences it’s clear that the dark turn it takes, won’t eventually lead our protagonist towards light. It’s way more complicated than that, because MC (her name is not revealed throughout the book as far as I’ve noticed) lives with the trauma she got from the night mentioned in the description - when she woke up scratched and bruised without a clear memory of what happened to her.

Not long after, she encounters Helene, a mysterious woman who seems to have suffered a similar fate as our MC and knows the man who hurt them and also who becomes an important figure in MC’s life.

I liked the atmosphere of the book, which surrounded the characters all the time, so I think that the author did a great job of creating that and pulling the reader into darkness with her. I liked the characters too and how they progressed throughout the story, how their relationship to each other made them act and react to different situations. At times, this book felt a bit like a fever dream, because everything was moving so fast. Also, I think it sometimes lacked some explanations about what was happening and the writing might have been too abstract in certain passages. I would have preferred for this to have been a little longer and more thought-out, but overall this was an interesting listen.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

A wonderfully short but dark audiobook was a true delight. A woman awakens post a house party, marked by scratches, bruises, and a memory gap. As the fragments of the evening return, her anger intensifies. Enter Helene, acquainted with the man's transgressions, seeking vengeance for both her and the protagonist.

This concise yet intense narrative is dark, gripping, peculiar, and thrilling. Despite the brevity, the story feels complete. While I desired more, I'm content with the coverage within this short span.

Initially puzzled by the absence of chapters and the scene shifts, I realized, given the poet's debut novel status, the unconventional format made sense. Strangely, I can't recall the main character's name, a deliberate and clever twist that adds an intriguing layer to the narrative.

The journey this book took me on was thoroughly enjoyable, and I eagerly anticipate delving deeper into the author's dark imagination with more stories of this genre.

This book was a difficult but necessary read. It is such an engaging listen. A modern day horror story about a man ruining a woman’s life and health and the downward spiral she gets stuck on. It’s horrifying in that it feels so real, it could (and does) happen to anyone.

The narration is really well done and suits the narrative perfectly, you feel completely engrossed in the novel (I nearly missed my stop on the bus).

The eye catching cover caught my attention, the synopsis drew me in and the narrator of the audiobook (Anna Burnett) reading the brilliant book Dead Animals had me completely captivated. This short novel, is very unique, unlike any other book I have ever listened to, it is a story so well told. It starts with the protagonist, a young woman, meeting another woman, Hélène, who has also has experience of the man who sexually assaulted her. The quickly form an unlikely friendship. This is story of the woman and Hélène. It is very interesting, amusing at times and also dark and brutal.
The book works remarkably well as an audiobook. I really enjoyed listening to it, and will certainly look for at her books by this narrator as well as other books by the author, Phoebe Stuckes.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an audiobook version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to say thank u to Netgalley for an advanced ARC audiobook

This story is fast Paced and also creepy but also a enigmatic story, that goes into detail about sexual trauma with a magical realism kind of theme that is expressed by the main character emotions. I find it interesting and it also kept me engaged of how the two complimented each other with it being explained about what's going on within her and haunting her internally.

We all have our own demons to fight and some manifest in a way no one else can see or hear, but they become so consuming and also overwhelming.

The Narrator for this audiobook was a great fit for the caharcter she was doing, her voice when talking about the pain, trauma and also grief had a deadened/ dead tone voice, which made u feel for the character more in the times when it was all talked about....

This book also deals with isolation, bullying and other issues that people may have as trigger warnings ⚠️ .

3.5 stars for this one

I think I’m still a bit confused as to what was actually going on in this, I expected it to give me a bit more, however the narration was stunning and due to this I wanted to keep listening! The narrator was brilliant in conveying the emotions of the main character and I really felt engaged with them at times. The story was interesting but at times didn’t make much sense, there didn’t seem to be an entire plot line and at times I couldn’t tell where we were trying to go with it. The ending was very sudden for me, although I understand this is a short read so I guess it had to be!

SPOILER:
I also understand the main character is meant to be a normal person but I am annoyed that she dobbed Helene in for the murder, girlie KILL THE MAN AND ENJOY ITTTTTTT !!!!!

Definitely check your trigger warnings for this one though!

With thanks to the author, publishers Hodder & Stoughton, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This was a dark and disturbing story, that merged a story of a sexual assault and its aftermath with something almost supernatural.

I had a certain level of empathy for the main character Elin given what had happened to her, but didn’t warm to her to the extent that I would have expected. Helene seemed a promising character that would be a positive influence on Elin, but after a while she seemed to change and became entirely unlikeable, and almost seemed destined to take the place of Elin’s abuser in her relationships.

That being said, the story did keep me engaged and wanting to find out what would happen, but the ending did feel a little rushed for me when it did come.

Narrator Anna Burnett is worthy of a mention, I thought she did a fine job of representing the different characters in her telling of the story.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Dead Animals
Phoebe Stuckes

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I was drawn to this book but the bright and striking front cover - but had absolutely no idea what it was about, what genre it was nor what to expect from this at all!

This was only a short book (about 4hours on audio) but it packed in so, so much and had me completely glued to it - I even planned my day around it so that I could liaten to it in its entirety in one sitting!

At first, I thought it was just going to be a book about revenge - but there was also some romance, some thriller and some paranormal thrown in there too.
I was really wondering at one point whether we were dealing with humans or not!!....pretty weird and creeped out for a brief section! - loved it!!

I loved the way that our anonymous main character contrasted so bluntly with Helene. Both having, seemingly, gone through the same trauma, but both with very different reactions to these events. Our MC being haunted by the memory (and lack of) wheas Helene seemed to be revelling in the details.

Our MC was obviously easily manipulated by Helene and it seemed an odd outcome to the original meeting - but this plays out beautifully over the course of the story and the ending explains all.

The writing style was a little different to that which I've been reading recently but it really suited the mood of the book and complimented the genre(s)/themes within.

A great little quick read!




💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

This audiobook ARC was provided by #NetGalley and #Hodder & Stoughton Audio, Sceptre

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend the audiobook version narrated by Anna Burnett (who was sublime).
The book is suited to those who enjoy Eliza Clark.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy.

I enjoyed this book even though it was short. I like bisexual characters who are just unapologetically bisexual without any issues about it. I loved Heléne. She was brilliant.

It's dark and creepy and horrible and I'm so here for it. I'm not sure I fully understand the "supernatural" aspect but that didn't take away from it for me.

Can't wait to read more from Stuckes.

Dead Animals is succinctly written for maximum impact. It's a beautiful depiction of seething rage and the dulling of a person's spirit, as a consequence of Abuse, Bullying and Control in its many forms. Prepare for a book hangover

I really enjoyed this book. I found the writing to be engaging and interesting and I was invested in the plot although not a lot really happened.

I enjoyed the characterisation and the build up but the ending seemed a little quick for me. Despite that I'd be interested in reading more from Phoebe Stuckes.

This is a deliciously creepy and enigmatic story that merges sexual trauma with something spine-tinglingly weird - I loved the way the two strands are held together via the concept of haunting.

Set against a young woman's alienated malaise compounded by a precarious existence as a zero hours waitress and living in a tiny bedsit, this feels absolutely contemporary. I seem to have read a handful of books recently that deal with the individual elements: non-consent, sexual violence, female contemporary alienation, psychological illness manifesting in the body, coercive relationships, female rage - and this one manages to give them all a shake-up and then pull them back together in a single narrative.

The 'light-hearted' bullying endured by our vegetarian narrator in the upmarket offal restaurant where she works is part of the atmosphere, as are the classic 'haunted' signs: shadows in the mirror, light bulbs popping, strange noises - and the way they indicate psychic stress as well as a possible strange kind of agency. And the characterisation of Helena, a new friend, lover and would-be saviour is genius.

I've seen reservations about the writing style but listening to this in audio worked superbly for me: Anna Burnett's muted voice conveys exactly the right deadened/dead pan voice I needed from this narrator without making the listening itself dull. The contrast between the happenings described by the narrator and the matter of fact way she tells them is exactly the space I needed for this book to work - and I had genuine shivers at various points!

Keeping the story compact and short works well as I read it in pretty much one sitting allowing all the threads to come together. Wonderfully poised between classic spookiness and the modern horrors of precarious lives, sexual violence, power differentials and toxicity, this was absolutely the right book at the right time for me.

While I found "Stuckes's" short horror to be gripping and suspenseful, ultimately, it fell short of my expectations.

The simplicity of the writing style adds to the eerie atmosphere, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing, perhaps due to its brevity.

Although the violence is effectively balanced with wit and a hint of innocence, I found myself yearning for a deeper exploration of the themes.

Despite this, the narrator's calming voice juxtaposed with the eerie content was a notable highlight, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the experience.

Overall, while enjoyable, I was left wishing for more depth and exploration within the narrative.

I think I understand what this was trying to do, it just wasn't successful for me.

This is a very short audiobook, but I had to keep rewinding because I wasn't engaging with the story or the characters. The narration is well done, but since the characters feel a bit flat, that does come through in the narration.

Still, I think it's a good premise and maybe other readers will get more out of it.

Where do I start?
Dead Animals looks pretty mundane with its pretty coloured cover and interesting title but once you get started, you will not be able to stop.
The writing is so simple, yet so gripping and the suspense and intrigue that builds leaves your skin crawling.
Stuckes has written an incredible short horror and I wish I could read it again for the first time. The violence of the novel is balanced with wit and an almost self-conscious innocence that drawers you in and keeps you hooked.

The narrator was also a great fit, such a calming voice narrating such eery horror!

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the audio ARC

This book will captivate you with its gorgeous cover (hello pink + green, millennial dream) and intriguing title. Once you start, you won't be able to put it down, Get ready to be creeped out! For fans of Rouge and Natural Beauty.

Anna Burnett is an engaging narrator who brought the unnamed narrator to life and I would happily listen to an audiobook narrated by Anna in the future.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton Audio, Sceptre + NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook before it's released. Dead Animals is out on 11th April 2024 💖💚 #DeadAnimals #NetGalley