A quick and easy read with a premise I was really excited for. However the first two parts of the book fell flat for me. They weren’t hitting. Parts of it became boring and uninteresting. I felt a lot more like I was just being told things instead of being shown and getting to see.
It isn’t bad by any means, but it wasn’t what I’d hoped.

This new twist on possession horror is fast-paced and packs an action-heavy final act. I enjoyed the overall story, I think it is a smart exploration of what it means to be possessed, to be overpowered and puppeted by powers more powerful than you can imagine. The pacing worked for the story, it added urgency to the narrative, and it made it a quick read. The final act/ending had a fun combination of expected twists and the unexpected, and none felt like rug-pulls or unearned.

So, taking a step back, I certainly enjoy this novel. But there were a few things that just didn’t quite work for me. I had a hard time believing the actions or decisions of the central character for the first two acts. When things get wild toward the end and characters are acting out of distress and so forth that all was fine, but in the beginning the relationship between her and her daughter, and the way she treated her 14-year-old daughter who was clearly in emotional distress, just felt really flat and like place setting. It isn’t that any of the characters felt boring or like cut-and-paste place-fillers, I still felt like the characters were held at arm’s length. Having chapters go back to our main character’s childhood were helpful, but something just didn’t leave me feeling convinced. From the flashbacks we see examples of the traumatic religious upbringing, but we don’t really see its effects, or, rather, we don’t see her grappling with it. We are told how it affected her, but there are decades between the flashbacks and the present and the character and narrative didn’t really give me experiential insight into how her childhood influenced/traumatized her, it all felt very expected and narratively convenient, but not visceral or emotional in any important way. Considering this story is using demonic possession and exorcism as a way to explore religious trauma it feels like the long-lasting effects of that trauma need to be something the audience has an emotional experience of, and here I just felt more like things were told to me, not shown.

The writing itself served the story, not overly descriptive or flowery but with a good amount of narrative propulsion. The chapters were crafted to end with a good amount of tension and yet not feel like cheap gags. Mostly the atmosphere and world-building weren’t entirely present or convincing, it really was depending on the reader to bring a lot to the table in that regard, but there were some wonderfully disorienting and unhinged moments that worked really well. In addition, there were a few scenes that added enough gore to remind the reader of what genre they were reading, a reminder of the stakes, and while the story didn’t linger on these scenes they were vivid and helped keep the narrative exciting.

In the end it is hard to really pinpoint why I didn’t enjoy this more. There is something about the characters and their actions that just feels more like narrative convenience than actual experience, and that persisted more or less through the first two acts. I found myself frustrated not with the character for making bad decisions but for the writing of the character which just felt more explanatory than revelatory, if that makes sense. I wanted to actually feel the impact of her difficult upbringing, to see how it has affected the last 20+ years of her life, and not just how it led to a few bad decisions. It just felt rote and not particularly interesting, not only because it wasn’t particularly harsh, as far as religious trauma can go, but also just because it always felt removed from the character, and so removed from me as a reader, and that made it harder to be invested. The religious themes basically feel secondary, yet, given the whole arc of the story they should always feel primary; it just wasn’t there, for me.

Still, it was an enjoyable and fast read, a different take on possession horror that (thankfully) is not another story about a priest losing his faith. For this alone it deserves to be read! While there did feel something perfunctory about them the characters still felt unique and not who you expect to see in this kind of story, and their identities played a role in the story, they weren’t just window-dressing. Add to that a few creepy scenes and a few bloody scenes and this is a fun addition to the genre.

I want to thank the author, the publisher Quirk Books, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book really resonated with me as a victim of religious abuse and trauma. It is an excellent commentary on shame and who actually bears the brunt of generational trauma. I really thought Brigid was super relatable and I honestly fell in love with Vandy! The ending dragged a bit for me which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5

Having been raised in an extreme Catholic household where she witnessed an exorcism and was condemned for being queer, Brigid cut all ties with her family to start anew. She is now a single mom, but her daughter Dylan is starting to display very disturbing and violent behavior. Brigid believes the only way to save her only child is to exorcise the evil from her, and return to the home and the man that drove Brigid to leave. This fast-paced read with unsettling characters will appeal to horror readers.

I read this as a queer supernatural/horror book exploring religious trauma, but it might be a tough read for someone who has lived with that. I found this a well written and well-paced book. I’m not usually that impressed by exorcism themes, but this truly was intense- a great book to get out of a reading slump.

Thank you Netgalley and Quirk Books for the ARC!

This Is My Body is a queer horror story that centers around family/religious trauma. (Might be a hard read for anyone who has had to deal with situations like that before.) I enjoyed the pacing and the blend of psychological and supernatural horror. It's been a while since I've read a good "exorcism" book!

This started really strong, I love a slow burn horror, but I was not too fond of the ending. King-Miller’s writing is beautiful and raw, I think I was just expecting something different!

this started off stronger than it ended, some of the characters were infuriating, which makes sense but it made certain scenes tough to care about. intergenerational trauma, queer lives and religion rolled into one - fairly good.

This was really fantastic religious horror! The reveals were well paced and engaging, and the sense of the creeping terror and shame of religious conservatism was terrifyingly rendered. It deals with similar themes as Camp Damascus but much better.

Thank you Netgalley and Quirk Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lindsay King-Miller’s “This Is My Body” is a chilling and deeply unsettling queer horror novel that focuses on religious trauma and the terrifying power of belief. With an intense blend of supernatural and psychological horror, the book follows Brigid, a single mother who has spent her life trying to escape the extremist Catholic upbringing that nearly broke her. But when her daughter Dylan begins exhibiting disturbing, violent behavior—eerily reminiscent of a girl from Brigid’s past—she finds herself drawn back to the place she swore she’d never return: home.

Brigid’s uncle, Father Angus, is a strict, fanatical priest with a history of performing exorcisms—exorcisms that seem to have disturbing ties to violent crimes committed by those who attended them. As Brigid becomes convinced that Dylan is possessed, the book toys with the question of what is real and what is psychological trauma manifesting in terrifying ways. The demonic presence in “This Is My Body” is uniquely crafted, acting almost like a parasite, feeding on faith, fear, and power. The horror is visceral and unsettling, with graphic imagery that makes it clear—something deeply unnatural is at play.

At its core, “This Is My Body” is a story about trauma and survival. The book’s depiction of religious abuse and homophobia is gut-wrenching, making it an emotionally heavy read, particularly for those with similar lived experiences. However, it also offers moments of hope, particularly in Brigid’s rekindled romance with Zandy, an old flame from her past. Their relationship is one of the book’s emotional anchors, offering a stark contrast to the darkness surrounding Brigid’s family history.

The final act of the book is an all-out descent into madness—graphic, intense, and nearly impossible to put down. The line between reality and nightmare blurs as Brigid unravels the horrifying truth about her family’s past and the real nature of the entity haunting Dylan. The climax is shocking and brutal, but the epilogue offers a much-needed sense of closure, focusing on healing, acceptance, and the power of breaking free.

With its sharp writing, relentless tension, and gut-punch themes, “This Is My Body” is an unforgettable read for fans of queer horror. It’s a story that lingers long after the final page—haunting, thought-provoking, and deeply personal.

Brigid is a single mother of a teen girl, Dylan, who is starting to behave strangely. Dylan's erratic behaviour stirs up Brigid's old religious and childhood trauma and forces her to confront her past and how unprocessed generational trauma is bleeding into the present. This book reminded me quite a bit of American Rapture by C.J. Leede and Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison (the latter I enjoyed, the former I did not as much).

I Liked:
-Great lesbian representation
-Brigid's behaviour and thoughts/feelings are messy in a way that read as accurate and relatable for a trauma survivor
-Nuance in how different belief systems are represented (ex: an important character is Catholic but not terrible about it)

Things Not For Me:
-Certain things happened that I was not expecting and did not see coming, which in some ways was good, but some of the twists about certain characters really felt like they came out of nowhere and I would have liked more set up and less misdirection (I can't say much else without spoiling)
-Dylan is already...not well...right from the start of the book, so it was hard for me to build a connection to Dylan and relate to Brigid's concern or fears about her child's transformation

Ultimately the main message I'm taking away from this is that healing from trauma takes time, it is messy and non-linear, and facing abusive patterns straight on is the only way to break them. This is a good message and I think the author did a good job overall conveying these themes in an engaging way.

Thanks for the ARC!

This was an engrossing horror novel, even though it took most of the novel to get to the horrifying bits. I cared about the protagonist and I liked how the ending wasn’t cliched and did not let anyone off the hook.

Really interesting and gripping exploration of religious traima and how that can bleed into your adult life.. Horric and enthralling this pulls no punches.

This Is My Body is an intense, unsettling dive into religious trauma, family secrets, and the terrifying power of belief. Packed with tension, the novel’s exploration of faith, guilt, and motherhood feels deeply personal. The horror elements—both supernatural and psychological—are gripping, and the slow unraveling of the family’s dark past keeps the pages turning.

King-Miller delivers a gut-punch of an ending and a thought-provoking look at generational trauma. This Is My Body is a haunting, emotional ride that lingers long after the final page.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quirk Books for providing an eARC of This Is My Body prior to publication.