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Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

Genre: Cozy Horrormance 

Rating: 4/5


Synopsis:

Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she's fallen in love.


Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor. When her rest is interrupted by hunters intent on murdering her, she constructs a body from the remains of past meals: a metal chain for a backbone, borrowed bones for limbs, and a bear trap as an extra mouth.


However, the hunters chase Shesheshen out of her home and off a cliff. Badly hurt, she’s found and nursed back to health by Homily, a warm-hearted human, who has mistaken Shesheshen as a fellow human. Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent co-parent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshen’s eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out. But as they grow close, she realizes humans don’t think about love that way.


Shesheshen hates keeping her identity secret from Homily, but just as she’s about to confess, Homily reveals why she’s in the area: she’s hunting a shapeshifting monster that supposedly cursed her family. Has Shesheshen seen it anywhere?


Eating her girlfriend isn’t an option. Shesheshen didn’t curse anyone, but to give herself and Homily a chance at happiness, she has to figure out why Homily’s twisted family thinks she did. As the hunt for the monster becomes increasingly deadly, Shesheshen must unearth the truth quickly, or soon both of their lives will be at risk.


And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with, rather than in, the love of her life.


My Thoughts:

I know this book is marketed as fantasy horror, but, in my opinion, it's not really a full-on horror book. I'd say it's more on the cozy fantasy, romance side with bits of horror and lots of heart and humor...and I have zero complaints. I'm trying to branch out more into sapphic literature, and I'm so glad I picked this one up. It's by far my favorite sapphic romance to date. It mixes some of my absolute favorite things -- monsters, awkward relationships, an unlikely couple, humor, and ace representation (which is not something I come across too often). All of these elements create the perfect storm for an unforgettable read that will probably make it onto my Favorites of the Year list.


What makes this book great, you may ask? Well, I should preface this review by saying I listened to the audiobook. And I think a narrator can make or break a book no matter how well it's written. I can happily say with my full chest that Carmen Rose did an outstanding job. She breathed life into every single character, big and small. Each voice was unique, believable, and full of personality -- your ears will be blessed, and you'll truly feel immersed in the story. More specifically, you'll feel like you're in Shesheshen's mind and living her experiences firsthand, trying to make sense of humanity and falling in love. 


Shesheshen is such an enjoyable and endearing character despite the fact that she's a monster. In truth, she's just trying to figure out her life after she's rudely awakened from hibernation by monster hunters on a mission to slay her, and, of course, she has to outwit and eat at least one of them. Men are horrendously annoying, so who can blame a girl for defending herself and having some creative girl dinner? After an altercation with the slayers and a fall off a cliff, our beloved monster ends up in the arms of our marvelous second protagonist Homily. I appreciate the fact that Homily is a curvaceous, intelligent, and brave woman. She tries to be kind despite fighting her own inner demons and dealing with an abusive family who places lofty expectations on her. 


Overall, I love the fact that Shesheshen is such a strange creature -- she's an amorphous lump capable of taking all manner of objects, including bones from humans and animals alike, to generate a body suitable to go about killing men and falling in love with Homily. She wars with her nature to lay eggs in her beloved but goes on a journey of discovering that there are less deadly ways to express love. 


I can't recommend this one enough and highly suggest experiencing the audiobook version. Dare I say this is probably going to be a book I buy multiple versions of because there are already special editions, and I must add them all to my shelves.

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