Do you feel it in the air? I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m finally emerging from a deep sleep.
I’m “dethawing” now that it’s about to be spring, as my friend Makenzi and I like to say. It’s also been almost 90 degrees out here in LA, which has certainly contributed to the thaw. Anyway…
Today, I’m back with a book review of a modern gothic. I’m also covering three new horror releases from queer authors, along with celebrating iconic women writers this Women’s History Month.
Enjoy!
The Gothic Genre Meets the Hollywood Hills in Leigh Stein’s If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You
Meet Dayna. She just got dumped, and to add fuel to the fire, her ex wrote a humiliating AITA Reddit post detailing the breakup that made it glaringly obvious who she was. It’s pretty specific to have a pet rabbit named Owen Wilson, after all.
In between jobs and in her late 30s, Dayna is now practically homeless after her ex made her move out of his place. Then she remembers a special friend of hers from many years ago. He’s wealthy by way of a family home he inherited in the Hollywood Hills. It’s decrepit, but it’s now being rented as a hype house for content creators—and it’s his last hope to save the house from being sold.
Once she moves in, she quickly finds herself taking on the role of manager. As things escalate in her professional life, things at the house get increasingly tense as the housemates find themselves unearthing a spooky mystery… yet another inheritance the creepy home in the hills has left for them.
“I recognized her immediately as my Queen of Cups. ‘My queen,’ I said. I set the rabbit down on the floor and he hopped under the crib. The queen shut the door to the nursery behind her; poor thing, she looked as scared as her bunny.”
Alright. Now that I’ve set the scene, here are my honest thoughts about the novel.
While I’m a sucker for the premise since it involves tarot, a gothic mystery, and plenty of pop culture references, it wasn’t perfect by any means. The book opens with Dayna’s POV. She’s distinct, sarcastic, and someone I wanted to root for. As additional POVs were introduced, the plot and characters became muddled, and the potency of the story began to feel diluted for me.
Was that the point? Is it meant to be a meta commentary on the shallowness of social media culture, and how quickly you can get lost in an algorithm that’s always demanding more from you? Who knows.
Regardless of my critiques above, this book delivered on vibes—and sometimes that’s enough. It all depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re reading this review, maybe it’s meant for you. Maybe it’s not. That’s for you to decide.
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I Lied. I Bought More Books Already
@theweirdgirledit If you like horror, check out these authors I discovered on here! I can’t wait to read their work 🖤 Books and authors mentioned: 1. Zine ... See more
I’m a hypocrite. I said I wouldn’t be buying more books for a while, and I recently wrote a newsletter in which I critiqued overconsumption. Yet here I am. However! I made the exception because I wanted to support some of the authors I’ve been following on social media. I couldn’t help myself.
As an added bonus, each of these authors are queer. With everything going on lately, I truly believe queer authors and stories are more important to support now than ever.
Below are my recent pickups:
A Zine for The Flayed Man by Chloe Lauter
Chloe was one of the first people I came across and started following when I created my BookTok account back in December. It’s been so satisfying to see her journey of publishing The Flayed Man, from her first cover reveal video up until now.
She’s currently sending out free zines for her novel, so I obviously jumped right on it. The zine explores the premise of the story, as well as her inspirations as she wrote it. It was fun to get an exclusive behind the scenes look, and she also sent a postcard with a sweet note.
Here’s a brief synopsis:
“A complex mother-daughter relationship is taken to a new level in this fresh and propulsive novel of family curses, blood-thirsty ghouls, and budding romance set against the Mojave Desert and Las Vegas.”
I can’t wait to read it once it’s officially out in July! You can pre-order it here, and receive the latest updates via her newsletter.
Itzá by Rios de la Luz
As soon as I saw one of Rios de la Luz’s videos on my FYP, I knew I would have to follow her and read her work. She weaves tarot and witchcraft into her writing practice, and she truly inspires me as both a writer and witchy individual. Her debut novella sounded completely up my alley, and I finally got around to ordering it.
Side note: I received a signed copy AND a tarot card tucked into the pages that was extremely relevant for my current situation. I could feel the magic she poured into the order.
Itzá is about a family of water witches living in a mythical border town, and follows Marisol, a young water witch who is in the midst of overcoming trauma, grief, and growing pains. As if that wasn’t enough to hook me, this glowing review truly sold it.
“Rios de la Luz is among the most important emerging writing of our time, or any time, because she is inventing a new language without limits that explodes all walls and borders meant to keep us small and quiet. Weaving fabula with domestic trauma and sexual becoming, Itzá restories a girl's life and identity up and through the violence of a culture that cannot contain her. Like a new species facing off with death heads. Like myth rupturing the lies we are told about who we are. Like a Xicana gender fluid voice and body ready to rearrange your reality, gloriously and without apology."
I can’t wait to dive into the magical world she’s created, and I also pre-ordered her newest novel, Daughter of Rot. It comes out this September!
Angels of London by Inigo Mort
Inigo Mort is a pillar of the horror BookTok community, and he’s been incredibly kind and encouraging as I’ve embarked on my journey of writing the rough draft of my novel. I was delighted when he dropped a video announcing a surprise book release for his latest novel, Angels of London.
This is a buddy read with my friend Michelle, and we’re both particularly intrigued after watching a new video in which Inigo described it as having a “side salad of eggplant.” If you know, you know.
Check out the description of the novel below, and be sure to order yourself a copy:
“After his sister’s mysterious disappearance from their family home, Tom Tremaine flees to the capital to meet the only person who might be able to help him: his eccentric uncle, Cecil Buck, whom his sister idolised.
But instead of answers, he finds himself in mortal danger. His uncle is a writer and investigative journalist on the trail of The Impaler — a sadistic killer with a taste for vulnerable men.
As Tom follows him, he becomes embroiled in the secretive world of the Mollies — a persecuted network of gay men, hunted simply for loving, their bodies left drained and impaled across the city.
The closer he gets to the truth, the clearer it becomes: his fate, his sister’s, and the killer’s are bound together. If he doesn’t face the shadows lurking in the streets — and in his own heart — it may only be a matter of time before he ends up on a spike.
From Brontë to Butler: Honoring Iconic Women Writers at the Huntington Library
@theweirdgirledit Yes, I’m aware Wuthering Heights was written by Emily Brontë…but this letter from Charlotte Brontë was too good not to share 💌 If you’re l... See more
I may not have seen the new Wuthering Heights movie (which I’ve heard is a dumpster fire anyway), but I HAVE seen original letters from Charlotte Brontë warning her friend about toxic men and power dynamics at an exhibit titled Stories from the Library: From Brontë to Butler at the Huntington Library.
“Anchored by Charlotte Brontë and Octavia E. Butler as chronological bookends, the exhibition brings together journals, letters, photographs, and personal items that bridge time, geography, and social context. Whether exploring family and marriage, work and gender roles, or the city of Los Angeles itself, the exhibition reveals common threads that connect individual experiences across generations.”
It was surreal to see the artifacts in person, and it’s never been a more perfect time to visit given that it’s currently Women’s History Month. It made me feel proud to be a woman writer. Even if no one ever knows my name, being a woman who writes is the antithesis of what the powers that be want.
To speak your mind. To share your ideas. To connect with readers. It’s all the more difficult to do in a society that is actively attempting to silence women and anyone who doesn’t fit their narrow norms. Emphasis on attempting. They could never silence us, no matter how hard they try.
The women writers who came before me made it possible for me to write this newsletter, and my novel. I’d like to think that one day, the work of my friends and peers will be on display for the world to see and be inspired by, too—and the legacy will continue.
Weird Girl(s) of the Week: Mannequin Pussy
Warning: Don’t listen to Mannequin Pussy if you don’t want to feel something. It’s difficult to describe their music by genre alone, and it would be a disservice to categorize it that way anyway. Their lyrics are incredible, and everything about their sound is simultaneously haunting and healing.
If you’re looking for an entry point into their visceral, melodic world, I highly recommend starting with this live KEXP performance of “Loud Bark”, and their music video for the song “I Got Heaven.”
Happy listening!
That’s it for today. Want more weird?
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The Weird Girl Edit is a weekly newsletter written by Maya Rector, and it gets published every Wednesday. View past editions here. If you haven’t already, subscribe for the latest wacky musings in literature, media, and pop culture each week!