Gretchen Felker-Martin’s Cuckoo is a brutal, transgressive horror novel that plunges readers into a nightmarish world where body horror, queer survival, and visceral violence collide. Set in a dystopian summer camp overrun by a grotesque parasitic infection, the story follows a group of transgender teens fighting not just against monstrous transformations, but against the hatred and erasure that seek to destroy them. Felker-Martin doesn’t shy away from gore, crafting some of the most disturbing and inventive body horror since The Troop by Nick Cutter. The parasitic transformations are both biological and metaphorical, reflecting the horrors of dysphoria and forced assimilation. At its core, Cuckoo is about marginalized bodies resisting annihilation, both from literal monsters and systemic oppression. The queer characters are messy, fierce, and deeply human. This book is not for the faint of heart. Graphic violence, sexual assault, and intense dysphoria-related horror make it a punishing read.

I know the point of the story and the key factor of the horror element is conversion therapy. I knew that going in and knew that it’s usually the one thing in horror that I have a hard time with.

I want to love this author and this book but, despite being able to stomach a lot of horrifying things, this just hits me a little too close to home…

Very stressful book overall. Was also a hard read just because of how intense the conversion camp was and knowing this was so close to real things that happened to real kids.

Did not see "cuckoo" coming. A very timely and horrific piece on the things that they think they can change about you...

Felker-Martin's newest outing, Cucko, will invade the reader's psyche and soul. Visceral and violently vulnerable, Cuckoo feels all too relevant in a Cuckoo world, and so makes for an intense but significant reading experience!

Gretchen can do no wrong by me. I am so excited to keep following her. This book was even better than Manhunt which I adored. The grotesquerie and family horror stories are truly upsetting but I have a bottomless appetite for it - when it's well written! Felker-Martin is an expert at world and character building which is so often missing in these types of books. I generally don't read this kind of book but Felker-Martin got me. The third act/second part of the book was not as strong as the first for me but I'm okay with slow going.

I loved Cuckoo! it was a great listen and really exciting to read. Felker-Martin is approaching tough issues with compassion and rage at the same time.

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it fell short for me. There were a lot of great elements in this book but the narrative felt disjointed and the descriptions, at times, went on too long. That being said the story itself was pretty enjoyable, and the horror elements were done very well.

Terrifying as horror before the supernatural bits even begin to show up. I loved Felker-Martin's MANHUNT, and so I was very excited for this one. This is more than a worthy follow up-- the terrors of conversion camp, the nuanced interplay between deeply human and vulnerable characters, and the inexorable dread as you careen towards the end. Riveting!!

What a beautiful, poignant, disturbingly haunting read. Felker-Martin is a master of horror and the human experience; she pulls your deepest secrets to the surface through her beautiful characterization and portrayal of humanity at its worst. Another amazing read!

This creepy, kooky, altogether ooky novel is perfect for Halloween week! This is my second novel from @gretchenfelkermartin and like MANHUNT, CUCKOO does not disappoint. Martin has such a distinct, singular voice for horror novels and this weird, wonderful book has completely creeped me out while reading before bed the past few nights! It’s about a Christian conversion camp (scary stuff already!) that sends the kids back home different than they were before.. but not in the ways you suspect. The prologue to the book could be a short story itself and it just gets better.

Manhunt was fantastic and Cuckoo is too. I loved getting my hands on this book and I absolutely devoured it.

Cuckoo is a phenomenal, gory, heart-wrenching book that made me feel all the feelings! Gretchen Felker-Martin has a brilliant way of telling a story and creating complex, messy, and honest characters. This story is perfect for lovers of queer horror, coming-of-age, and action.

It’s the 90s, and deep in the Utah desert lies a conversion camp for LGBTQIAP+ kids. With some “tough love,” they return home completely different people. Five kids, worked to the bone in this camp soon realize that something is lurking in the mountains, and it’s not just the hard work that changes them.

I started this one as an ebook, got about halfway through, put it down, and then picked up the audiobook a couple of weeks later. Though I enjoyed it well enough, it felt long. I might not have finished if not for the audiobook. I loved the premise, though, and I liked the characters well enough. Always here to give queer horror a shot.

Cuckoo is a visceral, unsettling horror novel that explores queer identity and societal prejudice. Set in 1995 at a conversion camp, it follows seven LGBTQ+ teens as they endure harrowing abuse both human and otherworldly. The eerie, oppressive atmosphere builds slowly, enveloping readers in the characters’ trauma and the grotesque reality they face. Felker-Martin's sensory, nightmarish writing is striking, though some readers might struggle with the pacing and the large cast of characters. Beneath the horror, the book delivers a powerful commentary on the cruelty faced by queer youth in a world that rejects them. This is a gripping and unforgettable story, though not for the faint-hearted. I will definitely read more from this author.

this was a disappointment because manhunt is one of my favorite horror books in recent memory, so I was really looking forward to cuckoo! unfortunately, they lost me with the insane amount of POVs that left me constantly confused as to who was speaking. the first half of the book was more fun than the second half which just turned into an alien version of IT by stephen king. not a hit on my end, and it makes me so sad to say so!

This had an incredibly strong beginning and it was very violent and amazingly horror. However, although I enjoy multiple POV's, this novel simply had way too many going at one time - so much so that it was a little hard to keep track of this huge cast of characters. I enjoyed the first half of the book way more than the second portion, and that's unfortunate because this book truly packs in the horror and I do like that a lot about it.

I adore the fact that Felker-Martin is so unafraid to provoke, all the nasty squelching violence and transgression in her worlds… but also sometimes even I find myself a bit repulsed. Which is a strength and a weakness, to be sure! This is an important over her first book, in my opinion, and I think she’s well on her way to becoming one of America’s most important horror authors, if she isn’t already.

I had trouble distinguishing/keeping track of each POV character in the beginning because their voices sounded so similar, but that may have been a me problem. Some gross ass scenes, some teary-eyed moments, the Gretchen Felker-Martin special right here.

4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an eARC in exchange for an honest (if delayed) review.

CUCKOO by @gretchenfelkermartin made me feel like I always had to look over my shoulder! Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publishers, @macmillanaudio and @tornightfire for the physical ARC and the audio-ARC.

🪶🪶🪶

There is something very wrong at Camp Resolution. Not only is this an insidious pray-away-the-gay situation, but kids are disappearing. A rag-tag group of queers and other parental disappointments make a plan to escape, but not before they find out what is really happening which will haunt them all for a long while.

🔥🔥🔥

Body horror, social horror and psychological horror, oh my! There were some really raw emotions in this one and I was pretty compelled until it kinda lost me about 70% through as the story derailed fairly suddenly into a later timeline which threw me for a loop. All in all I did find a lot of emotion, meaning and grit in this story and was here for the ending, I just had to get over that disjointed feeling.

The audiobook was very well done as well with multiple actors narrating the story. Was very wrapped up in the conflict and desperation they imbued with their storytelling.

If you like stories like THE STEPFORD WIVES or THE INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, this one will likely be right up your alley.

What is your favorite type of bird? Mine are probably corvids. So smart! But if I am being honest I am also pretty terrified of getting on their bad side!!🫣

💚SMASHBOT💚

#reader #booknerd #bookreview #netgalley #tornightfire #macmillanaudio #gretchenfelkermartin #queerhorror #queerbooks #booknerd #netgalleyreviewer #horrorbooks #horrorlover #bibliophile #booksta #booksofig #readersofig