A gothic feminist body horror where the past and present begin to intersect. It becomes clear that the women’s stories are linked in deeper, darker ways than it initially seems.

An exploration of bodily autonomy, feminine desires and the unrelenting need to be heard when all the world wishes to do is silence you. A harrowing exploration that will leave chills down your spine.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐐 𝐅𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐀. 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐲

Slashed Beauties was a book with a really fresh and intriguing premise. The dual narrative between the modern day and the Georgian era worked really well, and the characters in both time periods were well drawn and engaging. The pacing of the story was good throughout, and the twist at the end did manage to catch me by surprise, which helped make it a memorable finale. In terms of its themes, there are horror elements, but not too much, and the story considers ideas of the male gaze and feminism, but never in the overly preachy way I have found off-putting in some other feminist works. It you enjoy historical fiction with a touch of feminism and horror, Slashed Beauties is well worth a read. I am giving it four stars. I liked it a lot, but wasn't so enraptured I would want to read it again.

This review will go live on my blog and Goodreads at the links below on 27 August 2025. I will then also share on social media.