This is a book that is going to sit with you. It almost reads like a fever dream, the descriptions are haunting and beautiful. The emotions are visceral, and raw. With a bit of a confusing start, this story will grow on you like the fungal wives. The desperation, longing, and grief was palpable. I will not get over this read.

Nicole is born into a community of, well, mushroom wives, some more devoted to their husbands than others. She is married off to her "betrothed" young, but finds more solace in a young woman named Teaghan. Together they discover things about their bodies, and the community. With an ending that will leave you feeling a little lost, but heart full.

Absolutely amazing book.

In a story that is as haunting as it is beautiful, Wife Shaped Bodies explores the hidden lives of women and the slow, insidious nature of control. The novel introduces us to Nicole, a young woman who has spent her life in a kind of prison, first under her mother's rules and then her husband's. The inclusion of mycological body horror is brilliant, serving as a powerful and gruesome metaphor for the decay of a woman's sense of self under patriarchy. As Nicole begins to connect with another woman, her journey toward rebellion is both terrifying and profoundly empowering. This is a must-read for anyone who loves literary horror that tackles big ideas with an unflinching eye.

A mysterious unraveling with each page turn, WIFE SHAPED BODIES is the story about women, men, their children, and the forces beyond humanity that entangle us all.

This rocks. I feel like all I can do is stare at it and nod and think about reading it one more time. Comfort Me With Apples by way of Annihilation, maybe?

I love stories about cults and cult-like behaviors and this one delivers. We're thrown into the world of the protagonist, looking at the world through her eyes, hearing about rituals we-as-readers don't yet understand, feeling the mystery and the darkness and the gore. In this world, women are affected by a mysterious fungi growth in their bodies and men have power over them... but what I really appreciated is that women in this society/cult have rituals and language and traditinos and mysteries of their own (some of them known and some unknown to the protagonist; none known to the reader: the world and its dangers unfolds slowly with each page).

The language is exquisite, the body horror is simulataneously evocative/slow and horrifying, and the gender and social dynamics are masterfully crafted. The lack-of-knowledge about this world required me to focus on all subtleties and symbolism, and the action was a bit slow at times—but the ending was satisfying and I really liked the character of Silas (the husband) and how he and the protagonist simulatneously played into and subverted certain tropes. The underlying ecological/environmental theme (symbiosis!) gave the story some additional stakes without overshadowing it. I'd recommend it, though it is not an *enteratining* read per se and requires a certain state of mind/focus!

Thank you NetGallery for the eARC!! 4.5 ⭐️

What an utterly strange and intriguing read. I’ve read a few novels that get into fungi and the possibilities when combined with humans, but this is by far the most interesting one. Cranehill’s research really shines throughout the novel and builds out interesting characters.

One thing that really stood out was the body horror/uncanny descriptions. Understanding how Nicole’s body functioned unraveled slowly throughout the read, which I quite appreciated. They were always intense, but not ever too much that I felt overwhelmed. What I really want is more—more from the start of this experiment and more from the other women’s experiences.

I don’t really know what else to say—I really enjoyed this read. Teaghan and Nicole’s sapphic endeavors were intriguing. It very much encapsulates the want to be ‘one’ with your partner, especially in a queer way. I would have loved a perspective from her character, but I understand why it wouldn’t work as well if it was.

Definitely a recommended read. Horror and intense world/character building I long to see more of. An impressive debut novel, for sure.

I was hooked from the cover and description, it had that horror element that I was looking for and was engaged from start to finish. The concept was so well done and was invested in what was happening in this. The characters were everything that I was wanting and worked well in this universe. Laura Cranehill has a strong writing style and was glad I got to read this. I really enjoyed this and how it deals with the unsettling beauty of nature.

The cover is crazy and I love the soft colors for it. The blend of nature and hands and a face in art is perfect. The dark black background is like a creature living in the darkness or like a tank.

What brought my attention to the book was the cover and then the story took it from there. THe double standards of being a woman, especially now is that this story is incredibly relatable. THe fun part of stories and fiction is that these issues can take on the size and weight that they feel.

Horror Debut that is so far away for release, add it to the list, make a calendar event, it's so good in the worst way. Spooky beach read late at night with a bonfire or vacation would be the best setup to read.

This book was a wild wild ride baby took me to another place once the marriage came things got very wild and weird don’t want to give too much away but read iy

I’m a thriller girlie and have been reading more horror lately; trying to expand my reading genres, and I came across this book here and it sounded really good so I went for it. I’m glad I did because I loved it! It was strange and different in the best way.

This novel is a wild trip of part apocalyptic tale part folk horror vibes and part female empowerment. It's trippy and strange in a very good way.

Future earth, where some kind of event took place which causes people to die from radiation poisoning. A community is formed in a safe area but the rules of this new society are extremely different. The women are human, breathing, eating, drinking, talking...but also not all the way human. They're also made of various mushrooms and other fungi which covers their bodies.

When they get married (a bizarre ritual in itself) well, things just get weird. To say more would be giving too much away because this book is filled with unknown things to discover. Or not.

Part of the reason why this story is so effective are the many elements we don't know. What event caused this new world? Why are only women affected with this fungi growth? Even the real age of the main female character isn't mentioned when she gets "married" to a sixty six year old man. This author teases enough information to keep you reading but be prepared to not have every question answered at the end.

While this technically would be body horror, and some of the descriptions are quite dreadful, it doesn't rely on extreme elements. It's often emotional and poignant yet oozes a dread of something horrific to come.

It's an excellent story written in a literary flair though there are moments where too many details slow things down some. Still, it's worth it to read this novel and I highly recommend it.