This was really so much different from what I typically read, but I enjoyed it! It's a great glimpse into Aboriginal Australian culture and wider Australian culture and dynamics to an extent as well. Every character is so real and flawed. There were definitely some characters more flawed than others and some of the straight up horrible/abusive behaviors seeming so casual and easily moved passed was bothersome at times, but it does play into the overall dynamics at hand. Definitely check your trigger warnings before this one!

Going along for the ride, having no clue what's happening, but having a good time seems to be a staple of this series. Usually I hate that kind of thing, but it somehow works here. I'll definitely reread everything once the series is complete and looking for an those details you wouldn't have picked up the first time will be so satisfying!

All of the shortcomings I found in She Is a Haunting were vastly improved upon by the author in They Bloom at Night. They still know how to write body horror so painfully and that has only gotten more so with this book, so be warned 😅 My only real complaint is that the ending seemed to drag on just a little bit too long. Trang Thanh Tran has definitely secured a spot on my autobuy author list with this one. 🥰 Ready for all the future heartbreak they will eviscerate me with in the future 😭

Not me crying and heartbroken over a horror book. It definitely didn't feel like horror so much as a book that features a monster creature. A monster creature I found to serve as an allegory for neurodivergent folks, but it most resonated with my autism. Monstrilio was so incredibly different but found joy in being himself... until he was maimed and told time and time again how wrong his natural self was. After a lifetime of masking and trying to fit in, it was still a struggle to get things perfect for the humans trying to mold him and he eventually has had enough.

This book reads like a messy queer soap opera featuring a monster creature navigating love, loss, and just trying to fit into a world that made him but was not made for him. I loved, hated, and felt for all of the characters in this book. They were so real and flawed and wonderful. It was such a beautiful story and I'll be thinking about it, especially little Monstrilio, for some time to come.

Even though I know what's going to happen next, the sudden twist ending has me screaming as much as my previous reads. The pacing is just so good 😍

Evangelista is incredibly brave, honest in her self-reflections, humble, and paints brutal and necessary pictures in an approachable yet unforgiving way. We are so lucky to have this work that required her to risk her life time and time again. I'm still processing this, but it's a must-read. Duterte has been sometimes dubbed the "Tr*mp of Asia" and the similarities are almost immediately noticeable. The fact that he was arrested in March 2025 and will stand trial before the ICC this September does give me hope that we may yet see a similar justice with Tr*mp. Only time will tell. But! Evangelista and her fellow brave countrymen made this happen. Journalism can be a very corrupted field, but Evangelista is a shining example that still there can be such good done with it!