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Moonflow
"A bizarre and fiercely original splatterpunk phantasmagoria of queerness. Deranged and gleefully weird as f*ck, this is an impressive debut from a singular literary talent." —Eric LaRocca
Annihilation meets Manhunt in three-time Hugo Award nominee Bitter Karella’s debut horror novel—a gloriously queer and irreverent psychedelic trip into the heart of an eldritch wood and the horrors of (cis)terhood.
I see something out there, in the woods. It does not have a face.
They call it the King’s Breakfast. One bite and you can understand the full scope of the universe; one bite and you can commune with forgotten gods beyond human comprehension. And it only grows deep in the Pamogo forest, where the trees crowd so tight that the forest floor is pitch black day and night, where rumors of disappearing hikers and strange cults that worship the divine feminine abound.
Sarah is a trans woman who makes her living growing mushrooms. When a bad harvest leaves her in a desperate fix, the lure of the King’s Breakfast has her journeying into those vast uncharted woods. But as she descends deeper, she realizes she's not alone. Something in the forest is waking up. It's hungry—and it wants her.
★ “As eldritch and grimy as the terrifying forest it’s set in. I loved this book!" —Trevor Henderson, author of Scarewaves
★ "Weird, wild, and oh-so-wretched, Moonflow is the trans botanical horror we need in the world right now." —Drew Huff, author of The Divine Flesh ★ “Is it legal to have this much fun reading a book? I’m in awe of Karella’s incredible gift for creating biting satire. I had a f*cking blast.” —Joe Koch, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of The Wingspan of Severed Hands
Annihilation meets Manhunt in three-time Hugo Award nominee Bitter Karella’s debut horror novel—a gloriously queer and irreverent psychedelic trip into the heart of an eldritch wood and the horrors of (cis)terhood.
I see something out there, in the woods. It does not have a face.
They call it the King’s Breakfast. One bite and you can understand the full scope of the universe; one bite and you can commune with forgotten gods beyond human comprehension. And it only grows deep in the Pamogo forest, where the trees crowd so tight that the forest floor is pitch black day and night, where rumors of disappearing hikers and strange cults that worship the divine feminine abound.
Sarah is a trans woman who makes her living growing mushrooms. When a bad harvest leaves her in a desperate fix, the lure of the King’s Breakfast has her journeying into those vast uncharted woods. But as she descends deeper, she realizes she's not alone. Something in the forest is waking up. It's hungry—and it wants her.
★ “As eldritch and grimy as the terrifying forest it’s set in. I loved this book!" —Trevor Henderson, author of Scarewaves
★ "Weird, wild, and oh-so-wretched, Moonflow is the trans botanical horror we need in the world right now." —Drew Huff, author of The Divine Flesh ★ “Is it legal to have this much fun reading a book? I’m in awe of Karella’s incredible gift for creating biting satire. I had a f*cking blast.” —Joe Koch, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of The Wingspan of Severed Hands
382 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 323 reviews
September 2, 2025
The comp titles listed in the blurb are Annihilation and Manhunt. I've only read Manhunt which I wasn't a fan of and while I can absolutely see some common ground between the two (a trans MC, gritty tone, things get gross and irreverent) I liked Moonflow a lot more, the characters were more nuanced and human. The writing was also a lot less try hard/edgy for the sake of being edgy.
There's a certain sense of humor to this book that I found most delightful.
I also really liked the main cast of characters. Sarah was rather easy to root for but she was also so friggin real and relatable. I want more characters like her to exist. The Hell Slut was oddly endearing. There was a sense of longing to both Sarah and The Hell Slut that was a little heartbreaking. Andy is my favorite type of guy, the kind of socially inept but well meaning and reliable that makes you think he's stupid. Add to that the fact that weird botanical/fungus horror is something I can't get enough of, and I had a really great time.
The commentary is sometimes on the nose sometimes quite subtle, and I was absolutely here for it.
The story is laced with excerpts from a guide to common mushrooms of the Pamogo forest which added a sense of rhythm to the book and with journal entries from a settler who failed to make the land submit to his will which added to the sense of foreboding. That was a chef's kiss touch.
Many thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book for review consideration.
It's out now (September 2nd 2025)!!!!
TLDR; It's weird, crass, queer, fun, and creepy.
There's a certain sense of humor to this book that I found most delightful.
I also really liked the main cast of characters. Sarah was rather easy to root for but she was also so friggin real and relatable. I want more characters like her to exist. The Hell Slut was oddly endearing. There was a sense of longing to both Sarah and The Hell Slut that was a little heartbreaking. Andy is my favorite type of guy, the kind of socially inept but well meaning and reliable that makes you think he's stupid. Add to that the fact that weird botanical/fungus horror is something I can't get enough of, and I had a really great time.
The commentary is sometimes on the nose sometimes quite subtle, and I was absolutely here for it.
The story is laced with excerpts from a guide to common mushrooms of the Pamogo forest which added a sense of rhythm to the book and with journal entries from a settler who failed to make the land submit to his will which added to the sense of foreboding. That was a chef's kiss touch.
Many thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book for review consideration.
It's out now (September 2nd 2025)!!!!
TLDR; It's weird, crass, queer, fun, and creepy.
August 12, 2025
A biting botanical splatterpunk horror that leaves you wondering if they were hallucinating or if you were.
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 10 hours 30 minutes
🎤: Venus Rose Fisher
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Format: Single POV/Timeline
I found the narrator to be clear and concise in their narration. I never had to adjust my speed and was able to listen within my typical range. I enjoyed the tone and tempo of this narrator.
Themes:
🍄: The horrors of sisterhood
🍄: The dangers of cults
🍄: Feminism and how it fails Trans women
Representation:
🌲: Trans MC
🌲: Queer characters
🥵: Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Gore: 🧟♂️🧟♂️🧟♂️
Potential Triggers: violence, body horror, transphobia, infanticide, animal cruelty **check authors page/socials for full list.
General Thoughts:
This book was definitely a psychedelic trip through a very culty and bizarre world. It's 70's love child meets Manson level feminist cult.
Splatterpunk with a comical bite is the only way to describe this novel. I volleyed between laughing hysterically to being utterly uncomfortable and disgusted mere pages later. While I fully accept that this book is not for everyone, I was definitely able to enjoy the finer thematic aspects of the novel as well as the biting satire.
This novel tackles themes that have deep depths in a unique and often unsettling way. Calling attention to feminism and the way it frequently fails Trans women I thought was done really well. It was hard to hear the blatant Transphobia throughout the book, but it definitely drove the point home.
The metaphor of the mushroom being the pinnacle of everything was a little on the nose. But it was so well done and integrated that it really didn't feel that way.
This is a splatter horror and the subject matter and triggers reflect that. Though on the spectrum I would consider it on the lighter side since it's not overly descriptive. The triggers should be checked fully before reading for mental health reasons.
The erotic nature of this novel is definitely a main component. The overtly sexual content isn't always my favorite in splatterpunk, but it was definitely utilized in a way that made sense to the content and furthered the point of story.
The ending dragged on a little too long for me and I feel it really could have ended at the 87-89% mark. Other than that I was really satisfied with the ending.
Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC/Ebook through NetGalley, publisher Run For It and Hachette Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 10 hours 30 minutes
🎤: Venus Rose Fisher
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Format: Single POV/Timeline
I found the narrator to be clear and concise in their narration. I never had to adjust my speed and was able to listen within my typical range. I enjoyed the tone and tempo of this narrator.
Themes:
🍄: The horrors of sisterhood
🍄: The dangers of cults
🍄: Feminism and how it fails Trans women
Representation:
🌲: Trans MC
🌲: Queer characters
🥵: Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Gore: 🧟♂️🧟♂️🧟♂️
Potential Triggers: violence, body horror, transphobia, infanticide, animal cruelty **check authors page/socials for full list.
General Thoughts:
This book was definitely a psychedelic trip through a very culty and bizarre world. It's 70's love child meets Manson level feminist cult.
Splatterpunk with a comical bite is the only way to describe this novel. I volleyed between laughing hysterically to being utterly uncomfortable and disgusted mere pages later. While I fully accept that this book is not for everyone, I was definitely able to enjoy the finer thematic aspects of the novel as well as the biting satire.
This novel tackles themes that have deep depths in a unique and often unsettling way. Calling attention to feminism and the way it frequently fails Trans women I thought was done really well. It was hard to hear the blatant Transphobia throughout the book, but it definitely drove the point home.
The metaphor of the mushroom being the pinnacle of everything was a little on the nose. But it was so well done and integrated that it really didn't feel that way.
This is a splatter horror and the subject matter and triggers reflect that. Though on the spectrum I would consider it on the lighter side since it's not overly descriptive. The triggers should be checked fully before reading for mental health reasons.
The erotic nature of this novel is definitely a main component. The overtly sexual content isn't always my favorite in splatterpunk, but it was definitely utilized in a way that made sense to the content and furthered the point of story.
The ending dragged on a little too long for me and I feel it really could have ended at the 87-89% mark. Other than that I was really satisfied with the ending.
Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC/Ebook through NetGalley, publisher Run For It and Hachette Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
August 30, 2025
Got the audiobook for review, the narration was good and fit the story.
This had that fever dream book feel to it and it's a very hit and miss for me. I liked the book but at the same way the cult themes didn't quite work with me not sure why. Maybe because how they spoke. but I still recommend this book as it had very weird yet intruging plot. Had important discussions aswell.
This had that fever dream book feel to it and it's a very hit and miss for me. I liked the book but at the same way the cult themes didn't quite work with me not sure why. Maybe because how they spoke. but I still recommend this book as it had very weird yet intruging plot. Had important discussions aswell.
July 8, 2025
Thank you Run For It for the eArc.
Trigger warnings: graphic violence, sexual assault, gore, vomit, murder, infanticide, animal cruelty, and drug use.
This book… is truly a mindfuck. I don’t believe I am the intended audience for this novel and/or genre, but I am always open to trying something at least once.
I did not like the tone of this novel. The crude descriptions of characters and bodies was pretty off putting to me.
There was so much emphasis on Sarah, Hell Slut, and Mother Moonflow on being fat and their folds of skin hanging down and their large stomachs. Mother Moonflow even more so with her breasts that were described as “comically giant” and “titanic” and “colossal.” The word “breasts” appears 43 times in this novel and “fat” appears 26 times. Not to mention Skillet having a feeder fetish and could only get off when Sarah told her how much she weighed. Ugh.
Mother Moonflow nursed a raccoon. Yep, that’s right. Mother Moonflow lactates a liquid they call “Moonflow” that will get the consumer so incredibly high. And the cult all feeds from her. Crazy shit.
TERFs. The cult is all made of terfs. Sarah is a trans woman and the cult do not believe she has feminine energy and call her a “phallic alec” because she has a penis. They called her that 46 times in the novel and it made me uncomfortable every single time. Which may have been a point of the novel but I don’t believe it made any huge contribution or added meaning to the story.
There are plenty of other events that happen that just seem to be thrown in for shock value, which is expected since this is marketed as a splatterpunk novel. I didn’t get any overarching message or meaning from this story and not all stories have to have one, but I found very little enjoyment in this. The ONLY thing that I laughed at was finding out there was a woman in the cult named Captain Beef Curtains. Again, thank you to the publisher for the eArc and I wish Bitter Karella the best of luck with their future endeavors.
Trigger warnings: graphic violence, sexual assault, gore, vomit, murder, infanticide, animal cruelty, and drug use.
This book… is truly a mindfuck. I don’t believe I am the intended audience for this novel and/or genre, but I am always open to trying something at least once.
I did not like the tone of this novel. The crude descriptions of characters and bodies was pretty off putting to me.
There was so much emphasis on Sarah, Hell Slut, and Mother Moonflow on being fat and their folds of skin hanging down and their large stomachs. Mother Moonflow even more so with her breasts that were described as “comically giant” and “titanic” and “colossal.” The word “breasts” appears 43 times in this novel and “fat” appears 26 times. Not to mention Skillet having a feeder fetish and could only get off when Sarah told her how much she weighed. Ugh.
Mother Moonflow nursed a raccoon. Yep, that’s right. Mother Moonflow lactates a liquid they call “Moonflow” that will get the consumer so incredibly high. And the cult all feeds from her. Crazy shit.
TERFs. The cult is all made of terfs. Sarah is a trans woman and the cult do not believe she has feminine energy and call her a “phallic alec” because she has a penis. They called her that 46 times in the novel and it made me uncomfortable every single time. Which may have been a point of the novel but I don’t believe it made any huge contribution or added meaning to the story.
There are plenty of other events that happen that just seem to be thrown in for shock value, which is expected since this is marketed as a splatterpunk novel. I didn’t get any overarching message or meaning from this story and not all stories have to have one, but I found very little enjoyment in this. The ONLY thing that I laughed at was finding out there was a woman in the cult named Captain Beef Curtains. Again, thank you to the publisher for the eArc and I wish Bitter Karella the best of luck with their future endeavors.
July 9, 2025
Quick very high level summary.
Growing mushrooms, Sarah ends up with a bad harvest. She’s desperate to grow “King's Breakfast” to make up for the loss. So she sets off deeper and deeper into uncharted woods looking for the spores she needs. While she searches deeper into the woods she soon realizes she is not alone.
My Take.
There were so many times during this read that I really felt like I may have been tripping on mushrooms myself, knowing full well I was not. The vivid imagery was that detailed. While I loved the imagery the rest of the story was just ok. I enjoyed the humor and banter at first but then it became repetitious and lost its purpose. I was also expecting a more feminine vibe but it felt very male in the descriptions and fascination bordering on obsession with all things sexual organs. Overall the writing at times could be beautiful but the cults attempt to warship all things female really just came off as masculine and I am not sure that was the intention.
Growing mushrooms, Sarah ends up with a bad harvest. She’s desperate to grow “King's Breakfast” to make up for the loss. So she sets off deeper and deeper into uncharted woods looking for the spores she needs. While she searches deeper into the woods she soon realizes she is not alone.
My Take.
There were so many times during this read that I really felt like I may have been tripping on mushrooms myself, knowing full well I was not. The vivid imagery was that detailed. While I loved the imagery the rest of the story was just ok. I enjoyed the humor and banter at first but then it became repetitious and lost its purpose. I was also expecting a more feminine vibe but it felt very male in the descriptions and fascination bordering on obsession with all things sexual organs. Overall the writing at times could be beautiful but the cults attempt to warship all things female really just came off as masculine and I am not sure that was the intention.
September 8, 2025
2,5 ⭐️
Ya girl once again got fooled by a pretty cover (we’ll blame the mushrooms)
I think this book was partly not my style, and partly needed some more work. I haven’t read a lot of horror so I’m still trying to find my taste in the genre, but this didn’t really do it for me. I think it might have been the mix of very gross horror and a mostly humorous tone that kinda cancelled each other out. I wish we’d had more atmosphere and more descriptions of the creepy forest.
This was still entertaining enough to finish, and I enjoyed how queer it was, but the writing style really didn’t work for me. It felt juvenile and too over the top, and there were too many exclamation marks lol. There were also a few inconsistencies with the plot that bothered me and the pacing needed some work; this book was about 100 pages too long.
I’d recommend it to horror fans who like that type of horror in particular and I’m glad I gave it a try, but this one won’t stick with me.
Ya girl once again got fooled by a pretty cover (we’ll blame the mushrooms)
I think this book was partly not my style, and partly needed some more work. I haven’t read a lot of horror so I’m still trying to find my taste in the genre, but this didn’t really do it for me. I think it might have been the mix of very gross horror and a mostly humorous tone that kinda cancelled each other out. I wish we’d had more atmosphere and more descriptions of the creepy forest.
This was still entertaining enough to finish, and I enjoyed how queer it was, but the writing style really didn’t work for me. It felt juvenile and too over the top, and there were too many exclamation marks lol. There were also a few inconsistencies with the plot that bothered me and the pacing needed some work; this book was about 100 pages too long.
I’d recommend it to horror fans who like that type of horror in particular and I’m glad I gave it a try, but this one won’t stick with me.
November 7, 2025
This was one of those books that I felt like I flew through. It was bizarre! It was funny! The characters were total nuts and I loved them! The big conflict at the end felt a bit clunky to me, it was a little hard for me to follow. But I still liked how it ended over all.
Thank you, Orbit Books, for the copy for review!
Thank you, Orbit Books, for the copy for review!
October 30, 2025
I really wanted to like Moonflow. From the blurb, it sounded exactly up my alley, cosmic horror, strange cults, and eldritch dread. Unfortunately, the only thing this book delivered was disappointment (and a cover I admittedly liked, which is the only reason it’s getting a single star).
The only thing scary about Moonflow was the transphobia. Sarah, a trans woman, is relentlessly mocked and called a “phallic Alec” by a cult of TERF lesbians and the narrative never pushes back. It’s mean-spirited and lazy, and completely unnecessary.
For a book supposedly about a cult of radical lesbians, the male characters somehow get off remarkably easy. They’re barely described, and when they are, the worst they’re called is “pig.” Meanwhile, the female characters, especially large women and trans women, are written in grotesque, demeaning, or fetishised ways that add nothing to the story. It’s as if the author’s disdain for women leaked onto every page.
The author also seems obsessed with breasts, to a point where it’s genuinely distracting. I saw another review mention that the word appears forty-three times, and honestly, I believe it. It feels less like horror and more like fixation disguised as prose.
The writing itself doesn’t help. At one point (and more than once), a woman’s vagina is described as looking like she “sat on a hot plate,” which tells you everything you need to know about the author’s relationship with female anatomy, and their apparent lack of editorial restraint.
As for the actual horror? I was bored the entire time. I came in expecting eldritch terror and got a mildly bad psychedelic trip in the woods instead.
Moonflow fails both as horror and as social commentary. It’s tedious, tone-deaf, and unpleasant in ways that seem entirely unintentional.
The only thing scary about Moonflow was the transphobia. Sarah, a trans woman, is relentlessly mocked and called a “phallic Alec” by a cult of TERF lesbians and the narrative never pushes back. It’s mean-spirited and lazy, and completely unnecessary.
For a book supposedly about a cult of radical lesbians, the male characters somehow get off remarkably easy. They’re barely described, and when they are, the worst they’re called is “pig.” Meanwhile, the female characters, especially large women and trans women, are written in grotesque, demeaning, or fetishised ways that add nothing to the story. It’s as if the author’s disdain for women leaked onto every page.
The author also seems obsessed with breasts, to a point where it’s genuinely distracting. I saw another review mention that the word appears forty-three times, and honestly, I believe it. It feels less like horror and more like fixation disguised as prose.
The writing itself doesn’t help. At one point (and more than once), a woman’s vagina is described as looking like she “sat on a hot plate,” which tells you everything you need to know about the author’s relationship with female anatomy, and their apparent lack of editorial restraint.
As for the actual horror? I was bored the entire time. I came in expecting eldritch terror and got a mildly bad psychedelic trip in the woods instead.
Moonflow fails both as horror and as social commentary. It’s tedious, tone-deaf, and unpleasant in ways that seem entirely unintentional.
September 22, 2025
Review originally on JamReads
Moonflow is a fungal horror novel, written by Bitter Karella, and published by Orbit, marking the start of its horror seal, Run For It. A gloriously psychedelic novel that explores themes such as genre, beliefs and belonging through a great cast of nuanced and well-fleshed characters, a gritty tone and that excellently plays with the setting to deliver a quite unique book.
Sarah makes her living growing mushrooms; a bad harvest points her towards the lure that is the King's Breakfast, a mushroom that only grows in the depths of the Pamogo Forest. Journeying with Andy, her guide (who has a certain tendency to never shut up), they descend together into the Pamogo Forest; a trip that eventually leads them towards a reclusive and all-female cult, high on mushrooms, and with ideas about the binarism of sex that will be destabilized by the own Sarah's presence and Andy's open mind.
Karella smartly cuts through this TERF ideology, partly while commenting and also satirizing the extreme this cult has reached; desire, disgust and mushrooms are pillars of their lives, obsessed with the feminine essence and bringing it to flesh. In their picture, somebody like Sarah can't become a woman, and it totally crashes how conservative they are in certain concepts for all the liberation they transmit with their attitude towards other aspects like nudity.
Let's be clear, splatterpunk is not exactly a subtle genre, and the message is clear about how any exclusionary ideology might rot into a cult-like extremism, shaping their members into totally different people than they were (It is interesting the role of the "recruiters" for the cult in this case).
The setting also shows its strengths through all the novel, a forest so dense that crossing it is dangerous, with many varieties of mushrooms that can influence the psyche; even the own presence guiding Sarah is a manifestation of the character that is the Pamogo Forest by itself.
The pacing is relatively fast, and mixed with a prose rich in imagery, we have a dream-like reading experience.
Moonflow is an excellent horror novel, a long-form debut by Karella that is not afraid to experiment with shock and break some boundaries to deliver an unforgettable novel. A voice to continue watching in the future!
Moonflow is a fungal horror novel, written by Bitter Karella, and published by Orbit, marking the start of its horror seal, Run For It. A gloriously psychedelic novel that explores themes such as genre, beliefs and belonging through a great cast of nuanced and well-fleshed characters, a gritty tone and that excellently plays with the setting to deliver a quite unique book.
Sarah makes her living growing mushrooms; a bad harvest points her towards the lure that is the King's Breakfast, a mushroom that only grows in the depths of the Pamogo Forest. Journeying with Andy, her guide (who has a certain tendency to never shut up), they descend together into the Pamogo Forest; a trip that eventually leads them towards a reclusive and all-female cult, high on mushrooms, and with ideas about the binarism of sex that will be destabilized by the own Sarah's presence and Andy's open mind.
Karella smartly cuts through this TERF ideology, partly while commenting and also satirizing the extreme this cult has reached; desire, disgust and mushrooms are pillars of their lives, obsessed with the feminine essence and bringing it to flesh. In their picture, somebody like Sarah can't become a woman, and it totally crashes how conservative they are in certain concepts for all the liberation they transmit with their attitude towards other aspects like nudity.
Let's be clear, splatterpunk is not exactly a subtle genre, and the message is clear about how any exclusionary ideology might rot into a cult-like extremism, shaping their members into totally different people than they were (It is interesting the role of the "recruiters" for the cult in this case).
The setting also shows its strengths through all the novel, a forest so dense that crossing it is dangerous, with many varieties of mushrooms that can influence the psyche; even the own presence guiding Sarah is a manifestation of the character that is the Pamogo Forest by itself.
The pacing is relatively fast, and mixed with a prose rich in imagery, we have a dream-like reading experience.
Moonflow is an excellent horror novel, a long-form debut by Karella that is not afraid to experiment with shock and break some boundaries to deliver an unforgettable novel. A voice to continue watching in the future!
September 2, 2025
Ehh, what the hell did I just read? This was some trippy shit. I love weird. This is definitely weird.
I’m not very familiar with splatterpunk, but I’m pretty sure this does exactly what it’s supposed to. For someone new to the genre, it’s extreme, so I needed a few days to let it sink in and figure out what I even thought.
It’s the premise that hooked me: Sarah desperately needs to find a rare mushroom, the “King’s Breakfast.” She’s broke and she has a cat to feed, so I could easily relate. To find this mushroom, she ventures into the dangerous Pamogo forest with a local guide, Andy. The forest is alive, hostile, shifting, surreal. You can’t trust your senses in there. It’s reminiscent of Annihilation’s Area X, but that’s where the comparison ends.
Then comes the cult. Deep in the woods, Sarah and Andy stumble upon an all-female community, high on mushrooms and obsessed with wombs, sex, and feminine essence. Oh, and all men are bad. It’s TERF ideology and anti-male extremism taken to grotesque extremes. Sarah, as a trans woman, doesn’t fit their binary, and Andy is just an open-minded guy. Their presence quietly destabilizes the cult’s dogma.
Karella rips through this ideology with satire and surrealism. The commentary is loud and on the nose, but that’s the point. The cult’s rituals are absurd, erotic, and fungal. Desire and disgust bleed into each other. Everything is grotesque. And everything is mushrooms. The metaphor mushrooms through every part of the story, from life and decay to transformation, the invasion of body and mind, eroticism and so on.
This is not a subtle story. It’s splatterpunk with mushroom horror and a very loud message: any ideology that becomes exclusionary can rot into cult-like extremism, even if it wears a progressive mask. Moonflow dares to ask: what happens when the sacred feminine becomes a weapon?
This was weird, loud, and not something I’ll easily forget.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator nailed it: distinct voices, great energy, and a performance that really lifted the story even higher.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advance copy of the audiobook.
I’m not very familiar with splatterpunk, but I’m pretty sure this does exactly what it’s supposed to. For someone new to the genre, it’s extreme, so I needed a few days to let it sink in and figure out what I even thought.
It’s the premise that hooked me: Sarah desperately needs to find a rare mushroom, the “King’s Breakfast.” She’s broke and she has a cat to feed, so I could easily relate. To find this mushroom, she ventures into the dangerous Pamogo forest with a local guide, Andy. The forest is alive, hostile, shifting, surreal. You can’t trust your senses in there. It’s reminiscent of Annihilation’s Area X, but that’s where the comparison ends.
Then comes the cult. Deep in the woods, Sarah and Andy stumble upon an all-female community, high on mushrooms and obsessed with wombs, sex, and feminine essence. Oh, and all men are bad. It’s TERF ideology and anti-male extremism taken to grotesque extremes. Sarah, as a trans woman, doesn’t fit their binary, and Andy is just an open-minded guy. Their presence quietly destabilizes the cult’s dogma.
Karella rips through this ideology with satire and surrealism. The commentary is loud and on the nose, but that’s the point. The cult’s rituals are absurd, erotic, and fungal. Desire and disgust bleed into each other. Everything is grotesque. And everything is mushrooms. The metaphor mushrooms through every part of the story, from life and decay to transformation, the invasion of body and mind, eroticism and so on.
This is not a subtle story. It’s splatterpunk with mushroom horror and a very loud message: any ideology that becomes exclusionary can rot into cult-like extremism, even if it wears a progressive mask. Moonflow dares to ask: what happens when the sacred feminine becomes a weapon?
This was weird, loud, and not something I’ll easily forget.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator nailed it: distinct voices, great energy, and a performance that really lifted the story even higher.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advance copy of the audiobook.
September 3, 2025
TRANS Excellence & Splatterpunk Delights!
Moonflow is a mastery of mycelia mysteries! If that sentence was confusing, but also intrigues you, then this is the book for you! There are mushrooms galore, mysteries eldritch terrors, cults, and lots of sex. Following a trans character who is simply trying to learn how to grow her next lucrative crop of shrooms, we are quickly welcomed to a dark and dangerous forest. A forest full of secrets, dead things, and ancient terrors.
This book grabbed my attention immediately. It’s written in such a unique voice. The tone of the writing feels so relative while also existing on much higher planes of existence. That may sound strange, but the writing within these pages IS magical. It transported me to the middle of a forest and I was lost within the pages as the characters get lost within the trees. Things take a much more diabolical turn with the introduction of our mycelium laced ladies of love (aka the Mother Moonflow cult). This is definitely a part of the story that will be welcomed for some readers and will leave some completely puzzled. However, stick with it, because not only does this portion of the story bring some of the most humorous moments of the story, but it also brings terror to the page. There are layers of secrets and ritualistic actions that astounded me and had me shocked. However, when all the characters come face to face - a pulse-pounding conclusion roars to the surface.
This book is excellent. It’s horrific and terrifying. It’s hysterical and unserious. And it’s inclusive as well! You don’t want to miss what is sure to be one of the most talked about books this year!!
Moonflow is a mastery of mycelia mysteries! If that sentence was confusing, but also intrigues you, then this is the book for you! There are mushrooms galore, mysteries eldritch terrors, cults, and lots of sex. Following a trans character who is simply trying to learn how to grow her next lucrative crop of shrooms, we are quickly welcomed to a dark and dangerous forest. A forest full of secrets, dead things, and ancient terrors.
This book grabbed my attention immediately. It’s written in such a unique voice. The tone of the writing feels so relative while also existing on much higher planes of existence. That may sound strange, but the writing within these pages IS magical. It transported me to the middle of a forest and I was lost within the pages as the characters get lost within the trees. Things take a much more diabolical turn with the introduction of our mycelium laced ladies of love (aka the Mother Moonflow cult). This is definitely a part of the story that will be welcomed for some readers and will leave some completely puzzled. However, stick with it, because not only does this portion of the story bring some of the most humorous moments of the story, but it also brings terror to the page. There are layers of secrets and ritualistic actions that astounded me and had me shocked. However, when all the characters come face to face - a pulse-pounding conclusion roars to the surface.
This book is excellent. It’s horrific and terrifying. It’s hysterical and unserious. And it’s inclusive as well! You don’t want to miss what is sure to be one of the most talked about books this year!!
November 20, 2025
First and foremost, I would like to thank Run For It for gifting me a copy of this book. I love eco horror so I was really looking forward this. Unfortunately, this did not land for me at all...
I think my overarching complaint of this book was how off-putting it was. This is the third or fourth time I've read a horror novel where trans people are written to be sex crazed lunatics that sexualize everything and anything. Not only did that REALLY bother me, but the way bodies were described was abhorrently grotesque. Without going into too much detail, 'fat bodies' were talked about repeatedly and fetishized. There was one part in the book where one of the characters was talking about how they wanted 'huge tits, tits so big they sagged to her waist, tits so big they hurt her back, tits so big they were engorged, etc. and it was like WE GET IT YOU WANT BIG BOOBS, MOVE ON.
The other thing that really rubbed me the wrong was was how one of the MC's, Sarah, was a trans person but was constantly called a 'phallic alec' because she had a penis. And when I say she was called a 'phallic alec', I mean she was called this 46 times. It felt like I was being waterboarded with crude, demeaning, bullying language that was so unnecessary and didn't add to the story.
Again, I feel like this could have been an awesome story with plenty of shock value with what was added, but the dialogue was disgusting...and this is coming from someone who swears like a pirate. I understand that this was written for shock value, but that's all it was. The actual story itself was so lost for me because of how off-putting the majority of the writing was.
I will say that this is was written with EXTREME vivid imagery, which I can appreciate. Definitely go into this one with caution and knowing the triggers because my goodness are there triggers.
I think my overarching complaint of this book was how off-putting it was. This is the third or fourth time I've read a horror novel where trans people are written to be sex crazed lunatics that sexualize everything and anything. Not only did that REALLY bother me, but the way bodies were described was abhorrently grotesque. Without going into too much detail, 'fat bodies' were talked about repeatedly and fetishized. There was one part in the book where one of the characters was talking about how they wanted 'huge tits, tits so big they sagged to her waist, tits so big they hurt her back, tits so big they were engorged, etc. and it was like WE GET IT YOU WANT BIG BOOBS, MOVE ON.
The other thing that really rubbed me the wrong was was how one of the MC's, Sarah, was a trans person but was constantly called a 'phallic alec' because she had a penis. And when I say she was called a 'phallic alec', I mean she was called this 46 times. It felt like I was being waterboarded with crude, demeaning, bullying language that was so unnecessary and didn't add to the story.
Again, I feel like this could have been an awesome story with plenty of shock value with what was added, but the dialogue was disgusting...and this is coming from someone who swears like a pirate. I understand that this was written for shock value, but that's all it was. The actual story itself was so lost for me because of how off-putting the majority of the writing was.
I will say that this is was written with EXTREME vivid imagery, which I can appreciate. Definitely go into this one with caution and knowing the triggers because my goodness are there triggers.
September 16, 2025
Uh... I liked the cover and nothing much else.
August 16, 2025
Moonflow is a horror novel about a mushroom-growing trans woman who ends up being lured to a female cult in the woods by a mysterious entity. Sarah needs money and her best bet is to find the mushroom that her friend wants, the powerful King's Breakfast. It only grows in the Pamogo forest, so Sarah heads off with the help of Andy, who works at the visitor centre and doesn't approve of her plan to sell the mushroom. Once in the forest, they find themselves being lured deeper, but once there, they find a weird cult of gender essentialist women.
Before starting this book, I didn't actually realise it was so much like something I'd usually read, as the blurb I read didn't really emphasise the trans splatterpunk nature of it, but Moonflow is like if you crossed Alison Rumfitt's books with the mushroom-y vibes of Mexican Gothic, with a heavy dash of Gretchen Felker-Martin as well. It's the sort of horror that manages to become satirical and darkly funny, whilst also being cuttingly real about certain elements (the cult's obsession with saying 'phallic alec', for example). It starts off slow, with a great glitched phone element and the fear of forgetting something, but quickly becomes much weirder with a cult focused on lesbian sex and psychedelic substances. The ending is satisfyingly disgusting, with a cosmic horror style lack of real resolution about what happened.
If you like trans horror, Moonflow is a fun botanical take on the genre that combines the horror of eldritch beings and mysterious fungi with the horror of a feminine-obsessed cult to explore different ideas of what happens once you learn something you can't turn away from.
Before starting this book, I didn't actually realise it was so much like something I'd usually read, as the blurb I read didn't really emphasise the trans splatterpunk nature of it, but Moonflow is like if you crossed Alison Rumfitt's books with the mushroom-y vibes of Mexican Gothic, with a heavy dash of Gretchen Felker-Martin as well. It's the sort of horror that manages to become satirical and darkly funny, whilst also being cuttingly real about certain elements (the cult's obsession with saying 'phallic alec', for example). It starts off slow, with a great glitched phone element and the fear of forgetting something, but quickly becomes much weirder with a cult focused on lesbian sex and psychedelic substances. The ending is satisfyingly disgusting, with a cosmic horror style lack of real resolution about what happened.
If you like trans horror, Moonflow is a fun botanical take on the genre that combines the horror of eldritch beings and mysterious fungi with the horror of a feminine-obsessed cult to explore different ideas of what happens once you learn something you can't turn away from.
August 19, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
To summarize, a trans girl named Sarah who is a mycologist and sells psychedelic mushrooms that she grows, brings her latest harvest to her biggest buyer, and is told that the strain is ‘so last season’, like it’s a fashion design.
Sarah, desperately in need of money following a breakup, decides that she is going to go on a trip into the dark and mysterious Pamago forest to find the latest craze in the party scene, the Kings Breakfast. She wants to get some samples of spores so she can bring it home and grow them in her controlled environment, because surely that would be a huge money maker! But at what cost?
Upon her arrival at the state park just outside of the Pamago, she meets quite possibly the dumbest and most annoying man in the world, Andy, and he is meant to be her guide on this trip.
As they make their way into the forest, things start to get very strange, and they encounter some incredibly disconcerting sights and happenings, which Andy continually brushes off as normal for the area.
At one point, they do in fact become horribly lost, only to be ‘saved’ by a grimy woman named Skillet, who brings them back to the compound on which she, and a group of around 20 lesbians have formed a self sufficient community… but it’s definitely a freaky cult.
This book read like it was written by a 14 year old edgelord. The premise had so much potential, but it just did not hit the way I expected it to. The character names like Hell Slut, Captain Beef Curtains, and Virginia Dentata did not do this book any favors. And the whole time after Sarah and Andy made it to the cult compound, I kept finding myself asking…. What the hell is going on?
This story had issues with coherency, and the voice just didn’t fit the intended content. Super unfortunate, because the synopsis sounded so promising.
To summarize, a trans girl named Sarah who is a mycologist and sells psychedelic mushrooms that she grows, brings her latest harvest to her biggest buyer, and is told that the strain is ‘so last season’, like it’s a fashion design.
Sarah, desperately in need of money following a breakup, decides that she is going to go on a trip into the dark and mysterious Pamago forest to find the latest craze in the party scene, the Kings Breakfast. She wants to get some samples of spores so she can bring it home and grow them in her controlled environment, because surely that would be a huge money maker! But at what cost?
Upon her arrival at the state park just outside of the Pamago, she meets quite possibly the dumbest and most annoying man in the world, Andy, and he is meant to be her guide on this trip.
As they make their way into the forest, things start to get very strange, and they encounter some incredibly disconcerting sights and happenings, which Andy continually brushes off as normal for the area.
At one point, they do in fact become horribly lost, only to be ‘saved’ by a grimy woman named Skillet, who brings them back to the compound on which she, and a group of around 20 lesbians have formed a self sufficient community… but it’s definitely a freaky cult.
This book read like it was written by a 14 year old edgelord. The premise had so much potential, but it just did not hit the way I expected it to. The character names like Hell Slut, Captain Beef Curtains, and Virginia Dentata did not do this book any favors. And the whole time after Sarah and Andy made it to the cult compound, I kept finding myself asking…. What the hell is going on?
This story had issues with coherency, and the voice just didn’t fit the intended content. Super unfortunate, because the synopsis sounded so promising.
August 27, 2025
2 🌟
I wanted to like this more than I did, but unfortunately, I didn't connect with it. At least I was interested in the trippy mushroom and cult aspects of the story. But, I think the only character I liked was Herman the cat (who isn't featured much). It all seemed overly crude for no reason, making it unlikable to me.
The narrator, Venus Rose Fischer, did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. Skillet, in particular, was really well done.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC.
I wanted to like this more than I did, but unfortunately, I didn't connect with it. At least I was interested in the trippy mushroom and cult aspects of the story. But, I think the only character I liked was Herman the cat (who isn't featured much). It all seemed overly crude for no reason, making it unlikable to me.
The narrator, Venus Rose Fischer, did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. Skillet, in particular, was really well done.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC.
August 22, 2025
"Maybe some future Pamogo hikers would use her corpse as a marker on their journey. Maybe someday some lost hiker would be saved by finding her body. Maybe there's beauty in that, she thought..."
July 3, 2025
Gross and glorious horror! I loved it. A terrific bloody psychedelic orgy of a book
October 27, 2025
Moonflow is a fucking trip. Creepy spooky forest vibes filed with the wave of books giving mushrooms their day in the bioluminescent spotlight.
.
Content warnings are loud and proud. I was surprised by the internalized mysogeny for some reason but TERFs gonna TERF, I guess. The main character is Trans and Fat so all the -phobias are also well represented.
.
The book was fast paced, and a wild ride. Would recommend to my witchy, folky, forest horror lovers.
.
Sadeness by Enigma, playing now, is referenced as great for setting the mood for a sensual, healing orgy. Please enjoy.
.
Content warnings are loud and proud. I was surprised by the internalized mysogeny for some reason but TERFs gonna TERF, I guess. The main character is Trans and Fat so all the -phobias are also well represented.
.
The book was fast paced, and a wild ride. Would recommend to my witchy, folky, forest horror lovers.
.
Sadeness by Enigma, playing now, is referenced as great for setting the mood for a sensual, healing orgy. Please enjoy.
November 5, 2025
My Selling Pitch:
Slow af mushroom cult horror that thinks it's feminist but totally misses the memo and just fetishizes women’s bodies the whole time.
On my do not read list.
Pre-reading:
The cover gives “Wuthering Heights,” and I LOVE Manhunt, so your girl is sat.
(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
I don’t like that she keeps her drugs with her cat.
I hope they eat the cop. Hannibal Lecter mushroom episode style.
I think the mushrooms ate the last camp interpreter because he was diddling kids. (I wanted to read this book, not the one I got.)
These mushrooms have the wackiest names!
This is kinda aggressively cringe woke.
Can they chill with calling her fat?
Title drop
They're feeding the mushrooms bodies for sure.
Maybe the Lord of the Forest took over the old logging camp guy’s body?
I understand the Manhunt comparisons, but Manhunt is much better. I think it’s also kind of like Stag Dance, but again Stag Dance is so much better.
This is really slow and just kind of performatively edgy, and it’s kind of falling into the manhater sphere. And the trap of characters are only trans or gay from sexual trauma, and I'm just tired, man.
The audiobook is FUN with the glitch voice!
They’re literally murdering people, and I’m still like this is so slow.
Poor raccoon!
I don’t understand this horse piss dialogue. Is that slang for a drug or another mushroom?
I might be too straight for this. I’m just getting annoyed. Everyone in this book sucks. (Too straight in the all the descriptions of women are SO male gaze, so it’s just icky to me, but maybe if you lust after women you have some of these thoughts. But I actually just think it’s problematically so male gazed.)
It’s not even smart, satirized comedy. It’s just hateful clichés.
Japanese Maple has been forever tainted by the Kelces.
This is closer to Midsommar and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Psychadellic titty milk is crazy.
Skillet’s genital mutilation backstory is really, really sad.
Women aren't supposed to do anything. Women don’t owe you shit. Women aren't “supposed” to want to have kids or give birth. That's not part of the identity. Get fucked.
Be nice to Skillet.
I'm still confused by the piss.
It's reduced women to such fetishistic parts that there's nothing feminist about this.
Kayfabe
So mushroom tentacle porn. You're just screaming male gaze at this point.
I'm so checked out.
Lordosis
Everyone dies books are so unsatisfying to me.
Post-reading:
The cover and the comp titles for this had me so excited. It didn't just flop for me, but I actively hated reading it. And that’s saying something because I push through a lot of garbage books with oodles of whiny bitching but rarely visceral hatred for them.
And it’s frustrating because I am DOWN for transgressive horror and problematic characters and satirical social criticisms. This was a hateful MESS. It’s like the worst side of the brain rotted left where it throws away the mission for equality and decides it wants indiscriminate retribution. I'm left as they come. Do you know how much I hate when a book has me exasperatedly dragging my fingers over my face like not all men, and even worse, not all cops? I don't want those loaded statements in my mouth, but this book reads like it calls for the death of everyone because the only legitimate way to live is to tap into the divine feminine which can only be achieved through-oh yeah, parthenogenically birthing babies. We’re in a character’s flawed POV when this statement is uttered, so hopefully the author doesn't genuinely believe this, but the character does say with her full chest that you can't be a valid, real woman unless you want to birth kids. Lol get so fucked.
The characters blend together into sexually traumatic backstory bingo. I found Skillet to be the most likable character. I'm a sucker for morally gray charisma. But she’s treated like a running, bonkers, horny joke. It’s heavily implied that the girl’s father forced her to sit on a hotplate so that she couldn't have sex, and instead of taking female genital mutilation seriously, it’s played for body shame-tinged laughs. Fatness is repeatedly fetishized, and all people who are attracted to it are reduced to chasers, like there’s no valid way to be into bigger bodies. Breastfeeding and birthing are sexualized. There’s some indecipherable-to me at least- dialogue surrounding a bestiality piss kink. And it got to me. The book treats the experience as kinky horror, but it was just disturbing fetishism to me along the lines of American Horror Story. I know plenty of people like that series, but I can't cope with the violent undertones to all of its sexual horror. And if this is the first review of mine that you’re reading, I can hear the eyerolling kink-shaming prude comments. I’d encourage you to go look at the comp titles I'll be giving for this, and I think you'll change your tune. I loved those books. I love this genre. So when I say this was not fucking it-
It's pretty laissez-faire with its drug use. I’m a total square, so that’s not for me, but I can enjoy some acid-laced prose. The visuals for it never deliver. There’s gore, but no stakes to it, so it's never scary. If you kill characters I'm not emotionally bonded to, I'm not gonna react. The book constantly tells you that the Lord of the Forest is so terrifying that people can't see him and continue to live, but we never get any threatening behavior from him. By all means, don't show me the monster directly because they'll always be scarier before their reveal, but even when the audience finally gets to see him, there’s zero horror. The whole book is more counterculture disturbed than genuine horror. It reminded me so much of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood not just because of the cult factor, but also because the rampant sexual abuse is treated as something sexy and titillating and almost aspirational rather than being disgusting.
And the ending! It’s such a cop out. I hate everybody dies books. There’s almost no actual resolution to the plot. We never learn why Sarah’s so desperate for money or why she can't get a real job and her only motivation, to take care of her cat, she exchanges for giant astral projection breasts? It's so deeply unsatisfying.
I just don't think you should read this. I don't think you'll enjoy your time. It's not snarky, it’s not funny, the characters don't win you over, the plot’s a shoestring, and most damningly for a horror, it’s not even scary. The best part of this book was the audiobook’s sound effects for the phone glitch, and that's about it for positive things I can say about it. If you're looking for horror with gender commentary I really encourage you to pick up one of my comp titles because those books slap.
Who should read this:
Cult horror fans
Drug trip fiction fans
Ideal reading time:
Fall
Do I want to reread this:
Nope.
Would I buy this:
Nope.
Similar books:
* Stag Dance by Torrey Peters-short story collection, historical, horror, folktale retelling, queer, trans, social commentary
* Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin-dystopian horror, queer, trans, social commentary, cults
* The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling-psychological, magical realism horror, queer, religious commentary, cults
* The Unworthy by Augustina Bazterrica-dystopian horror, cults, queer, religious commentary
* You Weren’t Meant to be Human by Andrew Joseph White-dystopian horror, cults, queer, trans, autism, social commentary
* Mary by Nat Cassidy-horror, social commentary, cults, revenge thriller
* Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison-magical realism horror, family drama, revenge thriller, cults
* Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt-horror, unreliable narrator, queer, trans, social commentary
* Deliver Me by Elle Nash-psychological horror, family drama, revenge thriller, queer, unreliable narrator, cults, social commentary
* American Werewolves by Emily Jane-magical realism horror, historical, queer, social commentary, revenge thriller
* Overgrowth by Mira Grant-dystopian sci-fi horror, queer, trans, autism, social commentary
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Slow af mushroom cult horror that thinks it's feminist but totally misses the memo and just fetishizes women’s bodies the whole time.
On my do not read list.
Pre-reading:
The cover gives “Wuthering Heights,” and I LOVE Manhunt, so your girl is sat.
(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
I don’t like that she keeps her drugs with her cat.
I hope they eat the cop. Hannibal Lecter mushroom episode style.
I think the mushrooms ate the last camp interpreter because he was diddling kids. (I wanted to read this book, not the one I got.)
These mushrooms have the wackiest names!
This is kinda aggressively cringe woke.
Can they chill with calling her fat?
Title drop
They're feeding the mushrooms bodies for sure.
Maybe the Lord of the Forest took over the old logging camp guy’s body?
I understand the Manhunt comparisons, but Manhunt is much better. I think it’s also kind of like Stag Dance, but again Stag Dance is so much better.
This is really slow and just kind of performatively edgy, and it’s kind of falling into the manhater sphere. And the trap of characters are only trans or gay from sexual trauma, and I'm just tired, man.
The audiobook is FUN with the glitch voice!
They’re literally murdering people, and I’m still like this is so slow.
Poor raccoon!
I don’t understand this horse piss dialogue. Is that slang for a drug or another mushroom?
I might be too straight for this. I’m just getting annoyed. Everyone in this book sucks. (Too straight in the all the descriptions of women are SO male gaze, so it’s just icky to me, but maybe if you lust after women you have some of these thoughts. But I actually just think it’s problematically so male gazed.)
It’s not even smart, satirized comedy. It’s just hateful clichés.
Japanese Maple has been forever tainted by the Kelces.
This is closer to Midsommar and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Psychadellic titty milk is crazy.
Skillet’s genital mutilation backstory is really, really sad.
Women aren't supposed to do anything. Women don’t owe you shit. Women aren't “supposed” to want to have kids or give birth. That's not part of the identity. Get fucked.
Be nice to Skillet.
I'm still confused by the piss.
It's reduced women to such fetishistic parts that there's nothing feminist about this.
Kayfabe
So mushroom tentacle porn. You're just screaming male gaze at this point.
I'm so checked out.
Lordosis
Everyone dies books are so unsatisfying to me.
Post-reading:
The cover and the comp titles for this had me so excited. It didn't just flop for me, but I actively hated reading it. And that’s saying something because I push through a lot of garbage books with oodles of whiny bitching but rarely visceral hatred for them.
And it’s frustrating because I am DOWN for transgressive horror and problematic characters and satirical social criticisms. This was a hateful MESS. It’s like the worst side of the brain rotted left where it throws away the mission for equality and decides it wants indiscriminate retribution. I'm left as they come. Do you know how much I hate when a book has me exasperatedly dragging my fingers over my face like not all men, and even worse, not all cops? I don't want those loaded statements in my mouth, but this book reads like it calls for the death of everyone because the only legitimate way to live is to tap into the divine feminine which can only be achieved through-oh yeah, parthenogenically birthing babies. We’re in a character’s flawed POV when this statement is uttered, so hopefully the author doesn't genuinely believe this, but the character does say with her full chest that you can't be a valid, real woman unless you want to birth kids. Lol get so fucked.
The characters blend together into sexually traumatic backstory bingo. I found Skillet to be the most likable character. I'm a sucker for morally gray charisma. But she’s treated like a running, bonkers, horny joke. It’s heavily implied that the girl’s father forced her to sit on a hotplate so that she couldn't have sex, and instead of taking female genital mutilation seriously, it’s played for body shame-tinged laughs. Fatness is repeatedly fetishized, and all people who are attracted to it are reduced to chasers, like there’s no valid way to be into bigger bodies. Breastfeeding and birthing are sexualized. There’s some indecipherable-to me at least- dialogue surrounding a bestiality piss kink. And it got to me. The book treats the experience as kinky horror, but it was just disturbing fetishism to me along the lines of American Horror Story. I know plenty of people like that series, but I can't cope with the violent undertones to all of its sexual horror. And if this is the first review of mine that you’re reading, I can hear the eyerolling kink-shaming prude comments. I’d encourage you to go look at the comp titles I'll be giving for this, and I think you'll change your tune. I loved those books. I love this genre. So when I say this was not fucking it-
It's pretty laissez-faire with its drug use. I’m a total square, so that’s not for me, but I can enjoy some acid-laced prose. The visuals for it never deliver. There’s gore, but no stakes to it, so it's never scary. If you kill characters I'm not emotionally bonded to, I'm not gonna react. The book constantly tells you that the Lord of the Forest is so terrifying that people can't see him and continue to live, but we never get any threatening behavior from him. By all means, don't show me the monster directly because they'll always be scarier before their reveal, but even when the audience finally gets to see him, there’s zero horror. The whole book is more counterculture disturbed than genuine horror. It reminded me so much of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood not just because of the cult factor, but also because the rampant sexual abuse is treated as something sexy and titillating and almost aspirational rather than being disgusting.
And the ending! It’s such a cop out. I hate everybody dies books. There’s almost no actual resolution to the plot. We never learn why Sarah’s so desperate for money or why she can't get a real job and her only motivation, to take care of her cat, she exchanges for giant astral projection breasts? It's so deeply unsatisfying.
I just don't think you should read this. I don't think you'll enjoy your time. It's not snarky, it’s not funny, the characters don't win you over, the plot’s a shoestring, and most damningly for a horror, it’s not even scary. The best part of this book was the audiobook’s sound effects for the phone glitch, and that's about it for positive things I can say about it. If you're looking for horror with gender commentary I really encourage you to pick up one of my comp titles because those books slap.
Who should read this:
Cult horror fans
Drug trip fiction fans
Ideal reading time:
Fall
Do I want to reread this:
Nope.
Would I buy this:
Nope.
Similar books:
* Stag Dance by Torrey Peters-short story collection, historical, horror, folktale retelling, queer, trans, social commentary
* Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin-dystopian horror, queer, trans, social commentary, cults
* The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling-psychological, magical realism horror, queer, religious commentary, cults
* The Unworthy by Augustina Bazterrica-dystopian horror, cults, queer, religious commentary
* You Weren’t Meant to be Human by Andrew Joseph White-dystopian horror, cults, queer, trans, autism, social commentary
* Mary by Nat Cassidy-horror, social commentary, cults, revenge thriller
* Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison-magical realism horror, family drama, revenge thriller, cults
* Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt-horror, unreliable narrator, queer, trans, social commentary
* Deliver Me by Elle Nash-psychological horror, family drama, revenge thriller, queer, unreliable narrator, cults, social commentary
* American Werewolves by Emily Jane-magical realism horror, historical, queer, social commentary, revenge thriller
* Overgrowth by Mira Grant-dystopian sci-fi horror, queer, trans, autism, social commentary
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 21, 2025
"Women were not the vessels of sin. It was men."
Roaming around BN with nothing in mind is when I find the books with the most outrageous covers. This is one that my husband and I spotted and couldn’t leave behind. It promised mushroom horror, splatterpunk, and terror… I threw my money at the cashier and ran away with my horrid prize. After completing this novel, maybe I should have just ran and kept my cash.
The cover is better than the story. This really was an okay read but nothing more than that, I wound up skimming the last forty pages.
RTC
Roaming around BN with nothing in mind is when I find the books with the most outrageous covers. This is one that my husband and I spotted and couldn’t leave behind. It promised mushroom horror, splatterpunk, and terror… I threw my money at the cashier and ran away with my horrid prize. After completing this novel, maybe I should have just ran and kept my cash.
The cover is better than the story. This really was an okay read but nothing more than that, I wound up skimming the last forty pages.
RTC
September 23, 2025
3.75 stars
Strangely strange strange...
Moonflow by Bitter Karella is like a late-night drive with the radio tuned to the weird station no one admits listening to—dreamy, creepy, and just unsettling enough to make you check the locks twice. The novel drifts between cosmic horror and small-town oddity, with prose that sometimes feels like you’re floating downstream on lavender fog. It doesn’t always hold its shape (some currents meander a bit too long), but when it hits the right rhythm, it’s deliciously eerie. Perfect for readers who like their horror served with moonlight, mystery, and a dash of absurd charm. And yes—there are mushrooms and cults. Because of course there are.
Strangely strange strange...
Moonflow by Bitter Karella is like a late-night drive with the radio tuned to the weird station no one admits listening to—dreamy, creepy, and just unsettling enough to make you check the locks twice. The novel drifts between cosmic horror and small-town oddity, with prose that sometimes feels like you’re floating downstream on lavender fog. It doesn’t always hold its shape (some currents meander a bit too long), but when it hits the right rhythm, it’s deliciously eerie. Perfect for readers who like their horror served with moonlight, mystery, and a dash of absurd charm. And yes—there are mushrooms and cults. Because of course there are.
November 9, 2025
I have never DNFed a book so fast this is fucking garbage.
It reads like the musings of an edgy, attention-starved teenager who loves to hate peoples bodies and doesn't understand their burgeoning sexuality. I want my 45 minutes back.
It reads like the musings of an edgy, attention-starved teenager who loves to hate peoples bodies and doesn't understand their burgeoning sexuality. I want my 45 minutes back.
August 10, 2025
Unapologetically hallucinatory and fabulously weird, I had an absolute blast reading this trippy, wild story of a shroom dealer venturing into the heart of a haunted forest looking for the ultimate high, encountering evil hippies and their bound fungus god along the way...
My heart breaks for our main character, Sarah with her anxieties and need to connect with someone. Mother Moonflow made me laugh so much. The Hell Slut and Skillet and Sunny Delight are a crazy, messed up trio with miles of heart and drama. And poor cringey Andy who's just a well-meaning derp.
I loved all the characters in this book. Despite the insane story and creepy AF forest and its entities, the people feel real, as they ultimately try to get through all this insanity for love and desire, with a liberal dose of self-doubt.
The unrelenting and demented plot was completely engrossing for me and I was absolutely invested. The writing frequently was phantasmagorical and lush. I am in love with the Pamogo - it conjures some pretty amazing images in my head that are both terrifying and inviting.
I'd go back to this crazy fungal forest in a heartbeat. And I'd hope to see some of these characters there.
My thanks to NetGalley and Run For It for the advanced reader copy.
My heart breaks for our main character, Sarah with her anxieties and need to connect with someone. Mother Moonflow made me laugh so much. The Hell Slut and Skillet and Sunny Delight are a crazy, messed up trio with miles of heart and drama. And poor cringey Andy who's just a well-meaning derp.
I loved all the characters in this book. Despite the insane story and creepy AF forest and its entities, the people feel real, as they ultimately try to get through all this insanity for love and desire, with a liberal dose of self-doubt.
The unrelenting and demented plot was completely engrossing for me and I was absolutely invested. The writing frequently was phantasmagorical and lush. I am in love with the Pamogo - it conjures some pretty amazing images in my head that are both terrifying and inviting.
I'd go back to this crazy fungal forest in a heartbeat. And I'd hope to see some of these characters there.
My thanks to NetGalley and Run For It for the advanced reader copy.
September 6, 2025
Meh. Needed more horror and less descriptions of big pendulous breasts. Also the main character won't let you forget that she's fat, you'll be reminded on every page, then add in a character with a fat fetish and it's just....idk, boring. It started out strong but lost it's way. Near the end of the book, things were just happening, no build up. Felt like I missed a chapter or two and had to read back to make sure but nope, just rushed.
And then this: "women were supposed to cherish that intimate power to nurture new life, supposed to want to hold that parasite inside them. Even most of the other Trans women she knew wanted that".... I didn't like this. The character brought this up because she didnt feel the desire to have kids so thought maybe she was a fraud as a Trans woman and I want to think the author is being ironic but it just bothered me, there’s no one “right” way to be a woman. Maybe it's not that serious and I may just be touchy about it being a chosen childless cat lady but it just made me cringe and not in an enjoyable way.
And then this: "women were supposed to cherish that intimate power to nurture new life, supposed to want to hold that parasite inside them. Even most of the other Trans women she knew wanted that".... I didn't like this. The character brought this up because she didnt feel the desire to have kids so thought maybe she was a fraud as a Trans woman and I want to think the author is being ironic but it just bothered me, there’s no one “right” way to be a woman. Maybe it's not that serious and I may just be touchy about it being a chosen childless cat lady but it just made me cringe and not in an enjoyable way.
September 2, 2025
I mean I KNEW this was going to be a good book when I found out our MFC name is Sarah. Ha!
This is a wild ride!! The cover is such a good representation of what the book holds. I have never personally taken acid, but I feel like that this entire book is what that would feel like. Sarah was such a likable character. She is flawed, funny, and relatable. She also finds herself in a lot of trouble when she goes looking for the "kings breakfast". She had a taste and now she must grow it/sell it back home. She meets Andy who is her guide. Let's just say they run into a lesbian cult... and when you think it cannot get any weirder.... it does!!! eeeeee! The raccoons, a person named Pickles, Hell Slut, Sunny Delight, and Skillet, all kept me thoroughly entertained!
I could not put the book down!
Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the ARC!
This is a wild ride!! The cover is such a good representation of what the book holds. I have never personally taken acid, but I feel like that this entire book is what that would feel like. Sarah was such a likable character. She is flawed, funny, and relatable. She also finds herself in a lot of trouble when she goes looking for the "kings breakfast". She had a taste and now she must grow it/sell it back home. She meets Andy who is her guide. Let's just say they run into a lesbian cult... and when you think it cannot get any weirder.... it does!!! eeeeee! The raccoons, a person named Pickles, Hell Slut, Sunny Delight, and Skillet, all kept me thoroughly entertained!
I could not put the book down!
Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the ARC!
September 27, 2025
Moonflow is a wild queer horror that’s part cosmic horror, part cult thriller, & part psychedelic fever dream! It features a lot of body horror—sensitive readers should proceed with caution.
The story follows Sarah, a trans woman scraping by as a mushroom forager, who sets out into the ominous Pamogo Forest to find a legendary hallucinogenic strain called “King’s Breakfast.” Alongside guide Andy, she soon discovers the forest is home to a dangerous cult of women worshipping Mother Moonflow. What starts as a search for mushrooms spirals into a descent into madness & transformation.
The characters are sharp, distinctive, & totally unforgettable. Sarah is a cynical and flawed protagonist. She doesn’t want to be a hero, but her resilience, sharp wit, & refusal to conform turn her into a fierce survivor—and make her very likeable! Andy brings a mix of comic relief & tension as her reluctant guide. Meanwhile, the cult members, especially the terrifying “Mother Moonflow” and the intimidating “Skillet,” are unlikable, menacing characters.
The story is a dual timeline—the present-day journey of Sarah and Andy and the past revealed through colonist diaries. The diaries come from early colonists who explored the Pamogo Forest, and they foreshadow what’s coming for Sarah. The story is told through multiple POVs: mainly Sarah, but also Andy, the cult members, & historical voices in the diaries.
The pacing is uneven & unpredictable, but it suits the weird, trippy narrative. There are scenes of sudden shocking violence & the transitions back to a surreal atmosphere. The midsection really feels disorienting and unsettling but matches the psychedelic descent the characters are experiencing. The story culminates in a mind-bending conclusion that’s both unsettling & thought-provoking—and it’s one of those endings that lingers long after the final page!
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy queer, atmospheric horror and thought-provoking stories that are equally disturbing & fascinating.
The story follows Sarah, a trans woman scraping by as a mushroom forager, who sets out into the ominous Pamogo Forest to find a legendary hallucinogenic strain called “King’s Breakfast.” Alongside guide Andy, she soon discovers the forest is home to a dangerous cult of women worshipping Mother Moonflow. What starts as a search for mushrooms spirals into a descent into madness & transformation.
The characters are sharp, distinctive, & totally unforgettable. Sarah is a cynical and flawed protagonist. She doesn’t want to be a hero, but her resilience, sharp wit, & refusal to conform turn her into a fierce survivor—and make her very likeable! Andy brings a mix of comic relief & tension as her reluctant guide. Meanwhile, the cult members, especially the terrifying “Mother Moonflow” and the intimidating “Skillet,” are unlikable, menacing characters.
The story is a dual timeline—the present-day journey of Sarah and Andy and the past revealed through colonist diaries. The diaries come from early colonists who explored the Pamogo Forest, and they foreshadow what’s coming for Sarah. The story is told through multiple POVs: mainly Sarah, but also Andy, the cult members, & historical voices in the diaries.
The pacing is uneven & unpredictable, but it suits the weird, trippy narrative. There are scenes of sudden shocking violence & the transitions back to a surreal atmosphere. The midsection really feels disorienting and unsettling but matches the psychedelic descent the characters are experiencing. The story culminates in a mind-bending conclusion that’s both unsettling & thought-provoking—and it’s one of those endings that lingers long after the final page!
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy queer, atmospheric horror and thought-provoking stories that are equally disturbing & fascinating.
September 5, 2025
If you liked Manhunt or are just a Gretchen Felker-Martin fan in general, you’re probably going to like this book. If you like sporror novels, you’re probably going to like this book. If you like horror novels that scream (well, not in so many words), “It’s not feminism if it’s not intersectional!”, then you’re probably going to like this book.
Luckily, I’m a fan of all three, so I really liked this book. Add in the psychedelic, exaggerated, and phantasmagoric writing style Karella wields here in a way that reminds me in part of both Hunter S. Thompson and Chuck Pahalnuik and this was not only an easy book for me to just rip through, but it was an enjoyable one too.
I won’t pretend this book will be a difficult read for some people. Karella has done a proper job of listing the content warnings at the front of the book to warn you of a lot of what’s to come, and this novel tackles some difficult topics. Personally, I didn’t find it a difficult read because I was too busy laughing at the outrageous behavior of some of the characters and their dialogue, because TERFs are ridiculous and I find some splatterpunk to be hilarious. I’m just made different, I guess.
I’m going to enjoy waiting for Bitter Karella to write another book, because I want to see what comes next from their mind. 4⭐️
I was provided a copy of the digital ARC of this title by the author and publisher. Thanks to the Novel Suspect’s Insider’s Club for the physical ARC. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Body Horror/Botanical Horror/Cult Horror/Horror/LGBTQ Horror/OwnVoices
Luckily, I’m a fan of all three, so I really liked this book. Add in the psychedelic, exaggerated, and phantasmagoric writing style Karella wields here in a way that reminds me in part of both Hunter S. Thompson and Chuck Pahalnuik and this was not only an easy book for me to just rip through, but it was an enjoyable one too.
I won’t pretend this book will be a difficult read for some people. Karella has done a proper job of listing the content warnings at the front of the book to warn you of a lot of what’s to come, and this novel tackles some difficult topics. Personally, I didn’t find it a difficult read because I was too busy laughing at the outrageous behavior of some of the characters and their dialogue, because TERFs are ridiculous and I find some splatterpunk to be hilarious. I’m just made different, I guess.
I’m going to enjoy waiting for Bitter Karella to write another book, because I want to see what comes next from their mind. 4⭐️
I was provided a copy of the digital ARC of this title by the author and publisher. Thanks to the Novel Suspect’s Insider’s Club for the physical ARC. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Body Horror/Botanical Horror/Cult Horror/Horror/LGBTQ Horror/OwnVoices
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October 29, 2025Mmmmmmm not sureeee.... this is my first time reading a Splatter Punk so I'm not sure if that had hindered or helped my experience reading this. (however Im not COMPLETELY unfamiliar with splatter punk as I have come across that one book on tiktok and followed the rabbit hole, iykyk)
This book follows a Trans woman, Sarah, as she tries to make ends meet and look after her cat by selling Mushies, but not just any shrooms- The Kings Breakfast- which is the shrooms of all shrooms and is located in a bum-fk-nowhere forest where shit just spirals out of control/reality.
This book just didnt hit for me, and I think it was because it felt equally dragged out while also rushed.
The concept was fucking sick though, I think the visuals and the trippyness was done well AND every character was annoying to hateable in their own way(aside from Andy, I just felt bad for him) which im guessing is part of the "splatter punk" vibe? I just really didn't care for anyone though. (please tell me if im meant to or not)
Some characters I wondered if we would get more info on? like Skillet?? We get the saddest, tiny, drop of lore but not much else to make me want to care about her. For the most part she's fkkn ICKY dude.
Also plus sized women and women's bodies in general so fetishized and given such goofy descriptions, again, im guessing this is part of the splatter punk genre? I'm still not sure what to make of it?
Rant of confusion aside, Moonflow gets a 2 - weird enough to keep me reading but it didn't hit as much as I hoped
This book follows a Trans woman, Sarah, as she tries to make ends meet and look after her cat by selling Mushies, but not just any shrooms- The Kings Breakfast- which is the shrooms of all shrooms and is located in a bum-fk-nowhere forest where shit just spirals out of control/reality.
This book just didnt hit for me, and I think it was because it felt equally dragged out while also rushed.
The concept was fucking sick though, I think the visuals and the trippyness was done well AND every character was annoying to hateable in their own way(aside from Andy, I just felt bad for him) which im guessing is part of the "splatter punk" vibe? I just really didn't care for anyone though. (please tell me if im meant to or not)
Some characters I wondered if we would get more info on? like Skillet?? We get the saddest, tiny, drop of lore but not much else to make me want to care about her. For the most part she's fkkn ICKY dude.
Also plus sized women and women's bodies in general so fetishized and given such goofy descriptions, again, im guessing this is part of the splatter punk genre? I'm still not sure what to make of it?
Rant of confusion aside, Moonflow gets a 2 - weird enough to keep me reading but it didn't hit as much as I hoped
October 26, 2025
Hard to rate such a uniquely fucked up book, tbh. I’m not 100% what I just read, what was real and what was a mushroom trip - but this read was entirely unpredictable from start to finish. I liked the weird ass characters with the even weirder names, and this culty, gory, psychedelic story was the perfect read for a spooky season.
Make sure you read the TW for this one folks - it’s a lot 😅
Make sure you read the TW for this one folks - it’s a lot 😅
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