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The Lamb
Margot and Mama have lived by the forest ever since Margot can remember. When Margot is not at school they spend quiet days together in their cottage, waiting for strangers to knock on their door—"strays," Mama calls them, people who have strayed too far from the road. Mama loves the strays. She feeds them wine, keeps them warm. Then she picks apart their bodies and toasts them off with some vegetable oil.
But Mama’s want is stronger than her hunger sometimes, and when a beautiful, white-toothed stray named Eden turns up in the heart of a snowstorm, Margot must confront the shifting dynamics of her family, untangle her own desires, and make her own bid for freedom.
With this gothic coming-of-age tale, novelist Lucy Rose explores how women swallow their anger, desire, and animal instincts—and wrings the relationship between mother and daughter until blood drips from it.
But Mama’s want is stronger than her hunger sometimes, and when a beautiful, white-toothed stray named Eden turns up in the heart of a snowstorm, Margot must confront the shifting dynamics of her family, untangle her own desires, and make her own bid for freedom.
With this gothic coming-of-age tale, novelist Lucy Rose explores how women swallow their anger, desire, and animal instincts—and wrings the relationship between mother and daughter until blood drips from it.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published February 4, 2025
1,106 people are currently reading
57.3k people want to read
About the author
Lucy Rose
2 books294 followersNot active here - come find me on Insta, TikTok or BlueSky @LucyRoseCreates x
Cumbrian dwelling in the North East. Writer of folktales and fables. Lucy Rose’s fiction and non-fiction have been published by Dread Central, Mslexia and more, and her films have visited BAFTA- and Oscar-qualifying film festivals internationally. Lucy’s debut novel, The Lamb, is being published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in the UK and HarperCollins in the US. Lucy lives on the north-east coast of England with her black cat, Figgy, and is currently working on her next story.
Cumbrian dwelling in the North East. Writer of folktales and fables. Lucy Rose’s fiction and non-fiction have been published by Dread Central, Mslexia and more, and her films have visited BAFTA- and Oscar-qualifying film festivals internationally. Lucy’s debut novel, The Lamb, is being published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in the UK and HarperCollins in the US. Lucy lives on the north-east coast of England with her black cat, Figgy, and is currently working on her next story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,871 reviews
February 24, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
I love a cannibalistic book full of metaphors of love and grief and oh did this do it PERFECTLY. this was a claustrophobic read following a daughters coming of age and her mothers cannibalistic desire. it was incredibly isolating, remote and carried raw undertones all whilst remaining unique, eloquent and so beautiful. the ending also made me stare at a blank wall for 2 hours straight (I don't think I'll ever get over it)
full review: watch here
I love a cannibalistic book full of metaphors of love and grief and oh did this do it PERFECTLY. this was a claustrophobic read following a daughters coming of age and her mothers cannibalistic desire. it was incredibly isolating, remote and carried raw undertones all whilst remaining unique, eloquent and so beautiful. the ending also made me stare at a blank wall for 2 hours straight (I don't think I'll ever get over it)
full review: watch here
Want to read
February 9, 2025give it to me give it to me give it to me give it to me give it to me PLEASE
February 12, 2025
Title/Author: THE LAMB by Lucy Rose
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Harper
Format: Hardcover
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: Debut! (my prediction is this will be nominated, if not WIN, the Stoker for First Novel category
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978006337...
Release Date: February 4th, 2025
General Genre: Horror/Folk Horror
Sub-Genre/Themes: Cannibalism, coming-of-age, mothers & daughters, school-age girls, sapphic romance/sex, rural living, murder (graphic/gruesome), psychological horror
Writing Style: Fairytale-like, short chapters, provocative
What You Need to Know: "A FOLK TALE. A HORROR STORY. A LOVE STORY. AN ENCHANTMENT. From an incendiary new talent, a contemporary queer folktale about a mother and daughter living in the woods."
My Reading Experience: Lucy Rose’s The Lamb is an immersive reading experience. A seductive, harrowing coming-of-age story, masterfully written with alluring prose. The reader is immediately drawn into an isolated, wooded area where we are introduced to Margot, a young girl who lives with her mother in a rustic dwelling. The very first line is an indicator of what you're getting into--a gruesome account of a claustrophobic world with a searing, ravenous mother-daughter dynamic who live a murderous, alternative lifestyle.
The novel unfurls like a dark fairytale with a suffocating sense of dread. Every page vibrates with unease, I felt something dark lurking at the edges. Margot's mother, Ruth, is a carnal woman. A terrifying force of nature whose affections manifest as this grotesque need to consume everything in her orbit. Her treatment of her daughter fluctuates between desperate love and psychological (sometimes physical) violence. The cannibalism in the novel—both literal and metaphorical—becomes symbolic of Ruth’s monstrous hunger for something that can never truly satisfy her.
Amidst the horror, there’s the romance—a sapphic love that becomes the catalyst for greater danger. Love, in The Lamb, is never simple.
Rose’s storytelling is hypnotic, wrapping the reader in a sticky, sensory world that pulses with dread. The novel is lush and disturbing as hell but more importantly, utterly devasting and soul-crushing. I felt breathless while I read the final chapters. Truly terrifying. Real horror. A solid contender for best 2025
Final Recommendation: Recommended for readers who enjoy getting their brains dirty for the sake of a well-told horror story. It's gruesome and graphic, heart-wrenching and haunting. A masterpiece of psychological horror and raw emotion. The vibes linger long after the final page.
Comps: Brother by Ania Ahlborn, The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim, Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Harper
Format: Hardcover
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: Debut! (my prediction is this will be nominated, if not WIN, the Stoker for First Novel category
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978006337...
Release Date: February 4th, 2025
General Genre: Horror/Folk Horror
Sub-Genre/Themes: Cannibalism, coming-of-age, mothers & daughters, school-age girls, sapphic romance/sex, rural living, murder (graphic/gruesome), psychological horror
Writing Style: Fairytale-like, short chapters, provocative
What You Need to Know: "A FOLK TALE. A HORROR STORY. A LOVE STORY. AN ENCHANTMENT. From an incendiary new talent, a contemporary queer folktale about a mother and daughter living in the woods."
My Reading Experience: Lucy Rose’s The Lamb is an immersive reading experience. A seductive, harrowing coming-of-age story, masterfully written with alluring prose. The reader is immediately drawn into an isolated, wooded area where we are introduced to Margot, a young girl who lives with her mother in a rustic dwelling. The very first line is an indicator of what you're getting into--a gruesome account of a claustrophobic world with a searing, ravenous mother-daughter dynamic who live a murderous, alternative lifestyle.
The novel unfurls like a dark fairytale with a suffocating sense of dread. Every page vibrates with unease, I felt something dark lurking at the edges. Margot's mother, Ruth, is a carnal woman. A terrifying force of nature whose affections manifest as this grotesque need to consume everything in her orbit. Her treatment of her daughter fluctuates between desperate love and psychological (sometimes physical) violence. The cannibalism in the novel—both literal and metaphorical—becomes symbolic of Ruth’s monstrous hunger for something that can never truly satisfy her.
Amidst the horror, there’s the romance—a sapphic love that becomes the catalyst for greater danger. Love, in The Lamb, is never simple.
Rose’s storytelling is hypnotic, wrapping the reader in a sticky, sensory world that pulses with dread. The novel is lush and disturbing as hell but more importantly, utterly devasting and soul-crushing. I felt breathless while I read the final chapters. Truly terrifying. Real horror. A solid contender for best 2025
Final Recommendation: Recommended for readers who enjoy getting their brains dirty for the sake of a well-told horror story. It's gruesome and graphic, heart-wrenching and haunting. A masterpiece of psychological horror and raw emotion. The vibes linger long after the final page.
Comps: Brother by Ania Ahlborn, The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim, Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
February 2, 2025
Aware that I am going to sound like a complete psychopath writing this, but I prefer books about systemic cannibalism than domestic cannibalism, and The Lamb is definitely the latter. This book uses cannibalism as a symbol of the need for love and acceptance; the sheer desire to be seen and wanted for who you are manifests as an outward desire to consume to fill the endless hole. I think the ‘cannibalism as love’ idea is really doing the rounds at the moment and is a really popular idea in media, but I have always preferred cannibalism to be a symbol of systemic horror, where it exposes the greed, corruption and dehumanisation of people under capitalism rather than the need for connection. Basically, I prefer cannibalism in my media to be on a much larger scale, and this book just isn’t that.
Coupled with the above is the vibe of this book which is really fairy/folktale like, which again just isn’t the type of thing I enjoy and I don’t gravitate to folk horror. All of this is quite personal reasons why I didn’t love the book but although it tries to emulate the horror of Shirley Jackson and Angela Carter, it comes across slightly awkward. There is too much of a dissonance between it trying to be a folktale and it also trying to be a realist coming-of-age novel, and it felt really jarring. Certain things are left really unexplained and seem to happen coincidentally, and this would have worked if it was a traditional folktale with magic or supernatural elements thrown in to the more ‘normal’ scenes to make the whole world believable , but the book did not manage to straddle the line between the two genres well at all. I felt like there as nothing to hook the reader.
I have seen a lot of people praise the writing but in honestly I think it was just quite average and nothing I’ve not seen before, but I do think Rose has done really well to show her influences and be in conversation with them. I think calling this a horror however is slightly misleading, as there is no sense of terror in the book. Even Angela Carter’s stories have a sense of dread and foreboding and the horror lies in the terror of what will happen if you don’t heed their warning. Like Hansel and Gretel, which this book is quite similar to, has terror in the warning to never trust strangers. But horror was missing from this book for me. I also was expecting time kind of feminist commentary but this was missing too.
I’d love to see what Rose comes out with next as for a debut this was really fun but I didn’t absolutely love it like a lot of other people did.
Coupled with the above is the vibe of this book which is really fairy/folktale like, which again just isn’t the type of thing I enjoy and I don’t gravitate to folk horror. All of this is quite personal reasons why I didn’t love the book but although it tries to emulate the horror of Shirley Jackson and Angela Carter, it comes across slightly awkward. There is too much of a dissonance between it trying to be a folktale and it also trying to be a realist coming-of-age novel, and it felt really jarring. Certain things are left really unexplained and seem to happen coincidentally, and this would have worked if it was a traditional folktale with magic or supernatural elements thrown in to the more ‘normal’ scenes to make the whole world believable , but the book did not manage to straddle the line between the two genres well at all. I felt like there as nothing to hook the reader.
I have seen a lot of people praise the writing but in honestly I think it was just quite average and nothing I’ve not seen before, but I do think Rose has done really well to show her influences and be in conversation with them. I think calling this a horror however is slightly misleading, as there is no sense of terror in the book. Even Angela Carter’s stories have a sense of dread and foreboding and the horror lies in the terror of what will happen if you don’t heed their warning. Like Hansel and Gretel, which this book is quite similar to, has terror in the warning to never trust strangers. But horror was missing from this book for me. I also was expecting time kind of feminist commentary but this was missing too.
I’d love to see what Rose comes out with next as for a debut this was really fun but I didn’t absolutely love it like a lot of other people did.
February 4, 2024
Where do I even begin?
The Lamb is a gorgeously written, horrific and heartbreaking tale of a girl named Margot and her mama. This book has permanently changed my brain chemistry and the way I view the world, I was either holding my breath or sobbing the entire way through this story. There was not a moment I wanted to put it down, I even purposely made myself slow down on reading it so I could appreciate and take in Lucy Rose's stunning prose despite being desperate to reach the conclusion of Margot's story.
Margot, Margot, Margot... I am not sure I have ever rooted this hard or desperately for a character in all my life. The courage and strength this little girl shows throughout the story reminds me of fairy tales and Greek heroes, but against a much grittier backdrop and with everything and almost everyone working against her. For me, this story is about those of us who were forgotten and unloved. It's a tale about the people who are supposed to care about us and don't. It's about abuse, girlhood, queerness, and love.
At its core this story is about love, in its many twisted forms. Lucy Rose does not shy away from innocence and pure showings of love in this novel to the dark, possessive and twisted love we cannot untangle ourselves from.
The Lamb is haunting, it is a book that has stuck with me since I first read it and honestly, I think it will for the rest of my life.
The Lamb is a gorgeously written, horrific and heartbreaking tale of a girl named Margot and her mama. This book has permanently changed my brain chemistry and the way I view the world, I was either holding my breath or sobbing the entire way through this story. There was not a moment I wanted to put it down, I even purposely made myself slow down on reading it so I could appreciate and take in Lucy Rose's stunning prose despite being desperate to reach the conclusion of Margot's story.
Margot, Margot, Margot... I am not sure I have ever rooted this hard or desperately for a character in all my life. The courage and strength this little girl shows throughout the story reminds me of fairy tales and Greek heroes, but against a much grittier backdrop and with everything and almost everyone working against her. For me, this story is about those of us who were forgotten and unloved. It's a tale about the people who are supposed to care about us and don't. It's about abuse, girlhood, queerness, and love.
At its core this story is about love, in its many twisted forms. Lucy Rose does not shy away from innocence and pure showings of love in this novel to the dark, possessive and twisted love we cannot untangle ourselves from.
The Lamb is haunting, it is a book that has stuck with me since I first read it and honestly, I think it will for the rest of my life.
September 18, 2024
Gonna listen to Eat Your Young by Hozier and stare at a wall
February 20, 2025
this is A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G Summers x Bloom by Delilah S Dawson x Where I End by Sophie White x The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister.
all I'm gonna say
all I'm gonna say
April 20, 2025
Listen, I was really here for a feminist fairy tale about a cannibalistic mother-daughter duo, I mean: What's not to love about that premise? And it started out okay, with Margot, the child (later teenager), as the narrative voice that emulates classic Jacob Grimm & Wilhelm Grimm lingo, growing up in a remote house in the woods with a mother who picks up kids who got lost and then, well, slaughters them for dinner. It's creepy, and it builds tension with the arrival of Eden, a new "stray" that becomes Margot's competition for the mother's affection.
But then, the whole thing becomes repetitive and drawn out, plus the metaphors are overly simplistic: What happened to Margot's father is not much of an enigma from the start, the mother's lover is of course a gamekeeper, subversion of the witch trope, female rage. etc. Oh, also: Queer themes, and coming-of-age by developing a personality apart from the parents. The language handles the fairy-tale-format well, the slaughtering and preparing of human meat is presented in graphic, atmospherically dense descriptions, but it's not all too gore-y (although that's a question of what you're used to, and I like extreme horror, so this is not all too disturbing by my standards).
The novel is not bad, but it started out really strong, and then, after the arrival of Eden, somehow just went on, without adding all that much. This could have been a banger if it had been significantly shorter.
But then, the whole thing becomes repetitive and drawn out, plus the metaphors are overly simplistic: What happened to Margot's father is not much of an enigma from the start, the mother's lover is of course a gamekeeper, subversion of the witch trope, female rage. etc. Oh, also: Queer themes, and coming-of-age by developing a personality apart from the parents. The language handles the fairy-tale-format well, the slaughtering and preparing of human meat is presented in graphic, atmospherically dense descriptions, but it's not all too gore-y (although that's a question of what you're used to, and I like extreme horror, so this is not all too disturbing by my standards).
The novel is not bad, but it started out really strong, and then, after the arrival of Eden, somehow just went on, without adding all that much. This could have been a banger if it had been significantly shorter.
February 8, 2025
2⭐️
Too visceral, too repetitive and too long. The last 20% was good, but it was kind of a slog to get there. Call me weird, but cannibalism isn't really my thing. It's seems like one of those books that people laud because its subject is a bit edgy, a bit controversial. Not my cup of hemlock tea or, indeed, slice of people pie.
Too visceral, too repetitive and too long. The last 20% was good, but it was kind of a slog to get there. Call me weird, but cannibalism isn't really my thing. It's seems like one of those books that people laud because its subject is a bit edgy, a bit controversial. Not my cup of hemlock tea or, indeed, slice of people pie.
February 13, 2025
Huge thanks to Harper and Goodreads for this fantastic read I won in a Goodreads Giveaway!
This gothic horror folk tale is as much a ghost story as it is a gut-punch of emotion—it lingers and haunts, and if you have a heart, it just might break it.
The first half had me reeling at the twisted logic of this family, their ability to justify the unforgivable. The second half had me flying through the short chapters, desperate to know Margot’s fate. The ending? Still vivid in my mind—beautifully written and unforgettable.
Fair warning: this book contains a lot of unsettling talk about cooking people, which adds to the horror but might not be for everyone.
If you’ve ever seen Stir of Echoes (great movie), this gave me that same eerie, haunting feeling. This story would make an incredible film.
This gothic horror folk tale is as much a ghost story as it is a gut-punch of emotion—it lingers and haunts, and if you have a heart, it just might break it.
The first half had me reeling at the twisted logic of this family, their ability to justify the unforgivable. The second half had me flying through the short chapters, desperate to know Margot’s fate. The ending? Still vivid in my mind—beautifully written and unforgettable.
Fair warning: this book contains a lot of unsettling talk about cooking people, which adds to the horror but might not be for everyone.
If you’ve ever seen Stir of Echoes (great movie), this gave me that same eerie, haunting feeling. This story would make an incredible film.
February 15, 2025
I'm not going to beat around the bush with this one. There is only one word readers need to know about this book:
Cannibalism
That's all most people will need to hear to run in the other direction but for those of you sticking around here's a little bit more I can share with you....
Margot lives with her mother, Ruth, in a secluded cabin in the woods. Margot does go to school but with strict rules to never seek attention, never raise your hand, and if you're called on always reply "I don't know". Ruth doesn't want anyone to come knocking on their door.
Ruth often likes to scatter little trinkets on the near by roads like nails, screws, shards of glass - anything - that might puncture a travelers tire leaving them to seek help. And who better to help them than the nice lady with her little girl by her side offering drinks, food, safety, and warmth. The strays (as they like to call them) should be thankful.
Like a lamb led to slaughter.....
For these unfortunate souls may be welcomed into their home but they will never ever leave.
Until one day when a beautiful stranger named Eden arrives and the dynamics of this little family will be forever changed.
Very well written and especially impressive seeing as this is Rose's debut novel. She took a revolting subject matter and managed to weave in glimpses of beauty and love which is a tough feat to accomplish. I felt so sorry for Margot and her upbringing but this is the only life she has ever known so for her this all seems normal. She is intuitive enough to know that her and her mother are different from other people. Mostly do to their filth and tattered clothes. She's aware enough to never take her one and only friend home from school for fear she will be the nights feast. She wishes only to be loved by her mother and so she plays the part that her mother has written for her.
This won't be for everyone or even most readers. It is gruesome and gory and while there may not be splatter splashed across every page there is enough descriptors given to make your tummy grumble - and not in the good way. 🤢
The ending was absolutely haunting. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for my complimentary copy.
Cannibalism
That's all most people will need to hear to run in the other direction but for those of you sticking around here's a little bit more I can share with you....
Margot lives with her mother, Ruth, in a secluded cabin in the woods. Margot does go to school but with strict rules to never seek attention, never raise your hand, and if you're called on always reply "I don't know". Ruth doesn't want anyone to come knocking on their door.
Ruth often likes to scatter little trinkets on the near by roads like nails, screws, shards of glass - anything - that might puncture a travelers tire leaving them to seek help. And who better to help them than the nice lady with her little girl by her side offering drinks, food, safety, and warmth. The strays (as they like to call them) should be thankful.
Like a lamb led to slaughter.....
For these unfortunate souls may be welcomed into their home but they will never ever leave.
Until one day when a beautiful stranger named Eden arrives and the dynamics of this little family will be forever changed.
Very well written and especially impressive seeing as this is Rose's debut novel. She took a revolting subject matter and managed to weave in glimpses of beauty and love which is a tough feat to accomplish. I felt so sorry for Margot and her upbringing but this is the only life she has ever known so for her this all seems normal. She is intuitive enough to know that her and her mother are different from other people. Mostly do to their filth and tattered clothes. She's aware enough to never take her one and only friend home from school for fear she will be the nights feast. She wishes only to be loved by her mother and so she plays the part that her mother has written for her.
This won't be for everyone or even most readers. It is gruesome and gory and while there may not be splatter splashed across every page there is enough descriptors given to make your tummy grumble - and not in the good way. 🤢
The ending was absolutely haunting. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for my complimentary copy.
February 6, 2025
we love a cannibalistic mother daughter duo living, laughing and loving out in the woods.
February 28, 2024
It’s hard to find the words to review The Lamb because any feel completely dull in the face of a book so stunningly and unapologetically written. I haven’t read another book that gripped me from the opening of every chapter like this one does. I loved, I gagged and I grieved. I wanted to take a break because it was so intense but it was far too addictive to let me out of its grasp. It didn’t end when I finished the last page but, instead, haunted me and continues to. Lucy Rose is an undeniable talent who was made to write. Whether this genre is your go to or is more out of your comfort zone (like it was for me), you’ll eat it up. I can’t wait for Rose’s second book and she’s immediately an author I will always read no questions asked.
January 31, 2025
I have just finished so my review may be a bit all over the place I just HAD to share my thoughts.. Lucy DAHLING what a phenomenal debut! A folksy and almost fairytale-esque (secluded cottage in the woods vibes reminded me of those childhood stories) story with a dark visceral cannibalistic twist, (also gave me Carrie vibes, anyone else??) teetering between literary fiction and horror this is one hell of a debut. There is a constant sense of dread that permeates every page making this disturbing and uncomfortable. This was such a memorable read, excited to see what else this author conjures up. Lucy has crafted an incredibly unsettling and heartfelt narrative that explores mother/daughter relationships and their complexities, a meaty ( 👀) debut dripping with depravity that focuses on hunger, love and obsession, the juxtaposition of gruesome gore Vs lyrical beautiful prose and Margots childhood innocence amidst horrific normality left me ricocheting from page to page, I have no doubt this is going to become a cult fave amongst horror readers!
Read
March 5, 2025DNF for now at around 30% (marking as read so I don’t forget about it)
I LOVED the intro, it’s so creepy and messed up and gave me the same vibes as Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land (one of my fav books this year so far), but once Eden is introduced the tone of the story changes pretty abruptly, and I just couldn’t stay focused. But I wanna finish it at some point!!
I LOVED the intro, it’s so creepy and messed up and gave me the same vibes as Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land (one of my fav books this year so far), but once Eden is introduced the tone of the story changes pretty abruptly, and I just couldn’t stay focused. But I wanna finish it at some point!!
March 31, 2025
This book was a total #BookstagramMadeMeDoIt ! This book was not on my radar until I started seeing glowing after glowing review, so I knew immediately that I needed to read this one. I am in my horror girlie era and Lucy Rose's debut horror, THE LAMB, is continuing that trend with me for 2025. The story is centered around Margot and her mother Ruth. They have always lived on the edge of the forest, their cottage a quiet refuge from the world. Mama welcomes lost travelers with open arms, offering them warmth, wine, and a fate they never see coming. But when Eden, a stranger to the family arrives, Margot is forced to question everything—her mother, her own hunger, and the cost of breaking free.
I don't think this is a spoiler, but this book involves cannibalism. Once you get over the grotesque subject matter, this book is a fun journey for readers. Surprisingly, this story isn't that scary, but more of a voyeuristic peek into the life of a child being completely manipulated by evil. You will see how Margot and her mother live duplicitous double lives and how that relationship changes and evolves when Eden, a third party, joins the family. This book speaks in metaphors at times, if readers really want to go there. I had an absolute blast with this one and I think any horror fans should consider prioritizing this one.
I don't think this is a spoiler, but this book involves cannibalism. Once you get over the grotesque subject matter, this book is a fun journey for readers. Surprisingly, this story isn't that scary, but more of a voyeuristic peek into the life of a child being completely manipulated by evil. You will see how Margot and her mother live duplicitous double lives and how that relationship changes and evolves when Eden, a third party, joins the family. This book speaks in metaphors at times, if readers really want to go there. I had an absolute blast with this one and I think any horror fans should consider prioritizing this one.
February 19, 2025
"On my fourth birthday, I plucked six severed fingers from the shower drain."
One of my most anticipated reads of 2025, and it opens with an absolute hook of a first sentence. On paper this had everything I love—an eerie backwoods setting, cannibalism, and a coming-of-age story.
Unfortunately, it ended up being painfully mid. For a novel about a cannibalistic mother-daughter duo, I was so bored. Graphic descriptions of eating fingers and reveling in the squelch of blood between your toes doesn't mean tension. The plot felt too convenient (riddled with holes, if I’m being honest), and with little to no backstory for our protagonist, I couldn’t bring myself to care about anyone.
The prose also didn’t work for me. I’ve seen many praising Lucy's writing, but it felt overwritten—like someone trying too hard to be poetic. It never quite landed, and ultimately I wasn’t blown away.
One of my most anticipated reads of 2025, and it opens with an absolute hook of a first sentence. On paper this had everything I love—an eerie backwoods setting, cannibalism, and a coming-of-age story.
Unfortunately, it ended up being painfully mid. For a novel about a cannibalistic mother-daughter duo, I was so bored. Graphic descriptions of eating fingers and reveling in the squelch of blood between your toes doesn't mean tension. The plot felt too convenient (riddled with holes, if I’m being honest), and with little to no backstory for our protagonist, I couldn’t bring myself to care about anyone.
The prose also didn’t work for me. I’ve seen many praising Lucy's writing, but it felt overwritten—like someone trying too hard to be poetic. It never quite landed, and ultimately I wasn’t blown away.
January 12, 2025
it’s like this. nightbitch, lapvona, a certain hunger, this is where we live, the doloriad, i’ve read this story beforeeeeeee. i was soooo excited for this book but yawn, i was just very bored and this could’ve been 100 pages shorter/more concise
February 7, 2025
For a book about cannibals, this was gorgeous and so emotional! What an absolutely stunning debut 🖤
March 7, 2025
4.5/5 stars. “Am I making you feel sick?”
If you like Ethel Cain, RUN to your local bookstore and get this book. I loved it. The imagery, the way it felt like a modern fairy-tale, it was so good.
If you like Ethel Cain, RUN to your local bookstore and get this book. I loved it. The imagery, the way it felt like a modern fairy-tale, it was so good.
April 5, 2025
Margot’s mom loves it when lost and stranded travellers land at the door of their isolated cottage. She welcomes them in, makes them feel at home…and then she and Margot eat them. At 11 years old, Margot has never known anything different. It’s always been just her and Mama, dining on human flesh. But everything changes when Eden lands at their door. Mama is too transfixed by this charismatic stranger to eat her, and instead they welcome her into their way of life. But in doing so, their peaceful (albeit murderous) existence is about to change forever.
I absolutely devoured (pun intended) this book, and I adored the first 90% of it. If you love weird, dark fairy tales set in the modern world, this book is for you. It’s gruesome but also deliciously fun. The dark cottagecore aesthetic is flawless and I could totally picture this being adapted by A24. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like the ending! I won’t say any more so as not to spoil it, but the way things wrapped up left me disappointed and stopped this from being a five-star book for me. Still, this was a very enjoyable read and I think the weird lit fic fans and gothic horror girlies alike will be into it!
I absolutely devoured (pun intended) this book, and I adored the first 90% of it. If you love weird, dark fairy tales set in the modern world, this book is for you. It’s gruesome but also deliciously fun. The dark cottagecore aesthetic is flawless and I could totally picture this being adapted by A24. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like the ending! I won’t say any more so as not to spoil it, but the way things wrapped up left me disappointed and stopped this from being a five-star book for me. Still, this was a very enjoyable read and I think the weird lit fic fans and gothic horror girlies alike will be into it!
March 21, 2025
7/10 stars. For my digital footprint’s sake maybe I shouldn’t so casually mention this, but I love cannibal books. I find them so grimly fascinating, and this book was no exception. I got exactly what I wanted out of it. It was sad, it was gross, it was isolating (crushingly so) and full of metaphor. The ending was not what I thought it was going to be and I’m still processing it days later. It takes a lot to catch me off guard when it comes to book endings - I almost always guess what’s going to happen. But not this time. I deducted a few points because I felt like it would have benefited from being a little bit shorter. It felt like it was becoming slightly repetitive after a while, but maybe that’s just me. I have a paradoxical desire for folksy gothic horror and a preference for punchy short novels.
I am very excited to read more from this author.
I am very excited to read more from this author.
March 13, 2025
I think I need a bit of time to discern whether this was good in a literary sense or just shocking.
A well-written debut, I found the beginning intriguing, the middle a bit of a slog (so much eating of meat and entangled lovers, it felt the kind of thing that would be very aesthetic in an indie horror film but didn’t make me want to pick up the book). But I found the last quarter all-consuming — a cinematic time bomb bursting with atmosphere and tension. I do however think this has been missold as a tender portrait of a mother and daughter relationship, as a queer novel, a book about female hunger, and as a feminist folktale. Tender it is not? Except in a nod to Agustina Bazterrica’s Tender is the Flesh, kind of way. In terms of female hunger, it distills the most wolfish qualities without really dealing with their complexity. In this way, it certainly has qualities of a folk or fairy tale — with a particular nod to Hansel and Gretel — and some of the DNA of Angela Carter’s prose. If you, like I, prefer supernatural and uncanny horror, caution: this is pretty intense gore and the shock of child abuse. I think disgust at the irredeemably villainous characters will be the main hook and impact after reading. It didn’t feel it was about any of what it’s been marketed as, but a retelling of the story of Jesus — whose dying saves others. The narrator is bold and brave. By the last quarter I was rooting for her. Thematically and structurally I felt this had a lot in common with Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which I love, but this felt less hopeful, more bleak. I think there was hope laced into the ending but the overriding belief in the meaninglessness and indifference of the world is where it turns – where McCarthy offers more mysticism. Personal preference but with such intense darkness I want a few more pearls of light.
Not the author’s fault at all and not reflected in my star rating but I don’t like seeing instagram pictures promoting this book with meat and hope this isn’t a thing. Spells an even less hopeful future, really!
Edit: for those that asked, looking back this felt quite inmemorable and shock over substance, although I will say the author is striving for meaning, it just felt a hodgepodge of other authors’ styles diluted and conclusions stretched taut around a rather flat plot.
A well-written debut, I found the beginning intriguing, the middle a bit of a slog (so much eating of meat and entangled lovers, it felt the kind of thing that would be very aesthetic in an indie horror film but didn’t make me want to pick up the book). But I found the last quarter all-consuming — a cinematic time bomb bursting with atmosphere and tension. I do however think this has been missold as a tender portrait of a mother and daughter relationship, as a queer novel, a book about female hunger, and as a feminist folktale. Tender it is not? Except in a nod to Agustina Bazterrica’s Tender is the Flesh, kind of way. In terms of female hunger, it distills the most wolfish qualities without really dealing with their complexity. In this way, it certainly has qualities of a folk or fairy tale — with a particular nod to Hansel and Gretel — and some of the DNA of Angela Carter’s prose. If you, like I, prefer supernatural and uncanny horror, caution: this is pretty intense gore and the shock of child abuse. I think disgust at the irredeemably villainous characters will be the main hook and impact after reading. It didn’t feel it was about any of what it’s been marketed as, but a retelling of the story of Jesus — whose dying saves others. The narrator is bold and brave. By the last quarter I was rooting for her. Thematically and structurally I felt this had a lot in common with Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which I love, but this felt less hopeful, more bleak. I think there was hope laced into the ending but the overriding belief in the meaninglessness and indifference of the world is where it turns – where McCarthy offers more mysticism. Personal preference but with such intense darkness I want a few more pearls of light.
Not the author’s fault at all and not reflected in my star rating but I don’t like seeing instagram pictures promoting this book with meat and hope this isn’t a thing. Spells an even less hopeful future, really!
Edit: for those that asked, looking back this felt quite inmemorable and shock over substance, although I will say the author is striving for meaning, it just felt a hodgepodge of other authors’ styles diluted and conclusions stretched taut around a rather flat plot.
February 11, 2025
extremely overwritten in a way that pleads for a emotional response from the reader but fails in every way. the ending kind of just made me annoyed too, as the overwrittenness and forced tension puttered out to an absolute nothing of a ending. bleak endings are fine but bleak endings should make sense with the rest of the plot and tonally/thematically, which this one failed completely for me. also the random cut to supernatural elements at the end made the entire novel and whatever it was trying to say come across cheap/tacky and in a way, oddly conservative? i cant go into detail without spoilers but the themes surrounding queerness, pregnancy, motherhood and autonomy seemed to sharply careen into a strange almost anti feminist stance when the main plot point occurs at the end of the novel, not to mention the not-at-all subtle nods to child endangerment and the bystander effect
February 10, 2025
"'We are what we eat,' Mama always said. I wondered if it was worth the fuss making them feel loved if we were only going to pull them apart in the end."
This was stunning, heartbreaking, gritty. The most beautiful coming-of-age cannibal book I've ever read. Definitely one of my favorite reads of the year so far--and the year has barely begun!
This was stunning, heartbreaking, gritty. The most beautiful coming-of-age cannibal book I've ever read. Definitely one of my favorite reads of the year so far--and the year has barely begun!
April 18, 2025
Ok, the beginning had me hooked! With a first sentence like this, you’d think this was going to be a banger of a tale: “On my fourth birthday, I plucked six severed fingers from the shower drain.”
Fairly quickly it devolves into a slow, boring, repetitive, and almost dreamlike narrative. Minimal details are given about the characters, and they all feel a little flat, like paper cutouts.
The ending just had me rolling my eyes, it felt so silly and nonsensical compared to the rest of the story.
Fairly quickly it devolves into a slow, boring, repetitive, and almost dreamlike narrative. Minimal details are given about the characters, and they all feel a little flat, like paper cutouts.
The ending just had me rolling my eyes, it felt so silly and nonsensical compared to the rest of the story.
March 11, 2025
4.5/5 (rounded up for GoodReads)
This book had excellent pacing, it was incredibly easy to read. You pick up the book and next thing you know, you've read 70 pages. As a result, I read it in 3 sittings. 'The Lamb' is really the definition of melancholic horror. It's gut wrenching and incredibly unsettling. Most of this read takes place within the small dilapidated cabin of our main characters. Similar to the house in which they reside in, the relationship between the main character (Margot) starts to fall apart and reveals a devastating Mother/Daughter relationship. This book includes themes of murder and cannibalism throughout however I wouldn't say it's the focus of the story. It's more it's structure.
Within the pages of an unspeakable family practice is the story of a mother who never wanted to be one and a daughter desperate for her love and approval. You're rooting for Margot the whole time, hoping beyond hope that something will turn around for her, that she might be able to escape the horrible reality in which she lives. I won't give anything away in this review, but what I will offer up is that this story is bleak from beginning to end. Kind of reminds me of 'Brother' by Ania Ahlbourn which coincidently, I rated the same. The character development in this book is very strong and multifaceted. The only reason I cannot give it 5 stars is a personal preference. I found myself getting bored in the last 1/4 of the book as the plot slows down quite a bit. Thankfully it picks back up in the last 50 pages, however that lull in the story took me out of it a bit.
Overall, this is a really incredible debut from Rose and I'm intrigued to see what she writes in the future. This book has had quite a bit of hype surrounding its release and as a reader/reviewer who finds herself often let down and disappointed by very hyped up new releases, I will say that this is certainly worth the read and attention it's getting. If you love a twisted horror that will leave you emotionally destroyed then you need to pick this one up.
This book had excellent pacing, it was incredibly easy to read. You pick up the book and next thing you know, you've read 70 pages. As a result, I read it in 3 sittings. 'The Lamb' is really the definition of melancholic horror. It's gut wrenching and incredibly unsettling. Most of this read takes place within the small dilapidated cabin of our main characters. Similar to the house in which they reside in, the relationship between the main character (Margot) starts to fall apart and reveals a devastating Mother/Daughter relationship. This book includes themes of murder and cannibalism throughout however I wouldn't say it's the focus of the story. It's more it's structure.
Within the pages of an unspeakable family practice is the story of a mother who never wanted to be one and a daughter desperate for her love and approval. You're rooting for Margot the whole time, hoping beyond hope that something will turn around for her, that she might be able to escape the horrible reality in which she lives. I won't give anything away in this review, but what I will offer up is that this story is bleak from beginning to end. Kind of reminds me of 'Brother' by Ania Ahlbourn which coincidently, I rated the same. The character development in this book is very strong and multifaceted. The only reason I cannot give it 5 stars is a personal preference. I found myself getting bored in the last 1/4 of the book as the plot slows down quite a bit. Thankfully it picks back up in the last 50 pages, however that lull in the story took me out of it a bit.
Overall, this is a really incredible debut from Rose and I'm intrigued to see what she writes in the future. This book has had quite a bit of hype surrounding its release and as a reader/reviewer who finds herself often let down and disappointed by very hyped up new releases, I will say that this is certainly worth the read and attention it's getting. If you love a twisted horror that will leave you emotionally destroyed then you need to pick this one up.
March 19, 2025
AHHHH this was so good!!! i really loved this read. this was depraved, unsettling, and down right gross at times. follows the story of a young girl and her cannibalistic mother and loved. this was so well written and i actually loved the ending. highly recommend
March 26, 2025
“𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘺.”
When I think of horror, I think of the kind that lingers, the kind that seeps into your bones and refuses to let go. I imagine haunted houses with secrets in the walls, eldritch horrors lurking just out of sight, and characters unraveling in the face of the unknown. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐛 by Lucy Rose is exactly that kind of story but so much more. It’s the kind of horror that hides in plain sight. The horror of growing up thinking you’re braving the monsters of the world, only to realize the real monster is the one you’ve been living with all along. When survival is dressed up as love and fear masquerades as normalcy, the most terrifying thing isn’t what’s outside, but the life you never thought to question.
Margot has only ever known life in the woods with her mother, Ruth. Their existence is quiet, hidden, governed by strict rules: stay unnoticed, don’t draw attention, never invite questions. Ruth has spent years perfecting the art of survival, luring in lost travelers — 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘴, as she calls them — offering warmth, comfort, and food. But the hospitality is an illusion. The moment a stray steps inside their home, they are no longer a guest. They are a meal.
Margot understands this in the same way she understands breathing. It’s normal. Routine. She’s never known anything different. But when Eden, a captivating stranger, stumbles into their lives, something shifts. Margot’s world, once so rigid and unchanging, begins to unravel. As desire and danger intertwine, she is forced to question everything she has been raised to believe.
Lucy Rose’s prose is absolutely stunning, poetic yet precise, lyrical yet unflinching. The beauty of her writing makes the horror all the more unsettling, like a lullaby sung over the sound of bones breaking. The novel explores themes of love and control, hunger and restraint, the complicated bonds between mother and daughter. It’s not just about survival, it’s about identity, about the fine line between devotion and destruction.
This is not a book for the faint of heart. It’s gruesome without being gratuitous, disturbing yet undeniably mesmerizing. The horror isn’t just in the gore, it’s in the quiet moments, in the way Margot tries so desperately to belong, in the realization that love can be as consuming as hunger.
The ending? Haunting. It left me unsettled in the best way possible. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐛 is a stunning, horrifying debut, and Lucy Rose is an author I’ll be watching closely.
(𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬!)
When I think of horror, I think of the kind that lingers, the kind that seeps into your bones and refuses to let go. I imagine haunted houses with secrets in the walls, eldritch horrors lurking just out of sight, and characters unraveling in the face of the unknown. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐛 by Lucy Rose is exactly that kind of story but so much more. It’s the kind of horror that hides in plain sight. The horror of growing up thinking you’re braving the monsters of the world, only to realize the real monster is the one you’ve been living with all along. When survival is dressed up as love and fear masquerades as normalcy, the most terrifying thing isn’t what’s outside, but the life you never thought to question.
Margot has only ever known life in the woods with her mother, Ruth. Their existence is quiet, hidden, governed by strict rules: stay unnoticed, don’t draw attention, never invite questions. Ruth has spent years perfecting the art of survival, luring in lost travelers — 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘴, as she calls them — offering warmth, comfort, and food. But the hospitality is an illusion. The moment a stray steps inside their home, they are no longer a guest. They are a meal.
Margot understands this in the same way she understands breathing. It’s normal. Routine. She’s never known anything different. But when Eden, a captivating stranger, stumbles into their lives, something shifts. Margot’s world, once so rigid and unchanging, begins to unravel. As desire and danger intertwine, she is forced to question everything she has been raised to believe.
Lucy Rose’s prose is absolutely stunning, poetic yet precise, lyrical yet unflinching. The beauty of her writing makes the horror all the more unsettling, like a lullaby sung over the sound of bones breaking. The novel explores themes of love and control, hunger and restraint, the complicated bonds between mother and daughter. It’s not just about survival, it’s about identity, about the fine line between devotion and destruction.
This is not a book for the faint of heart. It’s gruesome without being gratuitous, disturbing yet undeniably mesmerizing. The horror isn’t just in the gore, it’s in the quiet moments, in the way Margot tries so desperately to belong, in the realization that love can be as consuming as hunger.
The ending? Haunting. It left me unsettled in the best way possible. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐛 is a stunning, horrifying debut, and Lucy Rose is an author I’ll be watching closely.
(𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬!)
April 8, 2025
I don’t know… for a 326 page book, I really struggled with this one. I found this was a similar reading experience to Lapvona in that I lost interest in the middle and had to push myself through the banality of repetitive gore. There are a LOT of adjectives used to describe the preparation and taste/texture of human meat that felt mind numbing as the book progressed. I think this would have worked better as a novella, driving home the thematic imagery in a much tighter format to pack a more effective punch. As it is, I found this a bit overwritten and empty - with a weird pivot into The Lovely Bones at the end.
My main takeaway? I've never been more thankful to be vegan. 🌱
My main takeaway? I've never been more thankful to be vegan. 🌱
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