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Providence Girls: A Sapphic Horror Romance
Love changes you. So do the Outer Gods.
Alone in a cottage, Lavinia writes to the woman she loved.
Fifteen years Middle-aged Lavinia Whateley escapes her hilly Massachusetts town when the townsfolk decide to sacrifice her on Halloween. After almost dying in the woods, she's saved and housed by the stoic and mysterious Asenath Waite, or Azzie. On the coastal outskirts of East Providence, they start to fall in love.
However, things change when Azzie, with her secret past and the strange "scars" on the side of her neck, begins to transform into an eldritch creature of the deep.
A story inspired by the "doomed" women in H. P. Lovecraft's "The Thing on the Doorstep" and "The Dunwich Horror."
Contains mature themes.
Alone in a cottage, Lavinia writes to the woman she loved.
Fifteen years Middle-aged Lavinia Whateley escapes her hilly Massachusetts town when the townsfolk decide to sacrifice her on Halloween. After almost dying in the woods, she's saved and housed by the stoic and mysterious Asenath Waite, or Azzie. On the coastal outskirts of East Providence, they start to fall in love.
However, things change when Azzie, with her secret past and the strange "scars" on the side of her neck, begins to transform into an eldritch creature of the deep.
A story inspired by the "doomed" women in H. P. Lovecraft's "The Thing on the Doorstep" and "The Dunwich Horror."
Contains mature themes.
Audible Audio
First published September 5, 2023
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3431 people want to read
About the author
Morgan Dante
16 books292 followersHorror, fantasy, and romance writer. Vampire and angel enjoyer. They/Them. Read more on morgandante.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews
August 8, 2023
If Morgan Dante has one million fans, then I'm one of them.
If Morgan Dante has one fan, then I'm that fan.
If Morgan Dante has no fans, that means I'm dead. This book will have been the cause of my death. And I will have died gladly.
If Morgan Dante has one fan, then I'm that fan.
If Morgan Dante has no fans, that means I'm dead. This book will have been the cause of my death. And I will have died gladly.
September 21, 2023
Beautifully written epistolary sapphic romance with a fish monster twist. Definitely reads more like literary fiction than a category romance (especially pacing wise), if litfic weren’t afraid of a little monster fucking.
This was my first Morgan Dante book but it certainly won’t be my last!
Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Booktok | Twitter
This was my first Morgan Dante book but it certainly won’t be my last!
Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Booktok | Twitter
September 21, 2023
I feel bad for being one of the first 3 stars review but I can't rate it higher due to my personal enjoyment (or lack of) of this one. And by that I mean that I forced myself to finish this one. I was never motivated to pick it up again because the book never gave me a reason to.
Let's start with the positives: it's well-written, the narrative choices are interesting, and I'm always a fan of non-traditional storytelling. It's a commentary on body autonomy and explores its connection to womanhood in a way that reminds me of this video on visceral feminity in Bloodborne. I wrote down in my notes after a specific scene "it's a book with a lot to say". It also touches upon disability through different aspects. I genuinely think it can work for many people and I know a few people I could recommend it too. I've highlighted many quotes that I found well-written so it was a welcome change after reading so many books with uninteresting writing.
Now my issue was that the pace was glacial and I was missing a plot. Someone compared it to literary fiction and maybe? I would even expect more plot from literary fiction. From the first chapter there was little to hook me in. Yes they're living together and one is turning into something else. That's it. We're slowly unveiling their secrets but I found myself not caring after all this time. I specifically remember THE emotional scene of the book happening and realising I felt nothing after reading it. Sometimes I was reading a chapter and then was confused and needed to backtrack to check who was narrating this one. The girls never felt too distinct to me especially since the mention of a father couldn't help me tell them apart. Sure they had two distinct backstories (and even that I've mixed up the similar elements) but I never was fully able to tell their narration apart if a page didn't mention their specificities.
Let's start with the positives: it's well-written, the narrative choices are interesting, and I'm always a fan of non-traditional storytelling. It's a commentary on body autonomy and explores its connection to womanhood in a way that reminds me of this video on visceral feminity in Bloodborne. I wrote down in my notes after a specific scene "it's a book with a lot to say". It also touches upon disability through different aspects. I genuinely think it can work for many people and I know a few people I could recommend it too. I've highlighted many quotes that I found well-written so it was a welcome change after reading so many books with uninteresting writing.
Now my issue was that the pace was glacial and I was missing a plot. Someone compared it to literary fiction and maybe? I would even expect more plot from literary fiction. From the first chapter there was little to hook me in. Yes they're living together and one is turning into something else. That's it. We're slowly unveiling their secrets but I found myself not caring after all this time. I specifically remember THE emotional scene of the book happening and realising I felt nothing after reading it. Sometimes I was reading a chapter and then was confused and needed to backtrack to check who was narrating this one. The girls never felt too distinct to me especially since the mention of a father couldn't help me tell them apart. Sure they had two distinct backstories (and even that I've mixed up the similar elements) but I never was fully able to tell their narration apart if a page didn't mention their specificities.
September 1, 2023
Disclaimer: I received an eArc from the author.
Written in the epistolary format, Providence Girls by Morgan Dante is a sapphic masterpiece about two miserable women desperate for a happier ending. Our main characters, writing out their bittersweet love story, Azzie and Vin, love each other, hurt each other, and learn to move forward together. Dante illustrates their short yet passionate romance, and it never feels rushed—it feels just right to the characters, deserving of this moment. The reader is left rooting for their happiness.
The writing itself is gorgeous: emotionally expressive and full of literary references to deepen the story. It is deeply atmospheric, the narrative itself haunted by the impending fate—as heavy as the dampness at the heart of the story.
The novel cut deep and truly should be in everyone’s September TBR. I devoured Providence Girls in one evening, and I believe it is THE autumn read.
Written in the epistolary format, Providence Girls by Morgan Dante is a sapphic masterpiece about two miserable women desperate for a happier ending. Our main characters, writing out their bittersweet love story, Azzie and Vin, love each other, hurt each other, and learn to move forward together. Dante illustrates their short yet passionate romance, and it never feels rushed—it feels just right to the characters, deserving of this moment. The reader is left rooting for their happiness.
The writing itself is gorgeous: emotionally expressive and full of literary references to deepen the story. It is deeply atmospheric, the narrative itself haunted by the impending fate—as heavy as the dampness at the heart of the story.
The novel cut deep and truly should be in everyone’s September TBR. I devoured Providence Girls in one evening, and I believe it is THE autumn read.
September 28, 2023
(2.5) I hate not to give this a higher rating but the book didn’t really work for me. Aesthetically the book is beautiful & explores important themes of bodily autonomy & disability, which makes me sad that I didn’t actually enjoy it.
The worldbuilding (eldritch monsters living amongst us + early 20th century setting) is super interesting but we got to see so little of it! The whole community of Deep Ones living with people in Azzie’s town, the magic related to Azzie & her father, Vin’s eldritch god - there’s so much there but we only got to see slivers of it. But yeah I understand that it wasn’t the focus of the story, as the focus was more on the role of two women in this world and how they’ve, for lack of better words, been fucked over by it, but that unfortunately didn’t really work for me.
I think it was because of the epistolary style that made it too flowery and romantic even before we knew anything about the characters, and the fact that the two characters’ voices didn’t really read very distinctly to me and I had to keep checking back to whose chapter I was even reading. I’m definitely going to give Morgan Dante’s other book a shot though!
The worldbuilding (eldritch monsters living amongst us + early 20th century setting) is super interesting but we got to see so little of it! The whole community of Deep Ones living with people in Azzie’s town, the magic related to Azzie & her father, Vin’s eldritch god - there’s so much there but we only got to see slivers of it. But yeah I understand that it wasn’t the focus of the story, as the focus was more on the role of two women in this world and how they’ve, for lack of better words, been fucked over by it, but that unfortunately didn’t really work for me.
I think it was because of the epistolary style that made it too flowery and romantic even before we knew anything about the characters, and the fact that the two characters’ voices didn’t really read very distinctly to me and I had to keep checking back to whose chapter I was even reading. I’m definitely going to give Morgan Dante’s other book a shot though!
November 21, 2023
“I won’t leave you,” you said. “I know monsters. I’ve seen them.”
I murmured in sympathy, “You’ve loved them.”
3.5 stars. I'm sticking this under my paranormal romance tag because that's what fits it best among my existing tags, but it would be more accurate to call it romantic horror. And what a beautiful horror show it is. 🖤 It's a romance that takes the characters of Lavinia from "The Dunwich Horror" and Asenath from "The Thing on the Doorstep" and reimagines different endings to their stories. Eat it, Lovecraft. I did read those stories in preparation for reading this; no one told me I had to, but I'd never read Lovecraft before and I figured this would be an apt place to start. Now that I've finished this book, I do think it would be a good idea to have some familiarity with the original stories, but it's by no means a complete necessity. I just really enjoyed having those titbits and a bit of foreknowledge in the back of my head as I read. And it didn't spoil anything about the experience of reading this either, since the author pretty much builds the characters from the ground up.
If the gods are stardust and mystery, you became like a god to me. Not in the sense that you were untouchable or perfect, but when I saw your reflection in the small parts of my life, I loved them. I knew myself better and was content. Our intimate rituals became prayer and communion.
This is an epistolary romance, told in two different timelines. The style is a bit slow, very moody and atmospheric, and very beautifully written. If there wasn't such a huge romantic element, I'd classify it as romantic horror. Knowing what stories inspired this, you can expect it to get plenty weird, plenty uncanny. The body horror is incredible, gross in a way that made me kind of squeamish, but I couldn't look away. And the language used was just so beautiful and meticulous and searing. This wouldn't be the book it is without the romance, which is predictably my favourite part of it. Both women have been through so much, and they have quite different responses to their trauma, and therefore don't see eye to eye on a lot of issues. But still they cling to one another, find comfort and solace in one another, take care of each other in beautiful ways. Both Lavinia and Azzie learn what it's like to really reclaim their autonomy. Also, be still my monster-fucking heart. There really is nothing that I like better than a story of monstrous transformation in a woman. Coming down to the end, this did start to lose me a little, and I kind of wish we'd gotten just a bit more romantic content and a few more concrete answers? But nevertheless, this was so lovely.
Content warnings:
I’ll turn around. Yes. I’ll turn around. See you in all your splendor. Smile, weep tears of joy, and think: There you are.
April 21, 2025
Crystalline prose slides
over heartbreaking horrors,
drowning all mercy.
I admired this, but I didn't like it. Ultimately, I found it too bleak and too unremitting in its trauma. Yes, Azzie and Vin found love despite their pain. Yes, they took solace in each other. Yes, they reclaimed the bodies their fathers had devastated. But... honestly, it was just too much.
Lavinia birthed horrors from rape, was reviled by her community, and her skin peeled off in strips? Asenath lost her mother to her father's science and her chance at happiness to her mother's magic? Honestly, this was just too much pain. My daughter has had her heart broken over so many sad lesbian stories, and reading this all I could think was that these women deserved so much more than they got, and can't we just have so sapphic fluff instead of sapphic sorrow?
The story was beautifully told (though I had trouble differentiating between the voices, especially because they were both so drawn to water) and their lack of autonomy over their bodies certainly resonates with the trumpfuckery of the present moment, but it just didn't work for me.
over heartbreaking horrors,
drowning all mercy.
I admired this, but I didn't like it. Ultimately, I found it too bleak and too unremitting in its trauma. Yes, Azzie and Vin found love despite their pain. Yes, they took solace in each other. Yes, they reclaimed the bodies their fathers had devastated. But... honestly, it was just too much.
Lavinia birthed horrors from rape, was reviled by her community, and her skin peeled off in strips? Asenath lost her mother to her father's science and her chance at happiness to her mother's magic? Honestly, this was just too much pain. My daughter has had her heart broken over so many sad lesbian stories, and reading this all I could think was that these women deserved so much more than they got, and can't we just have so sapphic fluff instead of sapphic sorrow?
The story was beautifully told (though I had trouble differentiating between the voices, especially because they were both so drawn to water) and their lack of autonomy over their bodies certainly resonates with the trumpfuckery of the present moment, but it just didn't work for me.
November 8, 2023
Giving this one a very generous two star rating because despite how nearly unreadable the first half is, I didn't hate the second half as much. I'm still confused as to why the author felt it was a good idea to write this in dual perspective epistolary format. I was hoping for a reveal towards the end as to why the two protagonists are writing to each other, recounting their love story that they both obviously experienced together, but there never was one. Is traditional third person pov really so conventional and boring?? This combined with the overly flowery language and lack of any real plot or useful exposition within the first 100 pages made for a very difficult reading experience!
November 13, 2023
Because of the cover... the images I had in my head during different scenes... made the whole thing horrific but I wasn't scared. Just thinking about skin flakes was not really cute
August 25, 2023
We stan fish girlfriends!!! I really enjoyed reading this even though its not my typical read. The setting, prose and characters were lovely, though I did find myself a little confused at times 🙇.
It was also really interesting to read something set locally to me 🐟🐟
It was also really interesting to read something set locally to me 🐟🐟
August 27, 2023
This book was unlike anything I'd ever read. And overall, I really loved it!!
This is written as an epistolary novel, meaning that the characters Azzie and Vin are writing letters to each other. In the beginning of the novel it is presented as letters, but as the chapters go on, it evolves from less "letterform" to more just "telling the story" as either Azzie or Vin. Which, I appreciated because I wanna say, the beginning was tough to get through and digest.
The writing is that sort of melancholy, poetic style which strings words together for their sounds, how they FEEL when placed on a page, and less about what makes sense in a "direct" way. And that's actually a writing style I greatly enjoy! Though the beginning, there was so much of it, "purple prose" as you could say, that I was a bit confused until I read on. Needless to say, as I kept going and the plot was unfolding, the writing became more clear, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Everything of what these girls went through was wild, and I felt touched by it all. Overall, a wonderful story!!
This is written as an epistolary novel, meaning that the characters Azzie and Vin are writing letters to each other. In the beginning of the novel it is presented as letters, but as the chapters go on, it evolves from less "letterform" to more just "telling the story" as either Azzie or Vin. Which, I appreciated because I wanna say, the beginning was tough to get through and digest.
The writing is that sort of melancholy, poetic style which strings words together for their sounds, how they FEEL when placed on a page, and less about what makes sense in a "direct" way. And that's actually a writing style I greatly enjoy! Though the beginning, there was so much of it, "purple prose" as you could say, that I was a bit confused until I read on. Needless to say, as I kept going and the plot was unfolding, the writing became more clear, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Everything of what these girls went through was wild, and I felt touched by it all. Overall, a wonderful story!!
February 16, 2024
** 4.5 stars ** Shape of Water but make it sapphic gothic horror, what’s not to like? Beautiful, poetic and haunting story. The book is also written as an epistolary novel which added to the overall romance and yearning but at times, especially in the beginning, was a little confusing to the timeline. Overall though, this was a wonderful book.
“A boring domestic life sounded more divine than divinity, even if being taken into the stars was a stone of a dream settled in my lungs, that promise of purpose. Not only purpose: belonging. Finally knowing I’m home.”
“A boring domestic life sounded more divine than divinity, even if being taken into the stars was a stone of a dream settled in my lungs, that promise of purpose. Not only purpose: belonging. Finally knowing I’m home.”
September 23, 2024
The angst between Vin and Azzie is compelling, but what I really enjoyed is the way the Morgan nods to and references Lovecraft and Cthulhu mythos and the way it simply sucks to have been a victim of those science and occult crimes.
July 15, 2025
3.5
"Even in the horror and chaos, we aren’t devoid of love".
Cuando va a ser sacrificada a una deidad, Lavinia escapa de su pueblo en busca de una oportunidad. Sola, herida y exhausta, está a punto de morir cuando Asenath la encuentra inconsciente en el bosque. Asenath la acoge en su hogar y le ayuda a recuperarse de sus heridas, al principio solo de las físicas... Pero a medida que pasan los días se va estableciendo una relación entre las dos mujeres que les ayudará a afrontar sus traumas del pasado, así como lo que está por venir...
Si sois amantes del terror y habéis leído a H.P. Lovecraft (concretamente "El horror de Dunwich" y "La cosa en el umbral"), probablemente os suenen estos dos nombres, y es que Morgan Dante ha rescatado a dos de los personajes femeninos del famoso autor de horror para montarse un romance sáfico envuelto en tragedia. No diría que es una novela romántica, ya que el peso de la ambientación oscura, los elementos de horror y las continuas referencias a la obra de Lovecraft son bastante grandes, pero sí que diría que es una novela de terror que gira en torno a la relación de dos personajes torturados que buscan mutuo consuelo. Es una historia pausadita, muy centrada en las dos protagonistas y en cómo poco a poco se va desarrollando su relación, en cómo se van abriendo la una a la otra y apoyándose mutuamente y encontrando una pizca de esperanza en un mundo decadente, gris y cruel.
Aviso que es una de esas novelas en las que "no pasa mucho", muy enfocada en la vida de las dos mujeres y los eventos que las han moldeado hasta convertirlas en lo que son ahora, y en cómo se va forjando su vínculo. También trata temas escabrosos como el abuso, y siendo un libro ambientado en la obra de Lovecraft por supuesto tiene elementos que pueden perturbar a algunos lectores, como por ejemplo el body horror, que es bastante representativo de una de las dos protagonistas.
Precisamente una de las cosas que me ha gustado bastante de esta novela es cómo aborda la transformación de Asenath (esto no es un spoiler, se puede ver en la portada del libro), como un proceso doloroso, desagradable y que le produce una intensa dismorfia y vergüenza, y cómo Lavinia se queda a su lado acompañándola y brindándole siempre su apoyo y su aceptación. La relación entre las dos mujeres me ha parecido muy bonita y tierna, cosa que contrasta muchísimo con la atmósfera decadente que les rodea constantemente.
A mi personalmente me ha sorprendido. Si fuese una novela más larga, quizá me hubiese pesado más la falta de personajes secundarios y de una trama principal más potente. Pero al ser una novela tan cortita me ha resultado una lectura interesante y curiosa. El hecho de rescatar a dos personajes femeninos que son un poquito secundarios en la obra original, y darles una historia propia conjunta en la que se exploran sus traumas, pesares y sentimientos, me ha gustado mucho.
Lo recomiendo sobre todo si sois fans del terror y el drama, y creo que se disfruta más si se conoce mínimamente aquella obra en la que se inspira. Por ejemplo, yo había leído "El horror de Dunwich" hace años, y ahora me quedó con unas ganas tremendas de leer "La cosa en el umbral".
"Even in the horror and chaos, we aren’t devoid of love".
Cuando va a ser sacrificada a una deidad, Lavinia escapa de su pueblo en busca de una oportunidad. Sola, herida y exhausta, está a punto de morir cuando Asenath la encuentra inconsciente en el bosque. Asenath la acoge en su hogar y le ayuda a recuperarse de sus heridas, al principio solo de las físicas... Pero a medida que pasan los días se va estableciendo una relación entre las dos mujeres que les ayudará a afrontar sus traumas del pasado, así como lo que está por venir...
Si sois amantes del terror y habéis leído a H.P. Lovecraft (concretamente "El horror de Dunwich" y "La cosa en el umbral"), probablemente os suenen estos dos nombres, y es que Morgan Dante ha rescatado a dos de los personajes femeninos del famoso autor de horror para montarse un romance sáfico envuelto en tragedia. No diría que es una novela romántica, ya que el peso de la ambientación oscura, los elementos de horror y las continuas referencias a la obra de Lovecraft son bastante grandes, pero sí que diría que es una novela de terror que gira en torno a la relación de dos personajes torturados que buscan mutuo consuelo. Es una historia pausadita, muy centrada en las dos protagonistas y en cómo poco a poco se va desarrollando su relación, en cómo se van abriendo la una a la otra y apoyándose mutuamente y encontrando una pizca de esperanza en un mundo decadente, gris y cruel.
Aviso que es una de esas novelas en las que "no pasa mucho", muy enfocada en la vida de las dos mujeres y los eventos que las han moldeado hasta convertirlas en lo que son ahora, y en cómo se va forjando su vínculo. También trata temas escabrosos como el abuso, y siendo un libro ambientado en la obra de Lovecraft por supuesto tiene elementos que pueden perturbar a algunos lectores, como por ejemplo el body horror, que es bastante representativo de una de las dos protagonistas.
Precisamente una de las cosas que me ha gustado bastante de esta novela es cómo aborda la transformación de Asenath (esto no es un spoiler, se puede ver en la portada del libro), como un proceso doloroso, desagradable y que le produce una intensa dismorfia y vergüenza, y cómo Lavinia se queda a su lado acompañándola y brindándole siempre su apoyo y su aceptación. La relación entre las dos mujeres me ha parecido muy bonita y tierna, cosa que contrasta muchísimo con la atmósfera decadente que les rodea constantemente.
A mi personalmente me ha sorprendido. Si fuese una novela más larga, quizá me hubiese pesado más la falta de personajes secundarios y de una trama principal más potente. Pero al ser una novela tan cortita me ha resultado una lectura interesante y curiosa. El hecho de rescatar a dos personajes femeninos que son un poquito secundarios en la obra original, y darles una historia propia conjunta en la que se exploran sus traumas, pesares y sentimientos, me ha gustado mucho.
Lo recomiendo sobre todo si sois fans del terror y el drama, y creo que se disfruta más si se conoce mínimamente aquella obra en la que se inspira. Por ejemplo, yo había leído "El horror de Dunwich" hace años, y ahora me quedó con unas ganas tremendas de leer "La cosa en el umbral".
October 3, 2024
3.75 stars
Would have been higher if I enjoyed misery and body horror but this dipped its toe to deep into it for my complete enjoyment. My brain kinda exploded while reading this, which is expectant for eldritch horror. I feel sad about Wilbur and Horror most of all, Vinny deserved her fucked up family. I'm glad I read this tho, because I think if I'd only read Unholy With Eyes Like Wolves I would have never read anything by Dante ever again but now I think I'll read more. This impressed me.
Would have been higher if I enjoyed misery and body horror but this dipped its toe to deep into it for my complete enjoyment. My brain kinda exploded while reading this, which is expectant for eldritch horror. I feel sad about Wilbur and Horror most of all, Vinny deserved her fucked up family. I'm glad I read this tho, because I think if I'd only read Unholy With Eyes Like Wolves I would have never read anything by Dante ever again but now I think I'll read more. This impressed me.
June 13, 2025
After reading this book, I've determined that it fits in more with literary fiction than horror. It's a quiet novel, like no plot all vibes, but the ending truly made it shine. I listened to the audiobook and I liked how there were two different narrators to distinguish the two different characters.
To be honest, I wanted more body horror but that's just a personal preference.
4-4.5?
To be honest, I wanted more body horror but that's just a personal preference.
4-4.5?
May 31, 2025
3.5 stars
I did enjoy this, it was different and I liked how it was written, almost poetic and written as love letters to each other. The only reason the rating isn’t higher is because this book wasn’t for me. It isn’t something I would reread. I would recommend people give it a read as it’s enjoyable and I’m sure others will love it.
Check triggers before reading, it does cover some darker themes/topics. Sapphic horror romance, age gap (ten years I think), dual timelines, found family, historical. Written in first person with 2x POV’s. 3x spicy scenes.
I did enjoy this, it was different and I liked how it was written, almost poetic and written as love letters to each other. The only reason the rating isn’t higher is because this book wasn’t for me. It isn’t something I would reread. I would recommend people give it a read as it’s enjoyable and I’m sure others will love it.
Check triggers before reading, it does cover some darker themes/topics. Sapphic horror romance, age gap (ten years I think), dual timelines, found family, historical. Written in first person with 2x POV’s. 3x spicy scenes.
June 15, 2024
"It's not as easy as we think to leave."
I liked this more than I thought I would. It's the writing style. I just don't like it. However, it did work very well with this story though.
On top of the writing style just not for me, the writing also niggled me during specific times, like when there was a blank box instead of a word (presumably "gills" and I don't care that it made sense since she was trying to deny everything and not think about it), which is just a huge pet peeve of mine. The wording could have been changed instead. And when the word "gash" was used during a sex scene. Really threw me out of the story with that one. I had to re-read thinking that I had missed something and was wondering where the sudden wound came from. Nope. Apparently, that was her vagina.
I really liked these two characters, both separately and together. They only know each other for six months, but it feels like so much longer with how well they get to know each other and the care that's taken.
Sometimes I would forget the time period this was set in, but that's no fault of the author's as they did a great job on keeping the terms within it. It was the monsters and folklore that is so often placed further back in history that I had to keep reminding myself. And I think the time this is set is a great addition as Lavinia and Asenath get to go into town, see the ocean by vehicle and how it has its other uses...
What these two characters go through... There are no words. I like how we get Asenath's story (even though it's beyond horrifying) and the way it was done.
[...]It's hard when two people have traumas and, no matter how close the traumas, they have wildly different approaches to healing.
I didn't really find things horrifying (besides what the characters go through!) but, again, I do think it was due to the writing style since it doesn't suck me into the story as much as others do. There were parts that were rather... graphic, though. I also didn't like the ending with how it added a new "voice" of someone writing a letter to someone else and what it entailed. I liked how it gave us a peek into what Lavinia and Asenath's "ending" was, but... A different voice would have been better suited, although, it was still understandable as far as the voice goes. However, the letter and the story it tells, doesn't make too much sense overall.
Love this cover. Not only do I just love the art itself but also how it incapsulates so much of them and the story into it. Fantastic job to the artist.
This was my first time reading Morgan Dante and, overall, I liked this book well enough (2.5 stars rounded up). Would I read another of theirs again? Maybe. I'd have to check the writing style. If it was this again then no, I wouldn't. It fit this story well, but it just isn't for me.
TW (and on my dubcon-noncon shelf because):
October 18, 2024
Morgan Dante!! Thank you x a million for the arc, I am on my KNEES for these women. I pretty much only read this book in August, because I couldn't bring myself to taint the month with anything less than the stellar reading experience Providence Girls provided.
Vin and Azzie exist as two faces on the same coin, outcast from "normal" society by their fathers, in over their heads amidst the Eldritch Outer Gods. For Azzie, this has resulted in her outright independence - she has her own car, is beholden to no husband or suitor, she does as she likes when she likes. Unfortunately, the Deep Ones have a claim on her that she is increasingly unable to outrun.
Vin, on the other hand, has played the perfect daughter up until we meet her - to the point of having two children with her Eldritch husband, the Gate and Key.
The majority of the story here exists as memories encapsulated in letters between the two women, slowly unfurling the story of their individual pasts alongside their collective future. It's intriguing and suspenseful attempting to learn exactly what happened here between Azzie and Vin, and how it led to Vin alone by the sea in 1948.
Providence Girls is the exact book I wanted it to be, slow and meandering prose in the face of a gruesome, time sensitive deadline. The Romance, the Drama, the Horror?? All deserving of high marks and applause. I highlighted so much of this book, struck by the poetic prose and the simple, genuine love growing between Vin and Azzie. Some romances feel unearned, too fast paced and cliche to feel real. Providence Girls could easily be a stack of letters you find in a trunk in your great grandmother's attic, the pages damp and crusted in sea salt.
Vin and Azzie exist as two faces on the same coin, outcast from "normal" society by their fathers, in over their heads amidst the Eldritch Outer Gods. For Azzie, this has resulted in her outright independence - she has her own car, is beholden to no husband or suitor, she does as she likes when she likes. Unfortunately, the Deep Ones have a claim on her that she is increasingly unable to outrun.
Vin, on the other hand, has played the perfect daughter up until we meet her - to the point of having two children with her Eldritch husband, the Gate and Key.
The majority of the story here exists as memories encapsulated in letters between the two women, slowly unfurling the story of their individual pasts alongside their collective future. It's intriguing and suspenseful attempting to learn exactly what happened here between Azzie and Vin, and how it led to Vin alone by the sea in 1948.
Providence Girls is the exact book I wanted it to be, slow and meandering prose in the face of a gruesome, time sensitive deadline. The Romance, the Drama, the Horror?? All deserving of high marks and applause. I highlighted so much of this book, struck by the poetic prose and the simple, genuine love growing between Vin and Azzie. Some romances feel unearned, too fast paced and cliche to feel real. Providence Girls could easily be a stack of letters you find in a trunk in your great grandmother's attic, the pages damp and crusted in sea salt.
abandoned
October 10, 2023DNF 9% (for now) - I tried really hard to like this, but I'm not a fan of these strange letters. Which, by the way, include dialog. How do you even remember all that? See, that's the shit that takes me out of the story.
Why did it have to be letters in the first place? This isn't written for each other, this is written like a story as if the other person wasn't there. It makes no sense.
This style just ain't it, the author has to include way too many details that are CLEARLY only there for the reader, so I don't see the point in doing it this way. We also don't see them interact, we're just told about it after the fact. It's unsatisfying.
Imagine writing fanfic based on true events, from your POV, to your lover, and then call it a letter. That's what the characters in this book are doing.
Why did it have to be letters in the first place? This isn't written for each other, this is written like a story as if the other person wasn't there. It makes no sense.
This style just ain't it, the author has to include way too many details that are CLEARLY only there for the reader, so I don't see the point in doing it this way. We also don't see them interact, we're just told about it after the fact. It's unsatisfying.
Imagine writing fanfic based on true events, from your POV, to your lover, and then call it a letter. That's what the characters in this book are doing.
September 6, 2023
Confusing to follow
Got to chapter 3 and couldn't read more. It's a perplexingly nameless mix of first and second person, which, along with the POV switching, makes it hard to keep track of the characters.
There are some good phrases and word choices, but actual plot events are so interwoven with the timeless stream of consciousness that I feel like I got lost in a spacetime bending wormhole.
Good cover art.
On first-time opening, Kindle skips the content warnings and goes straight to Chapter 1.
Got to chapter 3 and couldn't read more. It's a perplexingly nameless mix of first and second person, which, along with the POV switching, makes it hard to keep track of the characters.
There are some good phrases and word choices, but actual plot events are so interwoven with the timeless stream of consciousness that I feel like I got lost in a spacetime bending wormhole.
Good cover art.
On first-time opening, Kindle skips the content warnings and goes straight to Chapter 1.
February 8, 2025
This book is sapphic-cosmic-horror-romance perfection. The prose in this book really won't be for everyone, I honestly didn't think I was going to like it when I first started it. Once I got used to the flow of the writing I was hooked. I struggled a bit writing this review though, I want to say just read it and you'll understand.
So many things are handled so beautifully in this book that I don't even know where to begin. The horror in this book goes beyond cosmic and body. It also gives us the horrors of motherhood, of being abused by the someone who is supposed to love you, of grief and loss, and so much more. Of all the horror books I've read, this one stands apart.
Azzie and Vin are really stand out characters. They both felt wholly real and unique. While they did have very distinct voices the choice to have this be an epistolary novel did have me doubling back a couple of times when there was repeated use of "you".
I really loved the theme of reclaiming your bodily autonomy after traumatic events, we see it approached in two different ways and it was handled so so well. I especially loved how the author made it clear that there is no 'one' or 'perfect' way to heal from trauma, and that falling in love doesn't make it all magically fall away. We are more than our past, more than the sins of our parents, more than the labels that the world wants to apply to us.
I've seen some reviews calling this a "slice of life" novel because not a lot happens here. I think that could be a little misleading, it's better described as a character driven novel. Don't go into this expecting a cozy slice of like sapphic romances. I would highly recommend looking at a trigger warning list before picking this book up.
So many things are handled so beautifully in this book that I don't even know where to begin. The horror in this book goes beyond cosmic and body. It also gives us the horrors of motherhood, of being abused by the someone who is supposed to love you, of grief and loss, and so much more. Of all the horror books I've read, this one stands apart.
Azzie and Vin are really stand out characters. They both felt wholly real and unique. While they did have very distinct voices the choice to have this be an epistolary novel did have me doubling back a couple of times when there was repeated use of "you".
I really loved the theme of reclaiming your bodily autonomy after traumatic events, we see it approached in two different ways and it was handled so so well. I especially loved how the author made it clear that there is no 'one' or 'perfect' way to heal from trauma, and that falling in love doesn't make it all magically fall away. We are more than our past, more than the sins of our parents, more than the labels that the world wants to apply to us.
I've seen some reviews calling this a "slice of life" novel because not a lot happens here. I think that could be a little misleading, it's better described as a character driven novel. Don't go into this expecting a cozy slice of like sapphic romances. I would highly recommend looking at a trigger warning list before picking this book up.
August 25, 2023
3.8/5 stars
TWs: Ableism, gore, grief, incest, misogyny, rape, sexual content, sexual harassment, suicidal thoughts
Providence Girls is a retelling of multiple of Lovecraft's stories, but in the form of a slow-burn sapphic monster romance with body horror, longing and a cottage by the sea. It draws you in with a lyrical writing and two complex main characters that for the first time have to set their demons at the table, laid bare for each other. This caused a few miscommunication issues that I didn't really like, but it made the pace accurate to explore the relationship of two women who were trying to reclaim their bodies in a hurtful world.
Lavinia was a wonderful character that filled me with joy, and while I didn't like Azzie too much as a character, I loved how her transformation played out in the story. The author does 't flinch away from gruesome descriptions, and makes them look beautiful and tender without hiding the horrific. These characters honour each other's bodies in wondrous ways.
I was not prepared for the element related to the Cthulhu Mythos, and even though I am familiar with it, I felt like things could be explained in more detail for the people that aren't that familiar, as much as the story allows at least.
Overall, this was a story with a happy ending, something that surprised me but made me really happy. You can definitely give it a chance if it's up your alley!
*Content warnings are provided in the author's page*
TWs: Ableism, gore, grief, incest, misogyny, rape, sexual content, sexual harassment, suicidal thoughts
Providence Girls is a retelling of multiple of Lovecraft's stories, but in the form of a slow-burn sapphic monster romance with body horror, longing and a cottage by the sea. It draws you in with a lyrical writing and two complex main characters that for the first time have to set their demons at the table, laid bare for each other. This caused a few miscommunication issues that I didn't really like, but it made the pace accurate to explore the relationship of two women who were trying to reclaim their bodies in a hurtful world.
Lavinia was a wonderful character that filled me with joy, and while I didn't like Azzie too much as a character, I loved how her transformation played out in the story. The author does 't flinch away from gruesome descriptions, and makes them look beautiful and tender without hiding the horrific. These characters honour each other's bodies in wondrous ways.
I was not prepared for the element related to the Cthulhu Mythos, and even though I am familiar with it, I felt like things could be explained in more detail for the people that aren't that familiar, as much as the story allows at least.
Overall, this was a story with a happy ending, something that surprised me but made me really happy. You can definitely give it a chance if it's up your alley!
*Content warnings are provided in the author's page*
August 9, 2023
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC
"You gave me one of your rare tender smiles. Even writing about it makes me stop for a moment; it's an expression I miss the most from you. If I did without kisses or sex for an eternity, I'd be sated with your smile".
Providence Girls is a tough book to read, but also a delight. The two main characters have suffered a lot throughout their lives, and they keep suffering, but the relationship that blooms between Vin and Azzie, and the things they learn from the other, is an oasis of comfort in the midst of the horrors of their world.
This feeling of someone else being your home, the only thing you can turn to, permeates the whole writing. The book consists of letters, so Vin and Azzie speak to each other; this gives a feeling of complete intimacy, of isolation, but it also makes the book have a sense of nostalgia, of yearning for something that was good but now it's over.
The romance is slow, tentative, but for me it paid off nicely. I really liked how their love developed, and the little things that made them so perfect for each other.
The ending is bittersweet, but hopeful in its own way. I think it's really adequate for the type of story this one is.
Overall, it was a really good book. The horror aspect is more of a constant uneasy feeling that doesn’t leave you throughout the whole read, but I think it really suits the story.
Note: please check the trigger warnings before reading.
"You gave me one of your rare tender smiles. Even writing about it makes me stop for a moment; it's an expression I miss the most from you. If I did without kisses or sex for an eternity, I'd be sated with your smile".
Providence Girls is a tough book to read, but also a delight. The two main characters have suffered a lot throughout their lives, and they keep suffering, but the relationship that blooms between Vin and Azzie, and the things they learn from the other, is an oasis of comfort in the midst of the horrors of their world.
This feeling of someone else being your home, the only thing you can turn to, permeates the whole writing. The book consists of letters, so Vin and Azzie speak to each other; this gives a feeling of complete intimacy, of isolation, but it also makes the book have a sense of nostalgia, of yearning for something that was good but now it's over.
The romance is slow, tentative, but for me it paid off nicely. I really liked how their love developed, and the little things that made them so perfect for each other.
The ending is bittersweet, but hopeful in its own way. I think it's really adequate for the type of story this one is.
Overall, it was a really good book. The horror aspect is more of a constant uneasy feeling that doesn’t leave you throughout the whole read, but I think it really suits the story.
Note: please check the trigger warnings before reading.
September 5, 2023
I absolutely adore Dante's writing. The way this story was presented in letters between Vin and Azzie was perfect. It was equally sweet and heart-wrenching at times, both women having experienced a lot of trauma but finding a home in each other for a short time.
I loved the way both women started to open up over the course of the few months they knew each other. And I also quite enjoyed the body horror aspects of this story, it checked several of my boxes as far as things I like to read about. I would definitely recommend this!
*I received an ebook ARC from the author*
I loved the way both women started to open up over the course of the few months they knew each other. And I also quite enjoyed the body horror aspects of this story, it checked several of my boxes as far as things I like to read about. I would definitely recommend this!
*I received an ebook ARC from the author*
June 25, 2025
2.5/5 stars. Frankly this book had a lot of interesting things going on but the fact is I don’t like Horror as a genre much. The world was interesting but the characters were just miserable the entire time. A lot of the book is them reflecting on their trauma over and over and it just felt like a slog. It took me an entire month to read this book and it was only 250 pages.
October 24, 2024
I know I’m in a weird mood because somehow this sapphic monster romance/horror didn’t do anything for me? Ya girl is depresssseeeedddd 🫠 I’m going to put this in the to be reread TBR and circle back to it when I feel less like Sadness from Inside Out
December 19, 2025
Sapphic cosmic-horror-romance in tragically beautiful epistolary. Holy moly. I need 5 business days to process all the emotions of this story. 😭 😭 😭 6 heartbroken stars
Gobbled up in one day like Azzie and a lobster.
Gobbled up in one day like Azzie and a lobster.
June 16, 2024
“Slimy with my blood and womb-water”
That’s all I really need to say
That’s all I really need to say
June 6, 2025
Cozy eldritch horror sapphic romance! I loved this so much!
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