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The Flesh I Want
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Expected 9 Feb 27A captivating and terrifying literary body horror set on the south coast of England about desire, the male gaze, and the gory lengths we will go to satisfy our hunger. Perfect for readers of Lucy Rose and Monika Kim.
Sussex, 1994. 16-year-old Tim helps run his family winery in the remote Oldscoombe valley. Since his mother left two years ago, Tim has nobody but his short-tempered father and delinquent older brother. He staves off loneliness by holding funerals for roadkill and lusting after his neighbour's beautiful, unattainable wife … until the summer he stumbles across a secret.
There's a woman hiding at the bottom of the well near Tim's house. She's beautiful. She's soaked in blood. She says she's killed a man. Tim must only feed her, clothe her, and keep her safe. Infatuated, Tim steals gifts for her while his older brother takes the blame; straining relations with the only family he has left.
Over time, her requests escalate from wine to live animals, which alter her appearance in horrifying ways. When she eats a chicken, feathers sprout from her neck. When she eats a centipede, her spine splits; she grows more legs. Tim realises that, with the right diet, he could sculpt her to the image of his wildest fantasies...
As the power balance shifts, the line between pet and prisoner starts to blur. The woman demands a human sacrifice whose identity she can consume. And Tim must the unsuspecting woman he covets, or the mother who abandoned him and broke his heart.
Sussex, 1994. 16-year-old Tim helps run his family winery in the remote Oldscoombe valley. Since his mother left two years ago, Tim has nobody but his short-tempered father and delinquent older brother. He staves off loneliness by holding funerals for roadkill and lusting after his neighbour's beautiful, unattainable wife … until the summer he stumbles across a secret.
There's a woman hiding at the bottom of the well near Tim's house. She's beautiful. She's soaked in blood. She says she's killed a man. Tim must only feed her, clothe her, and keep her safe. Infatuated, Tim steals gifts for her while his older brother takes the blame; straining relations with the only family he has left.
Over time, her requests escalate from wine to live animals, which alter her appearance in horrifying ways. When she eats a chicken, feathers sprout from her neck. When she eats a centipede, her spine splits; she grows more legs. Tim realises that, with the right diet, he could sculpt her to the image of his wildest fantasies...
As the power balance shifts, the line between pet and prisoner starts to blur. The woman demands a human sacrifice whose identity she can consume. And Tim must the unsuspecting woman he covets, or the mother who abandoned him and broke his heart.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 9, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
i've sat with this book for a week now, trying to figure out where i stand with it...
The Flesh I Want is a nasty, weird little story (complimentary, of course!). i've had this on my radar for a few months now, & when i finally saw it pop up on netgalley, my first thought was "omg look at that cover" & my second was "i NEED to get my hands on this asap."
for the most part, this worked for me, & saying it's an interesting read feels like an understatement. the writing is strong & immediately grabbed my attention. every character, no matter how unlikable i found them, felt so real. this felt like reading about an actual family & their very real familial drama, which made it so easy to keep flipping the pgs. they really put the dys in dysfunctional.
the pacing never dragged, & the body horror was absolutely DISGUSTING in some scenes (again, i mean this in the best way). but my favorite part of the entire experience was the mystery surrounding Mummy Brown. WHO is she? Or, better yet, WHAT is she? where did she come from? i was racking my brain trying to piece her together, & she was such a unique character concept. we all know i love a good toxic situationship, so watching Tim become increasingly unhinged & obsessed with Mummy? i was eating that shit UP. i just kept waiting to see what he was going to do next.
the last 20ish percent is where this started to lose me, & honestly, i can't quite put my finger on why. things go from weird to straight up BONKERS, but not necessarily in a bad way. the body horror gets kicked up another notch, & somehow, i still finished this wanting more? i have a few questions left unanswered & the last few chapters just felt a teeny bit too rushed.
i definitely think this is worth a read for anybody into weird, gross horror that gets under your skin & might leave you with more questions than answers. just don't ask me what the hell you just read, because i'm still trying to figure part of that out for myself.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review
The Flesh I Want is a nasty, weird little story (complimentary, of course!). i've had this on my radar for a few months now, & when i finally saw it pop up on netgalley, my first thought was "omg look at that cover" & my second was "i NEED to get my hands on this asap."
for the most part, this worked for me, & saying it's an interesting read feels like an understatement. the writing is strong & immediately grabbed my attention. every character, no matter how unlikable i found them, felt so real. this felt like reading about an actual family & their very real familial drama, which made it so easy to keep flipping the pgs. they really put the dys in dysfunctional.
the pacing never dragged, & the body horror was absolutely DISGUSTING in some scenes (again, i mean this in the best way). but my favorite part of the entire experience was the mystery surrounding Mummy Brown. WHO is she? Or, better yet, WHAT is she? where did she come from? i was racking my brain trying to piece her together, & she was such a unique character concept. we all know i love a good toxic situationship, so watching Tim become increasingly unhinged & obsessed with Mummy? i was eating that shit UP. i just kept waiting to see what he was going to do next.
the last 20ish percent is where this started to lose me, & honestly, i can't quite put my finger on why. things go from weird to straight up BONKERS, but not necessarily in a bad way. the body horror gets kicked up another notch, & somehow, i still finished this wanting more? i have a few questions left unanswered & the last few chapters just felt a teeny bit too rushed.
i definitely think this is worth a read for anybody into weird, gross horror that gets under your skin & might leave you with more questions than answers. just don't ask me what the hell you just read, because i'm still trying to figure part of that out for myself.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from Author
It's impossible to describe this book accurately or in a way which sounds sane. Just trust it. Just start reading and let the madness swallow you whole into its gullet. Let the words wash over you like blood, let the creeping dark call to you in the night, let the oppressive summer heat of it sink into your bones. It is the perfect British folk horror, suffused with twisted nostalgia and bleak, sour desire.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I'm sure the author is very nice but what the fffffffff. (Highest compliment!)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Listen, I love whatever tf is wrong with Todd S. Jordan. Weird recognizes weird <3
Really quick overview: Tim helps run his dad's winery & does funerals for roadkill in his spare time. One day he finds a woman in the well on his family's property and basically falls in love with her then & there. But this woman is odd, whatever she eats, she becomes. Tim wants to feed this woman the perfect diet to turn her into the perfect woman for him, but not what she wants. Who or WHAT is this woman and HOW will this end for Tim?
I will be so honest, I finished this book about two weeks ago and I've been thinking about it ever since and also: it's left me completely speechless. I've never read a book like this in my life (complimentary), which is AMAZING! But I have no idea how to talk about it either. My review post on Instagram also continues to elude me for the same reason, I want to get it right but every time I attempt to capture the essence of this book, it slides through my fingers like fox blood.
I think I'll try to focus my attention on Tim and my reading experience with him since he's one of the main characters. Y'all, my boy Tim was a straight up FREAK, a real WEIRDO. Tim has mommy (and mummy har har) issues, which make him obsessed with his neighbor's wife, Wendy, his own mother, the woman in the well, any woman he sees basically. I can't super talk about this because it's a spoiler for events in the book but I found it so interesting Tim was so attracted to potential & possibility. Tim came off as mildly Joe Goldberg to me, he loves a woman when he can impress his own ideas of how she SHOULD be upon her, but once he gets to know her? It's over. There's also a plot twist involving his mom that I didn't see coming that I think explains SO MUCH about who Tim becomes as a person when we meet him.
And we have to talk about the body horror for a second. It was so nasty, disgusting, and visceral! And I think it was always used really well within the book, the real ones will know which book I'm talking about but excessive use of body horror will sometimes desensitize you to the story at hand, but here? Here it was perfect. Something else I loved was everyone in this book was a little bit of a villain in their own ways, some more, some less, some understandable, some unforgivable. And the ending, things go so off the rails so quickly at the end but it was so much FUN.
I promise you, you've never read a book like this before! And if you have, lemme raid your shelves please because I fear I will always be chasing the feelings this book gave me. This author should be on everybody's radar and I am currently sat outside the author's house, patiently waiting for his next book. "It's not ready yet!", he cries. But it does not matter. I am sat, I am waiting. I hunger for more.
Thanks to NetGalley and especially the author for sliding me a widget under the table after the publisher declined my review request. I appreciate the opportunity to read & review an advance DRC, all opinions are my own.
Really quick overview: Tim helps run his dad's winery & does funerals for roadkill in his spare time. One day he finds a woman in the well on his family's property and basically falls in love with her then & there. But this woman is odd, whatever she eats, she becomes. Tim wants to feed this woman the perfect diet to turn her into the perfect woman for him, but not what she wants. Who or WHAT is this woman and HOW will this end for Tim?
I will be so honest, I finished this book about two weeks ago and I've been thinking about it ever since and also: it's left me completely speechless. I've never read a book like this in my life (complimentary), which is AMAZING! But I have no idea how to talk about it either. My review post on Instagram also continues to elude me for the same reason, I want to get it right but every time I attempt to capture the essence of this book, it slides through my fingers like fox blood.
I think I'll try to focus my attention on Tim and my reading experience with him since he's one of the main characters. Y'all, my boy Tim was a straight up FREAK, a real WEIRDO. Tim has mommy (and mummy har har) issues, which make him obsessed with his neighbor's wife, Wendy, his own mother, the woman in the well, any woman he sees basically. I can't super talk about this because it's a spoiler for events in the book but I found it so interesting Tim was so attracted to potential & possibility. Tim came off as mildly Joe Goldberg to me, he loves a woman when he can impress his own ideas of how she SHOULD be upon her, but once he gets to know her? It's over. There's also a plot twist involving his mom that I didn't see coming that I think explains SO MUCH about who Tim becomes as a person when we meet him.
And we have to talk about the body horror for a second. It was so nasty, disgusting, and visceral! And I think it was always used really well within the book, the real ones will know which book I'm talking about but excessive use of body horror will sometimes desensitize you to the story at hand, but here? Here it was perfect. Something else I loved was everyone in this book was a little bit of a villain in their own ways, some more, some less, some understandable, some unforgivable. And the ending, things go so off the rails so quickly at the end but it was so much FUN.
I promise you, you've never read a book like this before! And if you have, lemme raid your shelves please because I fear I will always be chasing the feelings this book gave me. This author should be on everybody's radar and I am currently sat outside the author's house, patiently waiting for his next book. "It's not ready yet!", he cries. But it does not matter. I am sat, I am waiting. I hunger for more.
Thanks to NetGalley and especially the author for sliding me a widget under the table after the publisher declined my review request. I appreciate the opportunity to read & review an advance DRC, all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛: 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑒. 𝐼𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑟ℎ𝑦𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛. 𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑓 𝐼 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑓𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎 𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑓, 𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑑𝑜𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝐼 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑐ℎ 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.
If you are anything like me, you probably loved Obsession by Curry Barker. And if so, you’ve probably been looking for a book that gives off that Obsession vibe. Well - I found one guys! While this book isn’t EXACTLY like Obsession, it hones in on the toxicity of unchecked infatuation and what loneliness can do to a young mind.
This book is chock-full of twisted family secrets, insane body horror, and a captivating, unsettling atmosphere. This entire book is incredibly uncomfortable, and honestly? I fucking loved it.
I loved how the author tackles the concepts of the male gaze, male entitlement, and the unnatural urge to lean into fantasies instead of reality. It’s also beautifully written, and the fact that it’s set in the ’90s adds so much to the overall tone and atmosphere.
Overall, I loved this one. If you’re looking for a whimsical, dark, and disturbing look at monsters and obsession, I can’t recommend this one enough.
Special thanks to Titan Books for the eARC of this book!
If you are anything like me, you probably loved Obsession by Curry Barker. And if so, you’ve probably been looking for a book that gives off that Obsession vibe. Well - I found one guys! While this book isn’t EXACTLY like Obsession, it hones in on the toxicity of unchecked infatuation and what loneliness can do to a young mind.
This book is chock-full of twisted family secrets, insane body horror, and a captivating, unsettling atmosphere. This entire book is incredibly uncomfortable, and honestly? I fucking loved it.
I loved how the author tackles the concepts of the male gaze, male entitlement, and the unnatural urge to lean into fantasies instead of reality. It’s also beautifully written, and the fact that it’s set in the ’90s adds so much to the overall tone and atmosphere.
Overall, I loved this one. If you’re looking for a whimsical, dark, and disturbing look at monsters and obsession, I can’t recommend this one enough.
Special thanks to Titan Books for the eARC of this book!
October 10, 2026
‘A captivating and terrifying literary body horror set on the south coast of England about desire, the male gaze, and the gory lengths we will go to satisfy our hunger. Perfect for readers of Lucy Rose and Monika Kim and for fans of Obsession.’
Shoooweeee! I did not know what I was getting myself into when I requested this one. I went in blind. And boyyyy, was I in for one helluva jolt🥴
The Flesh I Want started off way the flock OUT there. “Odd” isn’t nearly adequate enough of a word. And the characters were all complete damn weirdos. Every last one of them, cracked. Their behaviors and choices, decisions, actions, the way they question nothing out of the ordinary… like whatt?? Lil dude, bruhh, get the hell away from the well already, you ignorant ass fool!🤨😆
FF to the back half, & shiz gets downright nasty! I mean, grahh, just straight up vile. All while maintaining its absolute strangeness. And I mean *absolute* with my whole body and soul.
I really don’t know what else to say. That’s how perplexed I am after finishing… oftentimes, obscure, I’m left parched for so many explanations on a myriad of things.
But I will not discount the writing. The writing was on point.
‘People say each time we remember something, it drifts a little further from the truth. With every recollection, our memories become more and more our own invention, as every time we pull them down from off the shelf, our fingers leave more stains.’
The content - well, it was all so unreservedly bizarre and foul and naturally subjective, ofc. So… do with that what you will.
Bring on the nightmares, because this one will definitely grace me with one or two or thirty-eight of those m’suckers.
Thanks to Titan for the opportunity. I am always grateful.
Pub: 2.9.2027.
Shoooweeee! I did not know what I was getting myself into when I requested this one. I went in blind. And boyyyy, was I in for one helluva jolt🥴
The Flesh I Want started off way the flock OUT there. “Odd” isn’t nearly adequate enough of a word. And the characters were all complete damn weirdos. Every last one of them, cracked. Their behaviors and choices, decisions, actions, the way they question nothing out of the ordinary… like whatt?? Lil dude, bruhh, get the hell away from the well already, you ignorant ass fool!🤨😆
FF to the back half, & shiz gets downright nasty! I mean, grahh, just straight up vile. All while maintaining its absolute strangeness. And I mean *absolute* with my whole body and soul.
I really don’t know what else to say. That’s how perplexed I am after finishing… oftentimes, obscure, I’m left parched for so many explanations on a myriad of things.
But I will not discount the writing. The writing was on point.
‘People say each time we remember something, it drifts a little further from the truth. With every recollection, our memories become more and more our own invention, as every time we pull them down from off the shelf, our fingers leave more stains.’
The content - well, it was all so unreservedly bizarre and foul and naturally subjective, ofc. So… do with that what you will.
Bring on the nightmares, because this one will definitely grace me with one or two or thirty-eight of those m’suckers.
Thanks to Titan for the opportunity. I am always grateful.
Pub: 2.9.2027.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a read on this.
WOW. Absolutely a banger. When was the last time we got a really good, really messed up body horror book with an unlikeable protagonist.
I love that narrator was sixteen, bothered by his mother taking off with a different guy, and showing some borderline serial killer tendencies, discovers a woman in a well. Hiding, fell in, we don't really know. She is a strange woman and wants flesh. But not animals, she wants people. She wants to obtain a form to kill the man who is after her.
The backstory of the woman and where she came from is interesting. It is certainly the reason behind the female and her presence in the story. The end of the movie is pretty wild. I won't spoil the ending, but it is interesting and makes you wonder if there was only one of them or if there is (or will be) more.
I really recommend this to people looking for something easy to read, gross, and reminds them of movies like The Thing.
WOW. Absolutely a banger. When was the last time we got a really good, really messed up body horror book with an unlikeable protagonist.
I love that narrator was sixteen, bothered by his mother taking off with a different guy, and showing some borderline serial killer tendencies, discovers a woman in a well. Hiding, fell in, we don't really know. She is a strange woman and wants flesh. But not animals, she wants people. She wants to obtain a form to kill the man who is after her.
The backstory of the woman and where she came from is interesting. It is certainly the reason behind the female and her presence in the story. The end of the movie is pretty wild. I won't spoil the ending, but it is interesting and makes you wonder if there was only one of them or if there is (or will be) more.
I really recommend this to people looking for something easy to read, gross, and reminds them of movies like The Thing.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"When we hope for the lesser of two evils, the greater evil hears us, and licks its greedy lips."
This book was gross and messed up (in the best way) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jordan did a great job with the writing, pacing, and character development, especially for a debut novel. I was invested in the story and while it may have been a little repetitive at times, I didn't particularly mind it because the characters were so compelling. I appreciate Jordan depicting topics such as feminine rage and bodily autonomy in the way that he did. It was engaging and not preachy or performative.
My complaints of the books were mostly related to the ending and I could be in the minority for this one but I wasn't quite getting what Jordan was trying to do in those last few sentences. I did however like the twist, although I did have to talk with a friend who read it as well for it to really click in my brain.
Overall, this was super fun and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys body horror, especially the movie Obsession or The Substance. Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to review this eARC!
This book was gross and messed up (in the best way) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jordan did a great job with the writing, pacing, and character development, especially for a debut novel. I was invested in the story and while it may have been a little repetitive at times, I didn't particularly mind it because the characters were so compelling. I appreciate Jordan depicting topics such as feminine rage and bodily autonomy in the way that he did. It was engaging and not preachy or performative.
My complaints of the books were mostly related to the ending and I could be in the minority for this one but I wasn't quite getting what Jordan was trying to do in those last few sentences. I did however like the twist, although I did have to talk with a friend who read it as well for it to really click in my brain.
Overall, this was super fun and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys body horror, especially the movie Obsession or The Substance. Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to review this eARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A huge 4.25 stars! What a disgustingly gross and weird book 👀
There were moments where I was reading this in complete horror, genuinely thinking, “What on earth was Todd thinking about whilst writing this?” 🤣
As horrifyingly gross as this book is, there are also underlying themes of truth in what we are as humans. If you strip away our souls, our identities and everything that makes us us, we are, in fact, just flesh, blood and bones.
I also LOVED that this is set in the UK; specifically Brighton, with some scenes in Margate. That made me so happy because so many books in this genre are set in the US, so having a distinctly British setting felt like such a refreshing change.
This book is uniquely weird. I genuinely don’t want to spoil anything, but that ending?! Absolutely crazy. I did not guess the twist at all, and I loved Harvey ever so much. And WENDY… excuse me?! 🤣🤣
I’d recommend this to anyone who likes gore, horror, weird stuff, gross things… you get the point. If you want something that is going to make you feel slightly horrified, confused and fascinated all at once, give this one a go.
And just to convince you to read it and get completely freaked out, here are a couple of my favourite quotes:
“I would never be like other people, and the day I realised that was the last day I felt like flesh and blood.”
“Living or dead, our memories and more will all decay in time. That’s the way the soil is made. The earth that feeds your belly too, it feeds on decay. And once again, I’m hungry. And like the soil, it’s flesh I want.”
There were moments where I was reading this in complete horror, genuinely thinking, “What on earth was Todd thinking about whilst writing this?” 🤣
As horrifyingly gross as this book is, there are also underlying themes of truth in what we are as humans. If you strip away our souls, our identities and everything that makes us us, we are, in fact, just flesh, blood and bones.
I also LOVED that this is set in the UK; specifically Brighton, with some scenes in Margate. That made me so happy because so many books in this genre are set in the US, so having a distinctly British setting felt like such a refreshing change.
This book is uniquely weird. I genuinely don’t want to spoil anything, but that ending?! Absolutely crazy. I did not guess the twist at all, and I loved Harvey ever so much. And WENDY… excuse me?! 🤣🤣
I’d recommend this to anyone who likes gore, horror, weird stuff, gross things… you get the point. If you want something that is going to make you feel slightly horrified, confused and fascinated all at once, give this one a go.
And just to convince you to read it and get completely freaked out, here are a couple of my favourite quotes:
“I would never be like other people, and the day I realised that was the last day I felt like flesh and blood.”
“Living or dead, our memories and more will all decay in time. That’s the way the soil is made. The earth that feeds your belly too, it feeds on decay. And once again, I’m hungry. And like the soil, it’s flesh I want.”
October 12, 2026
some of the body horror elements especially towards the end made my skin crawl. very lovecraftian (without the racism) mixed with eric la rocca’s “things have gotten worse since we last spoke” (but written much better).
thanking netgalley & the publishers for the arc!!!
thanking netgalley & the publishers for the arc!!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was drawn to this book by the cover and the premise. What a beautifully, dark and tragic story. Highly recommend to anyone.
Very much reminded me of Ania Ahlborn books in some ways.
Thank you NetGalley for the amazing ARC!
Very much reminded me of Ania Ahlborn books in some ways.
Thank you NetGalley for the amazing ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Titan Books for an ARC of The Flesh I Want via NetGalley.
Is Todd Jordan okay? ...because this was fucked up. I sort of loved it, and I also sort of feel like I need to remove my brain from my skull and soak it in disinfectant. Equal parts horrifying and hypnotizing, I could not consume it quickly enough (pun intended). This book belongs on the "Read if you dare" list.
5 stars.
Is Todd Jordan okay? ...because this was fucked up. I sort of loved it, and I also sort of feel like I need to remove my brain from my skull and soak it in disinfectant. Equal parts horrifying and hypnotizing, I could not consume it quickly enough (pun intended). This book belongs on the "Read if you dare" list.
5 stars.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Todd S. Jordan’s The Flesh I Want is the kind of book you read in a day and can’t stop thinking about for a year. I’m not a huge horror reader, but from the first chapter I was instantly impressed with the writing style, language choice and the pacing was perfect. Somehow amongst the gore and the freakiest displays of human desire, the metaphorical writing style was almost lyrical and it came across so beautiful in comparison to the harrowing content. Honestly, an incredible read.
It is a coming of age story set in 1994 about our protagonist Tim who is sixteen and like most teenagers is fascinated with women, death, power and control. Mostly he misses his mother who left a couple years ago, leaving himself, his brother and his father. Tim spends his days working on his father’s winery, holding funerals for roadkill, setting traps he hope won’t catch the local animals and desiring his neighbors wife, Wendy.
That is until he finds a woman hiding at the bottom of their well, Mummy Brown. Covered in blood and asking him to hide her as she has committed a murder, Tim becomes immersed with her and her increasingly violent commands. As he feeds her, her body changes in unimaginable ways and when she begins to demand human flesh, Tim realizes he could create his perfect woman, a mix of the unattainable neighbor and his mother.
There is a huge element of control here, whose holding it and what they do with it. We see the change occur throughout their journey together and Mummy Brown reliance on Tim’s offerings evolve. The power of desire and willingness to change the past, alter the present and effect the future is too mesmerising for Tim and he falls further into the rabbit hole with every chapter.
God only knows what Mummy Brown is, some sort of ancient entity, exhumed to create paint from her ashes? The whole plotline is literally insane, I wasn’t expecting any of it, this is such an imaginative concept which I don’t want to spoil for other readers, but honestly there is no way you can predict what happens in this novel. A perfect example of British folk horror, the setting only heightened the creepy atmosphere. I was left gobsmacked and feeling dreadful for Timmy’s brother and father, what an ending.
It is a coming of age story set in 1994 about our protagonist Tim who is sixteen and like most teenagers is fascinated with women, death, power and control. Mostly he misses his mother who left a couple years ago, leaving himself, his brother and his father. Tim spends his days working on his father’s winery, holding funerals for roadkill, setting traps he hope won’t catch the local animals and desiring his neighbors wife, Wendy.
That is until he finds a woman hiding at the bottom of their well, Mummy Brown. Covered in blood and asking him to hide her as she has committed a murder, Tim becomes immersed with her and her increasingly violent commands. As he feeds her, her body changes in unimaginable ways and when she begins to demand human flesh, Tim realizes he could create his perfect woman, a mix of the unattainable neighbor and his mother.
There is a huge element of control here, whose holding it and what they do with it. We see the change occur throughout their journey together and Mummy Brown reliance on Tim’s offerings evolve. The power of desire and willingness to change the past, alter the present and effect the future is too mesmerising for Tim and he falls further into the rabbit hole with every chapter.
God only knows what Mummy Brown is, some sort of ancient entity, exhumed to create paint from her ashes? The whole plotline is literally insane, I wasn’t expecting any of it, this is such an imaginative concept which I don’t want to spoil for other readers, but honestly there is no way you can predict what happens in this novel. A perfect example of British folk horror, the setting only heightened the creepy atmosphere. I was left gobsmacked and feeling dreadful for Timmy’s brother and father, what an ending.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book was nasty, and I mean that as a compliment. It was the best way to start off the spookiest time of year and this is definitely going to stick around in my brain for a long time.
The prologue was perfect; it caught my attention immediately and every moment I wasn't reading this book I was counting down the minutes until I could pick it up again. I really appreciate when horror authors don't hold back and man, Todd Jordan did not hold back on anything. This was gruesome and disgusting and creepily erotic in the best and worst ways possible. Throughout the book, I found myself thinking surely he's not going to go there, but Jordan very much did go there. And then some. His prose was poetic and fit this folk horror-esque tale perfectly. There were some particularly lovely lines to be found in these pages, which is always a highlight when reading any book, especially a horror novel.
My only criticism is I wish we had spent a little more time with Current Day Tim. The last few chapters felt the slightest bit rushed as everything came to a head rather quickly when we'd spent the last 2/3rds of the book building up to a huge confrontation. Don't get me wrong, the final moments with Tim and The Lady in the Well along with his odd family was amazing and just as bloody and gory as I was hoping for, but the last chapter left me wanting some more. Either way, I enjoyed the hell out of this freaky book and I'm excited to see what else the author has in store.
My thanks to Titan Books and Netgalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.
The prologue was perfect; it caught my attention immediately and every moment I wasn't reading this book I was counting down the minutes until I could pick it up again. I really appreciate when horror authors don't hold back and man, Todd Jordan did not hold back on anything. This was gruesome and disgusting and creepily erotic in the best and worst ways possible. Throughout the book, I found myself thinking surely he's not going to go there, but Jordan very much did go there. And then some. His prose was poetic and fit this folk horror-esque tale perfectly. There were some particularly lovely lines to be found in these pages, which is always a highlight when reading any book, especially a horror novel.
My only criticism is I wish we had spent a little more time with Current Day Tim. The last few chapters felt the slightest bit rushed as everything came to a head rather quickly when we'd spent the last 2/3rds of the book building up to a huge confrontation. Don't get me wrong, the final moments with Tim and The Lady in the Well along with his odd family was amazing and just as bloody and gory as I was hoping for, but the last chapter left me wanting some more. Either way, I enjoyed the hell out of this freaky book and I'm excited to see what else the author has in store.
My thanks to Titan Books and Netgalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Flesh I Want is such a unique take on body horror and I loved that I hated every second of it!
From page one I felt so uncomfortable and it only got worse as the story continued not just with the narrative but the cast of characters as well. The more we got to know them, the more horrible they became. Main character, Tim, was a particularly interesting character; he was creepy and strange but by the end I can't say I entirely blamed him... look at the people he had around him growing up!
Mummy Brown was such a brilliant horror character! She was so entirely inhuman and monstrous and yet one could argue that she wasn't the biggest monster of the story. I loved the parallel in how she is treated by the people around her, especially Tim, to real world issues of consent, the male gaze and body autonomy. What a brilliant way to explore these themes!
The horror elements really worked for me because they weren't just there in the disgusting, vile body horror parts but psychologically as well. Every time I thought I knew what would come next - NOPE, no I did not!
This is a strong entry to the horror genre and a fantastic debut for a very promising author!
The Flesh I Want is such a unique take on body horror and I loved that I hated every second of it!
From page one I felt so uncomfortable and it only got worse as the story continued not just with the narrative but the cast of characters as well. The more we got to know them, the more horrible they became. Main character, Tim, was a particularly interesting character; he was creepy and strange but by the end I can't say I entirely blamed him... look at the people he had around him growing up!
Mummy Brown was such a brilliant horror character! She was so entirely inhuman and monstrous and yet one could argue that she wasn't the biggest monster of the story. I loved the parallel in how she is treated by the people around her, especially Tim, to real world issues of consent, the male gaze and body autonomy. What a brilliant way to explore these themes!
The horror elements really worked for me because they weren't just there in the disgusting, vile body horror parts but psychologically as well. Every time I thought I knew what would come next - NOPE, no I did not!
This is a strong entry to the horror genre and a fantastic debut for a very promising author!
October 10, 2026
Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What the hell was that.
Very addictive. Very strange. Very disturbing. Very good.
Really enjoyed the story and the descent into madness. The story crawls up your skin and lingers there. I kept having to force myself to put the book down, especially at dinner otherwise my hunger would vanish with the words on the pages.
I hated every character. I hated the sheer, disgusting scenes. I felt bad for the dad, even after knowing what happened.
3.5/5 enjoyed it and never want to think about it ever, ever again
What the hell was that.
Very addictive. Very strange. Very disturbing. Very good.
Really enjoyed the story and the descent into madness. The story crawls up your skin and lingers there. I kept having to force myself to put the book down, especially at dinner otherwise my hunger would vanish with the words on the pages.
I hated every character. I hated the sheer, disgusting scenes. I felt bad for the dad, even after knowing what happened.
3.5/5 enjoyed it and never want to think about it ever, ever again
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The scariest part of this book was being in the mind of a lust-filled sixteen year old boy.
Kidding, kidding. If you're a fan of ultra bizarre and gory body horror, this will be perfect for you. The writing was great- it kept reminding me of Frankenstein's prose, which is one of the highest compliments I could possibly give a book. Unfortunately it wasn't quite what I expected, but I think this will be a winner for a lot of readers. The author isn't afraid to go all out.
Thank you to Titan Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Kidding, kidding. If you're a fan of ultra bizarre and gory body horror, this will be perfect for you. The writing was great- it kept reminding me of Frankenstein's prose, which is one of the highest compliments I could possibly give a book. Unfortunately it wasn't quite what I expected, but I think this will be a winner for a lot of readers. The author isn't afraid to go all out.
Thank you to Titan Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was a very cool tale. It really had the feel of an old fairy tale…if you blended that fairy tale with The Thing and more blood and viscera. But in a tasteful way of course.
It wasn’t just a big dumb splatter fest either. I actually went into this, after reading some other reviews, thinking it was just going to be a ton of gross scenes. It had its fair share, but there was also a modicum of character depth that pulled on the heart strings at times in its own crazy way.
As far as the plot, as crazy as it was, was actually pretty confined but the author really kept me engaged the whole time. The main story line was intriguing and kept me thinking the whole time about how the thing could possibly end.
Thanks to NetGalley and the powers that be for the e-book ARC!
It wasn’t just a big dumb splatter fest either. I actually went into this, after reading some other reviews, thinking it was just going to be a ton of gross scenes. It had its fair share, but there was also a modicum of character depth that pulled on the heart strings at times in its own crazy way.
As far as the plot, as crazy as it was, was actually pretty confined but the author really kept me engaged the whole time. The main story line was intriguing and kept me thinking the whole time about how the thing could possibly end.
Thanks to NetGalley and the powers that be for the e-book ARC!
October 3, 2026
A monstrous, gruesome coming of age story,
set in Sussex in 1994, it follows Tim a 16 year old boy, who's family is falling apart after his mother left 2 years before. while working on the family's vineyard he discover's a beautiful girl within the well, who asks for help, her request's start simple a bottle of wine, something to eat. but slowly they grow into something more, and Tim is left battling between keeping her safe and doing as she asks and his own morals.
This story is full of gruesome body horror and the tale twist's to places you don't see coming perfect for fan's of David Sodergren and Johnny Gaunt's "Offcumden"
set in Sussex in 1994, it follows Tim a 16 year old boy, who's family is falling apart after his mother left 2 years before. while working on the family's vineyard he discover's a beautiful girl within the well, who asks for help, her request's start simple a bottle of wine, something to eat. but slowly they grow into something more, and Tim is left battling between keeping her safe and doing as she asks and his own morals.
This story is full of gruesome body horror and the tale twist's to places you don't see coming perfect for fan's of David Sodergren and Johnny Gaunt's "Offcumden"
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