Snake Eyes

Gods & Monsters #4

by Hillary Monahan

Tanis Barlas is, in no particular order, a daughter of Lamia, a snake-woman, a killer and a hunter, collecting men to mate with her mother and continue the precious line. She hates it, like she hates her messed-up family and everything that goes with it. Tanis Barlas is, in no particular order, a daughter of Lamia, a snake-woman, a killer and a hunter, collecting men to mate with her mother and continue the precious line. She hates it, like she hates her messed-up family and everything that goes with it.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Queer, Horror, Fiction, LGBT, Lesbian

271 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2016

About the author

Hillary Monahan's YA debut MARY: The Summoning, a YA Horror retelling of the Bloody Mary myth, sold at auction to Hyperion and hit number two on the New York Times e-book bestseller list. MARY: Unleashed is out as of fall 2015. She's also published THE AWESOME with Ravenstone under the name Eva Darrows, which received starred reviews in both Kirkus and PW.

Her next three publications are an adult horror novel in the GODS & MONSTERS series for Solaris, due out in December of 2016. Spring of 2017 will see the YA contemporary DEAD LITTLE MEAN GIRL under the name Eva Darrows published through Harlequin Teen. Fall of 2017 sees the YA horror THE WAGON WITCH'S APPRENTICE under Hillary Monahan through Delacorte/Random House.

Inquiries can be addressed to: hillaryjmonahan at gmail dot com

Reviews

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: Free book from Netgalley. I also wrote a novella in this series *and* have more work coming out in this shared world. So, take my opinion however you like.

I love Snake Eyes. I think I might love it for the entirely wrong reasons. The epic conflict between the lamias and the gorgons did not interest me as much as the relationship between Tanis and Naree. Don't get me wrong. The plotting is solid and Hillary slithers through the beats with the graceful precision of a cobra. But it didn't grab me the same way that the stories about the *people* did.

Tanis and Naree are unapologetically queer, unapologetically in love. There's no 'growing' into their affection for each other, no fetishization of their relationship (Naree's unabashed love of terrible food makes me want to ball her up and put her away in a pocket for safekeeping), nothing but a kind of ferocious love. I'd read an entire book about them chilling at home. Serious.

And the book is also all about the womenfolk. Layers upon layers, complex relationships, all the goods and bads, all mixed up and rolled into a tautly spun narrative. There's so much to be said about how Hilary tackles body positivity too, her portrayal of fat people, a lot of things to learn there.

Solid craft, characters I want to see again. My only point of contention, perhaps, is that the ending felt a bit rushed, but hey, nothing's perfect.

[Tart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not normally much of an Urban Fantasy reader, but I loved this book. Tanis is witty and smart and tough but still as relatable as a snake girl can be. Naree is amazing and I kind of want to be bffs with her. Or date her. I haven't decided which yet. But the relationship between Tanis and Naree was fantastic and felt realistic.
Characters aside, I really enjoyed the story as well. Things moved along at a good pace and I never felt like I was bored waiting for something to happen or confused because too many things were happening at once, which is my usual complaint of the genre.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Hillary Monahan's books. She always writes them in a way that just makes you want to read, and not stop. And this one was definitely no exception.

It may have taken me longer to read, but I definitely did enjoy the ride. I am not sure how to explain why it took me longer. I enjoyed it a lot, but I just didn't seem to get through it.

Normally I would write a normal review, but I am oh so tired, so I will just do a good/bad review. Though there aren't a lot of bad points, so it will be mostly a good review. :P

Good:
-The main character. At first I thought she was just a female, though a bit snakeish, but then we find out that she has, um, well, 2 penises. Yes, she has two penises.
She is also really kick-ass, will do anything to save her girlfriend (and later something else as well). She is sweet, kind, friendly, though is also not afraid to open her mouth and tell it as it is. Everything she did in this book was pretty much amazing. I do have one point that I didn't like about her, and I will talk about in the bad part.
I did feel sorry for her, for having such a mother, for having such a family. It must have been a hard life, with how they were treated. Especially Lamia was just a terrible person. Then again, apparently running away is no option, so at times I just wanted to hug Tanis and tell her everything would be OK, eventually.
-The world building. The Lamias, the Gorgons, the Iwa, the witches, everything, it took place in ordinary America, but there was so much more to it that it was a delight to read. I just wanted to know what else would pop up in this book. How it would all connect. Because even though stuff didn't always seem to have a connection, it did have a connection in the end, and I loved that.
Even though the Gorgons weren't nice guys, I still liked that they were added. They made some good bad guys, though at times I was wondering who the real bad guy was, Lamia herself, or the Gorgons.
-Naree, all the way Naree. She was, next to Tanis, my favourite character. She was sweet, caring, but also wasn't afraid to open her mouth and tell people a piece of her mind. I loved how she had accepted Tanis. How she accepted that Tanis was female, but also male. Even when stuff went to crap she stayed with Tanis, helped her, and tried to be there for her. At times getting angry at Tanis, or at the situation at hand, which is totally logical, anyone would have done that.
-The romance between Naree and Tanis. I was just absolutely swooning when they got together, they were so sweet and cute together. At first they didn't seem to match, but then you saw them together and saw the love between them, it was just overflowing. They really fitted well together.
-I also loved the various body sizes in this one, and how it was all treated. It also made a fun contrast between Naree and Tanis. Tanis was mostly muscle and lean, while Naree was chubby and curvy.
-The story was amazing, more problems came on the road but it was all handled well and I had fun seeing Tanis handle them.
-The ending. I loved it so much! I can imagine why Tanis picked that as a solution, I think anyone would have after all she went through. Poor girl.
-There were enough comedy moments that had me laughing or snickering out loud.
-The cover now makes even more sense to me! I won't spoil anything, but believe me you will probably also experience this moment of clarity afterwards.

Mixed:
I have one mixed thing that I have to add.
The sex, and the sex talk. Many of my followers/readers know that I am not too comfortable about sex scenes. For me it just feels like I am viewing something private, something I should not watch. I have no problem with sex in general, but sex scenes in books, games, tv just feel like I am interrupting. I am not too sure how to explain it. :P But I hope I got the point across.
Plus some of the scenes in this book, um, were quite a bit too much for me. :P Something to do with the double penis situation.

Bad:
-At times I was a bit annoyed with how Tanis would just jump into danger. Sure, she would feel crappy about it, that she was not able to be with Naree, possibly forever. I know she didn't have much choice, but at times I just wished she would have stopped and searched for another plan.
Also at times she was so insecure, which she shouldn't be! She is a great girl, sweet, kind, protective, and she deserves the world.

But all in all? This book was amazing! I loved every bit of it, and I will definitely be re-reading this one. I would recommend it if you are looking for a book with a kick-ass character, some sweet romance, lots of mythology, and you don't mind sex. :P

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com

[Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend. Kinda fucked up and so enjoyable!

[Chloe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this was just a little too gory and gross for me. I only finished this because I'm stubborn and a bit of a completionist. I'm hoping I'll enjoy the final two books in the Gods and Monsters series more.

[Elle Maruska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh if more urban fantasy books were like this, I'd read more urban fantasy. I love how queer this book was, how respectful it was of its characters, how there was no torture porn, no egregious suffering, how there was pain and fear and death but not schlocky, violence-for-violence's sake. There were characters of all ages and body-types, characters with all different sorts of relationships AND OMG THERE WERE SO FEW CIS STRAIGHT MEN IT WAS SUCH A BREATH OF FRESH AIR!! The narrative was concerned with women: queer women, trans women, fat women, all sorts of women who were given the space to be flawed, complicated characters and I loved it.

I love the concept of urban fantasy but far too many urban fantasy books don't treat their characters with the sort of care and respect that Monahan does. I was so glad I read this book!!

[Alia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It reads in a heartbeat! It is fun, fast paced, witty, diverse, gritty and a bit nasty. Great characters in a fantastic atmosphere and a pretty original setting, it does not delve deep, nor has to, there is skill in crafting everything neatly.
Very fun indeed!

Also... Got a soft spot for Tanis and Naree's dynamic, very sweet amidst everything.

[Lore Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked up Snake Eyes, I knew nothing about it other than the blurb on the back cover. It's a gritty urban fantasy adventure with a splash of humor and a no-bullshit protagonist. Packed with sex, violence, and magic, Snake Eyes follows the humanoid lamia Tanis as a couple of unpleasant surprises wreck the tenuous stability she's built for herself with her girlfriend, Naree. This is the first book I've read by Hillary Monahan, and overall I enjoyed it.

Tanis is a sympathetic, if not entirely likable, protagonist, who has done some awful things while working for her despicable monster of a mother, Lamia. Her strides toward being less of a (metaphorical) monster herself are largely thanks to her relationship with Naree, and it's impossible not to feel bad for Tanis given the level of parental abuse she suffers. Naree is nice and good-natured, but I was slightly disappointed that she never really got a chance to be in the spotlight; she's always a supporting character for Tanis rather than a protagonist in her own right.

The worldbuilding is solid, heavily based in mythology and brought to life with plenty of evocative details and glimpses of a much larger magical world. In addition to the obvious Greek mythology, we get a little bit of Norse and vodou influence as well. Tanis's sensitive nose and her necessary alertness to her surroundings made every scene vivid.

While I wish I'd been warned about some of the content (see below), I was never quite put off enough to give up on the novel and I'm glad I made it through. I'll definitely be reading more by Hillary Monahan in the future.

Recommended if you like: urban fantasy stories with some guts and horror; mythical creatures in modern settings (especially part-snake creatures); magic and monsters alongside cars and guns.

Not recommended if you are squeamish or easily triggered by anything on the below list!

Content warnings:
Violence, gore, & character death; bodily fluids; rape & incest; pregnancy & childbirth.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warning: Sexual assault, violence

Snake Eyes is one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read. There’s no way I’m ever forgetting it.

Tanis Barlas is the daughter of the Lamia, a monstrous snake woman from Greek mythology who cares little for her human daughters. Yet she retains a tight control over all her offspring, and Tanis is forced to every month find a man for her mother to mate with and then devour. The only thing making her life bearable is her human girlfriend, Naree. But then two events change Tanis’s life forever. Her mother’s ancient enemies, the Gorgons, arrive in Florida hunting them, and Naree becomes pregnant. With Naree in danger, Tanis will do whatever she must to keep her lover safe.

Let’s get this out of the way upfront: Snake Eyes is pretty darn gross. There’s lots of violence, blood, and gore. The book opens with Tanis kidnapping a man who abuses his wife, taking him to her mother, who transforms him into a snake monster and then mates with him. Snake Eyes had a lot of bits where I was like “wtf” and “this is possibly the weirdest and grossest thing I’ve read.” And yet I kept reading. In fact, I read all of Snake Eyes in a single day. It might be weird and gross, but it’s also compulsive.

On the bright side, if you’re looking for a book that’s centered around female characters, queer positive, and body positive, Snake Eyes may very well be the book for you. Almost all the characters who drive the plot are women. The Lamia only has daughters, no matter what type of genitalia those daughters may have. While Tanis isn’t human and can’t really be described in our terms, she does sort of bring in trans and intersex issues. In the author’s note, Monahan says that Snake Eyes is the first book she wrote after she came out, and she truly succeeded in writing a story that’s delightfully queer.

Tannis is clearly an anti-heroine, what with being technically a serial killer or at least an accomplice to one? She’s a character who’s entire life consists of her being stuck between a rock and a hard place and doing whatever she can to get out. I liked her quite a bit. On the other hand, I feel like Naree didn’t have that much character. For me, she never really moved beyond a plot device that exists to motivate Tannis. If she was the only woman in the story, you can bet that I’d be complaining about this a lot more. As is, I’m willing to let it lie.

From what I can tell, the Gods and Monsters series is a shared universe. Goodreads lists Snake Eyes as the third in the series, but it stands completely alone. The two previous books are both written by other authors. I don’t think I’m going to check out any more books in the series, but I will be looking for other books by Hilary Monahan.

Review from The Illustrated Page.

[Will Caskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Splendid gleeful fantasy/horror

There's a certain connotation to gleeful sci fi/fantasy. Many try for it but forget to write a good story, or in the case of Richard Morgan descend into cringeworthy grimdark vulgarity. It takes a deft hand as well as a sense of unapologetic fun.

Hillary Monahan is an absolute mistress of both. Her sometime anti heroine comes right out of the gate as a chain smoking, transsexual snake demigoddess with a thing for large women. You don't even have time to blink before Monahan kicks her story rollercoaster into a vertical dive. She's here, she's awesome, she has 99 problems and every one is gory, lurid and hilarious.

As a practical poster man for heteronormativity I can't usefully comment on the queer aspect of her writing but I can definitely say that when Monahan promises hot sex and never to kill her queer characters (her words), she delivers and it's a delight to read.

This book is the cure for an endless parade of grit fests that run into an often racially/sexually problematic ditch without anything to show for it. It's fast paced, gripping and just plain fun.

[Macha · Rating 3 out of 5]

i thought i might like this one: given the mythology stuff. kind of in the True Blood neighbourhood, as it turned out, weird fantasy set in the backwoods of Louisiana. but it was creepy and gross, cardboard and uninsightful, careless and kind of clueless. i may remember it, but not so much fondly. giving it some points for original story, gorgons and lamia and such not being a standard setup, but i'm not gonna go looking for either the series or the author. i feel obscurely bad for mythology, that it's come down to this.3 stars: not a keeper.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crass and dirty, this book pulls no punches and doesn't give a damn about the readers tender sensibilities. The descriptions of sex are striking, vivid, and weird, the characters are monstrous and strange. But at the end of the day that is what makes this book so good. It doesn't give a damn that's what makes it so charming, you can't help but keep reading to see where it goes next.

[ARR62 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bizarre Weirdness

I mean bizarre! In the best of ways...It's horrific, odd, cruel, cynical, and, (wait for it) completely life affirming. Truly. I seem to be on a roll with odd dark side novels today but this one, this wins the prize. Myth and the bizarre wrapped up in one slimy package.

[Robert Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the story was good the connection to the previous books in the series was very limited, I understand this is more stand alone but it does reference Myth Breaker. I found the descriptions of the sex scenes rather excessive and not really bringing anything to the plot but it is well written. Overall it was a decent read.

[Moni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was not a fan of the book. The descriptions and imaginary was good. I just could not get over some descriptions, my mind was just nope no way.

I will check out other books from author because the authors writing an imagination was wonderful.

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I am enjoying the Gods and Monsters series as a whole. This is a stand-alone book in the shared universe. The first half of the book is a bit tedious but the story picks up speed about halfway and the writing gets tighter, too. Monahan definitely sticks the landing!

[Brittany Guilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish every book was this book. I am ruined for everything else.

[Luiz Marques · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. I have been reading the whole series, and I what I liked about this one is that the creatures weren't nearly as overdone as the others.

[Kimsandara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snake eyes had a very interesting premise. However, it got subsumed by endless gore and sex. Not even the very singular protagonists could salvage the plot.
Not a bad read, just a boring one.

[Mary Saha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I want another (maybe I will get one I am thrilled that there is another Rupert Wong coming out). I love that the love interest is a curvy girl and that the narrator is such a badass but still has anxiety over everything. I could not put this book down. I finished it all on the Saturday after it came in the mail and got absolutely nothing productive done. It is refreshing to see such a female driven book. Mythology is filled with such awesome females but in most books they are relegated to sex objects. I hope there is more to come for these characters. I would definitely pre-order a book 2.

[Mary Hartshorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book for an honest review. I really could not get into this book unfortunately. Despite this, I would encourage you to try it just in case it might be something that you like. Different perspectives and everything.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the characters, especially the LA ones. I don't know Greek mythology, so it was interesting hearing some of those stories.

[Steven]

There were things I liked about this novel - set in the South, urban fantasy that doesn't settle for the usual creatures, an exploration of abusive relationships, genderqueer, fat, and old characters. I wasn't nearly in love with Naree as Tanis is, and the characters are one-dimensional at best. Still mulling over a star rating.