Miao Dao

Dark Corners Collection #4

by Joyce Carol Oates, Amy Landon (Narrator)

A girl comes of age with a vengeance—and help from a friend—in a tale of unnerving suspense from National Book Award winner and literary master Joyce Carol Oates.

Bad things have been happening since Mia began to mature. Her dad left. Boys at school can’t keep their hands to themselves. A lecherous stepfather has moved in. Her only refuge is an abandoned lot on her suburban cul-de-sac, crawling with feral felines—one of which follows Mia home. Ghostly white and affectionate, she is Mia’s new companion and—as Mia’s tormenters will soon discover—her fierce protector.

Joyce Carol Oates’s Miao Dao is part of Dark Corners, a collection of seven heart-stopping short stories by bestselling authors who give you so many new reasons to be afraid. Each story can be read in a single sitting. Or, if you have the nerve, you can listen all by yourself in the dark.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery, Thriller, Novella

Audible Audio

First published September 27, 2018

About the author

Joyce Carol Oates is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels Black Water (1992), What I Lived For (1994), and Blonde (2000), and her short story collections The Wheel of Love (1970) and Lovely, Dark, Deep: Stories (2014) were each finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. She has won many awards for her writing, including the National Book Award, for her novel Them (1969), two O. Henry Awards, the National Humanities Medal, and the Jerusalem Prize (2019).
Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014, and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. From 2016 to 2020, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught short fiction in the spring semesters. She now teaches at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Oates was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2016.
Pseudonyms: Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.

Reviews

[Krystin | TheF*ckingTwist · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book Blog | Bookstagram

I don't know what the fuck this is, but it's weird and awkward and I do not like Oates' writing style at all.

Usually, I'm pretty chill about writing styles and can adapt to mostly everything, but this? Ugh.

I was really hoping this short story was going to be some Carrie kind of scary, but with killer cats. Unfortunately, it's following the same footsteps as The Tangled Woods, where the horrors are real-life issues we face in a messed up society, instead of escapist horror.

I think I'm finding that I'm not the kind of person who likes "reality horror." I much prefer monsters and crazed slasher killers over sexual abuse and institutionalized racism. I read as an escape, not to be reminded about how much humans fucking suck.



The pacing of the plot feels disproportionate, taking up a lot of time over the 66-pages to build up Mia, her struggles at school since hitting puberty, her struggles at home with her parent's divorce, her father's new family and her mother's new marriage with a creepy "Jared from Subway" type.

I was expecting a horror story of revenge with killer cats and their queen teen, but what I got instead was a girl obsessed with feral cats, acting as her only haven from being constantly sexualized when she just wants to grow up in peace.

I mean, I get it. It sucks. Been there and still have issues from it, but it just didn't work for me. I understand the social commentary that Oates wanted to delve into with this story, but it's not what I wanted to read and I didn't enjoy the way it was delivered.

I mean, if you can fuck up a story that's teased to be about ride-or-die cats, you've done something very wrong. That's a winning concept all the way meow-ound.

...I'll show myself out.

⭐⭐ | 2 stars

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirteen-year-old Mia’s life hasn’t been happy of late since she’s been maturing. She’s got boys harassing her at school, her father left, and now she’s got a sleazy new stepfather who got his eyes on her. Mia seeks solace with the feral cats who live on an abandoned lot. They seem like her only friends, especially one in particular who comes home with her and she names Miao Dao. I really enjoyed this strange little tale and found it really captivating and I was curious to see what was going to happen. This short story was an entertaining and quick read.

[paula ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 ⭐

It's a good thing it was only 82 pages because I feel like I wasted my time. My God, if it had been longer I probably would have DNF'd it.

There's barely any horror, just the story of a 14-year-old girl watching her body change with age, dealing with personal and family traumas. And that's it. That's the book.

Honestly, I'm scared about this series because I still have 3 stories left to read, and all of them haven't been more than 1.5 star. Let's hope it gets better 🥴

[Mark Porton · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve got a spare 90 minutes and want to be thrilled and subjected to mind games and a crescendo of an ending Miao Dao by the wonderful Joyce Carol Oates is one for you.

Poor Mia, an 8th grade girl, gets teased at school by idiot boys a year or so older than her because she is developing into a young woman. She’s ever increasingly uncomfortable about her body and these mongrels are making matters worse.

Mia and her two brothers are also witnessing the disintegration of their family as Dad leaves Mum for another woman – and sets up with his new family in another state, far away. Mum is depressed, angry, often drunk, this all makes for a miserable time for Mia. Anyway, her only relief is a colony of feral cats in a vacant allotment next to her house, she spends time getting to know them. Much to the chagrin of her Mum (and Dad when he was there). It seems to be her only comfort in life.

Enter Pharis, the new man in Mia’s Mum’s life – soon enough he’s the stepdad and moves in. This is when things step up a gear. It all gets a bit creepy to say the least. There’s also violence and some uncomfortable scenes for the reader. Meanwhile, it seems the local council has sent in bulldozers to clean up the feral cats – Mia is devastated.

However, one cat remains – a small white kitten called Miao Dao. Enough said about this beautiful little thing, but it plays a central part in the last half of this story. I was sitting at about 3.5 stars at about the 80% mark – then, the final few pages were brilliant, lifted it to 4.5 stars – almost a 5!!

4 stars

On the issue of feral cats (and other animals – e.g. we have lots of feral pigs in the bush in Far North Queensland) – one of the cat lovers in this story said “Those beautiful creatures have as much right to live as anyone. As much right to live as we do!

I couldn’t agree more.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty Amazing.

Oh my! I really liked this book. Well written and ever so interesting. A bit of a coming of age book about a teen named Mia. The last bit of the book has surprises. Wow. Just wow.

[Constantine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: Good

Genre: Contemporary

The story is about a thirteen-year-old girl, Mia who goes through her parents’ divorce, and then her mom marrying another man who tries to abuse her sexually. In addition to all that, she struggles at school because she repeatedly gets bullied by other kids. For Mia, the only escape she has is her daily visits to an isolated lot that has lots of feral cats. Mia loved those cats even if they kept their distance. At some time she even adopts a feral kitten and names it, Miao Dao!

I was conflicted while rating this book between 3 and 4 stars. Despite liking the story I still could not swallow my disappointment that this was supposed to be a horror story but it was not! You see the cover and you get the vibes of an atmospheric horror story but this book lacked even the chilling atmosphere of horror stories to call it a dark one. It is just a story about a girl who goes through lots of hardships in school and at home. There is nothing wrong with the story and it is still good but this should’ve not been in the Dark Corners Collection. Get into it as a contemporary story and you might like the story. As a horror, you will definitely be disappointed.

[Miriam still reading! HIATUS from GR · Rating 1 out of 5]

WTF did I just read?! This story read like a long ass poem.

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
Mia is a thirteen-year-old girl whose body is maturing. Older boys in school bump into her in the hallways and make fun of her newly developed curves. Girls in her class laugh at their harassment or regard it as a compliment. Mia is upset at their torment and reacts by wearing baggy clothing. At home, she is miserable because her father moved away and has started life with a new wife and child. She finds solace in an abandoned lot, surrounded by rubbish and feral cats. She loves these scruffy cats but they keep their distance. When the cats' habitat is destroyed she is desolate. Later, she finds a snowy white kitten. She names him Miao Dao and brings him home, lavishing him with love. The cat gives her solace and comfort in her misery and then disappears.

Her mother marries a lecherous middle-aged man who secretly attempts to abuse her. She refuses to hurt her mother by alerting her to the crude advances by the stepfather. Miao Dao returns months later. He has grown into a huge, semi-savage beast who protects Mia. It is not clear whether this is the kitten she once adopted, its ghost, or a vision from her troubled mind.

This is one of seven short stories and novellas from Amazons' Dark Corners collection. The horror is in Mia's fear of sexual harassment from the High School boys, and then from the predator who married her mother.

[Jennifer Mlynowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read my reviews at http://www.jenchaosreviews.com


Miao Diao By Joyce Carol Oates
Amazon, September 27, 2018
66 Pages Kindle Edition


Goodreads Rating: 3.47/ My Rating 3.00
Review:
This book is part of the "Dark Corners" Collection offered by Amazon and is FREE to read to Prime members, so I didn't have to pay for it. Thankfully I didn't pay for it because I was a little, how do say, bored? This is about a girl who is OBSESSED with the feral cat community down the road from her house. Her father is vehemently against the cats and wishes them gone. One day, her father leaves the family to pursue a relationship with a much younger woman and moves across the country, never seeing the family again.

Feeling conflicted about the whole thing, the girl, Mia, struggles with the broken family issues and the fact that her mother has started dating again and has transformed herself to look much younger. In the meantime, Mia has discovered that the ASPCA has mowed down the feral cat community and captured most of the cats. Angry she comes home distraught. Later, she finds a small kitten and brings it back and settles with the name MIAO DIAO because of what it sounds like when it meows. At the same time, her mother has just started a relationship with a sickening man named Pharis Locke.

The story took off from there and didn't get to this point until halfway through the 66-page story. I was a bit disappointed because horrors and suspense stories are supposed to hook you in the beginning. This read more like a girl obsessed with cats and not a girl with a killer cat as the summary suggests. Though there are deaths (2), one the girl witnesses and one she does not, it is indicated at the end that something is not right here about either the cat or Mia. This twist was the most exciting point of the story, and I wished it was longer than 66 pages. I was a little upset that the matter was not settled at all. The ending sort of dropped the reader off with no real answer to what the heck this all about.

Writing:
Joyce Carol Oates is a famous writer with a lot of titles behind her that are just spectacular. This wasn't it. It was written almost in a juvenile form. When the action was taking place, the grammar faltered, and it seemed like she was rushing to get to the end point of the scenes. There was some inconsistency in the writing that made the story hard to follow. You have to change your train of thought to be able to follow along. I didn't like that.

Plot:
The plot was not revealed, at least I don't think it was, until about 50% in. The beginning and the first half were all about the character development of the protagonist and the people involved around her. She didn't get Miao Diao until later on, and even then it didn't make sense. This was a very confusing book. The end tied in with the plot, but the beginning was never mentioned as a plot point, in the end, making it irrelevant.

What I liked:
I liked the development of Miao Diao and the aloof behavior of the cat once it had fully grown. Furthermore, I loved the mystery surrounding the cat and the questions that arise about the who-dunnit in the first murder. The second murder, you almost know, then you don't. I liked the twist at the end.

What I Didn't Like:
I didn't like that this story was only 66 pages long and the end was so sudden and left more questions than answers. It was a bit disappointing to think that there could have been something wrong with Mia, and nothing to explain it. Also, I didn't like how long it took to get to the point where Miao Diao was introduced to the story.

Overall Impression:
The book was just not that great. The writing was juvenile and not like Ms. Oates at all. I was not at all pleased with the fact that she drew the story out for as long as she did. Also, I didn't like that she dropped the end off a cliff, as it were. This was not a scary story at all. It was only disturbing to the point that the one character was a seriously sick individual. I liked the cat; I also liked what the cat did. However, this was not a typical horror novel.

Scare Factor: 1 out of 10

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a somewhat slow moving story about a young girl dealing with disgusting boy bullies, home problems, and an icky man who her mother allows into their lives. She finds solace in a colony of feral cats. This is a dreary tale but it feels painfully accurate. It’s the real life type of horror that happens every day.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story 3.5 stars**
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator Amy Landon

[Valerie Book Valkyrie-on Holiday Semi-Hiatus]

DNF at 12%.
I've never cared for the work of JCO but thought I'd give this novella a go, sorry ....no go 🧚‍♀️🙋🏼.

[Lallen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

One of the best strange stories I’ve read this year. I like cats, but unlike Mia, I find feral cats frightening. Joyce Carol Oates has hit upon that little nagging fear and reinforced it. This is a coming of age story that many grown women have experienced. Only most of us never acted on the repulsive behavior of the boys.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the Dark Corners stories I’ve read so far, I can tell already that Miao Dao will probably be my favorite and is by far one of the strongest entries in the series. I thought I knew what I was getting into when I picked this novella up – thinking it’d be a story about a supernatural killer cat, but what I got was so much more.

To me there are two distinct schools of horror – those that are pure fantasy, usually monsters or some other form of paranormal activity; and then there is the kind of horror that is grounded in the real world, the type of everyday horror that is chilling because of how common it is. Miao Dao definitely fell into the latter category as the real horror was not the mysterious feral cats but the people surrounding Mia.

Puberty can be one of the most terrifying points in a girl’s life, not just because of the change in physical appearance but the change in the type of attention that young women receive. When I look back on my own years as a developing young woman I shudder remembering how uncomfortable I was in my own skin, the way that men far older than me began to leer. Mia feels exposed and imagines going back to childhood when her body and sexuality weren’t a pressure point. I could relate to Mia’s fear of her maturity on a level that to me was deeply unsettling.

Adding further to Mia’s struggle with puberty she is also faced with the stress of divorce and the uncomfortable struggle to play family with a new stepfather, a stranger intruding on her family life. There is nothing I love more than an unreliable narrator, and the tone in this novella was scattered, intense, like a balloon ready to burst as Mia lurches into the terrifying world of adults. This was the second short story that I’ve read by Joyce Carol Oates and it has turned me into a fan of her writing.

[Perrilyn Pringle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yaaaaas queen!! Go Miao Dao! She protect, she attack, most importantly, dont fuck with her girl or she'll get you back.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd book and I wasn’t a big fan. The story was ok, nothing groundbreaking particularly but it was interesting at times, it was the writing itself which put me off.

The writing was so disjointed it just didn’t flow well at all and made it hard to follow. It was an odd style like the author had a word count they could not exceed ‘x’ amount of words, so someone went through and took out all the words they possibly could leaving it just about understandable - you get the meaning still but do we need all the sentences to be abbreviated so much? A full sentence makes for a nicer/easier reading experience instead of lots of short little abrupt statements.

So the story itself is about a young girl growing up, I imagine many may be able to relate to her story but it wasn’t exactly a remarkable read for most of the book, luckily the ending was a good one and made up for some of the other disappointments. On the basis of the ending this book gets a 3, but it was very nearly a 2*/5. It’s an ok read, just don’t expect too much and thankfully a short book too so you don’t have long to get to the ending.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miao Dao by Joyce Carol Pages and narrated by Any Landon is a pretty good semi-final creepy story where the listener/reader is on the side of the creepy! A girl is bullied in a sexual way at school daily. Meanwhile at home her mom remarried. She also loved the stray feral cats in the vacant lot. She cou!d relate to them. This is a combo of all these elements. Loved the plot. Great narration too.

[Obsidian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one dragged badly. And I guessed at what was going on and just felt letdown by it. The ending was a surprise though with Mia and her mother. I just think this should have been more tightly edited. I don't know if it was the writing style or flow (okay it was) but I didn't care for this one much cause it just dragged at times the writing was too vague and other times too detailed. Yes, I know I sound like a jerk.

"Miao Dao" follows Mia. Mia is dealing with a lot of changes in her home and body. Her father has left their family. Mia is also getting harassed at school due to her body which has caused her to become increasingly isolated and alone. Her one thing she has though is that she lives near a colony of feral cats. She is constantly trying to get them to see her as a friend, but you know, feral cats. Eventually one cat ends up meaning more to Mia and you get to see the results of that.

Yeah I still don't know. I didn't like this one. The writing style really tripped me up. I also think the time period at times was unclear. I think we maybe went through at least a 2 year time period in this short story.

I think Oates was trying to say something higher level about how girls and women are treated and maybe they are similar to feral cats. Yeah....I don't know. Did not like this one. Moving on.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's bad enough that Mia has to face taunting remarks at school about her body and deal with an absentee father. But when her mother starts dating again, that's when the real terror begins. Thankfully, a mysterious white kitten that Mia rescues after its feral cat community is destroyed will do anything to protect its new human. Anything


As a feline ally, I loved everything about this one!


Goodreads review published 13/08/20

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miao Dao is the 4th dark tale in the Dark Corners Collection from Amazon/Audible Originals. These tales are not formula horror with chills and jump scares....but more emotional and psychological stories focused on modern issues. The darkness in these stories come from human nature, not beasties and ghosties or things that go bump in the night.

I listened to the audio book version of this story. Narrated by Amy Landon, the audio is 2.5 hours long. A 14-year old girl is confused by puberty, her parents divorce and remarriages and just all the changes flying at her all at once. She becomes obsessed with a feral cat colony near her house and adopts a fluffy white orphaned kitten. Named Miao Dao, the cat becomes the girl's best friend...even after it disappears. She learns from the cat....hunting, hiding and fighting skills. Very useful for a girl dealing with some very adult problems....

I found this story just a bit over-the-top -- lots of man hating. There isn't a single normal or likable male character in this story. While it is told from a teenage girl's perspective, I just found it to be a bit too much. She hates all men -- her father, her brothers, her stepfather, kids at school... While the behavior of most of the men in the story is horrific.....there are no redeeming male characters in this story. No friends. No neighbors. It gives a strangely warped "all men are bad'' vision of growing up. The cat was an interesting concept, but really seemed an afterthought. The cat portion of the story just seemed to hang in limbo and was never really fully developed or resolved. The main theme of this story seemed to be that men are all sexual perverts who treat women like crap. Just not really a story I enjoyed..... I get the author's point...and her intention. And, I have read Joyce Carol Oates writing before. I just expected more from her -- a better developed story and less obvious "I hate all things with a penis'' mentality.

The story is well-written, and I did enjoy listening to it. Just not really a tale for me..... Middle of the road rating for this one. Not all bad....but not great.

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Way of the Cat
Review of the Amazon Original Kindle eBook (Sept. 2018)

Teased and bullied by classmates and leery of an initially too-nice-to-be-real step-father, young Mia adopts a feral kitten that grows up to be her spirit-animal and "protector". That is the set-up for this suspense novella that edges into horror territory, but saying too much more would be a spoiler.

Miao Dao is one of the 7 novellas included in the Dark Corners Collection, a series of suspense/horror fiction released September 27, 2018 by Amazon Prime.

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Amazon’s new short story collection- Dark Corners .
This was a creepy tale with horrible men, ride-or-die cats, and a satisfying ending.
Perfect for an October night.

[L. McCoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

WARNING: THIS REVIEW GETS RANTY, POLITICAL AND EVEN MORE NSFW THAN USUAL. READER DISCRETION ADVISED.

What’s it about?
Mia is a young girl who just hit puberty. Now she’s dealing with bullshit from men (yeah it’s one of those stories) and changes in her body. Well she really likes these feral cats and they may help her through this shit. That’s all I can say without spoilers.

Pros:
This book is not too predictable. One of my pet peeves with horror (as much as I love the genre) is that it is often too predictable so the fact that this is more suspenseful is really good.
There’s a particular cat that ends up being focused on, I like the cat.
The narrator has a great voice for doing audiobooks. She did a wonderful job despite this being such a shit book.

Cons:
The story is not interesting. It’s plot is pretty much “wah, I can’t stand puberty! wah, men are bad! yay, cat!”
The characters aren’t interesting. They’re either bland or shitty (well, except for the cat so sorta like life, people tend to suck but I like the cute animals).
This book’s dialogue is pretty terrible.
This is so fucking boring. Seriously not one exciting thing happens, just a bunch of shit characters sharing shit dialogue in a shit plot.
This is one of, if not THE, most sexist book(s) I have ever read. Okay, fuck it, rant time. It’s a goddamn shame because I know that sexism is an issue that should be approached and gender equality is something I 100% support but I motherfucking swear for everything that approaches the topic well, some bullshit like this shows up. For fuck’s sake, is it that goddamn hard to write something empowering to women without being shitty to men? Take this book for example, every male is a perv and complete fucking dumbass that’s douchey even without the perv thing (with the exception of 2 small children who do jack-shit for the plot) and their actions are completely vile as our young female lead is constantly in fear of the men and the narrative talks shit about men, both through sexist stereotyping and mocking the male body. It angers and saddens me how much of this horseshit there is, I’m actually often sad that I was born male, sometimes have low self esteem (especially regarding the likelihood of me ever falling in love if the women around my age are taught to hate me) and sad that there’s an increase in sexism thanks to this sort of bullshit (whether it’s women who hate men or men who now have a fucked up idea of feminism).
The ending is one of those “not meant to be clear” endings I’m pretty sure and those endings are usually stupid (with few exceptions, this not being one of them).

Mixed thoughts:
The horror. On one hand, it does have a spooky atmosphere thanks to both the writing and the great narration. Unfortunately as far as the plot goes very few disturbing or creepy things happen except for pervy behavior but that’s not the kind of creepy or disturbing that most horror fans aren’t looking for.

Overall:
Well despite how good the narrator is and how there’s some suspense... fuck this book. This is what Stephen King would write if he was a shitty Buzzfeed writer (I know shitty Buzzfeed is kinda redundant but it paints a picture). This is a boring story with shit characters and one of the worst cases of sexist bullshit ever in a book. I’m actually not sure if I’m going to bother with more of these Dark Corners stories (despite The Sleep Tight Motel being good and Hannah-Beast being okay).
So yeah this is completely stupid, fuck this, not recommended.

2/5

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

The nightmarish reality of puberty for a teenage girl told in Oates’ inimitable fashion. Which is to say I’ve read enough of the author’s work to recognize her style, she does a great job of bringing out the psychological darkness in everyday situations. In this story her 14 year old protagonist must contend with the jeering and name calling at school and her parents’ divorce and her mother’s subsequent choice of a partner on the domestic side. The girl finds herself lonely, isolated and soon threatened, comforted only by a feline companion found in a nearby abandoned lot. This story was one of the Dark Corner Kindle collection and featured all the darkness you would expect from it, albeit none of the supernatural variety. The evil here, like it is so often the case with Oates fiction, is of a distinctly people based sort and no less potent for it. There’s an obligatory twist, of course too, one so easily predicted as to be virtually inevitable. It works well for the story, which isn’t meant to be so much original as just emotionally engaging and poignant, shining the light on the confusing and terrible teenage years. One of the longer stories in the collection, 150 minutes. The audio narration was done expertly enough, but didn’t really grab me as is often the case with female narrators. Not a sort of thing one might enjoy or be entertained by per se, it’s much too dark for either, but certainly an interesting and well done coming of age story.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 1.5

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this story is about a kitty and has other kitties in it. The story was pretty interesting as well, but it's all about the kitty!

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mia is thirteen and going through a series of painful changes. Her developing body is attracting unwanted attention from boys at school; her parents have split up and her father has moved away; and embarrassingly, her mother has started dating again. She finds solace by visiting a nearby colony of feral cats. When the colony is razed by pest control, Mia is devastated, but in the wreckage she finds one survivor: a tiny white kitten she names Miao Dao.

What I liked about this: the cats. Mia's relationships with the feral cats and Miao Dao are beautifully depicted; the emotional bond between pet and owner is so powerfully expressed here that I sometimes felt like I was going to burst into tears.

What I didn't like: the rest of the plot. I'm sick of this idea that as soon as a girl hits puberty she is exposed to near-constant harassment from men and boys; it seems to be a compulsory part of any story about teenage girls these days. While I obviously get that stories like this are written from a sympathetic and female-centric viewpoint, I can't help but feel the pervasiveness of the concept – the suggestion that it's a universal experience – only serves to contribute to the problematisation of young girls' sexuality. There's got to be a way to write female coming-of-age without putting characters through what Mia endures in Miao Dao.

The conclusion is satisfying in the context of what else happens in the story, but it could have been so much better, and more original, given the promising setup and the strength of the bond between Mia and Miao Dao.

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[Julia V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta love cat based feminism in a horror story. The ending was perfect.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written story/novella, but it pretty much goes exactly where on expects.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️