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The Butcher
A suspenseful small-town horror novel of oppression, heartbreak and buried anguish – Shirley Jackson meets Never Let Me Go with the wild west setting of Westworld .
When Lady Mae turns 18, she'll inherit her mother's job as the dismembering Settlement Five’s guilty residents as payment for their petty crimes. An index finger taken for spreading salacious gossip, a foot for blasphemy, no one is exempt from punishment.
But one day Winona refuses to butcher a six-year-old boy. So their leaders, known as the Deputies, come to Lady Mae’s house, and, right there in the living room, murder her mother for refusing her duties.
Within twenty-four hours, now alone in the world, Lady Mae begins her new job. But a chance meeting years later puts her face to face with the Deputy that murdered her mother. Now Lady Mae must will she flee, and start another life in the desolate mountains, forever running? Or will she seek vengeance for her mother’s death even if it kills her?
A devastating, alarming page-turner infused with melancholy, humanity – and society’s maddening acceptance in the face of horror.
When Lady Mae turns 18, she'll inherit her mother's job as the dismembering Settlement Five’s guilty residents as payment for their petty crimes. An index finger taken for spreading salacious gossip, a foot for blasphemy, no one is exempt from punishment.
But one day Winona refuses to butcher a six-year-old boy. So their leaders, known as the Deputies, come to Lady Mae’s house, and, right there in the living room, murder her mother for refusing her duties.
Within twenty-four hours, now alone in the world, Lady Mae begins her new job. But a chance meeting years later puts her face to face with the Deputy that murdered her mother. Now Lady Mae must will she flee, and start another life in the desolate mountains, forever running? Or will she seek vengeance for her mother’s death even if it kills her?
A devastating, alarming page-turner infused with melancholy, humanity – and society’s maddening acceptance in the face of horror.
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 13, 2022
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1762 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
February 16, 2023
This was a very tedious novel for me to read, unfortunately. It started out exciting but it dragged on in the most mundane way. The vocabulary and writing style is very young-adult dystopian atmosphere. I found the concept interesting and alluring, but unfortunately for me, the writing style and bland narration did not bring the novel's concept to satisfaction or fulfilment. A very bland and boring book. I would give it a 1.5-1.8 star rating.
September 26, 2022
This book was a dystopian western about a girl who has to be the butcher, which means something different in this world. I really found the book to be fairly boring and I really didn't care what was going to happen.
September 7, 2022
Like many young people I am on TikTok. No, no, I am not young per se, but do enjoy ruining my attention span just as much as the next guy. Anyway, I came across mention of this book on something that the kids are calling ‘booktok’ and was pretty charmed by the plot. I then spoke to my friend Netgalley, who spoke to Titan Books, and all agreed that I could read this ahead of its September 20th release.
Like her mother and grandmother before her, Lady Mae will become a butcher when it comes time to inherit the job(?) For her settlement, it will fall to Lady Mae to dole out ‘atonements’—a fiendish punishment in which residents give bits of themselves to make up for some slight against others or against the sanctimonious and corrupt Deputies. After Lady Mae’s mother refuses to butcher a child, she is murdered by the Deputies in front of her daughter, and this act becomes Lady Mae’s obsession—a fixation that will put herself and those she loves in danger.
This book about an ostensibly feudal, patriarchal world got me thinking about justice. Is forgiveness the best policy, and if so, upon whom does the burden fall on most heavily? I also found it compelling that women were butchers, especially given the nature of this patriarchal society. I wondered what happened that caused residents to live in this kind of hellish theocracy. Then I looked outside and remembered that such societies are built slowly. Aside from my philosophizing, I found this novel to be heavy on the dystopia and a bit light on the horror elements. I would still very much recommend however, especially for fans of Kafka’s work, as well as Westworld, and The Hunger Games.
Like her mother and grandmother before her, Lady Mae will become a butcher when it comes time to inherit the job(?) For her settlement, it will fall to Lady Mae to dole out ‘atonements’—a fiendish punishment in which residents give bits of themselves to make up for some slight against others or against the sanctimonious and corrupt Deputies. After Lady Mae’s mother refuses to butcher a child, she is murdered by the Deputies in front of her daughter, and this act becomes Lady Mae’s obsession—a fixation that will put herself and those she loves in danger.
This book about an ostensibly feudal, patriarchal world got me thinking about justice. Is forgiveness the best policy, and if so, upon whom does the burden fall on most heavily? I also found it compelling that women were butchers, especially given the nature of this patriarchal society. I wondered what happened that caused residents to live in this kind of hellish theocracy. Then I looked outside and remembered that such societies are built slowly. Aside from my philosophizing, I found this novel to be heavy on the dystopia and a bit light on the horror elements. I would still very much recommend however, especially for fans of Kafka’s work, as well as Westworld, and The Hunger Games.
March 10, 2023
This was a weird, weird book. More allegorical than anything, I wasn't sure if it was set in some post-apocalyptic world or an alternate Western setting. It also reads like a young adult romance novel for much of the running, but I don't think it's meant to be one. Lady Mae (hated that name and its constant repetition throughout the book) is the Butcher for her settlement, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother before her. The Butcher is the person who carries out "atonements" when someone does something wrong, insults another person, or injures someone, and can range from the removal of a finger to the removal of hands, feet, legs, etc., depending on the severity of the "crime." The society is run by Deputies who abuse their power and always have the best of everything: food, clothes, housing, etc. Lady Mae's mother was killed by her settlement's Deputies after she refused to carry out some atonements on an 8-year-old boy. You can't refuse the Deputies, and so Lady Mae has to take over. She's got a love interest in Arbuckle, a slightly older man who's been living in the mountains after leaving the settlement when his father was killed in a fire. When Arbuckle returns, everything is set in motion. Very odd book. Young seems to want to write about the importance of forgiveness, but this is constantly undercut by what the characters, including Lady Mae, do throughout the novel. At the end, there's a bit of hope, but I'm not sure I buy that that ending could have happened, given what came before. I don't know--it's not terribly written, but I just don't know who the audience is for this. Too tame for horror. Not fantastic or science fictional enough. The romance angle is kind of awkwardly thrown into the mix. I didn't absolutely hate it, but I sure didn't love it either.
December 9, 2023
This was a very different read for me, a dystopian horror romance I would say? It was a very dark tale, very gruesome at times and the ending was very bittersweet. It was split into three parts and each part was as haunting as the next. I really had no idea where it was going, and even so close to the end I was wondering how it would possibly tie up. I enjoyed the fact it kept me guessing.I felt like this novel packed a lot into it and I really enjoyed reading the main characters internal dilemma over her role in the community and the lack of choice, justice and forgiveness in her world.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Thank you to Netgalley, Titan Books and the author.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Thank you to Netgalley, Titan Books and the author.
August 2, 2022
This is dark, creepy, intense and claustrophobic.
There is nothing not to like really.
The first half of the book had a great build up to what was to come.
It did a great job of creating a sense of dread without ever being graphic.
This was an author I'd not heard of before, but it's definitely one I'll be looking for in the future.
There is nothing not to like really.
The first half of the book had a great build up to what was to come.
It did a great job of creating a sense of dread without ever being graphic.
This was an author I'd not heard of before, but it's definitely one I'll be looking for in the future.
August 30, 2022
The Butcher by Laura Kat Young is one of the most heart wrenching, dark, and phenomenal books I have read in such a long time.
At the beginning of the book, Lady Mae is awaiting the day when she will inherit her mother’s job as the town Butcher. Her mother, Winona, goes against the law and chooses not to butcher a young boy. The Deputies, who uphold the law and lead the town, come to Winona and Lady Mae’s home, to confront Winona and ask why she chose to disobey the law. A struggle ensues and Winona is killed in front of Lady Mae.
Years pass by, Lady Mae is now the town's Butcher. A childhood friend has returned to their town and back into Lady Mae’s life. The long ago feelings for one another never left. The rest of the story follows along the choices the two make. In the end, a heartbreaking decision is made that will alter every person in the town's life. Nothing will ever be the same for Lady Mae and everyone in the town.
This is truly a magnificent piece of work. I can feel the love and time spent in forming these words to make a special story come to life.
At the beginning of the book, Lady Mae is awaiting the day when she will inherit her mother’s job as the town Butcher. Her mother, Winona, goes against the law and chooses not to butcher a young boy. The Deputies, who uphold the law and lead the town, come to Winona and Lady Mae’s home, to confront Winona and ask why she chose to disobey the law. A struggle ensues and Winona is killed in front of Lady Mae.
Years pass by, Lady Mae is now the town's Butcher. A childhood friend has returned to their town and back into Lady Mae’s life. The long ago feelings for one another never left. The rest of the story follows along the choices the two make. In the end, a heartbreaking decision is made that will alter every person in the town's life. Nothing will ever be the same for Lady Mae and everyone in the town.
This is truly a magnificent piece of work. I can feel the love and time spent in forming these words to make a special story come to life.
September 9, 2022
This book fell short on what I expected.
The horror elements/dystopian setting were there but just barely. The details of this world and the ways this new form of government work were very vague and it felt confusing and frustrating at times being kept on the outside.
We get glimpses of the horrible things that Lady Mae has to do to people but IMO it’s just not enough. Maybe that’s messed up to want more gore, but it just fell flat when I expected more.
The first half of the book almost nothing happens. We get bare bones information about how the settlements work and what Lady Mae’s mother does as the Butcher. We are meant to feel curious and scared like Lady Mae but I didn’t feel any urgency. I just wanted to know what was happening.
The romantic elements with Arbuckle were sweet but I’m the end the tragic end of that was so anticlimactic I was just bored. The way the story was wrapped up felt abrupt after so much nothing plot wise. It was just a lot of dialogue and the author used this way of describing Lady Mae’s thoughts in this was that annoyed the heck out of me because of how it was so repetitive.
Overall pretty disappointed. Not what I was expecting.
The horror elements/dystopian setting were there but just barely. The details of this world and the ways this new form of government work were very vague and it felt confusing and frustrating at times being kept on the outside.
We get glimpses of the horrible things that Lady Mae has to do to people but IMO it’s just not enough. Maybe that’s messed up to want more gore, but it just fell flat when I expected more.
The first half of the book almost nothing happens. We get bare bones information about how the settlements work and what Lady Mae’s mother does as the Butcher. We are meant to feel curious and scared like Lady Mae but I didn’t feel any urgency. I just wanted to know what was happening.
The romantic elements with Arbuckle were sweet but I’m the end the tragic end of that was so anticlimactic I was just bored. The way the story was wrapped up felt abrupt after so much nothing plot wise. It was just a lot of dialogue and the author used this way of describing Lady Mae’s thoughts in this was that annoyed the heck out of me because of how it was so repetitive.
Overall pretty disappointed. Not what I was expecting.
September 13, 2023
At an author's visit about The Butcher, Laura Young told us about the type of research she did to write this novel: how to cut through bone, how long it takes a body to decay. Things like that.
For its gory premise, though, this novel is a slow burn -- both a classic dystopia and an anxiety-ridden character study. Lady Mae's mom is responsible for butchering -- dismembering (or using other forms of torture) -- on citizens accused of a crime. (I say "accused" rather than "convicted," because in this world, to be accused IS to be convicted.) And Lady Mae will take over this responsibility soon when she turns 18. It is her fate. As you may expect, she doesn't have a ton of friends.
This book is fun to talk to high school kids about because of the thought exercises: What atonement would you select? Lose a finger? A toe? Take an electric shock? What if you were given five atonements? Ten? How long would you wait before facing the music? Go right away to get it over? Or, wait the full year to keep your appendages as long as possible? But then, of course, you can't escape the dread of what's coming.
And, more critically, are there limits to who and what you could forgive?
For its gory premise, though, this novel is a slow burn -- both a classic dystopia and an anxiety-ridden character study. Lady Mae's mom is responsible for butchering -- dismembering (or using other forms of torture) -- on citizens accused of a crime. (I say "accused" rather than "convicted," because in this world, to be accused IS to be convicted.) And Lady Mae will take over this responsibility soon when she turns 18. It is her fate. As you may expect, she doesn't have a ton of friends.
This book is fun to talk to high school kids about because of the thought exercises: What atonement would you select? Lose a finger? A toe? Take an electric shock? What if you were given five atonements? Ten? How long would you wait before facing the music? Go right away to get it over? Or, wait the full year to keep your appendages as long as possible? But then, of course, you can't escape the dread of what's coming.
And, more critically, are there limits to who and what you could forgive?
August 31, 2022
video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t514m...
If I’m not mistaken, this is the debut novel from Laura Kat Young. I wasn’t sure what I was going to read when jumping into this, or even if it was going to hold my attention.
Did it hold my attention? Yes. Yes it did. And there are elements in here that don’t normally hold my attention. For example, there is a romantic sub-plot happening, with suspense.
We can get to that a little later. Here we travel to a town named Settlement Five. This town gave me sort of a dystopian feel. I didn’t sense too much happy in this town. And really the motto for this town could very well be “An Eye for an Eye.”
When the people of Settlement Five do the wrong thing, they get punished. We’re not talking about jail time. We are talking about atonements. Atonements that involve maybe losing a finger, or a hand, or being shocked, or other sorts of punishment, carried out by “The Butcher.”
No one by the way is exempt from punishment. And that little tidbit is crucial to the story.
Our main character, Lady Mae knows she will take over being The Butcher eventually. Right now her mother Winona is The Butcher. And the whole town knows this, and they hate this family because of her mothers “job.”
We run into a situation where The Butcher refuses to carry out a certain atonement, and we find Lady Mae now taking over the job, if you can call it a job, or maybe being The Butcher is an actual punishment. We have Lady Mae constantly fighting with the stress and inner turmoil that comes along with the job. And at parts her conscience catches up to her. We have an encounter where she has to make a big decision. We will keep it there to not give too much away.
This story kept me pretty involved, and I don’t think I expected that to happen. This is one of those chances I took and it paid off. There is a lot packed in this novel. A lot of different emotions. It has the drama. It has the suspense. It has the thrills. It has the cruelty and viciousness in the form of people’s body parts being butchered. With some pretty graphic descriptions, and I know a lot of you like that. And yes Like I said earlier, it has a romantic sub-plot that isn’t too in-your-face being all kissy kissy. Its there, and subtle at times. That part also carries a lot of suspense in it.
I’m a fan of dark things, so I think that is why I got wrapped up in this story so easily. It’s the right amount of oddness and weirdness. All of the broken rules and broken laws go to trial automatically. And every time we go to trial, you get a feeling someone committed murder.
The writer did a magnificent job creating this town. I think it felt a little dystopian. I got the feeling it was always cloudy, and damp. I didn’t however care too much for the speech. The way the characters talk. I’m not sure if this was just a language the writer made up. But the characters used short sentences, and talked in ways we would normally correct a young person who doesn’t know the right grammar. I could have missed the meaning or reason behind this. It doesn’t take anything away from the story though.
This one will have you holding your breath at times in anticipation of what’s next. It has the right amount of edginess and grittiness to keep you glued. And expect to be uncomfortable at times.
I probably would have liked a little more character development, but still if this is a debut from Laura Kat Young, it’s pretty remarkable.
The Butcher is a journey into a psychologically disturbing dystopian world, full of different smells of blood and different sounds of bones cracking and breaking. It’s a battle between love and commitment for our main protagonist. It’s a coming-of-age story for someone who knows their future is bleak because of the job they are required to do. It has a great mix of rawness and love and despair and survival. The Butcher is a fast-paced page turner that will have you cheering for Lady Mae until the very end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t514m...
If I’m not mistaken, this is the debut novel from Laura Kat Young. I wasn’t sure what I was going to read when jumping into this, or even if it was going to hold my attention.
Did it hold my attention? Yes. Yes it did. And there are elements in here that don’t normally hold my attention. For example, there is a romantic sub-plot happening, with suspense.
We can get to that a little later. Here we travel to a town named Settlement Five. This town gave me sort of a dystopian feel. I didn’t sense too much happy in this town. And really the motto for this town could very well be “An Eye for an Eye.”
When the people of Settlement Five do the wrong thing, they get punished. We’re not talking about jail time. We are talking about atonements. Atonements that involve maybe losing a finger, or a hand, or being shocked, or other sorts of punishment, carried out by “The Butcher.”
No one by the way is exempt from punishment. And that little tidbit is crucial to the story.
Our main character, Lady Mae knows she will take over being The Butcher eventually. Right now her mother Winona is The Butcher. And the whole town knows this, and they hate this family because of her mothers “job.”
We run into a situation where The Butcher refuses to carry out a certain atonement, and we find Lady Mae now taking over the job, if you can call it a job, or maybe being The Butcher is an actual punishment. We have Lady Mae constantly fighting with the stress and inner turmoil that comes along with the job. And at parts her conscience catches up to her. We have an encounter where she has to make a big decision. We will keep it there to not give too much away.
This story kept me pretty involved, and I don’t think I expected that to happen. This is one of those chances I took and it paid off. There is a lot packed in this novel. A lot of different emotions. It has the drama. It has the suspense. It has the thrills. It has the cruelty and viciousness in the form of people’s body parts being butchered. With some pretty graphic descriptions, and I know a lot of you like that. And yes Like I said earlier, it has a romantic sub-plot that isn’t too in-your-face being all kissy kissy. Its there, and subtle at times. That part also carries a lot of suspense in it.
I’m a fan of dark things, so I think that is why I got wrapped up in this story so easily. It’s the right amount of oddness and weirdness. All of the broken rules and broken laws go to trial automatically. And every time we go to trial, you get a feeling someone committed murder.
The writer did a magnificent job creating this town. I think it felt a little dystopian. I got the feeling it was always cloudy, and damp. I didn’t however care too much for the speech. The way the characters talk. I’m not sure if this was just a language the writer made up. But the characters used short sentences, and talked in ways we would normally correct a young person who doesn’t know the right grammar. I could have missed the meaning or reason behind this. It doesn’t take anything away from the story though.
This one will have you holding your breath at times in anticipation of what’s next. It has the right amount of edginess and grittiness to keep you glued. And expect to be uncomfortable at times.
I probably would have liked a little more character development, but still if this is a debut from Laura Kat Young, it’s pretty remarkable.
The Butcher is a journey into a psychologically disturbing dystopian world, full of different smells of blood and different sounds of bones cracking and breaking. It’s a battle between love and commitment for our main protagonist. It’s a coming-of-age story for someone who knows their future is bleak because of the job they are required to do. It has a great mix of rawness and love and despair and survival. The Butcher is a fast-paced page turner that will have you cheering for Lady Mae until the very end.
January 15, 2024
I found this read a little tedious. At many points I felt there was too much repetition in what was being conveyed. I found myself rolling my eyes and thinking to myself alright already, get on with the story. But even the story itself is fairly uneventful.
October 26, 2022
The Butcher blends coming of age, dystopia, and horror in a story that kept me hooked start to finish. Kudos, Laura!! (The audiobook was a great listen.)
November 17, 2022
I loved the concept of the book, very different horror story to the “norm” I did find it to be slow in parts but overall I enjoyed it
March 31, 2025
It was just dull.
May 17, 2024
I would have enjoyed the book more if the ending actually made sense.
August 3, 2022
"She had blasphemy in her blood, dissent in her bones."
The Butcher is a horror novel that is gruesome yet deeply emotional.
It follows our main character Lady Mae who soon will take over her mother's role as the Butcher, dismembering wrongdoers for their crimes.
I immediately felt a pull towards this book when I read it's description and upon reading the first words of Lady Mae's story I couldn't help but become completely engrossed in the narrative. It is human, and raw, and thought-provoking.
I know this story will be one that will stay with me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Butcher is a horror novel that is gruesome yet deeply emotional.
It follows our main character Lady Mae who soon will take over her mother's role as the Butcher, dismembering wrongdoers for their crimes.
I immediately felt a pull towards this book when I read it's description and upon reading the first words of Lady Mae's story I couldn't help but become completely engrossed in the narrative. It is human, and raw, and thought-provoking.
I know this story will be one that will stay with me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
June 3, 2023
The writing was beautiful, and this novel had its moments,but I was at times thoroughly confused by some of the characters' motivations. I don't understand the sudden turnaround of the villagers near the end, either, and the theme of 'forgiveness' didn't quite land.
I'm still interested in Young's next novel, though, because her writing was so lush.
I'm still interested in Young's next novel, though, because her writing was so lush.
January 3, 2023
For the first...75 pages? I was in like collagen. and then, suddenly everybody started acting up in ways that the first 75 pages suggested that they wouldn't and I fell out of like. Also, Arbuckle's name had me envisioning Garfield's owner
February 8, 2024
3⭐️ When I first started reading this novel, I was getting “Tender is the Flesh” vibes. Something abhorrent and grotesque is now normal vibes. It started out that way, but by the end I felt as though it lost its luster.
September 27, 2022
Felt real bad about Arbuckle, and could barely stand reading about his hand at the end.
January 24, 2025
I badly wanted to like this but it did not work for me. The second part took the biggest chunk of the book but it dragged.
January 26, 2023
I kept waiting for it to get better....It didn't.
Read
September 6, 2024This wasn't what I wanted it to be.
July 7, 2025
A really interesting premise, but let down by a lack of world-building and flat characters.
March 21, 2024
This book gave me 1984 vibes, which I enjoyed. I'll admit it had a slow start and didn't pick up until part 2 (110 pages in) but once Lady Mae became The Butcher I was loving it.
I picked up this book expecting wild west horror but instead got wild west dystopian horror with lots of emotion and important message and lessons.
I picked up this book expecting wild west horror but instead got wild west dystopian horror with lots of emotion and important message and lessons.
did-not-finish
September 15, 2022DNF @ 54%
I liked this book but just can't seem to finish it for the time being. I expected there to be more horror aspects, but it's been very mellow so far. The southern dialect also makes it more challenging to read, but it's been very different than anything else I've read so far.
I liked this book but just can't seem to finish it for the time being. I expected there to be more horror aspects, but it's been very mellow so far. The southern dialect also makes it more challenging to read, but it's been very different than anything else I've read so far.
May 8, 2024
The story has a captivating protagonist and an intriguing world that left me wanting to discover more. I would describe it as a romantic dystopian horror where I enjoyed the characters and their journey, even if the ending felt somewhat rushed.
September 16, 2022
3.5 stars. This has a unique and intriguing setting: in a dystopian Wild West, people live under the threat of a violent and uncompromising justice system. I loved the relationship between Lady Mae and her Ma, and the first third of the book that focused on that was my favourite. As the story progressed, I'm afraid I somewhat lost interest. This is a very philosophical and thoughtful story and I prefer more fast-paced action. That said, the ending grabbed me by surprise (in a good way). Overall, a well-written and interesting book that I could see being a book club favourite even if it wasn't 100% my cup of tea.
June 8, 2023
DNF'd @ 15%
I liked the sound of this, but I just couldn't get into it at all unfortunately. Onwards to other things.
I liked the sound of this, but I just couldn't get into it at all unfortunately. Onwards to other things.
August 5, 2023
Super chill
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