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Vanity Kills
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Vanity Kills

By: Erica Summers
Narrated by: Jake Blagburn
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Summary
 Deep in the swamps of southern Louisiana, a broken and reclusive man named Jack LeBlanc is desperate for a second chance. When he enrolls in a cutting-edge clinical trial for Obsidian, a revolutionary tissue-regeneration drug designed to heal permanent scars, it seems like a life-changing opportunity. One by one, the volunteers irreparably change in both body and mind. What starts as a miracle rapidly unravels into a sinister tale about narcissism, greed, and revenge. From the award-winning author of Writhe and The Rictus Grin and Other Tales of Insanity comes a pulse-pounding, viscerally terrifying thriller that will keep you up at night. Vanity Kills is a must-read for fans of twisted medical thrillers and psychologically-gripping body horror that crawls beneath your skin. Based loosely on Summers' 2020 award-winning feature film, Vanity Kills will make you think twice before swallowing your next pill. PLEASE NOTE: Contains profanity as well as depictions of violence, SA, LGBTQIA+ material, and brief animal death.©2023 Rusty Ogre Publishing (P)2026 Rusty Ogre Publishing Literature & Fiction Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Psychological Thriller & Suspense United States World Literature
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Listener received this title free

A very good body horror with themes of sin, regret, grief.
My first book by the author, and she's an excellent writer who sure knows how to wield a pen. A fascinating and atmospheric story that i got through in no time.
The audiobook is also well narrated.

great body horror

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Listener received this title free

I thought this was a very impressive book, combining wince-inducing body horror with strong characterisation, and an interesting take on the medical sub-genre. I was initially unsure of how easy it would be to keep track of a fairly large cast of main characters as we are introduced to them at the start of the new drug trials, but Summers does an excellent job of making them all feel distinct, and fleshing out their personalities.

Vanity Kills is very well written, with impressive prose throughout, which only adds to the effectiveness of the gore once it starts. There were frequent moments in which the descriptions were so visceral and vivid that it was easy to imagine them playing on a big screen, and disturbing enough that you can imagine the likes of Cronenberg or Ducournau salivating to get the chance to bring those effects to life. Some of the best examples of body horror I can remember reading in a long, long time.

The narration from Jake Blagburn was excellent throughout, giving just enough personality to each protagonist to make it easy to differentiate between who was currently speaking, and to keep the listens interesting. The pacing of his reading combined with the fast nature of the plot made this absolutely breeze by for me, finishing the audiobook in a little over a day.

This is an easy recommend to anyone interested in medical & body horror, with a compelling story crafted around the more disgusting moments, and a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming.

A fast paced, gory listen

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Listener received this title free

This was my second try at a book by this author. The first book wasn’t really for me but I’m glad I gave it another go. This book was an excellent medical thriller/revenge story. It was fast paced and keep me interested. The characters were interesting, believable and the dialog was realistic. I don’t want to spoil the story by giving anything away but I will say you should definitely pick this one up if you enjoy horror. Heads up — this book can be a bit graphic at times so watch out for triggers.
I listened to the audio and the narration was very good and added to the overall effect of the story.

Hardcore revenge story with realistic characters…

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Listener received this title free

Loved the narration of Jake Blagburn, who brings out suspense and thrills

Jack is suffering from flashbacks from a accident four years earlier. The accident left him severely disfigured. Jack is struggling with the way he looks. He is was once a handsome, popular and confident man. When offered a chance with a clinical trial for a new drug, he grabs it with eager hands.
At the trail he meets Iris a kindred spirit in Iris. They become close.
When Jack meets the Doctor in charge of the trials for the first time, he knows the familiar face, his guilt and the thought of truly being cured, makes him stay
and continue on.

Mick is part of the trial, he's wheelchair bound and also hoping to be healed. He is also Jack's friend. Mick believes some people are being given a placebo. So he decides to take matters into his own hands, the pills get into the wrong hands.
Everyone seems to be healing though, Jack seems to be getting worse. His nightmares are getting worse too, more real.

This book will have on your toes.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

kills

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Listener received this title free

Another great story from this author! It's a thriller, it's a body horror and it also contains an important message underneath all the dreadful things happening. Thanks also to the narrator Jake Blagburn for making the characters real and for the perfect acting!

I was surprised more than once as the plot never went were I thought, keeping me on my toes. I found the writing really on point with every word serving a purpose, either in the moment or down the line. As for the characters, well I did sympathise a lot with all of them, and for all the horrible things, I couldn't not have an emotional attachment to them. And that's the thing in this story, even characters I know I should have hated, I just couldn't.

As mentioned, this is a body horror and whilst I agree that our society is losing control of what's really important, I know I probably would have acted the same way as Jack and the others, and I would have tried to tackle some mental and emotional scarring in the same way, thinking that would have solved the problem. What the protagonists find out though, is that some things can't be solved that easily and they learn an important lesson just a little too late.

Thanks to the author and Rusty Ogre Publishing for the opportunity to listen to it and this is my honest opinion.

Great body horror and thriller with characters you'll get attached to!

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