Reading Mud Vein was more like an experience to me than just reading a book. My mind quotes these characters and this author often back to myself, which tells me it’s time to pick the book back up soon (I’m actually rereading another one of her books right now.) I’ve become quite the fan of this author based on this book and am pretty astounded at the high ratings that her books consistently bring in (I’ve read them all, I think, and they’re all dang good.) I digress. I’ve read Mud Vein twice now and I’m itching to read it again. I’m not sure how long I would have waited to pick this one up before it was recommended to me by Megan and it isn’t anything like I expected. Because nope, this is not a romance novel or erotica or anything like that. Take every idea you have about this image and shove it to the side. If you want to feel something, I recommend this book.My Thoughts: I initially brushed this book aside because of the cover.

I can never thank Paloma enough for getting me to read this, despite the horrible reviews I kept seeing. Like I said, I really have no words for this. This book is balancing your darkness but still letting your light in, even if you need someone to help you let it in. It’s not a love story, PNR, great sex erotica, historical romance, it’s not even the mystery novel the excerpt has you believe it is. This book is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Yet, even it does not hold a candle to this book. The closest book I can compare this to is The Virgin Suicides, which I was obsessed with in high school even though I didn’t get the real meaning until much later in life. I just laid in bed and thought about how much this book took out of me, but how much more full it made me feel. Not because it was sad, even though it was, but because of how real this book is. I cried through most of this book, and the tears continued for about an hour afterwards. It soothed me and put my mind at ease to darkness I knew I held inside. It literally purged things out of me I didn’t even know I had in me. When I was describing this book and my feelings to my best friend, he made me realize I was experiencing a catharsis. The last sentence on this book will probably haunt me for some time, and I look forward to it. In my whole twenty-six years of existence, I have never read anything as beautiful. I can say that Tarryn Fisher has the most beautiful writing I’ve ever read.

All I really know is that this novel makes me feel guilty for giving any other novel a five star rating.

This book made me feel things that no other book has ever came close to making me feel. I have no words that will do any review of this story justice.

Mud vein by tarryn fisher