The Fly, Dead Ringers, American Mary, The Skin I Live In, The Hellbound Heart by Barker, Skin by Koja, Geek Love by Katherine Dunn - these are some of my forever favorites in the body horror genre and Transmuted will be another added to my most memorable list. If you’re a fan of mad scientists and body horror I feel pretty safe saying you need this book in your life. Even if you’re not a fan of either, you likely need this book in your life if you’re a fan of horror fiction. It’s fast-paced and gruesome and kind of brutally fun in the vein of these Rewind or Die books. You also really get into the head of the main character so when the terrible things begin to happen it makes everything all the more cringe-inducing!

Isa is a popular game streamer who doesn’t show her face but now that she’s crowd-sourced enough cash to get the facial feminization surgery she’s desired for so long, she’s anxious to get it done and move on with her life. Unfortunately life throws a depressing obstacle in her way and she’s forced to spend the money elsewhere. Now, she’s in a desperate bind. How can she face her fans who funded the surgery she can no longer afford? How can she continue to face her own mirror when the person there isn’t a reflection of herself?

Ahhh, this book was so raw and grounded in such a great character. Isa has familial guilt even though they treat her like shit, she’s trapped in a body she despises and now her cash is gone. When she sees a sketchy ad on Instagram promising free experimental feminization treatments you’ll want to scream “DON’T DO IT” but you can completely understand why she does it. The treatment is strange and what eventually follows is even stranger and I don’t want to give it away by saying too much more. Well that’s a lie, I’d love to tell you about all of the imaginative and disgusting and shocking things that happen here and it’s kind of killing me to be so vague. I’ll only say there was just the right mix of romance, dark humor and what the hell?! It’s a book you’ll want to read in one sitting, if you’re fortunate enough to be able to do that.

The plot is incredibly sinister and absurd and mixes in some elements in the last act that were nightmarishly wild but painted so well I could picture it all vividly in my head. Told from Isa’s point of view, the first half of the story is an intimate look into her daily life. You learn her struggles, her desires, and you meet her best friend and support system before everything you could never imagine happens! I adored the twists and the wtf moments but I especially enjoyed Isa.