This was a trip! Don't recommend eating while reading this one. Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately for me this was a DNF at about 25%. The writing style, while lyrical, just didn’t do it for me. I still think if you like a slightly flowery writing style and enjoy short story collections that have a thread connecting them together, you should totally give this a go. Just personally a miss for me. I did enjoy some of the body horror descriptions but they weren’t enough to keep me hooked.

"An Unforgettable Dive into 'The Sweet Scent of Liver'"

"The Sweet Scent of Liver" not only lives up to the high expectations set by its intriguing premise and captivating cover art but also takes readers on a gripping and often visceral journey through a bleak, dark, and violently vivid narrative, occasionally offering moments of poignant sweetness.

The inclusion of religious elements adds an extra layer to the story, creating a unique atmosphere akin to the unsettling vibes of the movie "Event Horizon," although the narrative itself differs significantly from the film.

Eli Wilde's storytelling shines with a remarkable ability to pack an abundance of action into a compact space without ever feeling rushed. It's a skill that keeps readers engaged and eager to uncover what's next.

For readers who may be sensitive to explicit content, be warned that there is one graphic procreation scene that is intentionally repulsive, serving a specific purpose in the story. However, aside from this, the narrative doesn't delve into explicit material, making it accessible to a broader audience.

While short stories often leave me wanting a more in-depth exploration, "The Sweet Scent of Liver" expertly interconnects its stories to provide various perspectives on the world it portrays, creating a holistic narrative that feels both comprehensive and satisfying. I, for one, am left yearning for more of this gripping world. I'm eager to witness how the story progresses as time passes and the world continues its descent into darkness.

The writing itself is a standout feature, characterized by its superb, graphic, and horrifying quality, while the accompanying illustrations only serve to heighten the sense of unease and haunt the reader's imagination.

Consider me an official member of the Eli Wilde fan club, eagerly awaiting more from this talented storyteller.

The Sweet Scent of Liver is an anthology of eight short stories that span 100 years. Each story is linked by infected humans called the sharded. Synthetic replicants, clones, and humans are all touched by the actions of the sharded, but it is the darkness of the soul that determines the path each of us takes.

For me, Wilde can be hit or miss, his writing is the true definition of Marmite, you either love it or hate it and for me this time, unfortunately I didn’t enjoy.

I understood and grasped the general concept of the book’s six short stories, the ‘sharded’ being a race of beings that infect humans; but for me I think I would have just liked one narrative to follow. Wilde has a poetical and oftentimes figurative way of writing which can be beautiful in itself but to read six short stories in this style made it hard to follow and for me it just felt like I was bombarded with too much and it left me feeling drained and overwhelmed after reading.

Eli Wilde will always be a favorite of mine and this didn’t disappoint. Anthology series are quickly becoming one of my favorite book types!

I really liked how all the stories fit together and the descriptions of the gore was great! I found it to be easy to read but could definitely see it being difficult for people if you aren't used to horror.

i feel like the story really pulled me in and i can't remember the last time that happened. i have been recommending this to everyone who enjoys short stories as well as the zombie trope!!

My first experience with this author was with the book Cruel and four days, I knew I would be in this for a weird experience, what I didn’t expect was that I didn’t connect with this book the same way that I did with the aforementioned books.

I still recommend this author way of writing, he goes very deep and very deep without using humor to make things seem more light as other writers of the genre do, beware, if you start this book you will fall deep, there’ll be times where you’ll ask yourself, why am I reading this, and then you will come back for more, is like poetry in prose, it is short, but if you read it the same way as I did, you’ll take it slow...

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

This was honestly bizarre, but I think I enjoyed it? Very creepy and dark which I always enjoy, but yeah feel a bit like something was missing here sadly!

The Sweet Scent of Liver by Eli Wilde is a thought-provoking anthology of eight short stories that explore the impact of infected humans known as the sharded over a span of 100 years. While the stories are linked by this common thread, each one offers a unique perspective on the nature of humanity and the choices we make when faced with adversity.

Wilde's writing style is engaging and immersive, and the characters he creates are well-developed and believable. The stories are varied in terms of tone and subject matter, ranging from deeply emotional to darkly humorous. However, some of the stories felt rushed and underdeveloped, leaving me wishing for more depth and complexity.

One of the strengths of this anthology is its exploration of the intersection of human and synthetic life, and how the sharded infects and affects all of them. The concept of the sharded is intriguing, and it adds a layer of complexity and unpredictability to the stories. However, the overall theme of the darkness of the soul determining one's path felt a bit heavy-handed and repetitive.

Overall, The Sweet Scent of Liver is a solid anthology that offers plenty of food for thought. While some stories may fall short, there are others that truly shine and make the book worth reading. If you enjoy thought-provoking speculative fiction, this book may be worth checking out.

**Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

SUPER fun take on monster/zombie fiction. There were some stories I liked better than others, but overall I thought it was fun. I especially loved the illustrations!

This was a graphic, Gory and terrifying short story collection. Each story spans during 100 years period and I love how the author was able to give you an insight of how the world has changed during that time.

This book literally brought the chills because you are dealing with a virus/infected population called the sharded & whoever controls the sharded is hungry for power and control. He seems fit which humans are worthy to be saved and who is not……

Honestly you need to pick up this book but if you are light on gory details then maybe this is not for you.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in return of an honest review.

This definitely took a unique approach to short story collections. We've got our horror and gore, even the bloodier aspects but what I was surprised by was his ability to intertwine these stories so well that I didn't expect it. The ending and the way it's tied off beautifully made me almost sad it was over. It gave me very slight Black Mirror vibes and if you like strange monsters you'd definitely love this one too. I would enjoy seeing this one taken further just because of the vibes it gave me. I think that's definitely what this one boils down to. The absolute insanity of it was so so interesting and I'm always a sucker for apocalyptic stories. This was very fresh and original with it's take on infected and how we as humans are deemed worthy. The title completely ties in and I loved it.

The Sweet Scent of Liver by Eli Wilde was my first book from this author. Thank you to Netgalley for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This anthology of eight stories, follows humans, synthetics, and the sharded ones (people infected and transformed) over a period of 100 years. Readers learn how the infection began and get glimpses of the lives of those infected, the ones fighting against to not be infected, and those living lives in between.

I found the stories uneven and difficult to really care about or even remember most of the characters. At a brief 108 pages, I understand that the author was trying to establish a place, time, and character quickly but the speed of transition from one story to the next left a vacuum when it came to character development. So the reader is more observer than participant in the drama of the story.
I found the early stories slow going and confusing. Maybe it was more me than the book but I felt characters were introduced and discarded only to return in later stories. But the disjointed narrative left me waiting for something more than the repeated reference to the 'Sharded' to connect the dots. Only two of the eight left an impression once I finished reading and neither was strong enough to make me want to spend any future time scouting out Eli Wilde's next endeavor.

I loved the interconnected stories within this collection. They were woven together beautifully and had the perfect elements of horror and gore.
The fear the shards instilled in me genuinely gave me a nightmare after I’d finished reading this.

Unfortunately this was just average for me. The story consists of 8 short stories spanning different years but all revolve around infected 'humans', The Sharded. This was my first read from Eli Wilde.

As an avid horror reader this was just ok for me. It took me quite a while to read this book as it just wasn't for me. I loved the illustrations in this as they added to the strange and creepy effect however, the story gave off somewhat fantasy vibes rather than horror. The concept and idea of the story was what first initially hooked me and although there was no faults with the book, it just really wasn't my style and didn't do what I wanted it to.

2.5 stars

— 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳

this book is an anthology of 8 short stories that span 100 years. each of them are linked by infected humans called the sharded. basically the bad guys. and synthetic replicants, clones, and humans are all affected by them.

𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨… i didn’t really connect with any of these characters, although i did feel sad for Gleb… bless him, he didn’t deserve any of it. those stories were short glimpses into their lives, so i felt like i didn’t have enough time to actually start caring for them.

𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙚… it was often matter-of-fact type and there was no emotion in it whatsoever. but it still was written in a way that kept me interested to keep going. i also really loved the pictures, they were sooo fucking creepy. 👀

𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩… i liked how this book wasn’t at all serious, but entertaining. this world really fascinated me and i wanted to know more about the whole situation between the sharded, synthetics and humans. most of it didn’t really make too much sense but somehow still gripped me in. i won’t deny that one story did drag and i was starting to get bored, but most of these stories were quite fascinating. also this ending, didn’t really expect that. 😂😂 one more thing i found interesting was that all of these stories were connected with each other through different characters. i feel like this book isn’t for everyone and i can see why some people wouldn’t like it, but it worked for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for sending me the ARC of The Sweet Scent of Liver in exchange for an honest review!

This was weird! But a good kind of weird! In The Sweet Scent of Liver we follow different kinds of people during a new kind of apocalypse, from the start of this event to the climax when shit's about to go down.

When I first started reading, I almost immediately realized that I shouldn't have read the blurb before going in. It's a story that you need to experience, rather than know the plot beforehand. The writing style was something I struggled with, but as time went on, I seemed to get used to it and it felt true to the story. Almost like Wilde introduced a new way of storytelling. Another feature I really liked was the references to religion, specifically God and Satan, which weren't necessarily overt but you really had to work for to get. Coupled with imagery of the sharded, this story was very unique!

I wouldn't recommend picking this book up if you're not already familiar with graphic horror stories. But if you are, I very much recommend you read this book!

Things I liked about this collection:
- The images that were included were disturbing, beautifully done and were placed at exactly the right moments to help build the tension.
- Each story connected with each other in a way that, even though they followed different characters, the overall thread of impending doom could be followed no matter which story you moved into.

Why I gave it 3 stars:
- The use of the r slur and casual ableism in Gleb was unfortunate
- The ending felt very anticlimactic after all of that buildup

The Sweet Scent of Liver is just as gruesome and visceral as it sounds. As I turned the pages, I marveled at the happenings of the characters and the interwoven stories of the main characters in this book. Not all stories are happy, and Eli Wlide delivered. Eli's writing is detailed and raw. He would be one I would want next to me on a camping trip, sharing a scary story or having a conversation at a pub. He has a way of making darkness slowly pull you into the shadows until it is pitch black and you are hooked. Overall, I liked most of the stories. Two were not as gory, which was okay, but it went from high octane to horror, then went right back to his high level. It was a small slump for me, but I would absolutely recommend this book if you're up for eating organs without remorse.