I was really looking forward to this after reading Bloom and I wasn't Disappointed

Dez starts dating Patrick to get to his mother so she can have a chance to work for her magazine. The family are filthy rich and she is invited to their own private island for the weekend. What she isn't told before she gets there is she needs to sign away and surrender all her rights and do things the Ruskins way.

Now if this was me I would have said "fuck this I'm going home" as soon as I saw the papers I was told to sign. Dez is filled with determination to meet Patrick's mother and goes along with their weird house rules as she can.
Pretty soon the situation becomes ugly and the Ruskins are fighting for their lives. Violent and shocking this one made me cringe reading the deadly scenes. Dawson definitely has some vivid imagination and I enjoyed/ felt sickened reading this. I would have given 5 stars but the ending didn't quite sit right with me.
Another enjoyable read from Dawson and thoroughly looking forward to more.

Discouraged following endless employment rejections, aspiring fashionista Dez (Desiree) Lane may have found her ticket to trendiness. While it means going out with creep Patrick Ruskin, this may allow her to crack open the door to meet Patrick’s mother – fashion icon and magazine magnate Marie Caulfield-Ruskin. After a few short weeks of dating, Dez is overjoyed to be invited to the private Ruskin Family Island just off the coast of Savannah, Georgia for Easter festivities. Upon arrival, everything feels off for Dez; the family is distant, rude to staff and generally cold to her. This feeling is only enforced as she’s promptly asked to sign an NDA before she can continue with her stay – otherwise, she’s on the first boat back to shore. Dez signs, against her better judgement, as she cannot let yet another opportunity to further her career slip through her fingers. What unfolds next is, in a word, gruesome.

Let me tell you, this was a trip to say the least. I read Dawson’s THE VIOLENCE a few years ago, so I thought I was prepared for how far she could go with the “blood and guts”, so to speak, but I feel like this one was on another level. The Ruskins are awful, awful people, so what happens throughout the story is certainly in a way, cathartic. It always seems like those with unimaginable wealth and power rarely pay the appropriate price for their horrific actions, and author Delilah Dawson has tasked herself with seeing appropriate punishment doled out here.

GUILLOTINE is a swift, merciless read that you’ll likely finish in no time; its brisk pace and small page count lent itself to the type of story Dawson told. While I found Dez to be an unremarkable protagonist overall, I thought the story around her had been fleshed out enough to make an impact, when all was said and done. GUILLOTINE will fit nicely in your spooky season stack this autumn.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!***



JEEEEE-ZUS THIS WAS VIOLENT. WHOOOOO-WEEE! WOAH.

That's saying something, as I gagged my way through the unrepentant disgusting quagmire that is "Sister, Maiden, Monster." But this was weirdly hyper-violent.

It follows the third person narrative of the impoverished but talented couture fashion designer wannabe Desirée "Dez" Margaret Lane, as she grudgingly dates the chauvinistic, über wealthy Patrick Ruskin and negotiates her way onto his family's private island, and hopefully into his fashion magazine mogul Mom, Marie Caulfield-Ruskin's, sights. (See: Anna Wintour) But, as always happens with the beat (worst...?) laid plans, they go...somewhat awry.


***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***











This was a fast read, a REALLY fast read. Like, almost too fast. We went from "hey, these rich assholes on this weird ass Pepto Bismal island are pretty creepy" to "PURGE 2024" in less than 100 pages. Now, that's not to say I didn't enjoy it: the foreword had me ready to fucking GO when it mentioned trigger warnings and how this was literary catharsis for Dawson, and (sadly) as a fellow sexual assault survivor, I can 100% approve.

Her ability to weave off the cuff, acerbic (and frankly, hilarious) dialog is, I feel, one of the author's strongest traits: near the end when Dez quips:"I would not hitch my wagon to that flaming sack of shit you call a son" had me giggling like a maniac. (I was in public, so you can imagine how this looked) This, perhaps more than anything, drew me to her after finishing "The Violence" last year. (Last year? Year before? Christ. I read a lot kids. I read a lot TO my kid. I can't keep track of all of it. My brain is mashed potatoes. Pity me.) She's got a way with dialog that makes traditionally cliché characters less soporific and more sophisticated, and, by extension, often giving our protagonist(s) a better/better foil(s) in which to play off of.

Patrick is one such character. He's a piece of chauvinist trash to be sure, but Dawson gives us juuuust enough in his backstory as to make him more of a human and less of the slobbering, woman-hating knuckle dragger that he actually is. The same (kind of) goes for the others in his family, even though they were all given less than a page or two each for this to be established.

However, there wasn't really "enough" story for anyone, especially Valerie and the rest of the servants. I think that perhaps that's the point...? Since the other Ruskins only really dealt with them on a "surface" level, they're relegated to the background both by the characters and the author because of this. What starts off as a genuinely witty (albeit gruseome) "Revenge Romp on Fantasy Island" swiftly turns into "The Incestuous Island of Dr. Moreau," where we are treated to a bloody bacchanal in which everything (and every one) from the polo ponies to the purposefully pink clad servants is delivered courtesy of "Eugenics 'R' Us."

(Cue "Dueling Banjoes")

And while one might assume this is just the more posh version of "Deliverance," (you wouldn't be wrong) Dawson hesitates to cast these precious pearls (Marie Caulfield-Ruskin's to be exact) before clichéd literary swine, and instead goosesteps her way into what is effectively a couture Aryan version of "Gattaca."

I would've liked there to have been at least some buildup to the inevitable dinnertime massacre, maybe another day (or three) of Dez perhaps noticing that the servants are being suspicious, understanding that the family really isn't what they seem, and more comparisons from the ponies to the kids. They entire discussion about "Ruskins only having boys" was effectively swept under the rug, as was how everyone on the island was related...? The boys are either groomed to be leaders by (any) mother available, or dismissed as servants, while the girls are drowned at birth (???) or simply raised servants as well. This and the aforementioned incest are only vaguely referred to, and we're never as readers treated to the full story on who (or what) exactly everyone is. Suffice it to say nothing is ever *completely* expound upon or even explained. This is especially irritating after Dez murders Marie with her own Louboutins. (Aka "murder heels.") But then...nothing. She just...accepts that she's going to be a murderer. Revenge aside, Dez doesn't seem like the kind of woman to do this, no matter how justified it might be.

Dawson could've added at least one more chapter so we had some more background on The Servants, which also would've served to slow the plot down so it didn't end up feeling so very rushed.

I'll definitely be continuing to consume what she writes, but this latest installment by Delilah Dawson felt a tad underdone.

Three and a half stars.

Dez is a talented ambitious woman, but without money behind her, she can't make the doors into fashion open.

She meets Patrick, whose mother is someone she looks up to as Editor in Chief of a high end fashion magazine.

So Dez doesn't like it, but she has to pretend to like Patrick, and part of this includes going to his families private island for Easter break, in an attempt to get close to his mother and prove her worth

Upon arrival, she has to sign an NDA, and she is amazed by the expanse of the family wealth.

Things seem odd right off the bat, but soon things start to get really dark.... Dez is about to see there is a whole lot of secrets in this family and some are about to come out with a bang! The rich have been getting away with too much for too long....

This was a great read that had me hooked! After reading Bloom previously by this author, I didn't read too much into the plot of this and glad I went in a bit blind as was really engrossed in the developing story.

Some squeamish bits for sure, so bear that in mind. But if you've got the stomach I'd highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan for the review copy, all opinions my own...out 10 Sept so get those preorders in!

To sum Guillotine up in one sentence: it is gory, creative and filled with opulence, revenge, and retribution!

“Why does it seem like everything here has such sharp teeth?”

To delve a little deeper:

Dez's dream is to work in fashion, but getting her foot in the door is proving to be no easy feat. So when fashion magazine editor-in-chief Marie Ruskin's son Patrick comes on to her, she sees her opportunity to break into the design scene - even though it means putting up with the arrogant, self-absorbed Patrick. Dez is willing to play the pliable girlfriend to manipulate Patrick into inviting her on his family holiday, to their isolated private island, earning herself an "in" to meet Marie and show her what she's worth. Upon arriving she's met with a frightening NDA, no contact with the outside world, odd staff... and the pretentious, self-important, creepy Ruskin family.

Guillotine is a gory commentary on the opulence of the upper class, and the downfall of the greedy, entitled 1%. Right down to the pearls on Marie's neck... originally owned by Marie Antoinette. If that's not predicting your own demise, I'm not sure what is.

This is a book filled with creative ends befitting the receiver's crimes. The build up is fast-paced and intriguing, and crescendos into chaos in the most satisfying way.

If you're a fan of unique uses for pearl strings, louboutins, and the phrase "eat the rich"... you'll love Guillotine.

As always, check your trigger warnings 🖤

Dez Lane doesn't want to date Patrick Ruskin, in fact he kind of repulses her, but he is the son of Marie Caulfield-Ruskin, editor-in-chief of Nouveau magazine. Having exhausted most of her options so far, and graduation looming, Dez is feeling desperate. If she could just put up with him long enough to convince Marie Caulfield-Ruskin to help her with an internship someone with her pedigree could never nab through the regular submission route. When Patrick invites her to his family's private island for Easter holiday, she knows it is now or never. Stepping off the boat she is floored by the opulence of it all. So this is how the 1% lives! After signing a particularly brutal NDA which signed away all of her rights, and left her feeling more than a little creeped out, she attempted to try to fit in with his family. But then, things started to take a dark turn. For decades, the Ruskins have made their servants sign contracts that are basically indentured servitude, and with nothing to lose, the servants have decided their only route to freedom is to get rid of the Ruskins for good…

I am a huge fan of this author's books and this one is definitely my new favorite. This was along the vein of movies like Ready or Not, Us, & Saw. It was rich people who had behaved badly for generations, and the people who had been tasked with putting up with their crap, finally couldn't take it anymore and snapped. Now, at the beginning of the book there is a long list of trigger warnings. I am not going to list them all here, because if I did, it would end up being as long or longer than my review. So, just read the list beforehand if things might trigger you, and then proceed with caution. That said, this book was gruesome, but I am a fan of horror movies and books so I was all for it. Was there a final girl at the end, or did the staff wipe everyone out? Well, you will just have to read the book to find out!

8/10
Hello again dear reader or listener, I’ve been in the mood for dark comedy and horror so now you have to deal with it.

With thanks to Titan Books for approving my eARC request, let’s get to my honest thoughts.

First of all, can we talk about how beautiful this book is, cover and design wise? I’m not even a fan of pink and this blew me away! The amount of story relevant details you catch once you’re reading is so satisfying. 10/10 presentation, chef’s kiss.

Now onto the story itself. Guillotine is presented as The Menu meets Ready or Not, two movies I found utterly amazing, so it was a no brainer that I needed this book in my life. While I have not read anything else by Dawson, I can certainly tell why she is so loved. Her writing is clean and quick, flowing expertly from the page with the economic yet evocative emphasis of a high-level storyteller.

The plot of a hardworking fashion student doing anything she possibly can for a mere chance at what the wealthy are given so freely is one that resonates with almost anybody, and the shocking violence that she finds herself in the middle of by accident, is strongly cathartic in nature for anyone that has ever worked in the service industry, or has been through any kind of abuse as the ones portrayed in the book. If I were to be dispassionately blunt, I’d characterize this as a satisfying and dark horror romp of well-deserved, gory revenge that picks up speed the moment it begins and doesn’t let up till the very end.

The social commentary is strong if angry and that is the main point. Sometimes you don’t need a long treatise on the nature of man or the inner turmoil between good and evil and the virtues of turning the other cheek. Sometimes you just want to read and/or write about horrible assholes getting what they deserve, and even then, it still might not be enough to make up for the horrors they perpetuated just because they could throw money at it and make it go away unchallenged. You do not read this book for character development – even though there is some – nor some big plot arc or the slapstick dark comedy you might expect from the Ready or Not comp. You read it because you’re having a strong Eat The Rich moment and you need your fury to go somewhere.

Dawson delivers a book that is short, brutal, and uncompromising. It’s a fast and angry story for those whose reaction to injustice and abuse is rage that can no longer be contained and needs an out. And while it may be not all that humorous, those who have been even marginally close to the horrors faced by the characters in the story will feel a bitter yet self-indulgent chuckle rise from their chest

Guillotine comes out September 10th and if anything I mentioned resonates with you dear reader, and you’re feeling gory, you’ll want to pick it up.

Until next time,
Eleni A. E.

A fun and gruesome horror novella about a woman in the fashion industry trying to make connections with a powerful family. When she gets invited to their private island, things take a sinister turn and she ends up fighting to survive. It’s got some super memorable gory moments (the grandma and the horses omg) and story wise is reminiscent of the movie Ready or Not.

Dez is desperate to be successful, and she dates a richie rich, gets invited to their private island; The Island.
Even after the invitation, Dez is required to be private about it.
Then, after page 40 (until then it drags a little), the speed picks up and we get the eat the rich and gore.
This is a quick and enjoyable read.

I adore Delilah s Dawson and she’s quickly becoming one of my fav authors. This is my third book by her.

It follows a woman called Dez who goes to stay on her rich boyfriend’s families private island. And then things kick off from there.

This is quite short so it’s very fast paced with some fun twists at the end. It got very gory with “SAW” like murders. But if you’re into gory horror then you will like this.

Writing was excellent, plot was engaging and fun, would definitely recommend.

Adult fiction, very dark humour. Now I’ve read this short book I would say the cover is absolutely perfect. The story I introduces us to Dez Lane, fashion designer, down on her luck as far as getting a first step onto the ladder of success. Because of this she is trying to use, not nice guy, Patrick Ruskin to gain access to his fashionista mother. Leading to a visit to the family home. This whole thing is probably a bad idea, as the Ruskins are not really welcoming. Dez’s thoughts of fashion soon go out the window, but I suppose, in the end, fashion does have its uses after all. Read the book, and you will understand what I mean. Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

I think Delilah S. Dawson is going to become a go-to writer for me. Guillotine did not gut punch me the way Bloom did, but it was still a super fast paced gory ride. It’s a shame that so much was revealed in the book summary, but I still enjoyed going on the ride with Dez to a nightmarish island and weekend. Dez is a very enjoyable main character. Her motivations were clear, and frankly understandable, and her creative smarts really benefited her. The deaths were plentiful and satisfying, and Dawson doesn’t waste a single word in her books. It’s so refreshing to read a tight thriller that’s just over 200 pages. I’m left wanting more, yet completely content with what I’ve read. Highly, highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Glass Onion combined with the French revolution: I am here for it. There's some pretty gruesome murder scenes, but Dawson has a lot of fun with them.

3.5 maybe? This book really did nothing wrong, I just don't know how much it will stick with me.

I thought the tension in the first half was great. I could see the little movie scenes unraveling in my head everytime something creepy happened on the sidelines. Delilah S. Dawson creates a farfetched but immersive world reminiscent of Glass Onion or Get Out.

The second half of this goes crazy, in the best way. I mean, it's a full on slasher. While I never felt like, scared, it did gross me out in a lot of scenes. I do think the tension could have been ramped up a little more here, but there's only so much you can do in such a short book.

I did find certain parts a little repetitive, spoon fed to us. Some parts of the ending I enjoyed and others I wish had been left more open ended. Overall, I'm not rushing out to recommend this to people but I'd definitely read from Delilah S. Dawson again. If this sounds at all up your alley, I'd give it a read!

Thank you Titan Books and Net-Galley for an e-ARC.

Trigger warning for everything! I inhaled this book in a few hours because it was page turning, zany, gory, unbelievably crazy but addicting. Dez wants to make it in the fashion industry and she’ll do whatever it takes even date awful Patrick Ruskin. Patrick is Uber wealthy and treats woman poorly but is the son of editor in chief of a top fashion magazine. Dez gets invited to spend the weekend on the family’s estate on an island off Georgia. When she gets there she can tell things are off especially when she is asked to sign a non disclosure agreement. I don’t want to say anymore for fear of risking any spoilers but when this book was comped to The Menu and Ready or Not it definitely ring true. Read if you aren’t a sensitive reader and you want fast paced and out there in the most creative way possible.

Dez wants to be a designer so badly that she will do almost anything to achieve her dreams. Including dating skeezy Patrick to get an in with his mother, who just happens to own a popular fashion magazine. Gaining an invite to their private island (suitably dubbed just The Island), Dez finds it comes with a handful of very strict and curious rules including an ironclad NDA that must be signed upon arrival.

Things get more and more unsettling as Dez partakes in dinners and meets the rest of the family. The novel eventually turns into an eat the rich romp when the servants rise up and start killing the family in more and more disturbing ways.

Capitalizing on the recent influx of similar titles, Guillotine does a couple things particularly well. It is pure catharsis, a revenge book through and through with saw-like traps and trials for each of the members of the family. We learn before each death exactly what each person had done to deserve that death. There is satisfaction in the dying because they’re clearly bad people, but the book moves so quickly and we’re just told about the badness instead of shown and allowed to steep in it that it is hard to feel everything is warranted. The reader is just audience the same way Dez is audience, and maybe that is purposeful. A more compelling and interesting take would have been to tell the story from the servant’s point of view, but instead we are kept at a distance.

The one unrealistic thing about the entire book is Dez’s reactions. The servants have put up with awful torture and cruelty for years, their motivations and reactions seem warranted, but Dez just wanders through, not particularly horrified as gruesome death after gruesome death occurs for her viewing pleasure. There’s no shock, no real horror, she just continues on. Just sighs and accepts she’ll die next. There is no real fight in her until the very end, in a scene that truly made no sense to me at all.

ALL THE STARS.
Absolute perfection. The synopsis is bang on, I agree with the 'Ready Or Not meets The Menu' blurb, both movies I loved. Having given full marks to Dawson's The Violence I waited impatiently to be approved for Guillotine with high hopes.

Main character Dez is an instantly likeable underdog creating high stakes as she navigates an unbelievably brutal game of hide and seek on a beautiful yet sickening island estate.

The pace will give you the best whiplash, I read the entire book in one sitting, nothing could tear me away. The descriptions are vivid and jarring between the silent serene island and the extreme violent gore.

There's a page of content warnings to start, I skipped it but it is there for good reason of you prefer to check.

My second from Dawson and I cannot praise it highly enough, fantastic from the first page to the last.

Described as ready or not and The Menu, Guillotine gives us our protagonist, Dez. Dez is after one thing- opportunity. So she meets Patrick Ruskin, a boring privileged billionaire who risks her away to the family island; where she can finally meet his mother Marie and get the coveted design mentorship someone in her status usually has no chance at. As I’m launched into this book, it’s giving me Saltburn vibes in the way of old money and a manor in the outskirts. Also, what is it with rich people stories taking away all technology, I.e. cellphones? I’m starting to feel a bit overdone in that concept.

The first half of the book doesn’t give you much but try to show Dez is polite to the staff and how the Ruskins really are not. The back half of the story is just a good ole revenge story, especially if you’re looking for rich people comeuppance. Be prepared for some detailed, gory, and interesting deaths. A line in the book calls it “Saw for rich people” and it’s kind of fitting. Overall, the story was fun but I wish there had been more intensity built up before the reveal. Even though I wanted more from the first half of the story, the back half grabbed me and I finished it in one fell swoop. Pick this novella up if you want a gory fun horror story that plays out more like a horror movie with no backstory.

One of my favourite things to read are short, fun and very gory books and Delilah S. Dawson definitely deliveres on that front. I was hooked from page one and I absolutely loved the setup of the story. We have a girl who wants to make it in the fashion industry but has a hard time even getting in the door. One day, she meets a very wealthy guy who's the absolute worst but his mother is someone that could give Dez her chance. She decides to go with him to his family's private island. But things get unhinged as soon as she gets there. It was such a fun story, that reminds me a little bit of The Menu. However, what I loved about that movie, didn't work as well for me in this book. I feel like it was a little strange following the events on the island from our main character's perspective. I don't want to go into spoilers but that choice made the story a little bit repetitive and unrealistic for me. However, I just had a good time with this book. If you're one of the weirdos that loves a gory time with some girly elements, this book is for you!

"People without this kind of money, without enough money—they just keep on going, no matter what."

Horror is not a genre I lean towards, but I'm always up for trying something new. This was described as The Menu meets Ready Or Not.

There are trigger warnings(all off page), so please check them out before picking this up.

Dez Lane doesn't want to date Patrick Rushkin she just wants to meet his mother editor in chief of Nouveau magazine. Patrick invites Dez to his family's big Easter reunion at their ancestral home. With Marie Caulfield-Rushkin in her sights, Dez hopes she can fight Patrick's advances of long enough to ask Marie for an internship. Once all family members arrive and the ferry leaves, things soon turn dark.

Dark, gruesome and sharp, it packs a lot for a short read!