Firstly, I loved the way time is blurred within this book, sometimes I felt I'd been enveloped into medieval gothic age and then someone mentions a phone and I'm yanked back into the present, making this so much more impactful and agonising.

The way characters are portrayed is beautifully done, our protagonist Margot has clear thoughts, kept childlike and real in their tone, she is easy to love and empathise with. The relationship dynamics between Margot, her mother and Eden is a delicate triangle of desire, regret and duty. This exploration of motherhood is also extremely interesting and thorough, something I'm not used to enjoying.

This book is a spellbinding tale of a family, they are unconventional and unbothered by the world (or perhaps overly bothered by the world 🤔). This story treads a balance of macabre and melancholy, it's enticing and kept the pages turning throughout.

I could blabber on and on about this forever, but just know I loved this book.

Whilst it is probably known that this book DELIVERS on page turning w t a f moments, and I am one of the biggest fans of this (Earthlings fan girl IYKYK), there’s a lot more going on. I’m going to keep it brief because I actually want you to 1) read this and 2) read the book so here ya go 🫱🏻

I’ve come to have a real appreciation this year for books exploring family dynamics, in particular maternal bonds. Margot’s relationship with her mother ticks the boxes for almost every red flag, a dark take on nature vs nurture if you will, where nothing much seems to be in Margot’s favour. Mama seems plagued by love, the desire and acquisition, to questioning if she even knows what she feels at times (to her daughter at least). I loved (pun intended) this. Yes this is a gothic tale, so naturally this love is shrouded in darkness but I think there’s a lot explored that any number of people grapple with and I for one could not tear myself away.

I was really drawn to how Edens character had been composed, even down to the use of her name. Whilst “Mama and I” are not unnamed, it’s the formality of using a name repeatedly. The name itself conjuring up the biblical imagery ~ paradise, lust, happiness, contentment ~ rather contradictory to where they find themselves. A sheep in wolf’s clothing, the odd one out- but not for long. A bit like Eve, how much does Eden offer the temptation to satiate the hunger and rid them of a burden? The characters are complex - like I said, big fan.

This book was very good at creating that unsettling, disgusting and horrifyingly gory atmosphere that it set out to portray. Unfortunately, that's pretty much all that it managed to achieve.
The prose was intentionally flowery and was trying very hard to be "lit-fic" but it ended up being a bit overdone. The floweriness of it took away from the narrative more than it added to it. I believe this would have been a much better short story or novella, it definitely would have benefitted from being 100 pages or so shorter; that way the characters would have felt more impactful, the atmosphere more gruesome and the plot more punchy. The characters were trying to be multi-faceted and mysterious but they came out as under-developed and lacking depth. It was marketed towards people who enjoy folklore and old-fashioned storytelling but these elements were very bland in the story and the atmosphere read more as gritty realism than dark folktale. The feminist messages felt very pro forma and off-hand as if they were ticked off one by one instead of being showcased and explored.
Despite it's shortcomings, I believe it's an okay debut novel and I'd be happy to read something else from this author later on.

This is a strong and accomplished literary debut with a unique story and protagonist. It's a sometimes harrowing read but the prose is beautiful to read. I found this reminiscent of Angela Carter in tone and theme.
Hard to believe that this is a debut novel. A strong launch.

An amazing debut novel from Lucy Rose. I loved this book from the moment I started it. Margot is such a unique character and it is interesting to see the story told from her perspective. A must read for anyone who likes unusual fiction with a side of cannibalism.

Uncomfortable, gruesome, and unnerving. The lamb is one of those books that’s sticks with you and you’ll be recommending for years to come!

I absolutely adored this. Harrowing, fierce and utterly readable. This will definitely be the book all the gross girlies will be reading in 2025!

A shockingly gruesome horror story but I couldn't stop reading even though the impending terror was palpable., Margot as a character is so startlingly crafted I was appalled by her but also felt a heartfelt tenderness for her too, Lucy Rose has created a near-perfect novel. I know The Lamb is going to be phenomenal!

This unsettling, haunting, fairytale will sink into you. About neglect, love, families and survival, it is not a comfortable read but a fascinating one

The Lamb follows Margot who lives with her mother in a homestead in the forest. When Margot is a home with her mama they wait for strangers known as strays to knock on their door. Margot’s mama looks after the strays and then kills them. She eats them and shares them with Margot. That is until a stray called Eden turns up and starts up a relationship with Margot’s mama. This means the dynamic between Margot and her mama changes and Margot needs to make a bid for freedom.

4.5 stars rounded up to a 5. This isn’t a perfect 5 star book for me in that it didn’t absolutely wow me but it has made me think. It did everything I expected it to do, it was gory and the whole time I was extremely uncomfortable with the dynamic between Margot and her mama particularly when Eden was introduced. It was a fast read even though the story was quite slow. I enjoyed the experience of reading this and I would recommend it. It’s a novel that creeps up on you.

Wow, this book was a simply amazing way to kick off my foray into e-book reviews. Excuse the pun but I just ate it up. Devoured in a day. The writing was incredibly atmospheric, the language was dreamy and luscious, and the concept (though of course not for everyone) was completely up my street. This is horror as I love to read it: stripped back, brazen, and quietly brutal. But it was also a wistful story of childhood and coming-of-age, of found family, and trauma. So many multitudes were contained within Lucy Rose’s work and I am excited to see what’s next for her.

Ironically (or aptly) completely consuming. Dark, disturbing, honestly flat out disgusting at points, The Lamb is such a gripping and complex story that is difficult to turn away from, even as hope ebbs away. Unbelievable book.