TL;DR review:
Just like the first book, OPEN WOUND is semi-autobiographical and is best defined as literary erotic horror. It's dark, sensual, and explores trauma in a very unique way.
Longer, more in-depth review:
On mental health:
With this book being based on the author's life, the way Sean deals with his trauma is very real and I can imagine some people might balk at certain scenes. Let me make it clear that there is no one way to dealing with trauma and all coping mechanisms are valid if they help the person dealing with the trauma.
Sean's partners are very supportive, perhaps even too much? The level of trust in some situations left me in suspense because I was not trusting Vexis just yet. Their ways of helping Sean were surely very unconventional (and the book actually has an author's note at the end discussing this which I very much appreciated π).
While some sessions helped, others seemed to make things worse; a case of 2 steps forward, 1 step back... Which was still a forward movement, so YAY progress!
But yeah, this book is dark and heavy (it's about dealing with trauma, what do you expect?) and it's quite real so no waving a magic wand and poof! All better. Nope, this book shows that some *real work* is needed to work through past traumatic events. This is done in "sessions" of which some aren't unlike ones an actual therapist might do (partly lol), except *talking* about past events is not the same as actually *revisiting* your memories and dealing with it all over again (for better or worse).
Vexis is a merciless guide to Sean as they attempt to help him work through everything, and I was with Sean's partners: unsure about it all but eventually relenting and trusting Sean's judgement...
On LGBTQ+:
The MC Sean is an asexual trans man in a mostly achillean polycule. The other MC is Vexis and they...are...
...
Fear incarnate. Yep, let's just stick with that.
Vexis' gender is and they are very much aroace. At first they seemed very much sex averse but then there appeared to be some reciprosexuality going on that changed their stance to a more neutral one (which would promptly revert back after).
On the erotic horror:
Where book one was urban fantasy, OPEN WOUND falls more under erotic horror. Horror, because of all the places in the void Sean travels too, how some traumatic memories are dealt with, and the weird "limbo" Vexis seems to be in in their memories π
Erotic because sex is one of the ways Sean copes with trauma and how he recharges his energy. He faces certain fears too... I mean, slight spoiler but the monsterfckers might go ! so: Sean ends up with a shadowman and Vexis uses tentacles π Just don't expect a "typical" erotica-kind of writing (which will be a yay for some and a boo for others).
On DID/plurality:
The author is plural and while for book 1 it seemed a lot more clear that everyone around Sean is very much there in real life, for OPEN WOUND there were several times where I wasn't as sure and wondered if Sean was plural too instead of having all his partners there with him, physically.
I found this added to the uncanny feeling of the book, because, esp with Sean traversing void spaces, what even is real?
Also, Vexis' whole deal is rooted in plurality with Sean, as it's clearly stated on page that they used to share the body (I mean, Vexis wanted to be in control and kick Sean out), and how Vexis having affected Sean means Sean can also affect Vexis. (That "link" never went away, not even now Vexis is their own being.)
On style:
This book is written in third person for Sean's point of view, but in first for the several chapters following the apparent memories of Vexis. This change in pov can feel a bit jarring, but it adds to the disturbing and uncanny nature of the book/Vexis themself, because the world they are in is uncanny and jarring and all sorts of WTF.
Because of the semi-autobiographical nature, this book too blurs the line between fantasy and reality, though compared to the first book it has a lot more seemingly "fictional" scenes set in the void.
Final notes:
This book is best read as the sequel it is. If you skip book one, you'll miss out on crucial details regarding Sean's partners and his past--especially as his traumas are at the core of this book, you really do need to know their origins.
Just like EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL NOW, this book isn't for everyone. It's dark, it's queer, it's erotic in a very different way, and how it deals with trauma is not for the faint of heart.
If you crave answers after reading book 1, this will give you some. If you want to see Sean go on his journey of recovery and wish to see him face his fears and deal with his traumas directly? Get that satisfaction confrontation can bring? π₯ Go and grab your copy now π€
