Reading now.

Hmm... well, this was totally unlike anything I have ever read before. It was far more violent than I anticipated in a way that felt gratuitous to me. I liked the diversity of the cast of characters. This was the first book I have ever read that included a non-binary character who used singular they / them / their pronouns. I found that very cool. That character, Hero, ended up being my favorite character in the book.

As for the plot... meh. It didn't seem particularly original or well thought-out to me and the book ended with some threads unresolved, but that might be because there is a sequel, Taste of Marrow.

Overall, this one sort of got a shrug from me. I'm not sorry I read it, although I definitely could have done without the gore. However, I don't think it will particularly stick with me, either.

Reserving for the General Literature VBB.

Description from Amazon:

"In the early 20th Century, the United States government concocted a plan to import hippopotamuses into the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This is true.

Other true things about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their jaws can snap a man in two.

This was a terrible plan.

Contained within this volume is an 1890s America that might have been: a bayou overrun by feral hippos and mercenary hippo wranglers from around the globe. It is the story of Winslow Houndstooth and his crew. It is the story of their fortunes. It is the story of his revenge."

The VBB is no longer running, so I am making this one available.

A RABCK... enjoy!

Thank you for sending this wishlist book, ReallyBookish! I can't wait to dive in!

A fun romp. Not quite as bloody as I was expecting so not bad in that department. Hero and Winslow are adorable together!

I had never heard about the US thinking about importing hippos. So glad they chose not to do so. I recently read about Colombia's 'cocaine hippos'. They are still trying to determine ecological impact the hippos will have on the environment there. There are some positive and some negative potential impacts the escaped hippos, that now number around 80, will have on the river.

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One of the starting books for The Bookbox of the Apocalypse!

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OK, I’m intrigued~ pulling this one from the book box.

What a fun romp! Definitely different, and thoroughly enjoyable.

SPOILER ALERT!

Violence, yes, but I think the only time it bothered me was when the boy Neville was killed… That was sad. But
I suppose someone had to go, so we could see just how ferocious and dangerous the feral hippos were.
And I’m left with so many burning questions: will Hero live; why did Adelia, the most dangerous assassin of all “miss“ vital organs; will Houndstooth ever settle down; and what horrors will be wrought with feral hippos in the Mighty Mississip???
How fortunate that I now have the taste of marrow to find out 😉
Thank you, Spatial 😊

Releasing along with Taste of Marrow as a two-for-one in the SF box, which will hopefully head off into the unknown in the next week🤞🤞

Taken from the box.

Added to the Little Free Library.

I was looking forward to reading this, but need to get books out urgently. Hopefully the next reader will have a better place for it!