Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby
Berkley (September 2025)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
“I am the mistress of my own fate.”
Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby is a sophisticated gothic feminist horror novel laced with rage and history told through dual timelines: Alys, an antique dealer in present day who is related to Eleanor–one of the Venuses–and Eleanor, an eighteenth-century sex worker taken in by a beautiful and powerful courtesan, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s previous recruitment, Emily. Eleanor believes she has found her savior at last but things never come easy to women. Being a woman means fighting tooth and nail for agency and peace only to have it stolen again and again. And for this, in this story, anyway, men will burn.
Anatomical Venuses were crafted in eighteenth-century London and modeled after real-life sex workers to “entice” men and encourage them to study medicine. These wax figurines carry some haunting lore. Legend says they’re bewitched and come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them. Alys seeks to acquire all of the Venuses, reuniting them for the first time in over 250 years to put an end to their violent reign of terror.
The 1769 London setting is historically rich and accurate and immersive. It’s one of the best elements of the entire novel and for that reason, might be the preferred timeline for most readers. However, I didn’t struggle with Alys and even began rooting for her character once I understood the reality of Eleanor’s past and the dark magic that was the Venuses ultimate undoing.
While this is absolutely a body horror novel, I wouldn’t call Slashed Beauties a slasher. It’s more about the constant threat of loss of autonomy and control via oppressive patriarchal structures and witchcraft. Amongst all the grim and fury, however, there is a beautiful depiction of the power of female friendship and allyship. Eleanor and Emily’s relationship is not only relatable but it’s fierce and unyielding in loyalty. This was another favorite element of mine in reading Slashed Beauties. It reminded me of stories like Johanna Van Veen’s Blood On Her Tongue, where even the seemingly good-intentioned men always revert to a need to claim women. Control them. Use them. Silence them. In this, Rushby creates an interesting push-and-pull struggle for readers. Anatomical Venuses hunting men who have wronged them? You want to root for them but even in revenge, the women are steered by another. The gratification is temporary and imperfect. And this reader appreciated the complexity because it felt grounded and real.
I recommend going into this read as blind as possible. There are familiar images and concepts here but it’s not what it seems. It’s darker. More twisted. And a hell of a lot more satisfying.
Slashed Beauties is unputdownable and thrilling. It’s for fans of books like The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim and Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester.
I can’t wait for Rushby’s next release, All Her Beautiful Deaths, coming this fall. Advanced digital copies are currently available upon request and approval via NetGalley.
