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abandonedquests's reviews
807 reviews
This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
This Cursed House is a Southern gothic horror novel set in 1960s New Orleans, about a young Black woman who goes to work for a strange family. She thinks she’s been hired as a tutor, but the family has a darker reason for wanting her there — tied to her ability to see ghosts.
The Cursed House is engaging and reveals its secrets deliberately. This is a strong social horror that leans in to the horror of racism and prejudice, and also emphasizes the strength of forgiveness, community, and freedom. Jemma is a great protagonist, smart and empathetic, who kept me rooting for her.
Readers of character-driven, atmospheric social horror will love this book. If you enjoyed When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen or The Reformatory by Tananarive Due, pick up Del Sandeen’s confident debut.
Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for my review copy of this book.
The Cursed House is engaging and reveals its secrets deliberately. This is a strong social horror that leans in to the horror of racism and prejudice, and also emphasizes the strength of forgiveness, community, and freedom. Jemma is a great protagonist, smart and empathetic, who kept me rooting for her.
Readers of character-driven, atmospheric social horror will love this book. If you enjoyed When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen or The Reformatory by Tananarive Due, pick up Del Sandeen’s confident debut.
Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for my review copy of this book.
The Lost House by Melissa Larsen
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories by Mariana Enríquez
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
A new collection by Argentine literary horror master Mariana Enriquez is such a treat. A Sunny Place for Shady People is a collection of 12 short stories full of beauty, heartbreak, terror, and rage.
I read this collection over a period of 8 months. Enriquez’s work is the opposite of bingeable: it’s so dark and beautiful that I like to take my time and reread favourites as I go. Her work is empathetic and political in many places, and living in a time where I’m seeing support for fascism rise in my own country of Canada, a lot of Enriquez’s writing feels like a warning.
My personal favourite stories were:
- My Sad Dead
- Face of Disgrace
- Different Colours Made of Tears
- Local Artist
- Black Eyes
Megan McDowell's translation is smooth and beautiful as always.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House/Hogarth for my review copy of this book
Private Rites by Julia Armfield
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Love Haters by Katherine Center
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I think The Love Haters might be my favourite Katherine Center book yet.
I love that her books are genuinely very funny — I laughed out loud more than once. They’re also hopeful and the characters feel realistic, even when the situations they’re in are a bit silly.
In The Love Haters, video producer Katie is likely to be laid off unless she takes on a project to profile a Coast Guard rescue swimmer named Hutch. Unfortunately, Katie doesn’t know how to swim.
The peek in the life of a rescue swimmer was fascinating, and I loved the combination of heroic scenes and very silly ones. Each character also has very realistic trauma to work through.
I read a lot of depressing horror and dark fantasy, so it’s fun to switch things up from time to time with a romance. Katherine Center’s books are always so optimistic and good-natured in a way that would normally be too sweet for me. I don’t know how she does it; somehow, I’m completely invested and a little weepy by the end about the goodness of people and the beauty of life.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for my review copy.
I love that her books are genuinely very funny — I laughed out loud more than once. They’re also hopeful and the characters feel realistic, even when the situations they’re in are a bit silly.
In The Love Haters, video producer Katie is likely to be laid off unless she takes on a project to profile a Coast Guard rescue swimmer named Hutch. Unfortunately, Katie doesn’t know how to swim.
The peek in the life of a rescue swimmer was fascinating, and I loved the combination of heroic scenes and very silly ones. Each character also has very realistic trauma to work through.
I read a lot of depressing horror and dark fantasy, so it’s fun to switch things up from time to time with a romance. Katherine Center’s books are always so optimistic and good-natured in a way that would normally be too sweet for me. I don’t know how she does it; somehow, I’m completely invested and a little weepy by the end about the goodness of people and the beauty of life.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for my review copy.
Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love starting off the year right with a 5-star book. S.A. Barnes’ new space horror novel, Cold Eternity, is her creepiest and best novel yet.
The protagonist is a somewhat naive government official on the run, trying to build a new life for herself while hiding from her former employers. She takes a secret job on an old ship to earn money…and has been warned that previous caretakers have lost their minds and seen spooky things. Very The Shining in space.
I love how each of Barnes’ books has a basic “Flawed female protagonist takes a kind of suspicious job in a remote area of space, and shit gets weird” premise…but the shit getting weird is so different and unexpected each time.
Cold Eternity embraces Alien-style anti-corruption and anti-capitalist themes, which I always love in a sci-fi horror. It also brings in some weird mythological aspects that I loved. It’s Barnes’ most complex novel, with her most interesting protagonist.
I’m also scared of any sound in my walls now, so thanks for that.
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for my review copy.
The protagonist is a somewhat naive government official on the run, trying to build a new life for herself while hiding from her former employers. She takes a secret job on an old ship to earn money…and has been warned that previous caretakers have lost their minds and seen spooky things. Very The Shining in space.
I love how each of Barnes’ books has a basic “Flawed female protagonist takes a kind of suspicious job in a remote area of space, and shit gets weird” premise…but the shit getting weird is so different and unexpected each time.
Cold Eternity embraces Alien-style anti-corruption and anti-capitalist themes, which I always love in a sci-fi horror. It also brings in some weird mythological aspects that I loved. It’s Barnes’ most complex novel, with her most interesting protagonist.
I’m also scared of any sound in my walls now, so thanks for that.
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for my review copy.
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
I was excited to read The Stardust Thief, and it's a fairly solid fantasy, but it didn't quite work for me.
The premise is fun: Loulie is a young thief with a jinn bodyguard, and they meet and save Mazen, a prince in disguise. They have to find a magic lamp and navigate a conflict between humans and jinn. There are references throughout to tales from 1,001 Nights.
I really enjoyed the world Abdullah created: it feels alive, full of colour and sound. The magic is intriguing and I was interested in the history and myth that brought us to the start of the novel. I loved the emphasis on the power of storytelling.
Unfortunately, I never became fully interested in the current-day characters and plot as I was reading. Loulie and Mazen feel a bit like generic YA fantasy characters for me, and the prose is fairly basic, with awkward dialogue. It reads quite young, though seems to be marketed as adult fantasy. (And I love YA fantasy -- but this one just didn't grab me.) I'm a reader who loves interesting characters and a strong voice. I wound up reading halfway and deciding not to finish this one.
However, I think readers who are more plot-driven will find a lot to like here. As I mentioned, the world is interesting and immersive, in a way that (for me) the characters aren't. It's a solid book, just not to my personal taste.
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for my review copy of this book.
The premise is fun: Loulie is a young thief with a jinn bodyguard, and they meet and save Mazen, a prince in disguise. They have to find a magic lamp and navigate a conflict between humans and jinn. There are references throughout to tales from 1,001 Nights.
I really enjoyed the world Abdullah created: it feels alive, full of colour and sound. The magic is intriguing and I was interested in the history and myth that brought us to the start of the novel. I loved the emphasis on the power of storytelling.
Unfortunately, I never became fully interested in the current-day characters and plot as I was reading. Loulie and Mazen feel a bit like generic YA fantasy characters for me, and the prose is fairly basic, with awkward dialogue. It reads quite young, though seems to be marketed as adult fantasy. (And I love YA fantasy -- but this one just didn't grab me.) I'm a reader who loves interesting characters and a strong voice. I wound up reading halfway and deciding not to finish this one.
However, I think readers who are more plot-driven will find a lot to like here. As I mentioned, the world is interesting and immersive, in a way that (for me) the characters aren't. It's a solid book, just not to my personal taste.
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for my review copy of this book.