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drakaina16's reviews
2145 reviews
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.
I'm having a hard time getting my thoughts together about this book. It was interesting, beautifully written, and tough as all hell to get through. It is an excellent book, but very challenging, and I feel like it would be wrong to say that I "enjoyed" it. The vampire lore is some of the most unique and interesting that I've read. I love it when an author can take a familiar concept and make it entirely their own, and Stephen Graham Jones succeeds in spades. Emotionally, though, it chewed me up and spit me out. 4.5 stars
I'm having a hard time getting my thoughts together about this book. It was interesting, beautifully written, and tough as all hell to get through. It is an excellent book, but very challenging, and I feel like it would be wrong to say that I "enjoyed" it. The vampire lore is some of the most unique and interesting that I've read. I love it when an author can take a familiar concept and make it entirely their own, and Stephen Graham Jones succeeds in spades. Emotionally, though, it chewed me up and spit me out. 4.5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Judgment Day by River Gardner
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This is the first piece of longer fiction I've read from River Gardner. I've been very impressed with their short stories, so I decided to give Judgment Day a try. I'm always down for a "good for her" read and, although this definitely fits that, I'm really tired of reading graphic sexual violence. This is totally a personal preference, and something that's happened pretty recently. This is otherwise a very enjoyable revenge tale. 3.25 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, and Lesbophobia
Shy Girl by Mia Ballard
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.
Tom Waits once said he liked beautiful melodies telling him terrible things, and Shy Girl fits that bill to a tee. The writing is just gorgeous, fitting the lovely cover perfectly. The story, however, just pummeled me emotionally. I knew it was going to be heavy going in, but it hurt exquisitely, and I devoured 2/3 of it in one sitting. Triggers abound here, so tread lightly. The ending is absolutely worth the tough journey. 5 stars
Tom Waits once said he liked beautiful melodies telling him terrible things, and Shy Girl fits that bill to a tee. The writing is just gorgeous, fitting the lovely cover perfectly. The story, however, just pummeled me emotionally. I knew it was going to be heavy going in, but it hurt exquisitely, and I devoured 2/3 of it in one sitting. Triggers abound here, so tread lightly. The ending is absolutely worth the tough journey. 5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, and Pregnancy
It Waits on the Top Floor by Ben Farthing
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Ben Farthing is really, really great at taking normal, everyday things and making them frightening. Two words that came to mind when reading this book: Lovecraftian and liminal. There is some really creepy imagery in the book, and somehow the mysterious skyscraper manages to feel both claustrophobic and limitless. The tension and the action scenes are great, and I plan to check out the other books in the series. 4.5 stars
It Looks Like Us by Alison Ames
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a very solid YA book that uses The Thing as a framework, but manages to be its own thing completely. There are two enemies here, one just as creepy and unsettling as the other. One is a dangerous tech billionaire with an oddly familiar name, and the other is what he's really after. There is a lot of cussing in the book, as well as some pretty distressing body horror. But there is absolutely zero spice, and in fact, one of the main characters is asexual (love the rep). So this is a pretty good choice for a mature YA reader and I enjoyed it as an adult as well. 3.5 stars
Waste Ground by Marc Ruvolo
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
There is a LOT going on in this short novella. The story opens with a bang, and rarely slows down as it rockets to the conclusion. We aren't given a lot of backstory on the cult, but I'm actually okay with that. As in movies, sometimes we just have to accept that crazy shit is happening and go with it. Ruvolo crafts incredible characters in a very short space, managing to make them both flawed and sympathetic. I kind of hope that this isn't the last that we hear of them. 5 stars
There is a LOT going on in this short novella. The story opens with a bang, and rarely slows down as it rockets to the conclusion. We aren't given a lot of backstory on the cult, but I'm actually okay with that. As in movies, sometimes we just have to accept that crazy shit is happening and go with it. Ruvolo crafts incredible characters in a very short space, managing to make them both flawed and sympathetic. I kind of hope that this isn't the last that we hear of them. 5 stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven by Marjorie Liu
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It Came From the Woods by Matthew Mercer, Matthew Mercer
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
I picked this up not knowing it was book 2 in a series, but they appear to be standalone (with one crossover character, from what I gathered). So I don't feel it's necessary to read It Came From Above before this book. This was a super fun cross between a survivor interview and found footage. Some of the dialogue came across a bit stilted at times, but it added to the whole B movie vibe of the book. I could definitely see it making a really fun found footage movie. I plan on checking out the rest of the series. 3.5 stars
Quarantine by Aaron Lebold
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Quarantine is one of those books which can be likened to watching a train wreck in slow motion. You know this can't lead anywhere good, and yet you can't look away. James is one of those guys who can't get out of his own way, made even worse by the pressures of COVID quarantine. Buckle up for a wild ride through James' brain. 4 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
My Father's Name Is War: Collected Transmissions by Bauder
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.
This is a very hard-hitting collection of stories (and one poem), all centered around the military. Make no mistake - these are horror stories, although they frequently veer into sci-fi territory as well. The vignettes between the stories hit me just as hard as the stories. 5 stars
My Father's Name is Forgotten ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
And Hades Followed Him ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Chasing the Dragon ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Omertá ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Non-Combat Related Incident ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Waidmannsdank ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
That It Was Good ⭐⭐⭐.25
Private Passenger ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
My Father's Name is War ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
This is a very hard-hitting collection of stories (and one poem), all centered around the military. Make no mistake - these are horror stories, although they frequently veer into sci-fi territory as well. The vignettes between the stories hit me just as hard as the stories. 5 stars
My Father's Name is Forgotten ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
And Hades Followed Him ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Chasing the Dragon ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Omertá ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Non-Combat Related Incident ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Waidmannsdank ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
That It Was Good ⭐⭐⭐.25
Private Passenger ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
My Father's Name is War ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5