kt2e56's reviews
103 reviews

My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen

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challenging dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

Excellent! Really creepy and atmospheric with all the traditional trappings of a Gothic horror yet completely original at the same time. Love the character of Agnes in particular.

I think my one complaint would be sometimes the dialogue sounded so old fashioned as to be a bit silly at times (and a bit outdated even for its setting which is the 1950’s). But I suppose that’s part of building up the Gothic atmosphere.
The paying guests by Sarah Waters

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A bit of a slow start but impossible to put down once things kick off. Be gay, do crimes <3
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño

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challenging slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

An absolute slog to get through at times because quite frankly, every character sounds exactly the same. They all believe in the exact same things and all sound like different versions of presumably the author’s own opinions. Rampant homophobia and even worse misogyny and celebration or defense of violence against women at several key points during the novel (the author couldn’t convincingly write from a female POV if his life depended on it) 
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Cult X by Fuminori Nakamura

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
My brain is just not functioning enough for it for whatever reason.
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Why are all of these adult men sleeping with these children?
They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

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dark hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

Whip smart and really engrossing! Definitely couldn’t put it down until it was over. I think it’s something all survivors will find cathartic to read.
Sirens & Muses by Antonia Angress

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dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Was hoping I’d like this more than I did but it was enjoyable! Louisa and Karina should have been the main focus. Robert didn’t really fit in much with the other storylines (and his internal crisis about Vince could have been its own, interesting separate book) and Preston was such a cliche it bordered on parody (and not in a good way) but the initial infatuation to inspiration to obsession sapphic love story between Louisa and Karina I really did enjoy. I think the ending was way too abrupt and I wish we had just one more chapter from Karina after Louisa’s final phone call. I think that would have made this book feel more complete.
The Fury by Alex Michaelides

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

First off, the voice actor did a lovely job.

This was entertaining enough that I didn’t completely give up on it but it was also pretty cringey and had me rolling my eyes quite a bit because adults just don’t act this way? And people don’t speak this way? And the setting felt so completely unnecessary.

The big twist is easy to guess within the first three pages
which is why I hate the unreliable narrator trope so much. Especially when the unreliable narrator has zero charm, makes hackneyed jokes, and keeps calling attention to the fact that he’s an unreliable narrator making everything up. And like that twist works so much better if the fictional writer is you know…a good writer. But by constantly calling attention to the artifice (he’s like a Greek chorus! Get it? GET IT!?) it’s like “okay so when is he going to tell us that he’s in prison for killing Lana and he’s writing everything afterwards?” It feels like author is aiming for The Talented Mr. Ripley or even Saltburn but because they never come off as charming or clever (like Ripley) and they never FULLY commit to being completely batshit (like Saltburn) it just sort of leaves you shrugging and already looking to forget about this once you find something better.
 
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke And Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke: 3.5 out of 5. Really great (and disgusting) descriptions and a fairly unique story but borders a little on parody by the end and due to the nature of it just being emails and IMs we’re reading, I feel like a lot is missing. Maybe would have been better if it was longer? I think a slow burn would have been better so the escalating craziness would have made a bit more sense instead of feeling like Agnes went from zero to batshit too quickly.

The Enchantment: 4 out of 5. Creepy but most things about religion are for me. Just a really well written and uncomfortable story that had me squirming in my seat. I guess we all so desperately want to believe in something that it’s easy to find yourself engrossed here.

You’ll Find It’s Like That All Over: 2.5 out of 5 Definitely the weakest of the bunch. The other two had me on the edge of my seat while this one was just…fine. It felt like a first draft, to be honest.
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Stunning. Will be really poignant but also difficult for anyone who’s ever been in an abusive relationship or has struggled with the anxiety of being a people pleaser. A fantastic (and horrifying) sci-fi book.
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