Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Below by Laurel Hightower

8 reviews

elle_griffin's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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smalltowncreepy's review against another edition

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dark inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

 Laurel Hightower is a master of two things –
1. making traumatized characters dealing with PTSD from abuse that I relate to more than I want to analyze and
2. writing about the world of weird that I obsess over in my other job as a paranormal investigator. I’m talking ghosts, cryptids, etc.

Below grabbed me with Addie, the woman who is on a road trip – destination: best friend’s house where they will drink wine and watch horror movies (my kinda women). During this time, she is recovering from 13 years of emotional and mental abuse from her ex-husband. She has anxiety (most of it seems to spawn from said abuse) and is understandably nervous about traveling, at night, in bad weather, alone, as a woman. My nerves were ALREADY on edge for her as the story opens on a near accident with a creepy person.

As the story unravels – mothman reveals itself and causes a kindly trucker to wreck – Addie shows her metel as a Final Girl. In one night, she goes through the dark night of the soul and comes out of the other end new person with not only a new view on life but also on herself and her goals.
I literally cheered at the ending even though the resolution is…shaky enough that I really hope we get a sequel in the future or that Addie shows up as a background character in another story. (Wanting sequels or characters to come back again in future work is another thing I’m noticing in Laurel Hightower’s work because her characters are amazing!)

As a paranormal investigator, I was thrilled by this book. Hightower not only includes mothman, as seen on the cover, but also cave goblins, government conspiracies, and Men in Black (not the Will Smith kind but the OG John Keel scary, uncanny valley not really human kind). Has Hightower seen Hellier or does her love for the weird go back further than that? Either way, I was STOKED to read this book.

My only complaint is wanting more. A good problem to have.

Highly recommend Below for fans of paranormal stories around cryptids and conspiracies, fans of the weird, and fans of troubled characters that are ordinary people finding themselves in extraordinary experiences and coming out changed for better or worse. 
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nika_nix's review against another edition

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

3.5

This one started off so strong but started falling apart towards the middle and it dragged a bit, as if an author didn't know where she was going with the story. I also really didn't like the ending at all. I also feel like the "feminism topics" were a bit too much on the nose. Still a thrilling and creepy horror with good gore imagery and a lot of dark and wintery vibes.
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the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

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

3.75

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mermaidsherbet's review against another edition

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

4.0

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twinkle_flavored's review against another edition

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

2.0

I went in with the misunderstanding this was a creature feature of sorts, centered around the mothman. While the mothman is around periodically, I feel the rich lore that could have been pulled from was largely left untapped. So if you’re a mothman fan kid- this novella may not be for you. 

It was an atmospheric, and fast paced read. Though I certainly don’t need my stories polished, neatly wrapped up, and presented with a bow… I found several (what seemed, fairly important) loose ends were left hanging. The ending was an odd direction to go, which I think was a stab at showing the MC growth. It just didn’t land for me. 

While I was not the target audience for this novella, there certainly is one. If you are looking for a quick read, enjoy well written body horror, a fever dream like winter atmosphere, cryptid critters, all with a feminist slant- check this out. It may just be a new favorite!
 
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howlinglibraries's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

 
"Came outta nowhere, didn't it?"

There are four things that I love, all of which are present in this book: cryptids, feminist horror, Laurel Hightower's writing, and a story so action-packed I have to devour it in one sitting.

I love cryptid stories in general, and like many cryptid lovers, I have a soft spot for Mothman. (I'm a diehard member of the "Mothman isn't bad, actually, he's just trying to help" club, in case you were wondering.)

When I heard Laurel was writing a story involving him, I was immediately sold, though I did force myself to patiently wait a little while to read this because I knew one of my favorite bookish groups was planning to read it in October. It was so worth the wait!

I loved Addy's character and how angry and full of spite and pain she was over the misogyny she'd faced throughout her life, especially from her ex-husband. When we meet her, she's already jaded and mistrusting of men she meets, and honestly, it was very easy to relate to her concerns and wariness. But that element of the story takes a backseat pretty quickly because let me tell you, shit hits the fan fast in this novella, and once it does, it never lets up until the end.

I was totally captivated and loved every second of this. It would make such a fun horror movie adaptation (*cough cough, side-eyes streaming services*), and I absolutely recommend it to anyone who likes cryptids, creature features, and/or horror with badass, tough feminist heroines. I can't wait to see what Laurel comes out with next! 
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mfrisk's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As a fan of cryptids and psychological terror this book is a great quick read. Our main character delves deep into her own experiences and existence through being challenged to survive and take on the unknown. Highly recommend this read!
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