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A review by koistyfishy
Grave Matter by Karina Halle
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5 Dirty Little Pet Stars โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level:๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ/5
You ever have a book, that when you finished reading it your brain felt like it had exploded and you were just trying to play catchupโฆ I have been sitting on this review for a while because my mind is completely reeling with trying to put together thoughts and words. Its mushroom and blowing in the air like millions of spores.
๐๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฅ๐จ๐๐จ:
Sydney Denik is a graduate mycology student whoโs life is falling to pieces. However she is given this once in a lifetime opportunity to work at the secretive prestigious Madrona Foundation as part of a summer research program studying Alzheimerโs.
However once she arrives in rural Vancouver things start to get weird. She starts seeing things and she starts wondering is she having visions, seeing ghosts. Or is she going mad with her mind playing tricks on her. While dealing with that she also has to struggle with the growing attraction she has towards one of the professors at the facility, who also happens to be her psychologist. All that she knows the longer she stays at the Madrona Foundation โ the less things make sense.
If you want a book that is the epitome of โspooky creepyโ vibes with a dash of dark academia and makes you yourself question your own sanity, then this is it for you! You find yourself just as confused and befuddled as Sydneyโฆbut YOU LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT!
๐๐๐ค๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐จ:
I ADORED Sydney, mostly because she's pretty brash at times and is pretty snarky and sarcastic. She speaks her mind very easily, often in places that I myself would never be caught dead speaking. I was giggling โlisteningโ to her internal monologue and some of the things that she said. I personally related to a lot of her references and the pop culture she comments on. She just felt like someone I would like to be friends with. I also adored that she is so driven, tenacious, smart and intelligent. This entire book is told from her POV so there are aspects of unreliable narration which is handled so well that it keeps you engrossed but it is also done very tactfully as a display to the mental illness and neurodivergent characteristics Sydney has.
I was also super impressed by the depth of research Karina Halle put into this book. I am always apprehensive of books that feature a woman in STEM romances because they can often portray the field and representation of women very badly. However this is the type of book that does it justice! Karina Halle did such a good job. The research that went into the different mushrooms, their types, their pharmacology, and their toxicity, it felt like this was written by somebody who was an expert in the field but never felt overly technical. Its presence in the story added to the richness and the way the science was portrayed felt natural. It takes a very unique skill to blend and blur science and fantasy and make it feel like it could happen in our world.
I don't want to say too much about this BECAUSE I HONESTLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU GO IN BLIND!!!
BUT KNOW the reason this made such an impact is because I didn't see the twists and turns coming and the way that everything interconnected. I almost want to go back and reread it again to catch the things I missed.
๐๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐จ:
โถ Obsession
โถ Forced Proximity
โถ Forbidden Romance
โถ Obsessive MMC
โถ TeacherXStudent
โถ PsychologistXPateint
โถ Age Gap
โถ Dark Academia
โถ Chronic Illness Rep
โถ Touch Her You Die
โถ Burn the World for You
๐๐ค๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ:
โข BDSM
โข Hand Necklaces
โข Bondage
โข Degradation and Praise
and ๐๐๐๐ง๐ค ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐จ:
โท Rolled Sleeves/Forearms
โท Use Me
โท Good Girl
โท Beg Me
THIS BOOK left such a lasting impression on my mind. It was perfection how everything came together! It's the type of thing that should be made a movie as it has all the elements that movies need: drama, suspense, romance, mystery/thriller allure, and just spooky vibes. Absolutely fantastic and the best book I have read from Karina Halle!
Thank you to Netgalley, Metal Blonde Books and Karina Halle for the gifted copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own!
Spicy Level:๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ/5
You ever have a book, that when you finished reading it your brain felt like it had exploded and you were just trying to play catchupโฆ I have been sitting on this review for a while because my mind is completely reeling with trying to put together thoughts and words. Its mushroom and blowing in the air like millions of spores.
๐๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฅ๐จ๐๐จ:
Sydney Denik is a graduate mycology student whoโs life is falling to pieces. However she is given this once in a lifetime opportunity to work at the secretive prestigious Madrona Foundation as part of a summer research program studying Alzheimerโs.
However once she arrives in rural Vancouver things start to get weird. She starts seeing things and she starts wondering is she having visions, seeing ghosts. Or is she going mad with her mind playing tricks on her. While dealing with that she also has to struggle with the growing attraction she has towards one of the professors at the facility, who also happens to be her psychologist. All that she knows the longer she stays at the Madrona Foundation โ the less things make sense.
If you want a book that is the epitome of โspooky creepyโ vibes with a dash of dark academia and makes you yourself question your own sanity, then this is it for you! You find yourself just as confused and befuddled as Sydneyโฆbut YOU LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT!
๐๐๐ค๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐จ:
I ADORED Sydney, mostly because she's pretty brash at times and is pretty snarky and sarcastic. She speaks her mind very easily, often in places that I myself would never be caught dead speaking. I was giggling โlisteningโ to her internal monologue and some of the things that she said. I personally related to a lot of her references and the pop culture she comments on. She just felt like someone I would like to be friends with. I also adored that she is so driven, tenacious, smart and intelligent. This entire book is told from her POV so there are aspects of unreliable narration which is handled so well that it keeps you engrossed but it is also done very tactfully as a display to the mental illness and neurodivergent characteristics Sydney has.
I was also super impressed by the depth of research Karina Halle put into this book. I am always apprehensive of books that feature a woman in STEM romances because they can often portray the field and representation of women very badly. However this is the type of book that does it justice! Karina Halle did such a good job. The research that went into the different mushrooms, their types, their pharmacology, and their toxicity, it felt like this was written by somebody who was an expert in the field but never felt overly technical. Its presence in the story added to the richness and the way the science was portrayed felt natural. It takes a very unique skill to blend and blur science and fantasy and make it feel like it could happen in our world.
I don't want to say too much about this BECAUSE I HONESTLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU GO IN BLIND!!!
BUT KNOW the reason this made such an impact is because I didn't see the twists and turns coming and the way that everything interconnected. I almost want to go back and reread it again to catch the things I missed.
๐๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐จ:
โถ Obsession
โถ Forced Proximity
โถ Forbidden Romance
โถ Obsessive MMC
โถ TeacherXStudent
โถ PsychologistXPateint
โถ Age Gap
โถ Dark Academia
โถ Chronic Illness Rep
โถ Touch Her You Die
โถ Burn the World for You
๐๐ค๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ:
โข BDSM
โข Hand Necklaces
โข Bondage
โข Degradation and Praise
and ๐๐๐๐ง๐ค ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐จ:
โท Rolled Sleeves/Forearms
โท Use Me
โท Good Girl
โท Beg Me
THIS BOOK left such a lasting impression on my mind. It was perfection how everything came together! It's the type of thing that should be made a movie as it has all the elements that movies need: drama, suspense, romance, mystery/thriller allure, and just spooky vibes. Absolutely fantastic and the best book I have read from Karina Halle!
Thank you to Netgalley, Metal Blonde Books and Karina Halle for the gifted copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Blood, and Dementia