angelicardale's reviews
180 reviews

Negative Space by B.R. Yeager

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

oh wow. i don't even know if i can rate this with confidence, but i rate everything i read so ????? yeah four stars i guess? like this book was absolutely insane and i think its the darkest book ive ever read. definitely check trigger warnings. this book was incredibly bleak and just horrific on all accounts, but extremely effective! i can't say i had fun. i can't say it was enjoyable. but it was so interesting and so effective at what it does, that i can't give it anything other than a 4-star rating honestly. i have no idea what i thought about this book and cannot, in good faith, recommend it, but despite all of that, i found it to be very enigmatic and easy to get through. wow.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

(sobbing hysterically) what the fuck was that. this book changed the trajectory of my life for the better and also destroyed me and put me back together. god. i am a changed woman

You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

i really thoroughly enjoyed this. this was an absolute rollercoaster and descent into madness, a really cool combination of science fiction and (cosmic?) horror! just very weird and trippy. loved it though! very quick read and very cool take on a haunted house story.

The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

brb scaling the walls, threads of power #2 when?

The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 4 by Mokumokuren

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

AAAA i love this series so MUCH! i love the building mystery and how intense everything always is + the amazing characters ... perfect as always!

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

actual rating is somewhere between a 4-4.5!! i loved this soooo much. there's something so silly about this plot while still providing actual nightmare fuel (this book goes hard on the body and insect horror!) definitely check trigger warnings, but this was very fun and i loved the ending!

Chlorine by Jade Song

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this book is genuinely beautiful. like there's no other way to put it honestly. i loved every second of reading this!! the prose is stunning, the characters are well fleshed out and complicated, and the themes are on point. i took my time reading this book despite its short length (as i was annotating it), but it never felt like it was dragging. definitely look up trigger warnings though if you're interested in reading it and haven't already!!

The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 3 by Mokumokuren

dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

this series is so good i cannot emphasize it enough. i was planning on finishing chlorine before even touching this volume but i couldnt help it!! this volume was super fun, im loving the glimpses we're getting into asako and yuuki too!! aaaa can't wait to continue <3

The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 2 by Mokumokuren

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

SO GOOD!!! im literally obsessed. i love how complicated the characters are. there's a very good balance between fluff and horror. also loving all the metaphors regarding queerness and the horror factor (:

Normal People by Sally Rooney

emotional reflective sad fast-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

4.0

this was.....so sad. i actually wasnt expecting it to be very sad, because i didnt know too much about the book at all, but i was pleasantly surprised. i didnt find marianne or connell to be particularly likable, but i did appreciate how flawed and human they were, and i understand the narrative purpose behind that. i really enjoyed it. definitely not a favorite, but still very good. the prose is very simple and everything is pretty straight-forward, but i found the character journeys and exploration to be very real and gutting. highly recommend!