biblio_kel's reviews
1085 reviews
The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
There's a lot to love about this short cosmic horror by Hailey Piper.
It has all the elements that you would expect - cults, fanatics, sacred geometry, beings from across time and space - as well as some unexpected, and welcomed, character depth and backstory.
Usually when authors don't follow Lovecraft's approach to describing cosmic horror (by describing how indescribable a thing is) the writing starts to become messy and confused but Piper manages to describe the collision of space and time and the unexplainable in a very poetic, and understandable, way.
My only criticism is that the final third of the story felt a little slow, with the story lingering on some scenes for longer than felt necessary.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book and I found the narration and performance by Allyson Voller very good. There was a little bit of confusion towards the end with two distinct sounding characters sounding like each other at times, but otherwise, it was good.
It has all the elements that you would expect - cults, fanatics, sacred geometry, beings from across time and space - as well as some unexpected, and welcomed, character depth and backstory.
Usually when authors don't follow Lovecraft's approach to describing cosmic horror (by describing how indescribable a thing is) the writing starts to become messy and confused but Piper manages to describe the collision of space and time and the unexplainable in a very poetic, and understandable, way.
My only criticism is that the final third of the story felt a little slow, with the story lingering on some scenes for longer than felt necessary.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book and I found the narration and performance by Allyson Voller very good. There was a little bit of confusion towards the end with two distinct sounding characters sounding like each other at times, but otherwise, it was good.
The Nightmare Man by J.H. Markert
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
There's a lot I liked about this book - the story, the characters, the atmosphere - but it was severally disadvantaged by poor editing. It needed to lose about ten chapters worth of writing to prevent it from feeling drawn out and plodding.
Dialogue scenes felt as though they were written for a screenplay more than a novel. Conversations were often long when they needed to be concise, repeated frequently, and included unnecessary minutiae.
There were sub-plots that felt pointless and unnecessarily padded out the already overstuffed story.
By the time anything was revealed in the story, it was already really obvious or felt completely pointless or irrelevant.
I just couldn't keep my enjoyment or interest up with how slow things developed so I ended up speed reading through the last twenty chapters.
It's a shame because the actual premise of the story is really good.
Also, Markert falls for the "white standard" trope, only describing the skintone and race of non-white characters.
Dialogue scenes felt as though they were written for a screenplay more than a novel. Conversations were often long when they needed to be concise, repeated frequently, and included unnecessary minutiae.
There were sub-plots that felt pointless and unnecessarily padded out the already overstuffed story.
By the time anything was revealed in the story, it was already really obvious or felt completely pointless or irrelevant.
I just couldn't keep my enjoyment or interest up with how slow things developed so I ended up speed reading through the last twenty chapters.
It's a shame because the actual premise of the story is really good.
Also, Markert falls for the "white standard" trope, only describing the skintone and race of non-white characters.
Ghost Radio by Leopoldo Gout
Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.
I ended up DNF'ing this two hours into the eight hour audiobook.
I was expecting a paranormal mystery, but instead, it was chapter after chapter of relationship recounting.
Far too much time and focus was given to the relationship's foundation and history in recaps told by both Joaquin and Alondra.
The beginning of the story felt completely disconnected from the following chapters and I became extremely bored.
The only reason I listened for as long as I did was due to the exceptional narration.
Did. Not. Finish.
#BookReview #BiblioKelBooks
I was expecting a paranormal mystery, but instead, it was chapter after chapter of relationship recounting.
Far too much time and focus was given to the relationship's foundation and history in recaps told by both Joaquin and Alondra.
The beginning of the story felt completely disconnected from the following chapters and I became extremely bored.
The only reason I listened for as long as I did was due to the exceptional narration.
Did. Not. Finish.
#BookReview #BiblioKelBooks
Jaws by Peter Benchley
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Look, I get that this was written in 1974, but I was less than five minutes in when I'd already heard the F-slur, a pointless racist comparison, and more than one needless mention of rape.
I only made it thirteen minutes in before the strongly misogynistic tone became too much and I decided to DNF it.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Look, I get that this was written in 1974, but I was less than five minutes in when I'd already heard the F-slur, a pointless racist comparison, and more than one needless mention of rape.
I only made it thirteen minutes in before the strongly misogynistic tone became too much and I decided to DNF it.
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Look, I need to be honest here, I have a love/hate relationship with Darcy Coates's books.
Their stories always have a plot that I love, characters I can get behind, and an atmosphere that I enjoy...at least for the the first two-thirds of the book.
Everytime they reach the two-thirds checkpoint they start to drag on. The reveals are never surprising as you see them coming from a mile away which is fine, but Coates contines to drag out the reveal with exposition and recaps that are completely unnecessary.
I'm going to keep reading Coates's stories because when I say I enjoy the first two-thirds, I mean, I really enjoy them! They're worth the read even if I expect to be disappointed with the final third of the story.
One day, Coates is going to write a story that doesn't have me jumping from dialogue to dialogue by the final chapters and it probably going to be my favourite book, ever.
As for "Dead of Winter", it's a pretty standard whodunnit plotline set in a snowstorm.
With no escape and no telecommunications, the members of a holiday tour need to work together to survive the freezing weather...and each other.
I do recommend this book, and I'd love to hear how other people found the last third of the story.
I will say that there's a couple of loose ends that make no sense to me but they're not really relevant to the overall plot.
Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Darcy Coates for giving me a free digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.
Their stories always have a plot that I love, characters I can get behind, and an atmosphere that I enjoy...at least for the the first two-thirds of the book.
Everytime they reach the two-thirds checkpoint they start to drag on. The reveals are never surprising as you see them coming from a mile away which is fine, but Coates contines to drag out the reveal with exposition and recaps that are completely unnecessary.
I'm going to keep reading Coates's stories because when I say I enjoy the first two-thirds, I mean, I really enjoy them! They're worth the read even if I expect to be disappointed with the final third of the story.
One day, Coates is going to write a story that doesn't have me jumping from dialogue to dialogue by the final chapters and it probably going to be my favourite book, ever.
As for "Dead of Winter", it's a pretty standard whodunnit plotline set in a snowstorm.
With no escape and no telecommunications, the members of a holiday tour need to work together to survive the freezing weather...and each other.
I do recommend this book, and I'd love to hear how other people found the last third of the story.
I will say that there's a couple of loose ends that make no sense to me but they're not really relevant to the overall plot.
Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Darcy Coates for giving me a free digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.
The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie by Henry Herz, Bryan Thomas Schmidt
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
An anthology of short stories that imagine dark and bizarre events in the life of a teenage Marie Curie.
When I read the premise for this anthology, I was really excited to read it. I've been interested in Marie Curie, her work and her life, since I was a child and the idea of inserting her into weird and spooky scenarios appealed to my little horror-loving heart.
I enjoyed most of the tales included in the collection, to varying degrees. As is the way of anthologies, some stories were better than others but overall I felt the stories leaned more towards 'good' than 'great'.
I found that reading multiple tales in one sitting didn't work well for me. Due to Marie, and often her family, being the main character in each tale, I found it hard to separate the individual stories from each other which caused the differences between them to feel like inconsistencies. Once I started to read just one story at a time, this feeling of inconsistency went away.
Overall, this is an enjoyable anthology with a unique and interesting theme.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and authors for giving me a free digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.
When I read the premise for this anthology, I was really excited to read it. I've been interested in Marie Curie, her work and her life, since I was a child and the idea of inserting her into weird and spooky scenarios appealed to my little horror-loving heart.
I enjoyed most of the tales included in the collection, to varying degrees. As is the way of anthologies, some stories were better than others but overall I felt the stories leaned more towards 'good' than 'great'.
I found that reading multiple tales in one sitting didn't work well for me. Due to Marie, and often her family, being the main character in each tale, I found it hard to separate the individual stories from each other which caused the differences between them to feel like inconsistencies. Once I started to read just one story at a time, this feeling of inconsistency went away.
Overall, this is an enjoyable anthology with a unique and interesting theme.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and authors for giving me a free digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.
The Science of Women in Horror: The Special Effects, Stunts, and True Stories Behind Your Favorite Fright Films by Kelly Florence, Meg Hafdahl
informative
medium-paced
3.25
The title of this book is very misleading and there is little to no science covered whatsoever. The same goes for special effects and stunts. As for 'true stories', there was only one or two brief mentions of real life events that inspired movies.
On the surface, this is an interesting read about women in horror that looks at the archetypes and roles of women in horror and how societal views and beliefs have shaped them as well as the different ways horror has allowed for their subversion.
Using horror movies from across the decades, the authors look at the ways sexism, gender roles, and sexuality have affected the role of women in horror both in front and behind the camera.
On a deeper reading though, the book only really touches on the role of BIPOC women and queer women in rather superficial way.
There's a definite air of 'white feminism' to the book that can be seen in the way women are referred to as "women and women of colour" at one point, right after a chapter of how 'male' is seen as the universal standard, as though 'women' and 'women of colour' are two separate things. I would have understood if they were to say "woman, especially women of colour" or something along those lines but instead they literally broke up women into '(white) women' and 'women of colour'.
It was also seen in the mention of Ruth Rose where her involvement with the screenplay for King Kong was praised but no mention of the films problematic racist overtones was made.
Another issue I had was with Chapter 29 that took a superficial look at disability in horror. The authors not only used the term "differently abled" but constantly refered to "people with disabilities" instead of referring to disabled people as, well, disabled people.
They also implied that being deaf is a weakness that becomes a character's "strength" when she uses it to her advantage against an assailant.
Oh, and let's not forget that bit of Joss Whedon love. I mean, that feels completely appropriate in a book that had just looked at the ways women in the industry have been negatively treated, albeit superficially.
The book was written in 2019 so I'm willing to give the authors (and the relevant director they were interviewing) the benefit of doubt since much of the momentum and revelations regarding Whedan's treatment of female actors occured after publication.
Also, whilst it may be pedantic, it did annoy me how they stated that Daphne du Maurier's "The Birds" was made into a movie by Alfres Hitchcock but then failed to note how the movie is nothing at all like the book. The only similarity is people being attacked by birds - everything else is completely different.
One thing the book did look at, that I really appreciated, was the way older women, and the elderly in general, are portrayed in horror. It's a topic I rarely see mentioned that we need greater discussion and dialogue around.
I'm a big fan of accessible texts and I definitely think this book gives a reader enough information to pique their curiosity and interest on a range of topics relevant to women in horror but it's definitely just an initial stepping stone.
Anyone going into this book expecting in-depth analyses will be disappointed. So to will anyone expecting there to be a focus on science or more than a quick overview of the movies mentioned within the book.
I would still recommend this book to fans of the genre, however, I recommend doing further reading to gain a better understanding of the topics touched on.
On the surface, this is an interesting read about women in horror that looks at the archetypes and roles of women in horror and how societal views and beliefs have shaped them as well as the different ways horror has allowed for their subversion.
Using horror movies from across the decades, the authors look at the ways sexism, gender roles, and sexuality have affected the role of women in horror both in front and behind the camera.
On a deeper reading though, the book only really touches on the role of BIPOC women and queer women in rather superficial way.
There's a definite air of 'white feminism' to the book that can be seen in the way women are referred to as "women and women of colour" at one point, right after a chapter of how 'male' is seen as the universal standard, as though 'women' and 'women of colour' are two separate things. I would have understood if they were to say "woman, especially women of colour" or something along those lines but instead they literally broke up women into '(white) women' and 'women of colour'.
It was also seen in the mention of Ruth Rose where her involvement with the screenplay for King Kong was praised but no mention of the films problematic racist overtones was made.
Another issue I had was with Chapter 29 that took a superficial look at disability in horror. The authors not only used the term "differently abled" but constantly refered to "people with disabilities" instead of referring to disabled people as, well, disabled people.
They also implied that being deaf is a weakness that becomes a character's "strength" when she uses it to her advantage against an assailant.
Oh, and let's not forget that bit of Joss Whedon love. I mean, that feels completely appropriate in a book that had just looked at the ways women in the industry have been negatively treated, albeit superficially.
The book was written in 2019 so I'm willing to give the authors (and the relevant director they were interviewing) the benefit of doubt since much of the momentum and revelations regarding Whedan's treatment of female actors occured after publication.
Also, whilst it may be pedantic, it did annoy me how they stated that Daphne du Maurier's "The Birds" was made into a movie by Alfres Hitchcock but then failed to note how the movie is nothing at all like the book. The only similarity is people being attacked by birds - everything else is completely different.
One thing the book did look at, that I really appreciated, was the way older women, and the elderly in general, are portrayed in horror. It's a topic I rarely see mentioned that we need greater discussion and dialogue around.
I'm a big fan of accessible texts and I definitely think this book gives a reader enough information to pique their curiosity and interest on a range of topics relevant to women in horror but it's definitely just an initial stepping stone.
Anyone going into this book expecting in-depth analyses will be disappointed. So to will anyone expecting there to be a focus on science or more than a quick overview of the movies mentioned within the book.
I would still recommend this book to fans of the genre, however, I recommend doing further reading to gain a better understanding of the topics touched on.
Sub Zero by Matt James
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I love nautical horror and I love Antarctic/Arctic horror, so a story set on a ship in antarctic waters was immediately of interest to me.
I liked a lot of the concepts and ideas behind the story but I found that their implementation didn't really work for me.
One thing I found awkward about the story was how I frequently found myself feeling uncomfortable with how characters were portrayed. I suspect that the author wanted to include a diverse range of characters, but it often felt out of place, poorly done, and occasionally problematic.
By chapter seven, I had to google the author because their handling of the BIPOC characters was just so incredibly clunky.
I was not at all surprised to discover that they're white.
I think the author genuinely meant well with their representations of race but I definitely feel that they needed to have a sensitive reader go over their draft and help guide them away from using stereotypes and to help them address racism within the narrative in a considerate and authentic way.
l found the use of medical personnel within the story incredibly odd, too. Initially, it felt like there were none on the ship since a character is involved in an accident involving an unknown species and doesn't get seen to by any medical personal despite a doctor having been mentioned earlier. Plus, the lack of appropriate quarantine procedures was also difficult to accept, especially considering that it's a scientific research vessel.
There's also some weird daddy/daughter subtext stuff like the father being weirdly preoccupied with his daughter's sex life in parts and her being glad that her dad knows that she's having sex with another member of the crew and musing on it whilst actively engaging in sex. I really didn't get the relevance or necessity of that.
The ending was also abrupt. I would have liked the final chapter to describe the events on land instead of having it cut to a character explaining what happened.
Overall, the story was interesting enough and the antagonist's concept was quite intriguing but it's not a story I see myself revisiting again.
I liked a lot of the concepts and ideas behind the story but I found that their implementation didn't really work for me.
One thing I found awkward about the story was how I frequently found myself feeling uncomfortable with how characters were portrayed. I suspect that the author wanted to include a diverse range of characters, but it often felt out of place, poorly done, and occasionally problematic.
By chapter seven, I had to google the author because their handling of the BIPOC characters was just so incredibly clunky.
I was not at all surprised to discover that they're white.
I think the author genuinely meant well with their representations of race but I definitely feel that they needed to have a sensitive reader go over their draft and help guide them away from using stereotypes and to help them address racism within the narrative in a considerate and authentic way.
l found the use of medical personnel within the story incredibly odd, too. Initially, it felt like there were none on the ship since a character is involved in an accident involving an unknown species and doesn't get seen to by any medical personal despite a doctor having been mentioned earlier. Plus, the lack of appropriate quarantine procedures was also difficult to accept, especially considering that it's a scientific research vessel.
There's also some weird daddy/daughter subtext stuff like the father being weirdly preoccupied with his daughter's sex life in parts and her being glad that her dad knows that she's having sex with another member of the crew and musing on it whilst actively engaging in sex. I really didn't get the relevance or necessity of that.
The ending was also abrupt. I would have liked the final chapter to describe the events on land instead of having it cut to a character explaining what happened.
Overall, the story was interesting enough and the antagonist's concept was quite intriguing but it's not a story I see myself revisiting again.
Creature of Lake Shadow by Michael R. Cole
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book was decent enough entertainment until the final few chapters when the author decided to take a really bizarre approach to the story that just felt ridiculously contrived and unnecessary.
Basically, a group of bank robbers hide out at a cabin and end up becoming prey to a killer creature.
I didn't like ANY of the characters. The main cop character was probably the least offensive character, which is really saying something.
You're meant to like the main male protagonist because he is a veteran who, get this, doesn't approve of domestic abuse or sexual assault.
That is literally the sum total of his character. Sure, it means I don't dislike him as much as the abusive arsehole character or the characters that turn a blindeye but that, alone, a likeable protagonist doth not make.
There's a lot I didn't like about this book but the fact that it isn't about a lake monster really annoyed me. Between the title and the cover, how is this not implying a lake monster? WHERE'S MY LAKE MONSTER, MR COLE???
Alright, now that's out of my system, I'm about to spoil the heck out of the ending, so look away now if you intend to read this.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
content warning: sexual assault
.
.
.
.
.
Now, get this, the female protagonist has white hair and the creature's dead companion has white lines on its face, therefore, clearly, the insectoid alien must want to HAVE SEX WITH HER!
Are you kidding me?!?! That's literally all it takes to make the character, and author, assume that the insectoid alien from out of space clearly wants to get down with some human female mating action.
The male protagonist, not knowing about this white hair connection, enters a cave to see the insectiod alien standing menacingly over the female protagonist and, despite all the people this creature has already killed, immediately assumes it wants to have sex with her, shouting such quality dialogue as "No means no, jerkoff!"
Ugh.
It was actually an okay read until the author decided to add an alien rape subplot at the end for literally NO REASON!
Basically, a group of bank robbers hide out at a cabin and end up becoming prey to a killer creature.
I didn't like ANY of the characters. The main cop character was probably the least offensive character, which is really saying something.
You're meant to like the main male protagonist because he is a veteran who, get this, doesn't approve of domestic abuse or sexual assault.
That is literally the sum total of his character. Sure, it means I don't dislike him as much as the abusive arsehole character or the characters that turn a blindeye but that, alone, a likeable protagonist doth not make.
There's a lot I didn't like about this book but the fact that it isn't about a lake monster really annoyed me. Between the title and the cover, how is this not implying a lake monster? WHERE'S MY LAKE MONSTER, MR COLE???
Alright, now that's out of my system, I'm about to spoil the heck out of the ending, so look away now if you intend to read this.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
content warning: sexual assault
.
.
.
.
.
Now, get this, the female protagonist has white hair and the creature's dead companion has white lines on its face, therefore, clearly, the insectoid alien must want to HAVE SEX WITH HER!
Are you kidding me?!?! That's literally all it takes to make the character, and author, assume that the insectoid alien from out of space clearly wants to get down with some human female mating action.
The male protagonist, not knowing about this white hair connection, enters a cave to see the insectiod alien standing menacingly over the female protagonist and, despite all the people this creature has already killed, immediately assumes it wants to have sex with her, shouting such quality dialogue as "No means no, jerkoff!"
Ugh.
It was actually an okay read until the author decided to add an alien rape subplot at the end for literally NO REASON!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Beast: Werewolves, Serial Killers, and Man-Eaters: The Mystery of the Monsters of the Gévaudan by Gustavo Sanchez Romero, S. R. Schwalb
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
An interesting recounting of the events that occurred in the Gévaudan region of France between 1764 to 1769 where someone or something slaughtered over a hundred people, mostly women and children.
Was it a beast? A wolf? A were-wolf? A murderous lord with an interest in training exotic beasts? Or something else?
The truth is, we don't know, but Romero and Schwalb put forth some compelling arguments based on recorded documentation such as letters, eye-witness accounts, newpaper articles, and forensic reports. Focus is also given to the use of media (many consider the story of La Bête (the Beast) to be the world's first media sensation) and the socio-political situation in the region.
The authors walk the reader through the events of those three years and use fictionalised accounts to help the reader visualise the events and gain a better sense of the societal fear that gripped the region.
I really enjoyed to writing style and format of the book although I do appreciate that it does often read more like a PhD thesis than a popular non-fiction text.
Most fans of werewolves will have heard of the Beast of Gévaudan so I definitely recommend this book to them as it gives some nice historical context to the myth.
I also recommend this book to fans of historical mysteries and historical events in general.
Was it a beast? A wolf? A were-wolf? A murderous lord with an interest in training exotic beasts? Or something else?
The truth is, we don't know, but Romero and Schwalb put forth some compelling arguments based on recorded documentation such as letters, eye-witness accounts, newpaper articles, and forensic reports. Focus is also given to the use of media (many consider the story of La Bête (the Beast) to be the world's first media sensation) and the socio-political situation in the region.
The authors walk the reader through the events of those three years and use fictionalised accounts to help the reader visualise the events and gain a better sense of the societal fear that gripped the region.
I really enjoyed to writing style and format of the book although I do appreciate that it does often read more like a PhD thesis than a popular non-fiction text.
Most fans of werewolves will have heard of the Beast of Gévaudan so I definitely recommend this book to them as it gives some nice historical context to the myth.
I also recommend this book to fans of historical mysteries and historical events in general.