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directorpurry's reviews
1850 reviews
Writers and Pilgrims: Medieval Accounts of the Jerusalem Pilgrimage by Donald R. Howard
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and War
Moderate: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Antisemitism and Pregnancy
Last Days by Brian Evenson
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Deadstream by Mar Romasco-Moore
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not impacted my final rating of the book.
A ghost story meets Creepypasta in the modern world of streaming.
Teresa hasn't been able to leave her house since the car accident that killed her best friend left her with a debilitating panic disorder. When Teresa turns to streaming for a social outlet, she finds herself falling quickly from a tenuous fame into a much darker world than she could ever imagine.
This book was a very FUN kind of spooky, while also not shying away from some particularly dark subjects. I thought they were handled generally well. The panic disorder was very well done, in my opinion, as someone who also has a panic disorder. I also loved the variety of LGBT+ rep!
I am a big Twitch watcher and a lover of Creepypastas and ARGs (Alternate Reality Games) so this was just up my alley. I thought the formatting was excellently done, really highlight the multimedia context of messaging today through multiple apps and on video sites.
I would definitely recommend this to other tech and horror lovers!
A ghost story meets Creepypasta in the modern world of streaming.
Teresa hasn't been able to leave her house since the car accident that killed her best friend left her with a debilitating panic disorder. When Teresa turns to streaming for a social outlet, she finds herself falling quickly from a tenuous fame into a much darker world than she could ever imagine.
This book was a very FUN kind of spooky, while also not shying away from some particularly dark subjects. I thought they were handled generally well. The panic disorder was very well done, in my opinion, as someone who also has a panic disorder. I also loved the variety of LGBT+ rep!
I am a big Twitch watcher and a lover of Creepypastas and ARGs (Alternate Reality Games) so this was just up my alley. I thought the formatting was excellently done, really highlight the multimedia context of messaging today through multiple apps and on video sites.
I would definitely recommend this to other tech and horror lovers!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood and Car accident
Minor: Transphobia
The Helm of Midnight by Marina J. Lostetter
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A Portland Row Christmas by Jonathan Stroud
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
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The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
We Are The Beasts by Gigi Griffis
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I received an ARC for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not impacted my final rating of the book.
Inspired by the real-life mystery of the Beast of Gévaudan, We Are the Beasts follows a cast of characters disadvantaged - through gender, sexuality, and social class - in their society. Through the backdrop of mysterious deaths and animal attacks, they finally get a glimpse of something only dreamed about - freedom.
A great alternate title for this book would be "How to Fake Your Death in 18th Century France" because I'm pretty sure the entire cast did just that at some point.
I found the characters, generally, to be very compelling and enjoyable. Josephine had a very engaging narrative voice, and I found this novel to be quite easy to read - I flew through the majority of it in a day. But I was disappointed in the lack of attention to historical detail.
I would say I'm less bothered by the anachronistic language, especially because it flowed so well, than I was by the immense lack of detail. Nothing about this story felt grounded in the 1700s, other than a handful of mentions of the Seven Years War. Mostly, I was looking for details about clothing or church doctrine that would ground this story more firmly in its setting. Unfortunately, I found mostly un-descriptive references to dresses and undergarments and some very basic religious bigotry. I absolutely love opulent historical descriptions - give me fabrics and food and tallow candlelight and bumping carriages - so I was really very disappointed. This story could just as easily have been set last week and it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
While a fun, feminist power story with some not-very-scary eerie moments, a historical horror novel, this is not. Much to my disappointment.
Inspired by the real-life mystery of the Beast of Gévaudan, We Are the Beasts follows a cast of characters disadvantaged - through gender, sexuality, and social class - in their society. Through the backdrop of mysterious deaths and animal attacks, they finally get a glimpse of something only dreamed about - freedom.
A great alternate title for this book would be "How to Fake Your Death in 18th Century France" because I'm pretty sure the entire cast did just that at some point.
I found the characters, generally, to be very compelling and enjoyable. Josephine had a very engaging narrative voice, and I found this novel to be quite easy to read - I flew through the majority of it in a day. But I was disappointed in the lack of attention to historical detail.
I would say I'm less bothered by the anachronistic language, especially because it flowed so well, than I was by the immense lack of detail. Nothing about this story felt grounded in the 1700s, other than a handful of mentions of the Seven Years War. Mostly, I was looking for details about clothing or church doctrine that would ground this story more firmly in its setting. Unfortunately, I found mostly un-descriptive references to dresses and undergarments and some very basic religious bigotry. I absolutely love opulent historical descriptions - give me fabrics and food and tallow candlelight and bumping carriages - so I was really very disappointed. This story could just as easily have been set last week and it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
While a fun, feminist power story with some not-very-scary eerie moments, a historical horror novel, this is not. Much to my disappointment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Torture
The Vain, Volume 1 by Eliot Rahal
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Animal cruelty and Biphobia