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elizabethandhermonsters's reviews
82 reviews
Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Psycho by Robert Bloch
challenging
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? Yes
4.0
The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
The September House by Carissa Orlando
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
Curdle Creek by Yvonne Battle-Felton
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Many thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ARC copy of Curdle Creek to review.
Curdle Creek is a unique and intriguing horror story that carves out its own lane within the horror genre. It follows Osira, a widow living in the strange town of Curdle Creek. Her husband was killed, and her children escaped their town months before. leaving Osira to bear the repercussions. After coming in second to last in the Running of the Widows, Osira, who has lived as an outcast since her children escaped, finds herself traveling across time and space after enduring the latest humiliation that the petty and cultish leaders of Curdle Creek subject her to.
Reading Curdle Creek was a largely positive experience. I am a huge fan of genre-bending books that don't adhere to what's already been done, and create a story that is altogether new and immersive.
Having said that, Curdle Creek wasn't an easy read for me. Its flashback scenes weren't set up very well, and made me feel that I was just dropped into a past event without any sort of preamble or warning that I was about to go down Memory Lane with the main character. Further, there were too many details in these flashbacks, slowing down the story's pacing and serving as filler without much substance as we slowly marched toward Curdle Creek's focal point.
I understand the function of the flashbacks. They were there to further set up the story, and provide exposition at critical points, but there is such a thing as too much background, and Curdle Creek has that in spades. It strains under the weight of its own outsized history.
For example, there are side stories that don't relate to the plot, nor do they move it forward. The worst of these are introduced, and then abandoned without further explanation or exploration. This was very frustrating, as it detracted from the story that the author wanted to tell by repetitively filling out a background that was beautifully established in Curdle Creek's first two chapters.
The story regains its footing in the final chapters, but by then, its previous problems weighed heavily on my mind, and I couldn't fully enjoy what I was reading. And the ending really felt unfinished. I think it was designed to make the reader contemplate some of the points the author raised throughout the book, but I could have used a more satisfying finish.
In general, I enjoyed this one, and I hope that Yvonne Felton-Battle continues to write. Curdle Creek isn't a bad read at all, It might be better suited for life as a graphic novel.
Curdle Creek is a unique and intriguing horror story that carves out its own lane within the horror genre. It follows Osira, a widow living in the strange town of Curdle Creek. Her husband was killed, and her children escaped their town months before. leaving Osira to bear the repercussions. After coming in second to last in the Running of the Widows, Osira, who has lived as an outcast since her children escaped, finds herself traveling across time and space after enduring the latest humiliation that the petty and cultish leaders of Curdle Creek subject her to.
Reading Curdle Creek was a largely positive experience. I am a huge fan of genre-bending books that don't adhere to what's already been done, and create a story that is altogether new and immersive.
Having said that, Curdle Creek wasn't an easy read for me. Its flashback scenes weren't set up very well, and made me feel that I was just dropped into a past event without any sort of preamble or warning that I was about to go down Memory Lane with the main character. Further, there were too many details in these flashbacks, slowing down the story's pacing and serving as filler without much substance as we slowly marched toward Curdle Creek's focal point.
I understand the function of the flashbacks. They were there to further set up the story, and provide exposition at critical points, but there is such a thing as too much background, and Curdle Creek has that in spades. It strains under the weight of its own outsized history.
For example, there are side stories that don't relate to the plot, nor do they move it forward. The worst of these are introduced, and then abandoned without further explanation or exploration. This was very frustrating, as it detracted from the story that the author wanted to tell by repetitively filling out a background that was beautifully established in Curdle Creek's first two chapters.
The story regains its footing in the final chapters, but by then, its previous problems weighed heavily on my mind, and I couldn't fully enjoy what I was reading. And the ending really felt unfinished. I think it was designed to make the reader contemplate some of the points the author raised throughout the book, but I could have used a more satisfying finish.
In general, I enjoyed this one, and I hope that Yvonne Felton-Battle continues to write. Curdle Creek isn't a bad read at all, It might be better suited for life as a graphic novel.
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
5.0
Bad Dolls by Rachel Harrison
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0