hannaheiserman's reviews
119 reviews

Outlawed by Anna North

dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Violence, Police brutality, and Grief

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

funny hopeful reflective tense slow-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

4.75

Loved the exploration of polyamory. As with Normal People, the protagonist and (main?) love interest were boring and archetypal — but intentionally so, I believe. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Blood

Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

Minor: Alcohol and Classism

The Pump by Sydney Hegele

dark funny tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Exceedingly well-written, unique, grotesque, horrifying, and gripping. The best short story collection I’ve ever read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Crier's War by Nina Varela

adventurous medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood and War

One of the main characters refers to the “made” (cyborg type) creatures as “leeches”… as someone with a phobia of leeches, this made the reading experience very uncomfortable.

Sistersong by Lucy Holland

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death, Transphobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, and War

Minor: Ableism and Deadnaming

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, and Death of parent

Wide Open by D.M. Ditson

challenging dark hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual content

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Lesbophobia

Every Little Scrap and Wonder by Carla Funk

funny reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

An entire chapter on animal slaughtering and butchering; chapter on the burial of a family horse. There is also a chapter where the narrator goes into a lake with leeches, which may not trigger anyone else but certainly did for me.

Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare

dark tense medium-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail