ixchel_anima's reviews
9 reviews

The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective

5.0

Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-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? N/A

4.5

Authority by Jeff VanderMeer

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dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.75

Overall enjoyed, though I didn't find this as instantly gripping as the first book in the trilogy, Annihilation, and that is due in part to the fact that it focuses mostly on the Southern Reach as an institution trying to research the impossible, more so than Area X itself, which I understand may be off-putting for some. There is plenty of intrigue to be found and some very creepy set pieces. That said, I'd have liked more horror elements, though that's a personal preference.

Authority really hits its stride closer to the end. I enjoyed Control as a character and his interactions with the biologist, as well as the slowly building tension as Control tries to keep, uh, control of the situation at the Southern Reach. I wish I was more interested in the other characters, though in fairness this did take me a while to finish reading. Favourite scene:

a toss up between Control finding Whitby's creepy mural, and the realization that the walls inside the building are breathing.

Terrifying! I loved it.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

I ended up having to shelve this book halfway through reading as it was bringing my mood down too much -- that is to say, The Bell Jar captures a lot of the nuances and feelings of depression and hopelessness extremely well. As much as it is about mental health, it also touches upon the struggles of finding yourself and your path in a society that actively wants to restrict your choices. I felt a lot for Esther, a student defined by performing excellently academically, and her anxiety about finding her way once her education ended.
I'd feel strange saying I enjoyed reading this, but I'm overall glad that I did, and in places I really loved the kind of wry humour Plath brought into the narration. Lovely prose, too

Dracula, Motherf**ker! by Alex de Campi

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Very short but sweet. While thin on story, this comic worth it for the art alone, which is gorgeous; excellent designs for Dracula and

the bride's form when she's feeding

especially. Amazing use of colour. Will definitely keep and re-read!

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I haven't finished a book this quickly in years, and I can't wait to get into the rest of the series. Deeply unsettling and transfixing in equal measures, I enjoyed watching everything deteriorate and change in such a bizarre and beautiful way; it is done with a careful hand, too, the mood throughout constantly teetering on the uneasy. The gradual characterization of our narrator, the biologist, is just fantastic. Despite how reserved and private she is I found myself feeling a strong connection to her (especially as someone very quiet myself), moreso than I did with her movie counterpart.

Any sequence involving the tower

and the crawler

left me very much on edge. The body horror and the just... subtle wrongness of Area X is everything I look for in a good sci fi horror. Loved it. Can't wait to read again.

Content Warnings