kayleighosaur's reviews
111 reviews

Merupuri, Vol. 3 by Matsuri Hino

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing tense fast-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

4.0

Merupuri, Vol. 2 by Matsuri Hino

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

4.0

Merupuri, Vol. 1 by Matsuri Hino

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

Teleportasm by Joshua Millican

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

challenging dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

This was a very solid novella. I had a great time listening to the audiobook and can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy when it comes out. My only qualm was it felt like maybe there were too many people for such a little space. I happily would have either read MORE about each of them, OR I would have been more invested in sticking with a select pairing of the group. This is definitely a story though I will happily be revisiting, rereading and listening to again. 

101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann

informative fast-paced

4.0

Lots of great book selections in here for those looking to build their modern day horror book backgrounds as well as get exposed to so many new voices in the horror scene all while experiencing the things the make Sadie our horror “mom”. 

The Art of What You Want by Nat Cassidy

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Welp. That was unsettling. Short form Nat is WAAAAAAAY scarier than long form 🥲 This little chapbook goes hard and fast.

 “All business really is, is the art of knowing what you want”

Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy

dark emotional reflective tense fast-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

4.5

Another great piece from Cassidy. This book was NOTHING like what I thought it would be like going into it and oddly I couldn’t be more appreciative of that. This novella was a great testament to generational battles as well as what it costs an individual to keep their humanity in tact. The religious and literary symbolism and metaphors done in such an indie cinematic style made this hard to stomach tale of fear one that I couldn’t help but keep bearing witness to and ultimately rooting for Abe. May this story remind you to keep moving forward into the light of a new day against all odds. 

Girls From The Wild by Maggie C. Nolan

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

“I don’t want her to be my sister. That’s something she has to do. I want her to be my friend.”

Maggie Nolan’s self-published sophomore novel is one not for the faint of heart. In this gut wrenching and fast paced story we explore the lives and relationships of Lydia, Shelby, and Cole; The Children of a group of life long friends, living out the consequences of their parents pact to live and raise their children together as one large family unit. 

There is no doubt in my mind that Maggie Nolan is one of the most up and coming authors of our time and one of the most inventive in the space of family saga and horror since V.C. Andrews. Nolan’s commentary on the lifestyles of the rich-and-growing-up-maladjusted are constructively critical while still displaying layers of compassion and nuance to those who are products of their upbringings. 

Girls from the Wild is for readers still chasing that electric thrill of their first Flower’s in the Attic novel or the first time they read Kissed by an Angel. This book will be for this generation what those were for the readers before. It’s 2010’s nostalgic, immersive, relatable (even when you think it wouldn’t be), and intensely unputdownable. 

Ultimately, Nolan’s sophomore novel tells the story of how there is a bit of “wild” in every girl, but the world can be wild too; it may just be the friends… sisters… or family along the way that help us tame it. Or help us decide to let it run free.

Edenville by Sam Rebelein

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Will add more after DFCC Discussion but OH MY GOD WAS THIS A WILD RIDE. LOVED IT. Made me happy to be a Lit major. Sam definitely has a love for the subject and isn’t afraid to add his own nuance and flair.