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kcummings's reviews
11 reviews
The Wonder State by Sara Flannery Murphy
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Multiple mysteries unfolding simultaneously and a narrative that switched between past and present created a suspenseful read that had me enthralled the entire time. I really liked how this book wove fantasy and magic realism together with serious, real world topics such as gentrification, poverty, and addiction. Sure, in this setting there are magic houses... but there's also a shady real estate company snapping up property all over this small town. It feels grounded, even as the characters search for a portal to another dimension.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Classism
Moderate: Violence and Murder
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Insufferable rich people getting screwed over, you gotta love it.
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Child death is NOT Poppy, don't worry!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What if the ghosts in Poltergeist were generational trauma?
This book is a deep dive into grief, trauma, anthropomorphizing, family dynamics, and what it means to be haunted- literally and figuratively. The haunted house here is an apt metaphor for dealing with the sudden loss of loved ones. The house IS haunted, not just by the supernatural but by the almost crushing weight of a lifetime of memories- good and bad. The outrageous parts involving taxidermied squirrels coming to life and attacking are punctuated by very grounded scenes such as Louise coming across a half finished sandwich in the fridge and realizing that her deceased father intended to come back to it and now he never will.
This book was incredibly compelling, though I admit for the first 40% I was hoping to reach a point where I'd stop wanting to throttle Mark (I did! He actually gets better!). The layers of the mystery are peeled back at such an enticing pace and with shocking twists thrown in that I just had to keep reading to find out where it was all going- and I was not disappointed when it got there.
This book is a deep dive into grief, trauma, anthropomorphizing, family dynamics, and what it means to be haunted- literally and figuratively. The haunted house here is an apt metaphor for dealing with the sudden loss of loved ones. The house IS haunted, not just by the supernatural but by the almost crushing weight of a lifetime of memories- good and bad. The outrageous parts involving taxidermied squirrels coming to life and attacking are punctuated by very grounded scenes such as Louise coming across a half finished sandwich in the fridge and realizing that her deceased father intended to come back to it and now he never will.
This book was incredibly compelling, though I admit for the first 40% I was hoping to reach a point where I'd stop wanting to throttle Mark (I did! He actually gets better!). The layers of the mystery are peeled back at such an enticing pace and with shocking twists thrown in that I just had to keep reading to find out where it was all going- and I was not disappointed when it got there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death and Car accident
Incredible Doom: Volume 2 by Matthew Bogart
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As someone who grew up during the early days of the Internet, this was an incredibly nostalgic read. You really feel for these kids who are dealing with their lives and social circle rapidly changing (and possibly crumbling for good) around them. The artwork is moody and fits the tone of the story perfectly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Child abuse
Moderate: Grief
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A fun fantasy romp where a not-quite-fairy tale princess takes matters into her own hands. Not quite as dark as the blurb suggests, but it definitely has its moments. I wish we got to see more of the strange world Kingfisher cooked up.
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
2.5
Nothing but petty relationship drama. I was hoping that the book was making this cast of characters so unlikable so that it would be more entertaining when the monsters started killing them off, but then only one character actually dies. Great idea, but the execution left much to be desired.
In the Woods by Tana French
dark
mysterious
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
1.0
It was building up an interesting mystery, but around 60% in, it dropped off so fast it made my head spin. The main character even looks directly at the camera and goes "Gotcha! I was an unreliable narrator the whole time!" as if that makes up for how stunningly incompetent the entire cast turns out to be.
Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm so conflicted about this one. It ticks a lot of boxes for things I love to read about in horror (towns with dark secrets, Lovecraft/cosmic horror, people dealing with and overcoming trauma, etc), and while I love the concept and it was funny in places, overall this feels kinda half-baked.
The best written character in the entire book was the dog. Tim stole the show in almost every scene, though I'm not quite sure that was the effect the author was going for. Also, the twist at the end involving him seemed really out of left field. The book might have built it up a little if you squint hard enough. Peter the ghost seemed like a total waste. Reading the cover blurb, I expected him to be as much of a major player as the other members of the "detective club", but he only ever interacts with Nate, and despite Nate speaking aloud to him many times in the presence of other characters, it's never explained whether or not he's actually a ghost or just a by-product of Nate's trauma before he just disappears from the narrative near the end. Maybe these things will be explained in a future sequel?
It's really clear that the author wants this to be a movie from all the moments where the prose suddenly turns into a screenplay. Even listening to the audio book, this is a really odd choice and kind of jarring in a lot of places. The author is also allergic to the word "said" and seemed to be going out of his way to use a different verb every time any character spoke. Sometimes it added to the humorous tone, other times it just seemed like he was trying to hard to be quirky.
I was a little put-off by the treatment of a character who happened to be intersex, and whose only defining trait seemed to be that they were intersex. The character is extremely minor and has no overall bearing on the story, so it felt like the entire point of their inclusion was so the book could poke fun at them. Look how weird this guy is! Yeah, no thanks.
Overall, it's a great, funny concept, but some weird choices weighed it down.
The best written character in the entire book was the dog. Tim stole the show in almost every scene, though I'm not quite sure that was the effect the author was going for. Also, the twist at the end involving him seemed really out of left field. The book might have built it up a little if you squint hard enough. Peter the ghost seemed like a total waste. Reading the cover blurb, I expected him to be as much of a major player as the other members of the "detective club", but he only ever interacts with Nate, and despite Nate speaking aloud to him many times in the presence of other characters, it's never explained whether or not he's actually a ghost or just a by-product of Nate's trauma before he just disappears from the narrative near the end. Maybe these things will be explained in a future sequel?
It's really clear that the author wants this to be a movie from all the moments where the prose suddenly turns into a screenplay. Even listening to the audio book, this is a really odd choice and kind of jarring in a lot of places. The author is also allergic to the word "said" and seemed to be going out of his way to use a different verb every time any character spoke. Sometimes it added to the humorous tone, other times it just seemed like he was trying to hard to be quirky.
I was a little put-off by the treatment of a character who happened to be intersex, and whose only defining trait seemed to be that they were intersex. The character is extremely minor and has no overall bearing on the story, so it felt like the entire point of their inclusion was so the book could poke fun at them. Look how weird this guy is! Yeah, no thanks.
Overall, it's a great, funny concept, but some weird choices weighed it down.
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
dark
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? Yes
3.0
At first the dystopian setting felt a little heavy-handed: women bad and sinful, men pious and good. But I stuck with it and started to really enjoy the dark tone, the tension, and the way the stakes kept rising. Immanuelle grappling with her desire to be a loyal member of the society that never accepted her due to her background, while also starting to see the cracks and corruption and wanting to do something about it was highly satisfying. I also enjoyed her relationship with Ezra. I was worried it might turn into an overbearing romance, and while it's obvious they have feelings for one another, their shared goals of saving Bethel and wanting to improve society somewhat drove the plot instead of them falling head over heels.
It's hard to describe but the last 1/4th of the book felt simultaneously rushed and dragged-out. Immanuelle finally figures out how to save the day and formulates a plan to put in motion and then... things just keep stalling and stalling. There's a part involving a human sacrifice that felt like characters taking turns yelling "I'm Spartacus!" for ages. Then, the final confrontation withLilith the witch seemed to take forever. How many times did Immanuelle stab them before they finally died? I lost count.
The book builds up the puritanical society of Bethel as one built on the lies of the corrupt men in power and the toll it takes on the women under their rule. The witches are almost sympathetic figures in comparison, rebels who paid a terrible price for fighting back against the tyranny and misogyny of their society.Except no, they were actually just evil all along, and needed to be destroyed in the end! But the greedy, power hungry, rapist prophet that abuses every woman he interacts with and destroys every man (including his own son) who dares oppose him was spared? Kinda left a sour taste in my mouth, and didn't really mesh with the feminist tone of the rest of the story, imo.
It's hard to describe but the last 1/4th of the book felt simultaneously rushed and dragged-out. Immanuelle finally figures out how to save the day and formulates a plan to put in motion and then... things just keep stalling and stalling. There's a part involving a human sacrifice that felt like characters taking turns yelling "I'm Spartacus!" for ages. Then, the final confrontation with
The book builds up the puritanical society of Bethel as one built on the lies of the corrupt men in power and the toll it takes on the women under their rule. The witches are almost sympathetic figures in comparison, rebels who paid a terrible price for fighting back against the tyranny and misogyny of their society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Religious bigotry
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A really unique twist on the zombie apocalypse, focusing on how the animal kingdom survives when the human race turn into mindless, bloodthirsty monsters. Most of the POV is from a smart-mouthed domesticated crow with some vignettes from other animals like pampered pet dogs, angus cattle and camels, all trying to figure out how to navigate the bizarre new world they find themselves in. There's a lot of interesting world-building in regards to how the animals communicate and work together, and our hero S.T. is just clueless enough about it (he considers himself a mofo, a.k.a. a human, rather than an animal) to make the exposition feel organic. S.T.'s snarky narration is extremely funny, though since this is the end of the world, the story isn't without it's darker moments and violence. Still, it's surprisingly fun and heartwarming for a zombie novel.