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maclunkeyy's reviews
26 reviews
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Suki, Alone by Faith Erin Hicks
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Playing with Fire by Derek Landy
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Night Shift by Stephen King
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
What a fantastic collection of short stories. These are all from King's early career (70's) and I can see now where his meteoric rise to fame came from.
Not a single bad story in here, but some real horror standouts for me were:
- 'I Am The Doorway': A horrific premise and tense story that kept me on the edge of my seat.
- 'The Boogeyman': A scary and very disturbing story, far darker than I expected it to be.
- 'Battleground' (& 'Trucks' as well): Very funny premises written with a serious tone, which just works for me.
- 'Sometimes They Come Back'; 'The Ledge'; 'I Know What You Need': All 3 are insanely tense stories that had me needing to know what happened.
- 'Quitters, Inc.': Such a unique story, and with a surprising and grounded horror element in it.
The two real standouts in Night Shift for me weren't the horror stories, though.
- 'The Last Rung On The Ladder': This one hit me really hard. At no point does the story try to hide what it's about; the title itself is a clear indication of the theme of suicide, and the ladder metaphor King uses is very heavy handed (but still works). Despite this, the ending still blindsided me, and I found myself wishing it could have gone differently. This story was beautifully done, and the way it's written just exudes sadness, guilt and regret.
- 'The Woman In The Room': Not many stories have made me feel as sad or scared as this one. It's bleak, unforgiving, and depressing. The protagonist's mother's struggle with cancer treatment hurts to read, and as the reader you're really forced to wonder if you would make the same decision he does to end her suffering. I think this was a brilliant story to finish out the collection, and I found myself unable to think of anything else in the hours after putting it down.
Not a single bad story in here, but some real horror standouts for me were:
- 'I Am The Doorway': A horrific premise and tense story that kept me on the edge of my seat.
- 'The Boogeyman': A scary and very disturbing story, far darker than I expected it to be.
- 'Battleground' (& 'Trucks' as well): Very funny premises written with a serious tone, which just works for me.
- 'Sometimes They Come Back'; 'The Ledge'; 'I Know What You Need': All 3 are insanely tense stories that had me needing to know what happened.
- 'Quitters, Inc.': Such a unique story, and with a surprising and grounded horror element in it.
The two real standouts in Night Shift for me weren't the horror stories, though.
- 'The Last Rung On The Ladder': This one hit me really hard. At no point does the story try to hide what it's about; the title itself is a clear indication of the theme of suicide, and the ladder metaphor King uses is very heavy handed (but still works). Despite this, the ending still blindsided me, and I found myself wishing it could have gone differently. This story was beautifully done, and the way it's written just exudes sadness, guilt and regret.
- 'The Woman In The Room': Not many stories have made me feel as sad or scared as this one. It's bleak, unforgiving, and depressing. The protagonist's mother's struggle with cancer treatment hurts to read, and as the reader you're really forced to wonder if you would make the same decision he does to end her suffering. I think this was a brilliant story to finish out the collection, and I found myself unable to think of anything else in the hours after putting it down.