meows_and_migraines's reviews
142 reviews

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Interesting premise, but too many plot holes and unanswered questions. Just a little bit more clarity would have bumped this up to a 4.
Mr. Nightmare by Joe Scipione

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

An innocuous read about a group of friends and their fight against an entity that survives on their nightmares. I wish I had more to say about this novel, but I really don't. I was invested in the kids and their fight against Mr. Nightmare. I loved the stories they exchanged during the Nightmare Club meetings. But that's really it.

This novel lacked bite and I found myself thinking I've read Goosebumps that were scarier. Mr. Nightmare could be a terrifying and threatening figure, but his dialogue bordered on ridiculous with how 'edgy' he came off. Using the phrase 'little b*tch' repeatedly is not scary. And aside from
killing Chuck, his only threatening action is making trees fall.
Oh no? I liked the idea of his face causing such visceral reactions and I appreciated the author allowing the readers imagination to fill in the blanks as to why, but I wanted more. I wanted to be scared. I wanted to feel the threat that the club members experienced. I don't know how to explain it - so many parts in this story felt glossed over, swiftly acknowledged and then dismissed. I understand there is a second book and maybe things are answered there, but I'll be honest - I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to continue on.

Perhaps if more time had been spent on developing the inner workings of the characters and adding just a smidge of conflict (especially within the group dynamics), I would have connected more. For example,
where did Merrie's anger and confidence when facing Mr. Nightmare come from? She is written as such a milquetoast character and then this outburst. I
loved it, but give me some depth on it!
John's depression/insomnia/lack of eating is introduced and swiftly written away.


I really don't mean this review to sound as harsh as it does. The missed potential is what kills me. This novel could have gone from good to GREAT in my eyes if a little more time and depth was given. As it stands, Mr. Nightmare is a harmless and decent read that I'm sure many will appreciate. 
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Rotten Tommy: A Horror Novel by David Sodergren

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adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

First novel I've read by this author. Not bad, not great. Fun ideas, lots of gore, and a crazy premise. I enjoyed the MC for the most part, though the supporting cast left something to be desired. What I really wish is that the ending (hell, the story itself) answered more questions. I get the feeling the author intentionally left it vague and I appreciate Sodergren wanting to leave a mystery and letting the readers mind fill the gaps - but a tiny bit more explanation would have bumped my rating up. 

Our protag, Becky, is strong-willed, smart and funny. Everyone else is... meh. Basic paperthin characters written to fulfil a role to move the plot along. Once again I felt myself wishing for just a little more development. If that had happened, my reaction to their fates would have sufficed more than an apathetic 'Well, hat happened. Sucks for them. Moving on.'

I won't/can't comment on his description of autism (which our leading lady is diagnosed with), I'm certainly not qualified in that area and I won't pretend to be. But I will say, that as a reader, I feel it added a layer to Becky that I appreciated and enjoyed.

Will I read more of Sodergren's stuff? Probably. His writing holds a campy 80s horror movie vibe which is hard to find outside the screen nowadays and that is a scratch that can be mighty hard to itch with a book.
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The Squatter by Jonathan Dunne

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dark tense fast-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

Interesting premise, but mediocre execution. I don't like to disparage an author's writing style, but this left a lot to be desired. Confusing character perspective changes that happen randomly, poor delivery of  'cliffhanger' chapter ends. Every chapter includes some form of 'little did they know how bad it would be,' rendering it ineffective and annoying. 

Characters, save for Molly and maybe her kids, are paper-thin and lack depth. They jump from one jarring personality to another with no rhyme or reason. Backstories and motivations are introduced and then quickly forgotten. I.E.
a teacher berates a girl to tears, words drenched in sarcasm. Only to suddenly be comforting and loving and praising the girls she just tore apart - and this isn't some act. This change is written off as normal and natural. And what the hell was up with Mollys sexual dream about Pendergrast and then being pushed out the window? Why??? What does that have to do with anything else in the story (spoiler: IT DOESN'T). It is like the author wrote without any plan or idea of what to do with ANYONE.
 

There is the tiniest hint of promise, but it all falls flat. And the ending....What a joke. I'm giving this 2 stars for doing something different with Molly embracing the haunting. Too bad that interesting take came in the form of such a lackluster and disappointing novel. 
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Man, Fuck This House by Brian Asman

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dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

 I'm mad at myself for getting invested in this book. I should have realized it was going to take a turn for the worse when I saw others writing about how jarring the end of it was. This is not a long story, so it didn't take long for me to understand my mistake.

Starting it, I was skeptical. With its title and opening chapter, I thought it was another hipster meta type book that flips off its genre mates with a 'Im too cool for you.' But as I kept going, I found myself drawn to the characters - I didn't exactly like them, but I was interested in them and their family dynamic. They had just enough humanity to their archetype roles that I was drawn in. I loved the take of the hauntings as they started. There is something wonderfully off-putting about their initial scenes (the basement scene was great in a subdued creepy way).

Then the ending kicked off and I knew I was going to be upset. Maybe I'm too stupid to appreciate the last half, or I don't see the metaphor it paints, or whatever. But as soon as it became clear what was going on, I rolled my eyes so hard, they nearly went back in my skull. Confusing, rushed, pointless. All those and more describe my feelings without giving complete spoilers.

I'm sure there are many who love this book in its entirety and thats great. I wish I saw what they did. But wow, this was not for me. 
The Apparition Phase by Will Maclean

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.25

Mean Spirited by Nick Roberts

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dark tense fast-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

3.75

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Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.
Didn't grab my attention enough to justify reading about
cat death (which apparently somewhat descriptive).
Stupid? Maybe. Might go back at some point, when I finish my other books.
Family Business by Jonathan Sims

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emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Not what I expected, but a fun read all the same. Only way I can think to describe it is 'cozy' horror. Nothing groundbreaking or new. Not very scary at all. It was engaging however, and I wanted to see what happened. The characters had heart and while they weren't exactly what I would describe as deep, I did care about them.

Writing was confusing in a few parts and I had to go back and reread to figure out how we got somewhere or who was talking. I wasn't a huge fan of the reveal/ending, nor how the big bad was handled - but that is more of my personal preference. I don't see it detracting from the story for other readers. 

Ending was...ok (but as I said, isn't this where most horror novels fall flat?). It was kinda sappy but not in a bad way. 
It Will Just Be Us by Jo Kaplan

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dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0