racheltheripper's reviews
94 reviews

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Cannibalism, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Death of parent

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Before I started this book, I told my husband that I never really felt the fear or chills others describe when reading horror. Enter: Incidents Around the House, audiobook narrated by Delanie Nicole Gill.

There's a lot to unpack with this one, and the story being told by the perspective of an eight year old girl made it all the more frightening and entertaining. And coming from a broken home and understanding that early childhood trauma, the human experience was so beautifully woven into the supernatural.

10/10, but dear God I won't read this one again. Maybe.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Horror Movie: A Novel by Paul Tremblay

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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? No

5.0

Reading this in 2024 is surreal. I had a good time noting both the similarities and differences in the world created by Octavia Butler and the current state of the world.

This is my favorite brand of science fiction, and Butler's examination of social interactions, who we are when we're comfortable and safe vs. what we're willing to do to survive.

I will admit I found Lauren unbearable at times, almost hypocritical in a lot of ways. But I think that was part of her story - everything we touch changes, and it in turn changes us, right? An ever-changing person in an uncertain world is bound to piss you off sometimes. 

I bet that's how people felt about Socrates...

From beginning to end I was enthralled, and I'm looking forward to obsessing over Octavia Butler for a while. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Infertility, and Cannibalism

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.5

Very enjoyable read - I felt like the fluffy bits (recipes, satirical emails) were unnecessary, and took a bit from the rest of the memoir. There were also a few moments where the stories seemed to be told out of chronological order, which could have just been me zoning out...

But the emotional journey of Dolly's relationships and stories from her 20s were pretty relatable for a 32 year old who has lost one best friend to an untimely death and another due to just growing apart. Dolly expressed these emotions beautifully. And as the narrator of the audiobook, she is damn entertaining. 

I wouldn't go to this book for advice by any means - her experience is unique and not a reflection of my own in a lot of ways. But it's... Comforting? It's also an easy, enjoyable read, and it's kind of fun to read the audiobook and Kindle version (America) for the subtle changes in rhetoric. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, and Grief

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.

It was taking too long for me to get into this one, and I had to return it to the library. I'll probably pick it up again! 

Brother by Ania Ahlborn

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0