richtate's reviews
786 reviews

House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

If Cormac McCarthy shot HP Lovecraft in the face, and then wrote about it, I imagine it would be something like this. 

Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.0

A solid small town story. The plot is awfully slow. The ending was also telegraphed pretty hard. 

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A slasher told from a completely different perspective. The ending (as with all SGJ books), broke my heart. 

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

Classic slow burn suspense meets a horrible monster. The ending of this novel broke me. 

The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved the throttle down intensity of this novel. It’s unhinged, no-nonsense, bold horror. It’s been a while since I’ve motherfucked an author out loud. Streak broken. 

youthjuice by E.K. Sathue

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Youthjuice by EK Sathue is a delicious novel about chasing physical perfection and terrible consequences. This book explores how far we’re willing to go in the pursuit of beauty. The answer is, of course, way too far. It’s a blood soaked story full of murder, questionable morals, the modern condition of impossible beauty standards, and flawless skin. 

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

A brilliant piece of emotional horror that will tear your heart to shreds. 

Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman

dark mysterious slow-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

Sometimes I wonder if we write nostalgia as a plot driver, or if it’s just another cheap gimmick. Like window dressing. 

While there is a decent amount of Satanic Panic in this novel, the rest of the story is rather drab. The plot is completely predictable and the twist is something you will probably see a quarter of the way in. 

While this novel didn’t work for me, YMMV. 

The Wind Began to Howl: An Isaiah Coleridge Story by Laird Barron

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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

3.5

While you might feel the ending is a bit telegraphed, it is also awfully emotional.