sarah_mcmullan_nz's reviews
1473 reviews

reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

Frustratingly sparse at times, overall this is a beautifully written book about the deceptively simple act of grieving for a life lost. (Because of course nothing is simple about grief or loss, and when you're caught between the finite boundaries of knowledge and the endless possibilities of the unknown its a different beast altogether.)

It's worth reading this twice, once viewing the birth & life cycle as one of the people and once reading it from an environmental crisis point of view.

Content Warnings

No One Rides for Free by Judith Sonnet

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EXTREME HORROR - contains extreme descriptions of sexual assault, incestuous rape, sexual violence, gore and medical injury. This will make your stomach curl and you'll feel sick to your core.

It would be easy to dismiss this as disgusting and out it down and not finish it. I nearly did.
But then I wondered why, as a film critic who has made a living off watching & reviewing films that often show violence against women and graphic injuries, why do books seem so more offensive than films?
Horror, and the portrayal of women in horror has long been a specialty of mine. From victims and tools of the occult to the graphic exploitation and the rise of the rape revenge (LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, THRILLER: THEY CALL HER ONE EYE, BAISE MOI) to the new extreme cinema Irreversible, Inside, Martyrs, Ils.
The torture porn movement opened the saw to new detail of injury and more grotesquely detailed plots of depravity (SAW, HOSTEL, WRONG TURN) and of course the rise of the truly psycho crime thriller/horror gave us films like SE7EN, & SILENCE OF THE LAMBS where depravity was wrapped in sexual undertones and served on a silver platter.
The fact is, NO ONE RIDES FOR FREE is as much about movies and their role in peoples lives (the surrogate parent when Mom is working a lot, the aspirational dream for a couple of siblings raised on films, the family bonding exercise that becomes a shorthand) as it is about being a woman: being a mother, still being sexual juggling a job & kids ("switching from slut more to mom mode"), crone mode (the ideal is being elderly & in love like Andy & Brenda).
I thought it was interesting that Ralph was the kid who did the stuff, Poppy was the one who thought things up.
When The Man gets in the car and demands things to happen, Poppy shuts down, Ralph just does it. Poppy saw the potential for all the awful coming, Ralph was in the now. And look who survived.

The author says her other books aren't like this.
Jeez I hope not.
I'm curious as to what they're like.
I hope I haven't given her the benefit of the doubt and that she's as clever as I think she is.
I also hope that this is her only dalliance in taking things as dark as this.

Content Warnings

We Ate the Dark by Mallory Pearson

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dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

3.0

Lyrical but sometimes confusing.
I'm not 100% sure I fully followed the details of the story but I got the general idea. I liked the lyrical language and the imagery painted. Also the way aspects of wicca and folklore were woven in. Interesting though occasionally frustrating.

Content Warnings

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

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dark slow-paced

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

1.0

If you're not a horror movie fan maybe, if you are NOPE

As someone who makes their living out of watching and writing about horror films, this book was incredibly frustrating to read.
In all honesty, I think I enjoyed trying to figure out who the characters were supposed to be way more than reading this poorly written, sloppily plotted incredibly obvious story.
Having said that - don't waste your time.

There are far better horror books, books about final girls and final girl films out there. Find them.

Content Warnings