shirewitchreads's reviews
16 reviews

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Abandonment

The Teacher by Freida McFadden

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

1.5

Apparently, security cameras don’t exist in this book. Or common sense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Stalking

Moderate: Infertility and Gaslighting

Carrie Carolyn Coco: My Friend, Her Murder, and an Obsession with the Unthinkable by Sarah Gerard

0.25

The author didn’t even know the victim that well but capitalized on her death. 🤨

Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Gaslighting

The Gardener by Sarah Stewart

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted 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? No

4.5

Dave the Unicorn: Dance Party by Pip Bird

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Really cute grade school series that my kid and I enjoy, though the jokes tend to get a little repetitive. 

The Deer and the Dragon by Piper C.J.

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

0.5

Girl. I went in blind (no idea what this was about and who the author is/her controversy), so that was my bad. The writing is tedious. I immediately did not care about the protag, because she’s insufferable. I made it two chapters in before I called it quits and just flipped to the last 2 chapters just to see what was up (it’s a quirk). I didn’t know I’d be walking directly into some fucked up demon orgy. Which doesn’t sound like an awful idea, but the way Piper CJ executed it… well, she sure did execute it. Upon further investigation, I realized that this book is a huge self-insert. Cringe.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Sexual content

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Suicide, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

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

The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.

The writing was… bad. Real bad.