ubisunt's reviews
36 reviews

The Haar by David Sodergren

dark mysterious reflective 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? No

2.0

I'm not sure what exactly is was, but something about this book felt childish. I didn't like how flatly/simply evil the antagonists were, and imo it lost out by just making the protagonist accept everything that happened. I find myself wondering how it would have been if it was really played as a comedy.

I did enjoy the sense of place it developed, and I did get something out of reading it. I recommend it if you like What Moves the Dead or Garden of Earthly Bodies

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous challenging reflective tense

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

Garden of Earthly Bodies by Sally Oliver

dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

2.0

Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder

dark medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

Misery by Stephen King

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

The Push by Ashley Audrain

dark emotional sad 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

4.5

Thinner by Stephen King, Richard Bachman

dark funny medium-paced

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

3.5

I enjoyed the book but in the end I feel like the ending was more or less what I expected, but without really emphasizing the horror of it.

the fact that, in the end, his curse comes back on his daughter makes sense to a reader because we recognize it would be the worst outcome for him (it is indeed a horror book), but I love when that's foreshadowed throughout the book and builds up the dread. In this case I feel like it all came at the end, and we see the futility of his entire journey, but imo it doesn't emphasize the dread. <spoilers/>
Overall I did enjoy the book as a fun/interesting King horror novel, but it's not my favorite and I don't think I'll find myself thinking of it frequently in the time to come.

Also, though this may be clear from the description, the book casually uses a racial slur to refer to the Romani people. Reading it in 2023 I found it a little uncomfortable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

3.75