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drakaina16's reviews
2105 reviews
Sick Girl Screams by SJ Townend
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.
This collection blew me away. I can hardly believe it is a debut, as the writing is so solid. The ideas and concepts are very unique twists on some familiar tropes. There should be something for everyone in here - sci fi horror, supernatural, mundane. There are some heavy triggers here, so be aware. Easy 5 stars
Step Inside ⭐⭐⭐
No Place Like Home ⭐⭐⭐.25
We Still Don't Use the Garage ⭐⭐⭐.5
Circle ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
A Piece Missing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Neon Fly ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
It Started With Placental Encapsulation ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Dangers of Ill-Prepared Shellfish ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Juliet, Juliet ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Beauty Parlor ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Sick Girl ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Cool Kids ⭐⭐⭐
Cosmic Spin Class on Deck 112 ⭐⭐⭐
Labourers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
All the Parts of a Mermaid that I Can Recall ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Every Cloud ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
I Pull My Blanket Up Tight Beneath My Chin ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
One Lie For One Soul ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
Black Metal in a White Room ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
In His Memory ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hag Stone ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Christingle Service ⭐⭐⭐⭐
How to Read a Woman ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This collection blew me away. I can hardly believe it is a debut, as the writing is so solid. The ideas and concepts are very unique twists on some familiar tropes. There should be something for everyone in here - sci fi horror, supernatural, mundane. There are some heavy triggers here, so be aware. Easy 5 stars
Step Inside ⭐⭐⭐
No Place Like Home ⭐⭐⭐.25
We Still Don't Use the Garage ⭐⭐⭐.5
Circle ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
A Piece Missing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Neon Fly ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
It Started With Placental Encapsulation ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Dangers of Ill-Prepared Shellfish ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Juliet, Juliet ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Beauty Parlor ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Sick Girl ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Cool Kids ⭐⭐⭐
Cosmic Spin Class on Deck 112 ⭐⭐⭐
Labourers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
All the Parts of a Mermaid that I Can Recall ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Every Cloud ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
I Pull My Blanket Up Tight Beneath My Chin ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
One Lie For One Soul ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
Black Metal in a White Room ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
In His Memory ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hag Stone ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Christingle Service ⭐⭐⭐⭐
How to Read a Woman ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
The Art of Dying by R.W. Duder
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
This book is in such bad need of a copy editor that it's almost unreadable
Aeon of Chaos: Volume 1 by B.J. Swann
dark
funny
mysterious
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
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.
This collection of short stories and longer fiction could best be described as splatterpunk fairy tales from hell. If you like your fairy tales black as pitch with plenty of triggers, this book is for you. There's also a dry humor running through all the tales that I appreciated. 4 stars
The Magickal Goat Boy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lovers In Flame ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Bone House ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
The Second Wolf ⭐⭐⭐.25
The Court of the Mushroom King ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Crimson Crown ⭐⭐⭐.75
The Unwithering Flower ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Narseh the Slaver and the Lucre of Death ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
This collection of short stories and longer fiction could best be described as splatterpunk fairy tales from hell. If you like your fairy tales black as pitch with plenty of triggers, this book is for you. There's also a dry humor running through all the tales that I appreciated. 4 stars
The Magickal Goat Boy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lovers In Flame ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Bone House ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
The Second Wolf ⭐⭐⭐.25
The Court of the Mushroom King ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Crimson Crown ⭐⭐⭐.75
The Unwithering Flower ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Narseh the Slaver and the Lucre of Death ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
challenging
dark
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? No
4.5
This is my first Chuck Tingle book and I'm very impressed. It's one of the more interesting and unique religious horror books that I've read. I adored the characters and cheered Rose several times. I love books where women realize their power. 4.5 stars
Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
challenging
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
4.75
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.
This book gutted me. The writing is just gorgeous, absolutely lush and brimming with emotion and atmosphere. The monsters in the book, both human and otherwise, are truly creepy and disturbing. It made me remember the feeling of being so in love with someone that it is physically painful to be both near them and separated. The tension and desperation in the story has me desperate to finish and find out what happened. 4.75 stars
This book gutted me. The writing is just gorgeous, absolutely lush and brimming with emotion and atmosphere. The monsters in the book, both human and otherwise, are truly creepy and disturbing. It made me remember the feeling of being so in love with someone that it is physically painful to be both near them and separated. The tension and desperation in the story has me desperate to finish and find out what happened. 4.75 stars
The Better to Eat You With: Collected Long Fiction by Wesley Southard
dark
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
3.5
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
The Better to Eat You With contains three works of long fiction by Wesley Southard, of whom I am a big fan. The first two novellas center around a more supernatural theme, while the third is a very realistic story about how one's decisions can have a ripple effect through time. 3.5 stars
Closing Costs ⭐⭐⭐.5
One For the Road ⭐⭐⭐.25
Threesome ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Better to Eat You With contains three works of long fiction by Wesley Southard, of whom I am a big fan. The first two novellas center around a more supernatural theme, while the third is a very realistic story about how one's decisions can have a ripple effect through time. 3.5 stars
Closing Costs ⭐⭐⭐.5
One For the Road ⭐⭐⭐.25
Threesome ⭐⭐⭐⭐
All the Fiends of Hell by Adam L.G. Nevill
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Fully intend to come back to this one. There are other things I'd rather read on KU before I cancel
American Rapture by CJ Leede
challenging
dark
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.
This book made me cry in the school pickup line. Later, the note to the reader also made me cry. It is so beautifully written, at turns nostalgic, frantic, and soaked in grief. Some sentences hit me so hard they almost took my breath away. Sophie... I just loved her. The characters are so human.
There are some real heavy hitters here as far as triggers, the very least of which is religious trauma. I read Maeve Fly earlier in the year and loved it, but American Rapture is something completely different and it might just be my favorite book of the year so far. 5 stars
This book made me cry in the school pickup line. Later, the note to the reader also made me cry. It is so beautifully written, at turns nostalgic, frantic, and soaked in grief. Some sentences hit me so hard they almost took my breath away. Sophie... I just loved her. The characters are so human.
There are some real heavy hitters here as far as triggers, the very least of which is religious trauma. I read Maeve Fly earlier in the year and loved it, but American Rapture is something completely different and it might just be my favorite book of the year so far. 5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Not Another 80s Horror Novel by Sean McDonough
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
Do you like long women in bulky sweaters and jeans? How about cryptids with huge dongs? Evil supercomputers and evil occult sorcerers? Boy howdy, have I got the book for you! Seriously, this is the most fun I've had reading a book in a very long time. It's laugh out loud funny, never taking itself too seriously. It perfectly parodies the cheesy, convoluted books of the 80s, and there's a bunch of fun Easter eggs if you're familiar with the literature of the time. 5 stars
Do you like long women in bulky sweaters and jeans? How about cryptids with huge dongs? Evil supercomputers and evil occult sorcerers? Boy howdy, have I got the book for you! Seriously, this is the most fun I've had reading a book in a very long time. It's laugh out loud funny, never taking itself too seriously. It perfectly parodies the cheesy, convoluted books of the 80s, and there's a bunch of fun Easter eggs if you're familiar with the literature of the time. 5 stars
The Weejee Man by NP Cunniffe
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I had heard good things about The Weejee Man, and I'm a big fan of Irish horror. I decided to give it a try. There is a really good ghost story in here, but it gets a bit muddled by the addition of something extra (I don't want to get into spoiler territory here). The extra bit could have been left off completely, and we'd be left with a really interesting ghost story by itself. The book did redeem itself in the end, though, and I did enjoy it. The writing itself is very good and I'll definitely check out other works by the author. 3.5 stars