natreviews's reviews
413 reviews

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book really takes you on the journey of the narrators life. You feel for her disconnect, the community that gets fostered, and the isolation faced. The story answers no questions. And when it's done, it's done. The third act seemed to effect me the most, and I'm not really sure why. 
BRZRKR, Vol. 1 by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt

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challenging dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Looks to be an interesting start to a series about a man sent to be a weapon who can't die.

I don't know if it's a series I want to continue reading. It has an interesting origin, but I don't know if I care enough to read more. 
Elogona by Samantha Kolesnik

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challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I liked the story fine enough. I found it to be the weakest writing of the three novellas I've read by Kolesnik (True Crime and Waif being the others). This deals more with eldritch horror which I don't know is her strong suit. This seems a good read for a teen who likes horror or someone knew to the genre, but definitely isn't the extreme horror she's known for. 
The Succubus's Prize by Katee Robert

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hopeful reflective 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

4.5

I really enjoyed the concept. I found it kind of rushed things at the end and the epilogue felt tacked on. The story could've easily been 100 pages longer. It felt like things moved super fast in the second half. The difficult concepts the book brought up (ie. Religious trauma) are touched on a bit, but it doesn't feel like it went deep into it. Just surface level and not how multifaceted it can be. 
Dark Matter Presents: Human Monsters by Sadie Hartmann, Ashley Saywers

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A really good mix of horror stories. Some I liked more than others, but if you want to try a whole bunch of different authors in the extreme horror genre, this is the book for you. 
If You'll Have Me by Eunnie

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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

An incredibly cute comic. I loved the story and the art style. It had me burst out laughing at points, and was a nice change of pace to the horror book I'm currently reading. 
She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 4 by Sakaomi Yuzaki

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

Another good entry into the series. I'm excited to see where it goes next! 
Waif by Samantha Kolesnik

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dark mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

If you like Chappel Roan's Good Luck Babe, Ethel Cain and Love Lies Bleeding, you will like Waif. I found the first half to be slow going at points, and the last third to be too fast, but overall really enjoyed it. 
Desperate Measures by Katee Robert

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It was fine. The dialogue is hilarious (this seems to be a thing with erotica, I just don't get how people think real people say these things) and did have me burst out laughing at times. Other than that it was kinda straight forward. 
She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 3 by Sakaomi Yuzaki

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

Another cute entry in the series! It's starting to delve into darker topics, but manages to keep a very good balance between themes!