neuroqueer's reviews
339 reviews

Liminal Spaces by Maureen McHugh

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lighthearted mysterious fast-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? No

3.25

Overall: B

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? No

2.75

Overall: C+

"Hex" was recommended in "101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered" book and the entry intrigued me. Looking for something creepy, I grabbed it from Libby. After finishing it, however, I realize "Hex" is one of those books with an original, intriguing idea that would have been better executed by a different author.

The premise of a town cursed by the haunting of a creepy 18th century is a novel one and the first half of the book sets it up effectively. It's just the rest of the story that unravels.

A few things frustrated me. The first thing was the treatment of women. They are either terribly written or completely irrelevant. Women don't have to be central to a narrative, but at least treat them as human beings if they are included.

The second thing is the relentless focus on breasts and nipples. There are booby (boobie....?) looking things. There are boob grabs. There is boob mutilation. Boob, boob, boob...nipple. It's like the author had a deeply unsettling experience with breastfeeding or something.

Final thing was the ending. The descent into crazy shit makes sense with the themes of religious fervor and conformity. However, I still hated HOW it go to that ending.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the atmosphere and the first half of the book. The audiobook narrator did a wonderful job. The witch was genuinely intimidating and scary and I was invested in the impending reckoning that she was going to unleash. However there were also plotholes and nonsensical character actions. "Hex" is a book that I really wanted to love but just like. I think I only like it because of the potential I see in it. It seems this author has splendid story ideas but poor execution.

Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson

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dark funny reflective medium-paced