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sicksadlit's reviews
489 reviews
Maeve Fly by CJ Leede
dark
reflective
tense
fast-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
3.0
The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-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
5.0
Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
My god this woman goes 7 years without publishing anything only for it to be a novella and STILL BAD WRITING!!
I was one of the rare few who hated IWWV. I thought it was plotless, flat and boring and I did not understand the hype. However, to be fair to M.L. Rio and her fawning fan club, I decided to give Graveyard Shift a go in case my thoughts on IWWV were a one off.
They weren't.
This woman cannot build tension or pull off a satisfying resolution to save herself, I SWEAR. This barely qualifies as a novella and I read one review which said it felt more like a rough outline for a full length novel, which I completely agree with.
Oddly, each chapter was from a different character's POV but the story wasn't long enough to justify five different character POVs as they don't have the chance to establish themselves or make us care.
I truly can't tell you anything about them other than that they all chain smoke and have insomnia?? And maybe two of them are queer?
Nothing of interest happened in this story. It started out with promise before quickly fizzling out into nothing. M.L. Rio is definitely good at building atmosphere, but that is truly where her writing skills start and finish.
I can't believe her editors didn't push her to better develop this story. After all - she had seven years to do it!
I don't believe M.L. Rio is at all deserving of the hype and praise she receives and after reading both of her very boring and anti-climactic books I can safely say I am 1000% done with anything she has to write or say.
Thank you to Hachette NZ for the gifted copy. Sorry to be so neggy about it but it is what it is.
I was one of the rare few who hated IWWV. I thought it was plotless, flat and boring and I did not understand the hype. However, to be fair to M.L. Rio and her fawning fan club, I decided to give Graveyard Shift a go in case my thoughts on IWWV were a one off.
They weren't.
This woman cannot build tension or pull off a satisfying resolution to save herself, I SWEAR. This barely qualifies as a novella and I read one review which said it felt more like a rough outline for a full length novel, which I completely agree with.
Oddly, each chapter was from a different character's POV but the story wasn't long enough to justify five different character POVs as they don't have the chance to establish themselves or make us care.
I truly can't tell you anything about them other than that they all chain smoke and have insomnia?? And maybe two of them are queer?
Nothing of interest happened in this story. It started out with promise before quickly fizzling out into nothing. M.L. Rio is definitely good at building atmosphere, but that is truly where her writing skills start and finish.
I can't believe her editors didn't push her to better develop this story. After all - she had seven years to do it!
I don't believe M.L. Rio is at all deserving of the hype and praise she receives and after reading both of her very boring and anti-climactic books I can safely say I am 1000% done with anything she has to write or say.
Thank you to Hachette NZ for the gifted copy. Sorry to be so neggy about it but it is what it is.
The Coworker by Freida McFadden
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
3.75
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
She followed the moon back to herself by Amanda Lovelace
1.0
I used to love Amanda Lovelace. In 2017 when I was going through some incredibly tough times, Amanda's poetry brought me solace and made me feel less alone. I read volume after volume, always preferring it over the more "mainstream" Rupi Kaur. So when I saw Amanda Lovelace had a new collection coming out and it was available to request on Netgalley, I was thrilled.
I hadn't read any of Amanda's work for a few years and I was hoping to experience more of the same fondness and comfort in her words. What I failed to take into account I guess is the passage of time and how my own tastes have matured. It's been seven years since Amanda's debut work and yet 'she followed the moon back to herself' follows the exact same formulas and shows a rather alarming lack of sophistication and development on Lovelace's part.
I was unfortunately taken aback by the immature and frankly, juvenile style of writing. For a poet now in her thirties, I had hoped to see some semblance of evolution from her early days but this collection read like some angsty teenage Tumblr post circa 2007. Half the book was a wallpaper-style repeat graphic so the actual collection took me about 15 minutes to read. It was shallow and lazy and I sadly believe that it's work like this that gives poetry a bad name and is why many poets struggle to be taken seriously.
I'm disappointed to have to give such a harsh review but I honestly hoped for much much more than this.
Thank you to Netgalley and Andrew McMeel Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I hadn't read any of Amanda's work for a few years and I was hoping to experience more of the same fondness and comfort in her words. What I failed to take into account I guess is the passage of time and how my own tastes have matured. It's been seven years since Amanda's debut work and yet 'she followed the moon back to herself' follows the exact same formulas and shows a rather alarming lack of sophistication and development on Lovelace's part.
I was unfortunately taken aback by the immature and frankly, juvenile style of writing. For a poet now in her thirties, I had hoped to see some semblance of evolution from her early days but this collection read like some angsty teenage Tumblr post circa 2007. Half the book was a wallpaper-style repeat graphic so the actual collection took me about 15 minutes to read. It was shallow and lazy and I sadly believe that it's work like this that gives poetry a bad name and is why many poets struggle to be taken seriously.
I'm disappointed to have to give such a harsh review but I honestly hoped for much much more than this.
Thank you to Netgalley and Andrew McMeel Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0