whatchareadingheather's reviews
691 reviews

The Clown Hunt: An Extreme Horror Novel by Judith Sonnet

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

4.0

Listen, I'm not an extreme horror girlie, but I will honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this despite how disgusting it is. Every single bit of violence made sense. I adored our final boy. And the twist is so utterly fucked up but also scarily believable when you take into consideration our current political and socioeconomical climate.
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

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dark mysterious tense 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

4.0

Extra half star for the Gabra Zackman's narration because they expertly played both mother and daughter impeccably but also every other side character just as impressively. I kind of enjoyed 'The Perfect Child' by Lucinda Berry a bit more than this one (I only compare because they're very similar), but I'm definitely intrigued to read Stage's 'Dear Hanna' to see the developments after this leaves us on a bit of a cliffhanger.
Bliss by Sean Lewis

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challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

An incredible work that showcases the effects and stages of addiction while also showcasing the hard reality of sobriety, and how much American culture would rather blame the person for their addiction (or former addiction) instead of calling out the higher
powers that cause and do nothing for those struggling with addiction. I think anyone who is looking to learn more about how someone deals with a current or former addiction should use this as a learning tool for themselves.
Zero Days by Ruth Ware

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

3.5

TBH, I wanted more of a full revenge plot than a not quite finished story just to have it wrapped up with a happy ending. But this is my first technology focused mystery thriller and I WILL say that I’m a fan of the genre and want to find more.
Sorry for the Inconvenience by Farah Naz Rishi

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I mean this in the utmost nicest way possible, pick a trauma and this book will definitely have it. Fantastically written and really gets you in the guts. Be prepared to have tissues on hand. 
Christmas Eve, 1914 by Charles Olivier

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

5.0

Fantastic narration and really gives the listener a good idea of the event that was occurring. Was recommend ‘Joyeux Noel’ as a complementary movie pairing to this book.
Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Who do I have to call at Shudder to get this turned into a movie?
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum

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lighthearted 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? N/A

3.5

Man, this made me want to rewatch 'Klaus' (aka the movie that SHOULD HAVE won the Best Animated Feature at the 92nd Oscars.
Season of Love by Helena Greer

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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

4.0

Could have done without Miriam being engaged at the start and wanted a little more of Noelle's backstory, but otherwise I really enjoyed that this was able to seamlessly combine real life experiences with the cute-sy stuff you see in holiday rom com movies.
The Final Girls by Cara Ellison, Katie West, Gabriela Contreras, Chefel Peterson, Joamette Gil, Sally Cantirino

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I went into this thinking I was going to be getting a completely different story, but I’m glad that I was surprised since I think this does a great job of creating a feminist narrative while also keeping the crazy of the superhero genre. I just wish that this series had 1-2 more issues so we could learn a bit more about the prior team dynamics and more about the characters themselves.