rtc. okay i really enjoyed this!! (as much as one can lol) i don't think it's life changing but i couldn't put it down and the fertility/motherhood strtc. okay i really enjoyed this!! (as much as one can lol) i don't think it's life changing but i couldn't put it down and the fertility/motherhood stuff is a unique flavor. check TW for sure!...more
Claire signed up for her remote outpost at the edges of human-inhabited space for a reason - she doesn't want to get attached to people. On the last dClaire signed up for her remote outpost at the edges of human-inhabited space for a reason - she doesn't want to get attached to people. On the last day before her job is going to be automated and she's to go back to society, her crew picks up on a distress signal. They find the motherlode: the Aurora, a luxury space cruiser that mysteriously disappeared 20 years ago. Her crew decides to board to claim their findings, but months later, Claire is held for questioning as the only survivor of her crew.
What a fantastic combination of scifi and horror! I listened to the majority of this in one sitting on a long car ride and I couldn't read it fast enough. Space survival stories just do something for me emotionally - I was so invested in Claire and the crew, wanting them to get out safe even though we know some of them are dead. They stumble across hundreds upon hundreds of dead bodies, which is eerie on its own, but the way that the author unravels their discovery of the state of the ship elevated that. Not only that, but Claire has struggled with hallucinations all her life - and now the crew is having them too. This makes all of the characters unreliable in a way that doesn't feel cliche. I really enjoyed the split timeline of the crew's exploration alongside Claire telling the story of it - that was paced really well. I also liked that it decided to go further than just the crew's exploration. I feel like a lot of authors would have solved it there, but I liked that we went further in time to solve the mystery rather than solving it the first time. Speaking of solving, I thought that the solution to this book was great - it felt logical given the story but wasn't easy to predict. The audiobook narrator was also acting her head off, she did such a good job!
Overall, this was a rollercoaster I didn't want to get off. If you like horror or scifi, I need you to read this!...more
In this version of Victorian England, spirits are very much real, but only men are allowed to interact with them - with terrible consequences for womeIn this version of Victorian England, spirits are very much real, but only men are allowed to interact with them - with terrible consequences for women who are found out. Trans boy Silas, unaccepted as his real self, is discovered practicing spiritcraft publicly and sent to a girls school to become the "proper lady" he can never be. But this school is haunted, not only by its tortured tenants but by those girls who have been killed by those in charge for not becoming marriage material.
Despite reading the trigger warnings (very kindly) included in the book and being very uncomfortable with the first few chapters, I decided to finish this book because I really wanted to know what happened. Unfortunately, the unending medical gore made me so viscerally uncomfortable that I had to keep pausing because I was having physical reactions to it. I can't do gross-surgery-goes-wrong stuff, and our main character is always thinking about or performing it. I can read so many horrible things in books, but this one type of thing is the only one to physically upset me. Because of this, I won't be rating the book. If you're like me, I'd avoid this book. If that's something you can take, I do recommend this!
Now my otherwise thoughts on the book. I really enjoyed Silas as a main character. He was well characterized and I deeply wanted everything to be okay with him. The author is also trans and autistic, so those aspects are Own Voices. While it's great to be reading about trans, queer, and autistic characters in a historical setting, this is a more realistic book that depicts the horrible ways such people were treated in the past (and in some places, today). There is deep tragedy in the way that these children are treated and experimented on. I also appreciated that the author acknowledged the history of Black people particularly having horrifying medical experiments done on them. In terms of this being a speculative fiction book, I thought the magic and spirit stuff left some to be desired. I wanted to know more about how this world was affected by spirits being a part of life. I wasn't 100% on the relationship because they don't know each other well and have basically one thing in common, but for the sake of a HEA, I'll take it. I also am unsure that this should be categorized as YA; yes, it follows teen characters, but the content is so very adult.
Overall, I should have DNFed because of the medical gore, but otherwise I think it's a high quality book....more
Years ago, four teenage Blackfeet boys went onto hunting grounds alloted for the community's elders and killed an elk that was pregnant d2.5 - 3 stars
Years ago, four teenage Blackfeet boys went onto hunting grounds alloted for the community's elders and killed an elk that was pregnant despite the season. Now, after one of them is killed, Lewis believes that the very same elk is following him.
I read My Heart is a Chainsaw a while ago and it wasn't for me, but I was still wanting to try SGJ again because I had heard such good things about this one. Unfortunately, again, the writing style & type of horror really didn't work for me.
Some good things about this book. I don't think I've ever been so shocked/grossed out by a scene in a book, and that was not because the content was so awful, but because of its unexpected placement. I was driving 75 on the highway with my jaw fully on the floor, I was so taken aback. I can appreciate the conversations surrounding identity and how many of these characters feel like they "aren't Indian enough". Even though I've not read/watched much of the slasher genre, I could also appreciate how SGJ turned a lot of cliches of the genre on their heads. I also thought the bad guy was interesting and unique, despite it not being my usual cup of tea in horror.
Then some things that didn't work for me. The part that worked least was the pacing and its inconsistency. It's so slow for so long, and then eight things will happen at once, and then it'll go back to being slow. SGJ wrote this in three parts at different times, and it's very apparent. It made the narrative feel more disjointed; I think if the perspectives were interwoven or our characters interacted more across the storylines that it might have worked more. I also didn't feel like we got to know the characters very well. I thought Lewis' section was the best developed, but struggled more in the other sections, particularly the middle one.
Overall, there were things that I could appreciate about this, but I didn't enjoy my time reading it. I just don't think this author is for me. I do encourage you to read reviews of Indigenous readers though!...more
An isolated Anishnaabe community is left in the dark once an unknown apocalyptic event forces them to rely only on nature as winter is already encroacAn isolated Anishnaabe community is left in the dark once an unknown apocalyptic event forces them to rely only on nature as winter is already encroaching.
This is a short book, so not much could happen, but not much does happen even in the few pages it does have. One thing I really liked was the interactions between Evan and his family, which were remarkably heartwarming for such an otherwise bleak book. The depiction of fear and quiet panic felt very realistic for the disaster the community is in. The outsiders coming to the community is a great metaphor for how colonialism has negatively impacted Native communities. However, the slow pace and low plot made it so this book would not stand out to me. I was expecting more of a conclusion and was left wanting.
Overall, this is a good quiet apocalyptic book, but it will have little staying power in my mind....more
4.5 stars In this 60's set retelling of Carmilla, Laura is dedicated to her poetry. For the first time in her life, she leaves her sleepy town to go t4.5 stars In this 60's set retelling of Carmilla, Laura is dedicated to her poetry. For the first time in her life, she leaves her sleepy town to go to a prestigious women's college to grow her craft. Despite her being a freshman, her work impresses the distinguished Professor de Lafontaine enough to let her into the class. de Lafontaine's star student, the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla, feels her spot is threatened, despite all the secret time she spends with the professor. As the two students are pitted against each other, they find themselves on the line between obsession and hatred - but the professor's dark secret may tear them asunder.
The biggest question about this book is going to be: Does it live up to A Dowry of Blood? I think it does. I don't think it's quite as strong, but I do think it lives up to that legacy. The atmosphere and the metaphoric writing style made it very clear that this was a companion. The vibes were the same, and I got the feelings that I was looking for! There were so many quotes that I read and reread because they gave such a complete image of these characters. I absolutely love the rivals to lovers arc of Carmilla and Laura; I was so obsessed with them getting together despite the circumstances. Gibson is unmatched in how she writes desire and desperation; you can feel their want oozing through the page. I thought it was an interesting twist on the original text to have Carmilla originally be a vampire's blood supply and be a victim of grooming rather than Carmilla being the ultimate villain of the story. This showed how strongly a young person can be manipulated by someone older because they believe they're in love. There is a side plot of the professor vampire dealing with her sire which took up a good amount of the back half of the book, but I didn't think that portion was developed enough to really feel successful. This made the book split focus despite it being pretty short. Dowry is so short and still works flawlessly because it is singularly focused in a way that Education is not. Because of that, I think that this book could've been longer to flesh out the arcs to their fullest.
Overall, this is definitely a spiritual sister to ADOB and while I adored so much of it, I think it could have delved even deeper to flesh out its multiple plotlines....more
A single Black woman in 1915, Adelaide Henry flees California and the bodies of her parents with little but a suspiciously heavy trunk she can't part A single Black woman in 1915, Adelaide Henry flees California and the bodies of her parents with little but a suspiciously heavy trunk she can't part from. She is off to Montana, where even people in her position can be allowed to have their own land - however desolate it may be.
The strongest suit of this book is its setting and atmosphere. The reader can feel the wide-open sky over the barren landscape that the characters inhabit. The setting and the main character are unique within the genre, which was interesting to read about. I liked Adelaide (and what's in her trunk) for the most part. The feminist themes were good and well-written. I just wanted more from this book - I felt like not a lot happened. I would consider this a "quiet" horror, which wasn't necessarily what I was looking for throughout the entirety of the book.
Overall, nothing wrong happened in this book, but I wanted more from the plot and horror despite the unique setting and main character. ...more
Set during the Spanish Inquisition, Luiza is a servant in a rapidly dilapidating household. She gets by with her small, everyday magic - but when her Set during the Spanish Inquisition, Luiza is a servant in a rapidly dilapidating household. She gets by with her small, everyday magic - but when her mistress finds out about her meager powers, she shoves Luiza into the spotlight for her own benefit. When the king announces a tournament of magic users, she's forcefully submitted and set up with a strange man with his own vast magic who has faith in her abilities.
Look, I haven't loved a Leigh Bardugo before. But this premise was so intriguing that I decided to read this and have it decide if I ever pick up from her again. Unfortunately, this wasn't really decisive - I had very few feelings about this. Maybe this means I need to stop picking up books I'll feel meh about? We'll see what she comes out with next but I might be done trying her stuff, just because there's so many books and so little time!
I think the strongest aspect was the setting. This isn't a popular setting to write in and I think she did a great job making it come to life. I thought there were some magical scenes that were really cool and felt large and important for the world and our characters. However, the magic wasn't expanded upon enough for my taste - I didn't feel like I had a good idea of what magic as a whole looks like in this world and what our characters were even capable of. This made most uses of magic feel stake-less or like deus ex machina. I didn't feel strongly about our characters, the plot, or the writing style. I was disappointed in the familiar itself - I wanted to see more prowess from him, and to see how uniquely he interacts with the world, but was positively yawning when this went into a romantic direction. I thought that the ending made a lot of sense - it felt like the only way that the book could possibly end. I just know I'm not going to remember anything about this book in a couple of months except that the setting was unique.
Overall, I thought that this book was meh. There wasn't much I thought was done well or badly. It does what it says on the tin and doesn't really go any further....more
Laur is head of her class in every subject at the Paris Ballet Academy. But since Laur is black, the Paris Ballet Company quietly bars her entry. She Laur is head of her class in every subject at the Paris Ballet Academy. But since Laur is black, the Paris Ballet Company quietly bars her entry. She goes to one of the Company's newest stars, whose success has been so overwhelming that other girls have accused her of witchcraft. Turns out they're not wrong - she's made a deal with a demonic entity and invites Laur to join.
I read this in a vlog! I read a bunch of LGBTQ+ books all in different genres for Pride Month. Check it out: Queer Books Vlog
If you love Black Swan like I do, this is worth the read. Instead of being the surrealist type of horror that Black Swan has, this has a demonic entity approach that I ended up liking. I'm not usually one for creature horror, so I liked the vagueness that the entity kept. I really enjoyed how the horror and real life elements came together to talk about how Laur has been treated poorly. The part I was most invested in was Laur's relationship with her best friend and how their true colors were revealed. I was more invested in the first half than the back half; I felt like my interest/the horror stagnated as we went along. The focus in the first half is on the racism and mistreatment she endures and how she's working to fight back, but the second half meanders away from that. I also wasn't remotely interested in the romance subplot. Yes, I wanted Laur to find people that cared about her, but this romance specifically felt underbaked and unnecessary.
Overall, this is a very solid debut YA horror. I don't think I'll read the sequel because I thought this could stand on its own, but I'd be interested to pick up from the author's next works....more
Alejandra is at her wit's end. To please her husband, she was forced to have more children than she planned, to become a stay at home mom, and to moveAlejandra is at her wit's end. To please her husband, she was forced to have more children than she planned, to become a stay at home mom, and to move away from her biological mother that she recently connected with. At the peak of her distress, she begins to see a figure similar to La Llorona who is threatening her and her children. Meanwhile, we see flashes to her ancestors who have had this same curse.
I picked this up from my library on a whim and nearly put it back, and I'm so glad I didn't! This is easily one of my favorite books I've read so far this year. This is such a stand-out book that discusses a lot of the problems facing modern women, wives, and mothers, as well as reflecting on those of the past. The weariness and dread that Alejandra feels is an elevation of that which many women feel in their real life. Alejandra's life has turned into one that she didn't ask for; her husband has slowly taken away most of the parts of her life that were fulfilling, and because it's in the name of being a wife and mother, she went along with it at the expense of her own identity. Now she's treated as an object and a servant. After having a bad experience in foster care and being taken away from her Mexican roots, she finally connected with her bio mom, and her husband took that away from her as well. Her burden is heavy, and it manifests as La Llorona. I'm not usually one for ghost-type horror, but the demonic apparitions in this really worked for me, especially so with them being a metaphor. I loved the writing style and prose used to elevate the story. Alejandra was well-characterized enough to feel that you were in her mind. And her journey covers a lot of good - we see a positive portrayal of therapy, her connecting to her cultural roots for the first time, her learning to take up space again, and her forming a relationship with her bio mom. The historical inserts were also well-balanced within the story and felt additive rather than a distraction. We see a good range of time periods with other women struggling with this curse in their own ways.
Overall, I was enthralled with this book, in the writing style, characterization, and execution on its themes of womanhood. Definitely up there with my favorite horrors!...more
In a boarded up house live a group of three: a man struggling with alcoholism and the gaps in his memory, a girl who's not allowed to leave, and a catIn a boarded up house live a group of three: a man struggling with alcoholism and the gaps in his memory, a girl who's not allowed to leave, and a cat who reads the Bible.
I will be vague because I do believe knowing nothing about this book before reading it is the best way to read it. This was the most engaged I was with reading a book all month, particularly at the beginning. The writing style and pacing has you guessing the whole time what is really going on. I couldn't read fast enough! - that is, until it turns out that I had guessed things correctly. I had a small hint from an accidental spoiler, but I did put some of the pieces together before that happened. I didn't originally guess ALL of the twists, but I got enough of it that the wind was taken out of my sails. I think there were some interesting conversations had about the main characters. This type of horror is technically something that I would like and I understand the recommendation, but the way in which information is given to the reader isn't my favorite, more info in this spoilery section*. I would definitely be interested in reading from this author because I really enjoyed the writing style even if this plot didn't stick the landing for me.
Overall, this was a solid horror that I'd likely recommend to others even if I guessed the twist, probably because I've read the twist before. I'd likely recommend it to people who are new to horror and want to try something that doesn't get too scary.
(view spoiler)[ I guessed from the first Dee chapter that Teddy and Dee were the same person because Ted+Dee = Teddy. So when other similar twists started happening, I put it together earlier because the last reveal was my first guess. I also really wanted the cat to be real?? I was honestly really sad when that was revealed. I feel like half the reason I picked this up was because it was a cat's POV in a horror. This feels like a dumb "critique" to have. *I usually love unreliable narrator, what's-going-on books (several of my favorite books of all time are in this category), but this felt more like I was being lied to rather than misled. Does that make sense? (hide spoiler)]...more
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars Dr. Tamsyn Rivers is a scienThank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars Dr. Tamsyn Rivers is a scientist who lives for her work, especially since she was assigned to work on the top-secret problem of her city sinking with no apparent scientific reason. But she's keeping a secret even from her team - her basement has been growing at the same rate the city is sinking. It keeps stretching and stretching before an impenetrable door appears, and from it comes an exact copy of Tamsyn.
This was an interesting take on doppelgangers that I'm glad I kept with, because I nearly DNFed. The first section of this book dragged with repetitve scenes and fictional science that even this engineer found hard to follow. For the doppelganger being the main point of the synopsis, it seemed to take a long time before she appeared. Anything before then strained my interest thin and could have been slimmed down. It was especially infuriating at that point that she refused to tell anyone else about what was happening. However, everything after was much more fascinating. The most engaging part of this story was by far the interactions between the two Tamsyns and how their scientific minds interact with this impossibility. While the nature of their relationship is predictable, it is no less horrifying. I liked that this addressed the cliches of the traditional doppelganger plot and decided to go against many of them. The last volume in particular I found to be stellar and evened out how I felt about the beginning.
Overall, I'm glad to have another scifi horror to recommend to others. The beginning was a drag, but the ending made it worth the read....more
Mars has always been the lesser twin. But then Caroline comes back one summer suddenly changed - whispering cryptic messages, trying to attack Mars, dMars has always been the lesser twin. But then Caroline comes back one summer suddenly changed - whispering cryptic messages, trying to attack Mars, dying horrifically and strangely. Shaken by this, Mars is determined to go back to the elite summer camp he believes changed his twin - the same one he was essentially kicked out of for being genderfluid.
You know, I usually avoid YA thriller/horror, but every once and a while I go out on a whim and find a gem. This one came highly recommended and didn't disappoint, so I'm happy I have a new author to look out for.
What did I like about this book? I really liked the flavor of horror that this was. It felt like a slower version of Bunny or We Ride Upon Sticks. I like the shiny appearance of the summer camp, but underneath there's a lot of cruelty to outsiders, and underneath THAT is something even more sinister. The way that we slowly enter into this strange world was so enticing. I definitely was surprised by the level of gore in a couple scenes, but I really liked it! Plus the plot twist somehow took me by surprise. Mars is such a great character to follow, he's determined and has a strong voice. He isn't going to take any shit that people give him for who he is. I love the conversations around queerness and how that can be ostracizing when people don't accept it, as well as the specific conversations around genderfluidity which I thought were done fantastically - why is it so hard for people to fathom that Mars is who Mars is? There wasn't really anything I didn't like about this book, it's rating will be more up to how long it stays with me!
Overall, I will be recommending this to so many people - this is such a great horror and teen story!...more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4.25 stars
An expaThank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4.25 stars
An expansion and revamp of Edgar Alan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, Alex Easton, a former soldier, rushes to the ancestral home of a childhood friend when she appears to be dying. What Easton finds is a dilapidated house by a tarn infested with all sorts of growths and siblings reduced to improbable states of madness.
When I read the short story this was based on, I was left wanting more; in the author's note, Kingfisher says she felt the exact same way. This gives exactly what one would want in an expansion on a classic story. The tone and the atmosphere are the same as Poe's original, this time with more room to grow. There's more of a plot and more chances to interact with each of the characters. I enjoyed that this was a more realistic interpretation of the horrific elements of the story, and, in my opinion, it made the story all the more horrifying! The descriptions of rot, fungus, and the dead were the perfect type of creepy and gross. There were two things I didn't expect: the humor and the fictional country our characters hail from. In a way that reminded me of Tamsyn Muir, our main character will make funny and dry comments about what's going on. The country had an interesting impact on the story, with a set of neo-pronouns (ka/kan) especially for soldiers that Easton utilizes. This nonbinary identity is occasionally discussed as Easton is interacting with people outside of kan home country who aren't used to a nonbinary identity (especially since this is still set in the 1800s). I will say that I often want more from novellas, but I think this one was just about the right length for the story it wanted to tell.
Overall, this was a really cool horror novella filled with creepy descriptions that kept me glued to the page (or rather, my screen). I can't wait to read this author's previous release and to recommend this to fans of Poe and horror!...more
This horror novella follows what remains of the Blackwood family, an old money family already disliked by the town before most of them were murdered iThis horror novella follows what remains of the Blackwood family, an old money family already disliked by the town before most of them were murdered in one night and one of the survivors was accused of the crime.
Like many others, I've read Shirley Jackson before in school through The Lottery and The Haunting of Hill House, so this book had been on my list for a long time. I listened to this in two sittings and found myself invested in the characters and just wanting the Blackwoods to be left alone and happy. Merricat is an eccentric and a great narrator. Constance was my favorite, as the frazzled older sister who puts up an optimistic facade. Every time Charles showed up, I yelled out loud for him to shut up. The writing style and atmosphere do the story service, as one would expect from such a renowned author. While I guessed the plot twist from the first chapter, I think the answer is less important to the story than who in the story already knows it.
Overall, I think that this short horror still holds up. However, I wish that this had a little more punch at the end. ...more
Ralph and Abby move into Ralph's mother's house with her as her persistent mental health problems have taken a turn for the worse. When she takes her Ralph and Abby move into Ralph's mother's house with her as her persistent mental health problems have taken a turn for the worse. When she takes her own life, Ralph is understandably distraught, especially so because of the manipulative tactics she used throughout his life to make him dependent on her. Abby has been desperate for a mother figure and is obsessed with becoming a mother herself. When Ralph begins to believe his mother's ghost haunts her house, Abby may have to take matters into her own hands.
Finally, a book as weird as its cover. I'll be honest, I don't even know what to say about this one! More than anything I really loved the writing style. Unsettling prose/internal monologue really makes a horror for me. I love a horror that's a metaphor, and this is all about maternal relationships. It's the strangest relationship anyone has, split apart from another when you used to be the same person; all the ownership and toxicity that can come alongside all the good. I definitely didn't know what type of horror this was going to end up being (let's be real, that's part of the fun of a horror), and I was pleasantly surprised but still taken aback. I also liked how there wasn't necessarily an answer for every single little thing, but the plot still utilized its Chekov's guns in a neat way.
Overall, this is definitely an underrated title that has advertized itself as weird enough that I think it's finding its audience. This is a strange one that'll be on my mind for a while....more
Gretchen and Abby have been best friends since fifth grade. Nothing could separate them now that they're going into high school... until something strGretchen and Abby have been best friends since fifth grade. Nothing could separate them now that they're going into high school... until something strange starts happening to Abby. Her skin looks strange, her personality has changed, and she won't pick up the phone. Gretchen realizes the only possible answer to what could have taken away her best friend: Abby's been possessed by a demon.
Just like many a horror movie, this book was easy to get through and fun to do so. Through a classic story of possession, we see a metaphor for friends being ripped apart by circumstance and social pressure. This book was chock-full of 80s references, so if that pop culture nostalgia is something that you're looking for, this may be for you. I liked the lengths that this book went to, not holding back the stakes. I also really liked the ending; anything else wouldn't have felt realistic with the rest of the story. I did, however, think that this could have been a bit shorter as some sections felt repetitive and the writing style could come across as list-like at times.
Overall, this was a breeze to get to and perfect for fans of campy horror films. ...more
The small town of Samhattan that Kit has called home all her life has kept a secret - from itself. Kit should be on top of the world after scoring theThe small town of Samhattan that Kit has called home all her life has kept a secret - from itself. Kit should be on top of the world after scoring the game-winning shot for her basketball team, but the town's urban legend of a phantom outcast named Daphne has started to take root in her mind. Then members of her team start turning up dead...
This short horror, in my mind, is almost exactly what it says on the tin. A slasher where teenage girls are being hunted down by a ghost, and we follow the final girl and a detective as they try to stop the ghost. I do think that this had an interesting perspective of being about anxiety and destructive thinking, and how that can uproot your life. The writing of teenage girls was annoying at the very beginning, but as the horror elements came in, it got much better. I think with this structure as a slasher, I wanted more answers when it came to Daphne. Had this lent itself to be a slower, more literary horror, I might have liked it more. However, people who enjoyed books like My Heart is a Chainsaw - another I desperately wanted to love - will find a favorite in this one.
Overall, the theming of this book around mental illness was great, but the setting of those themes wasn't entirely for me. I would definitely recommend it to others though!...more
Alex hasn't been able to write a single word since the incident that broke up her and her best friend, Wren. So when her idol, 70's feminist horror auAlex hasn't been able to write a single word since the incident that broke up her and her best friend, Wren. So when her idol, 70's feminist horror author Roza Vallo, announces she's hosting a writing retreat and competition, she never considers that she would be selected until she is. But, it turns out that Wren is there too. And that the competition is much more rigorous than advertized. And that strange things have happened in this house...
I read this for my reading vlog in which I read books by authors with my first name! One of my favorites I've made. Watch it here!
Not only is this one of my favorite books of the year, this is quickly making it to the top of my favorite thrillers of all time list. I loved the type of thriller this was, especially that it blended elements of thriller and horror.This has really made me consider that the lines between the genres are blurrier than one would think. Not only that, but there's a dangerous sensuality to the horror elements which is something that I adore seeing. I really enjoyed the twists and shifts that this took, with heightening stakes and constant questioning of who can be trusted. Despite the book's limited cast - something that can often limit the book's possibilities and therefore reader excitement - the reader is still turned around by plenty of possibilities and red herrings. Foreshadowing in this was done very well and made reveals be all the more satisfying. The villain was very engaging and an extremely heightened version of a type of villain seen in real life all too regularly. Turning away from the thriller elements, there was a lot to love about the main character and the themes. Alex is a great character to follow and very relatable to the reader as a person at their lowest point - she struggles to connect and communicate with others, sometimes punishes herself, has major imposter syndrome, and doesn't always make the right decision because of her emotions. Her relationship with Wren was one of my favorite parts. It shows the true trauma of friendship breakups, discusses internalized homophobia, and the prevalence of blurred lines between the platonic and romantic when it comes to queer friendships. Then there's the meta themes of writing and creation. Alex is ripped out of her writing slump and is forced to tackle head-on how her own perception of herself has impacted her writing, or lack thereof. Look, lots of people who even enjoyed this book called it silly, but I genuinely got a good amount out of this both on the fun side and the serious side. I love a good horror/thriller that's a metaphor, and one that isn't afraid to get weird!!
Overall, this has been a love-or-hate book for so many, and I'm definitely in camp love. I can't stop thinking about how fun it was but also how is sneakily had some great things to say....more
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
In this queer horror collection, LaRocThank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
In this queer horror collection, LaRocca binds together three tales that shock while asking about the nature of our relationships with one another.
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke: 3.5 stars Through a series of found messages, two women form an immediate bond solely online during the early days of the internet that will leave one of them dead.
I was planning on reading this before hearing about it being bound into this collection. In my opinion, it is by far the strongest in premise, themes, horror, and execution of all three of the stories. I found myself rereading lines and was caught up in the fervor of their relationship with them. The horror element is decidedly disgusting, even if it wasn't the type of horror I was expecting. The themes of queer people finding safe spaces online and being taken advantage of in their relief to be seen resonated strongly. However, I felt that the characters and plot could have been made stronger if it was longer.
The Enchantment: 2.5 stars A husband and wife become caretakers of an island resort shortly after news breaks of the first scientific proof that there is no afterlife.
This had such a strong start with an awesome premise but ultimately I did not understand what was meant by it. Metaphors were mostly lost on me and I found myself just wanting to skim. I liked how the ending picked up, but will ultimately forget about this one.
You'll Find It's Like That All Over: 2 stars A man finds a bone buried in his backyard, which leads him to have a strange encounter with his neighbor.
This unfortunately was a flop for me. It felt like it was a rip-off of the various ironic stories taught to high schoolers but without the surprising payoff. This is a story that has been told before and better.
Overall, while I'm intrigued to pick up other titles from LaRocca, I do not think that anything was added to Things Have Gotten Worse by pulling it off shelves and binding it to two stories that did not live up to its strength....more
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