bookishraccoon's reviews
78 reviews

Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker

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dark mysterious medium-paced

3.5

Dead Leaves: 9 Tales from the Witching Season by Kealan Patrick Burke

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

First time reading anything by this author & was thoroughly impressed! His ability to paint a full picture in such short stories, & whilst successfully creating tension blew me away! I strongly enjoyed a handful of these tales, but like any short story compilation- they can’t all be winners unfortunately. I would reread some of these stories again, but there were a handful that didn’t warrant a 5 star rating. Absolutely adored the author’s writing style though, & would love to check out more of his work! 
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

Illustrations on this were gorgeous & engaging! Great world building, enjoyed myself reading this one!
The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night by Steven Banbury

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective tense 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

5.0

I don’t have a single complaint about this book! It was so wholesome, & bittersweet- I honestly didn’t want it to end! This book had me on the edge of my seat, rooting for the main character, & almost in tears. I adored most of the characters- especially Scrags, Peaty, and the Pumpkin King! I liked the twist at the end, it was well executed! Extremely well done writing, and the plot was well thought out! Fantasy meets Halloween Town essentially! 

- A girl runs away from an orphanage, after the loss of her parents & after countless adoptions gone wrong. She stumbles upon (the last thing she’d ever expect) a walking Jack-o’-lantern, that refers to himself as the Pumpkin King. He extends an offer to adopt her, and she reluctantly accepts. And what she comes to find- she is welcomed by a magical world of the undead! As the only living being in this universe, can she peacefully coexist with the other creatures?
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison

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

3.0

This one started out very strong, with an interesting premise/setting. 

- Two best friends reunite for a cabin trip together, but discover more than what they were bargaining for.

They get invited to a ‘party’, that takes a turn for the unexpected. Both girls awake to find themselves changed. They find navigating this new lifestyle is a challenge in itself. 

I enjoyed a lot of the characters in this story, along with the writing style. Although, I feel like things fell extremely flat after the girls were transformed. It was a lot of drag on paragraphs, that just kept giving rinse & repeat. Till eventually, they meet a ‘villain’, that is never reintroduced & was hoping to see more from that. And at the very end, things finally go down & the ending feels awfully rushed & unsatisfying. But the epilogue following was a neat little moment! The story as a whole felt kind of ‘meh’. It’s really hard to find good vampire stories, and this definitely didn’t quench my thirst.
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Hallows Eve Halloween in Harvest Creek by William Oswald

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The author did a great job of world building in this book of intertwined short horror stories! Probably one of my favorite books I’ve read this year to be honest! Some segments had me on the edge of my seat, and overall it was just a fun book with a cool concept! Would definitely be interested in reading more from this author!
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The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was a cute cozy fall time read! Personally I wouldn’t stick around for the rest of the series, but I still enjoyed reading! A quick pick me up read for the season!
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By the Light of Dead Stars by Andrew Van Wey

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

3.75

Alittle bit of a slow burn at first, but then things got pretty wild! Enjoyed this one more than I thought I would! 
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Woom by Duncan Ralston

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated

3.0

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Dollface by R.J. Powell

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.75

Wanted to see the hype with this one honestly. Wasn’t particularly my cup of tea, but I loved Dolly in this! This story isn’t for the faint of heart, warning! 
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