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c0rpsekat's reviews
23 reviews
Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
This may be my favorite book.
AJW said in the acknowledgements that West Virginia feels like home to everybody, even if you aren't from there. I don't think a novel has ever wrapped me up in the feeling of familiarity and safety and also filled me with pure discomfort and anxiety. Which sure feels like home to me.
I'm continually shocked by how beautifully AJW writes the autistic, disabled, and trans experience. I mean of course, who better to do so than a disabled trans and autistic person, however a lot of it is hard to put into words, especially ones that anybody could understand. And this book has explained my core feelings of existing in ways I didn't even know were possible.
And I haven't even touched on the purely disgusting feeling of horror I felt reading this! The gore was tastefully disgusting, and the constant threat of danger was oddly comforting even in the sense of drastic, unwavering anxiety.
Don't let the YA label fool you - this book is essential for all ages to experience.
Thank you Andrew for creating Miles and his family, both chosen and by blood. They will be with me for the rest of my existence.
AJW said in the acknowledgements that West Virginia feels like home to everybody, even if you aren't from there. I don't think a novel has ever wrapped me up in the feeling of familiarity and safety and also filled me with pure discomfort and anxiety. Which sure feels like home to me.
I'm continually shocked by how beautifully AJW writes the autistic, disabled, and trans experience. I mean of course, who better to do so than a disabled trans and autistic person, however a lot of it is hard to put into words, especially ones that anybody could understand. And this book has explained my core feelings of existing in ways I didn't even know were possible.
And I haven't even touched on the purely disgusting feeling of horror I felt reading this! The gore was tastefully disgusting, and the constant threat of danger was oddly comforting even in the sense of drastic, unwavering anxiety.
Don't let the YA label fool you - this book is essential for all ages to experience.
Thank you Andrew for creating Miles and his family, both chosen and by blood. They will be with me for the rest of my existence.
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Truly spins the haunted house genre entirely on it's head. With a creeping sense of anxiety that ramps up to pure panic, this mind-bending novel has shook me in ways I never knew I was afraid of.
My mom said books like this have "chapters like popcorn" , so exciting and short, that just reading one is never enough. "It's only a few more pages, I can read another". It was absolutely a blast to read, not just in substance, but also format.
The easter eggs of morse code, the reddit posts, scripts, etc. all made the experience that much richer. And those things only added to the fear.
I love queer people being the focus, and the unique angle on the genre made this book a quick and easy favorite. The ending had me hoping for just a bit more, which is the only downfall. Loved every minute
My mom said books like this have "chapters like popcorn" , so exciting and short, that just reading one is never enough. "It's only a few more pages, I can read another". It was absolutely a blast to read, not just in substance, but also format.
The easter eggs of morse code, the reddit posts, scripts, etc. all made the experience that much richer. And those things only added to the fear.
I love queer people being the focus, and the unique angle on the genre made this book a quick and easy favorite. The ending had me hoping for just a bit more, which is the only downfall. Loved every minute
Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Horror as a political platform is so essential . An "extreme" view of the state of the country in written form is one of the most important forms of protest .
Creatively framed and stuffed to the brim with unique metaphors , this novel has possessed my mind with thick , oily thoughts and has given a new -
gaslight
- light to the fact we are not alone in these feelings of fear for our future . An incredibly terrifying and reflective experience . A million 'thank you's to Chapman for it.
This book is first in line to be banned by our current administration .
"Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable." - Cesar A. Cruz
Creatively framed and stuffed to the brim with unique metaphors , this novel has possessed my mind with thick , oily thoughts and has given a new -
gaslight
- light to the fact we are not alone in these feelings of fear for our future . An incredibly terrifying and reflective experience . A million 'thank you's to Chapman for it.
This book is first in line to be banned by our current administration .
"Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable." - Cesar A. Cruz
Nestlings by Nat Cassidy
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Nat fucking Cassidy is beyond a modern king of horror . He is entirely rewriting the genre and setting new standards for what makes a good horror novel .
The things we find horrifying finds a new life through the uniquely and effortlessly diverse perspective of Cassidy's works.
Every character makes me sympathize with them deeply, even when I wish to strangle them. And the whole time I was on edge and allowing every piece of this book occupy all of my thoughts. A deeply personal feeling amd specific feeling of liminal dread and lack of belonging will ooze off of the pages and make your skin crawl.
Vampires apparently tend to be scarier when intertwined with ableism, sexism, is anti-semitism.
The things we find horrifying finds a new life through the uniquely and effortlessly diverse perspective of Cassidy's works.
Every character makes me sympathize with them deeply, even when I wish to strangle them. And the whole time I was on edge and allowing every piece of this book occupy all of my thoughts. A deeply personal feeling amd specific feeling of liminal dread and lack of belonging will ooze off of the pages and make your skin crawl.
Vampires apparently tend to be scarier when intertwined with ableism, sexism, is anti-semitism.
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Almost a perfect book - so tense and such a unique type of horror . the world building was insanely well done , and the characters were all extremely well written , including the women . The only thing that made it not perfect is the hard R n-word and slight transphobia 🫣 Lou and Vic are two of my favorite characters ever though
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
writing about the trans experience is difficult if course , but as a trans personbit comes almost naturally. however , accurately describing autism from amy perspective , especially internal , is almost unheard of , and this novel somehow does all of that perfectly .
a book has never spoken to me on this personal and deep of a level , and i thank Andrew Joseph White for making something so stunning and for people just like me .
a book has never spoken to me on this personal and deep of a level , and i thank Andrew Joseph White for making something so stunning and for people just like me .
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
feminism , witches , spooky vibes , and an undertone of monster fucking . truly the epitome of Halloween vibes in New England . loved every inch of it
Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.75
Clay's my favorite author for a reason ! this book really hit it out of the park for me . it's not quite a 5 simply because it didn't scare me quite like some of his other titles , but it was absolute perfection in every other way ! men writing women (especially in horror) tends to go awry quickly , but never have I felt that Clay's work treats women like anything other than well rounded chatacters with depth , personality , and their own story to tell . i'm a slut for an allegory , and this one was gorgeous .
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
dark
emotional
funny
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
gorgeous writing style with a terribly droning plot
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
i was so into the first 1/3 of the book (the gore , the writing style , the mindfuck of it all) but once the book switched perspective to the elk headed woman it lost all appeal to me . i was incredibly excited about this book and so deeply and whole heartedly disappointed in it .