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eri_cat93's reviews
260 reviews
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
š“š“š“
This book had potential but ultimately fell flat. For a book about accidental time travel, there are shockingly few surprises and even fewer stakes.
Mae gets stuck in a time loop reliving the week of Christmas - except not really because it only happens at the beginning of the book. While it felt like things were being set up for some subverted expectations, instead everything happens pretty much cookie-cutter-happy-ending style which was a bummer for me.
Itās not bad, just boring and painfully predictable.
This book had potential but ultimately fell flat. For a book about accidental time travel, there are shockingly few surprises and even fewer stakes.
Mae gets stuck in a time loop reliving the week of Christmas - except not really because it only happens at the beginning of the book. While it felt like things were being set up for some subverted expectations, instead everything happens pretty much cookie-cutter-happy-ending style which was a bummer for me.
Itās not bad, just boring and painfully predictable.
Salem's Lot by Stephen King
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
4/5 stars - and the minus one is truly just because this book could have been ~150 pages shorter without losing anything important.
The town of Jerusalem's Lot ('Salem's Lot to the locals) is just like any other until a few mysterious new tenants move to town. Ben, an author returning to turn his childhood nightmares into his next best seller, and the elusive Straker and Barlow, reclusive businessmen who moved into the creepiest house in town and plan to sell antiquities. The town & it's people seem to know something is amiss before they consciously realize it and once a group stumbles upon the truth, darkness is unleashed.
Other than taking a couple hundred pages to really get to the good stuff, this was an A+ read. Classic horror written in a style that only King has really mastered. Vivid, unsettling, and downright scary at times, I highly recommend this one to fans of the genre and King himself.
The town of Jerusalem's Lot ('Salem's Lot to the locals) is just like any other until a few mysterious new tenants move to town. Ben, an author returning to turn his childhood nightmares into his next best seller, and the elusive Straker and Barlow, reclusive businessmen who moved into the creepiest house in town and plan to sell antiquities. The town & it's people seem to know something is amiss before they consciously realize it and once a group stumbles upon the truth, darkness is unleashed.
Other than taking a couple hundred pages to really get to the good stuff, this was an A+ read. Classic horror written in a style that only King has really mastered. Vivid, unsettling, and downright scary at times, I highly recommend this one to fans of the genre and King himself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Iām not sure how I feel about this book.
It hooked me and was a fast read as I wanted to know the details of what was unfolding in this school shooting story. But the characters felt like poor representations of what high schoolers really are and the jump between 4 POVs left little time to get to know anyone.
I did like the changing POVs for how they created a sense of chaos & uncertainty, giving the reader a glimpse into how the characters were feeling.
Oddly it feels like most of the deaths are breezed by which left me with an icky feeling.
I think Iād like this book more if it was for adults rather than YA and had a bit more leeway to delve into the reality and terror of this all to common occurrence in our world.
It hooked me and was a fast read as I wanted to know the details of what was unfolding in this school shooting story. But the characters felt like poor representations of what high schoolers really are and the jump between 4 POVs left little time to get to know anyone.
I did like the changing POVs for how they created a sense of chaos & uncertainty, giving the reader a glimpse into how the characters were feeling.
Oddly it feels like most of the deaths are breezed by which left me with an icky feeling.
I think Iād like this book more if it was for adults rather than YA and had a bit more leeway to delve into the reality and terror of this all to common occurrence in our world.
Anna O by Matthew Blake
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-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
2.5
This was the least thrilling thriller I've read.
Look, it isn't bad per say but it's needlessly wordy, way too long, and reads very self important. The concept is intriguing - a woman murders two people while sleep walking and then falls into a seemingly endless sleep as a stress response. She's been moved to a new facility where our MMC, a prominent sleep psychologist, will test out his new treatment theory on her.
Told mostly through Ben's eyes, but jumping to other characters when convenient, there's a lot of anxiety and repetition plus chapters that just sort of end for the sake of drama but continue on the next page as if no break was needed (because it wasn't).
Through the first half or so, I was bought in and this book did keep me hooked despite getting very monotonous because I wanted to know how it would end. The ending was...fine. I suspected the big end twist ~1/2 the way through, but there was still a nice surprise element to it.
My biggest gripe with this book is that most of the 'flashback' chapters are supposedly entries in Anna's diary, but they were just normal chapters not diary entries! These sections either needed to be presented as normal chapters occurring 'before' or actually be written like a diary.
Look, it isn't bad per say but it's needlessly wordy, way too long, and reads very self important. The concept is intriguing - a woman murders two people while sleep walking and then falls into a seemingly endless sleep as a stress response. She's been moved to a new facility where our MMC, a prominent sleep psychologist, will test out his new treatment theory on her.
Told mostly through Ben's eyes, but jumping to other characters when convenient, there's a lot of anxiety and repetition plus chapters that just sort of end for the sake of drama but continue on the next page as if no break was needed (because it wasn't).
Through the first half or so, I was bought in and this book did keep me hooked despite getting very monotonous because I wanted to know how it would end. The ending was...fine. I suspected the big end twist ~1/2 the way through, but there was still a nice surprise element to it.
My biggest gripe with this book is that most of the 'flashback' chapters are supposedly entries in Anna's diary, but they were just normal chapters not diary entries! These sections either needed to be presented as normal chapters occurring 'before' or actually be written like a diary.
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is one of the most fun books Iāve read all year!
A whimsical sci-fi tale of a barely getting by guy k his cat who inherit his estranged uncleās businesses & fortune - only to learn that the ābusinessesā are super villainy. Complete with unexpected spies, a villain convention, and a refreshing lack of romantic subplot, Starter Villain has plenty of fun twists and turns, witty dialogue, and a solid plot.
Highly recommend this one for those wanting to test the waters of sci-fi as itās not so focused on the actually science part and just presents a fun story that happens to exist in a more advanced world.
A whimsical sci-fi tale of a barely getting by guy k his cat who inherit his estranged uncleās businesses & fortune - only to learn that the ābusinessesā are super villainy. Complete with unexpected spies, a villain convention, and a refreshing lack of romantic subplot, Starter Villain has plenty of fun twists and turns, witty dialogue, and a solid plot.
Highly recommend this one for those wanting to test the waters of sci-fi as itās not so focused on the actually science part and just presents a fun story that happens to exist in a more advanced world.
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Obsessed.
Ro, with Ash. Me, with this book.
Ro meets Ash & is instantly transfixed by this beautiful, self sufficient woman. Sure Ash has quirks & strict boundaries, but who doesnāt? Itās hard to say more without spoilers, but if you like f*cked up stories, I recommend this one.
Bloom is a love story, told in some of the most beautiful writing Iāve ever read, with building undertones of tension and anxiety. As Ro & Ash fall for each other the shift from romance to horror is addicting. The book is a short, quick read with great pacing and left me feeling completed unsettled while also satisfied with the story.
Ro, with Ash. Me, with this book.
Ro meets Ash & is instantly transfixed by this beautiful, self sufficient woman. Sure Ash has quirks & strict boundaries, but who doesnāt? Itās hard to say more without spoilers, but if you like f*cked up stories, I recommend this one.
Bloom is a love story, told in some of the most beautiful writing Iāve ever read, with building undertones of tension and anxiety. As Ro & Ash fall for each other the shift from romance to horror is addicting. The book is a short, quick read with great pacing and left me feeling completed unsettled while also satisfied with the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death
All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
I really liked this book š
Margot returns to her tiny home town ostensibly for a change of pace, but really to care for her uncle in the early stages of dementia. When a nearby town sees a young girl kidnapped, the journalist in Margot cant help but draw parallels to her friend Januaryās murder 25 years ago.
A who-done-it style thriller, this story had me guessing the whole time and questioning if Margot really was on to something or just too blinded by the unsolved mystery of her friendās death.
The ending is abrupt & left me dying to know what happens next & while a lot of the twists werenāt super surprising, the big ones got me good.
Margot returns to her tiny home town ostensibly for a change of pace, but really to care for her uncle in the early stages of dementia. When a nearby town sees a young girl kidnapped, the journalist in Margot cant help but draw parallels to her friend Januaryās murder 25 years ago.
A who-done-it style thriller, this story had me guessing the whole time and questioning if Margot really was on to something or just too blinded by the unsolved mystery of her friendās death.
The ending is abrupt & left me dying to know what happens next & while a lot of the twists werenāt super surprising, the big ones got me good.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Violence
Minor: Gun violence
The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
3.0
The Nightmare Man by J.H. Markert
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The Nightmare Man delivers on exactly what it promises - nightmare fuel.
When the events of Ben Bookman's latest horror novel start happening in real life (& in disgustingly terrifying ways), there is a race against the clock to find the perpetrator before he reaches the story's end. But how do you catch a thing of nightmares? And what if those nightmares aren't just in your head?
Full of beautifully creepy imagery plus plenty of twists and turns, I loved this story. Markert's use of chaotic prose builds the tension perfectly and keeps you fully engaged with the characters, hoping to solve these crimes right along with them. I especially liked the intertwining of reality, dreams, folklore, and the paranormal to create a holistically terrifying book.
I will say that there are a LOT of characters and that got confusing at times, plus a few side plots/twists that felt unnecessary to the overall story (like the kink shaming, let an old guy have a harmless fetish if he wants one).
A solid spooky season read and, as I said at the start, truly nightmare fuel.
When the events of Ben Bookman's latest horror novel start happening in real life (& in disgustingly terrifying ways), there is a race against the clock to find the perpetrator before he reaches the story's end. But how do you catch a thing of nightmares? And what if those nightmares aren't just in your head?
Full of beautifully creepy imagery plus plenty of twists and turns, I loved this story. Markert's use of chaotic prose builds the tension perfectly and keeps you fully engaged with the characters, hoping to solve these crimes right along with them. I especially liked the intertwining of reality, dreams, folklore, and the paranormal to create a holistically terrifying book.
I will say that there are a LOT of characters and that got confusing at times, plus a few side plots/twists that felt unnecessary to the overall story (like the kink shaming, let an old guy have a harmless fetish if he wants one).
A solid spooky season read and, as I said at the start, truly nightmare fuel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse and Suicide
Minor: Child abuse