illtakethenightshiftx's reviews
187 reviews

The Man in the Banana Trees by Marguerite Sheffer

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4.0

The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.75

This was a fast-paced bloodbath of a novel that totally scratched the slasher book itch I had! It read like a movie and I could picture everything that was happening in vivid technicolor. 

Was the plot a bit thin? Absolutely. Did that deter me from enjoying myself? Absolutely not!!
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American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
might switch to audio. Paperback format isn’t working for me because the book is soooo stream of consciousness. 
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I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying by Youngmi Mayer

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 52%.
This memoir is poignant and quite funny, but not for me right now. I had to DNF (52%) for now because of graphic depictions of abuse, eating disorders, and other heavy topics I don’t have the capacity to read about at this present time. I would like to return to this once I’m able to do so because the writing is whip smart and compulsively readable!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
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The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker

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dark mysterious tense medium-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
It's been over a month since I finished this, and yet I'm still not sure if this was a book for me. I loved the way Bieker explored trauma, grief, and motherhood through Clove's experiences, but being inside Clove's head for the duration of the book was grating for a number of reasons, namely the writing style. I'm realizing that first-person pov isn't something I love and something about the way this was written added to my dislike of the book as a whole. The story within is a visceral gut punch of a story, but getting to it wasn't easy. I also wasn't a fan of the "twists" regarding certain characters and had whiplash 3/4 of the way through when it suddenly became a thriller.

Not giving this a star rating because none feel quite right
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Needful Things by Stephen King

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Needful Things isn’t one of my favorite King novels but when it’s read by King himself, it’s 10x better
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I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

I read this in one sitting and while it’s not groundbreaking by any means, it’s dark, unsettling, strange, and a bit nauseating. I didn’t think this would be for me, but I enjoyed the whirlwind I just was part of.
(this sits between 3.75 and 4)
A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

A quick hit of weird, cosmic horror! I wished the Power that was described throughout the book was a bit more fleshed our, but overall it was a good read. Perfect for this time of year!
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