kylieqrada's reviews
778 reviews

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

The themes were theming!! I think I will just always want more from a novella, I am a long book girlie. Definitely will pick up more from P. Djeli Clark. 
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The Changeling by Victor LaValle

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I was pretty scared to pick this one up because, while I loved the first Victor Lavalle I read, this one centers around postpartum depression which I am currently experiencing. However, I can’t imagine giving this less than 5 stars. Parts of it were triggering, but following Emma and Apollo’s journey was well worth it. 
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Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

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challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

I devoured this book!! Social horror is definitely my subgenre. This was weird and insightful and, dare I say, fun?? But also truly horrific in the best way. I docked half a star cuz the writing style wasn’t necessarily 100% my thing, but I’ll definitely read more from Chuck Tingle in the future. 
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Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Cherie Dimaline’s writing is my absolute shit. So many quotable lines! I loved the incorporation of indigenous folklore and the connection between capitalism and religion. 
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Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano

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

4.0

This one scared me, I will not lie. Seminary House? You couldn’t pay me enough. I did not know this followed a grieving mother though and that was rough. Lesson learned - check the content warnings. 
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The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Is she a horror girlie now???? No promises, but I think the darkness inside my mind might have finally outpaced the darkness in horror novels. 💅🏻
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Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire

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adventurous dark emotional 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? No

4.0

I honestly don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this series. I loved how self-aware this one was and the direction the meta plot is going in. 
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Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.5

From the acknowledgements: “Many of us spend our lives searching for something too big to truly name, something that is often (inadequately) summarized as ‘unconditional love.’ If you have gone out seeking this enormous thing, and found yourself in danger; if you have spent any part of your life thinking that something monstrous was normal or inevitable; if you have lost some part of yourself in the process of looking for a place that feels like home - I hope you know that you have always deserved a better kind of love than that.” 

Docked half a star because I am too dumb to appreciate all of the nuance in this book. 
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Death's Dancer by Jasmine Silvera

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? No

4.0

I love Jasmine Silvera’s writing. I read her series out of order, so it was pretty obvious that she has grown as a writer since this was published, but I still vibed with it hard. 
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

3.5

 I am trash for Sarah Janet, and I might have enjoyed this more if it hadn’t taken me 27 years to finish it. I like where the story is going and the whole multiverse deal, but parts of this just dragged. 
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