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natreviews's reviews
417 reviews
Beyond the Dark Veil: Post Mortem & Mourning Photography from the Thanatos Archive by Jack Mord
dark
informative
fast-paced
4.0
So this makes a really cool coffee table book. The main drive is of course the photos, which if you're interested in mourning photography/victorian era mourning, is really cool. There are a couple of essays throughout the book all talking about mourning photography, which you can skip in my opinion. The first two I couldn't really understand as the language was super flowery and distracting, while the last two were a bit easier of a read.
House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
You know, I wished this book was better. It's not bad by any means, but it wasn't all that good in my opinion. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if this started out as a Lady Dimitrescu fan fiction (the not really vampires but have to drink blood in order to stay alive because of an illness, a grand manor in a far off place, four major houses, her being an extremely tall lady, etc.) since there are so many parallels to her character.
I also was expecting this to be a vampire novel, but it wasn't. It pulls the rich people drink blood for status/I need blood because of a illness trope, which isn't my favourite. I also wasn't really impressed with the sapphic elements of the story. I found them to be really bland and not fleshed out. Like the sapphic scenes are missing pieces that make it a TMSapphic scene.
I will say I love the cover art though, I thought it was really well done and didn't give too much away from the book while leaving little plot details in.
I also was expecting this to be a vampire novel, but it wasn't. It pulls the rich people drink blood for status/I need blood because of a illness trope, which isn't my favourite. I also wasn't really impressed with the sapphic elements of the story. I found them to be really bland and not fleshed out. Like the sapphic scenes are missing pieces that make it a TMSapphic scene.
I will say I love the cover art though, I thought it was really well done and didn't give too much away from the book while leaving little plot details in.
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was so good I pretty much devoured it over the weekend. I really like the psychosocial horror elements, and very much reminded me of The Descent.
I will say I didn't really like the implications of the ending (the trauma bonding to love aspect ), although I can see clearly how we got there. I also wish we got a quick overview of terms for those of us who don't cave (for the first third of the book I thought cams meant cameras, since I didn't have the knowledge to know that cams are equipment), but other then that I think she nailed the balance between being informative and knowledgeable with the topic, but not over explaining things (Dan Simmons I'm looking at you).
Overall an amazing read with a bit of a weak ending.
I will say I didn't really like the implications of the ending (
Overall an amazing read with a bit of a weak ending.
The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetuated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
3.5
You know, I wish this book was a bit better. I say that because this genre/topic really interests me.
I found that this was a short form podcast. With each chapter focusing on a different case, it felt like you got a 15 minute summary of what happened. I felt like there were some pieces of information missing. It makes sense that the book was written in this format (since the author is also a podcaster), but it just missed the mark by a hair.
I found that this was a short form podcast. With each chapter focusing on a different case, it felt like you got a 15 minute summary of what happened. I felt like there were some pieces of information missing. It makes sense that the book was written in this format (since the author is also a podcaster), but it just missed the mark by a hair.
Song of the Sandman by J-F. Dubeau
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
OH MY GOD! First, I have to write about the epilogue because oh my god that ending!!!
Okay, now onto the actual review. This story I found to be better then the first. It told a complete tale. I also found it was written better then the first novel.
The duology is written so the first novel gives context to the second. The second novel feels like the real story that wanted to be told, while the first (in retrospect) feels more like the prequal/backstory needed to understand what was going on.
This book, even though is the final one, does leave enough of an opening for stories to branch off of. A part from the characters that die and one other character, all the rest are open ended. We never find out what happens to them. It'll be interesting if we revisit this world (like in Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Boys series and the Dreamer trilogy).
Okay, now onto the actual review. This story I found to be better then the first. It told a complete tale. I also found it was written better then the first novel.
The duology is written so the first novel gives context to the second. The second novel feels like the real story that wanted to be told, while the first (in retrospect) feels more like the prequal/backstory needed to understand what was going on.
This book, even though is the final one, does leave enough of an opening for stories to branch off of. A part from the characters that die and one other character, all the rest are open ended. We never find out what happens to them. It'll be interesting if we revisit this world (like in Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Boys series and the Dreamer trilogy).
A God in the Shed by J-F. Dubeau
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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
4.0
This book was weird. I found that a lot of the circus characters and the plot could be ludicrous at times. I did like how it was written through multiple perspectives though.
Alien: Covenant by Alan Dean Foster
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Okay, I really liked the movie and I really liked this book. I found it really interesting to note the changes and the extra information we got from it. I honestly prefer the story told in this one then the one in the movie. It felt more fleshed out, which makes sense when you're talking about how different the formats are.
She Walks in Shadows by
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
So like any anthology, some of the stories were stronger than others. There were also some that I understood clearer than others (sometimes because of cultural differences, sometimes I found not enough context was added to fully understand what was happening, and some because I've never actually read Lovecraft). I will say there wasn't a stand out bad story though!
Audition by Ryū Murakami
dark
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
You know, I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Maybe part of it is due to translation, but I don't really know how this got popular. The story for me ended up feeling half baked towards the end, and the ending felt rushed. I've also seen this (well, mainly the movie) as a good for her book, and while I can see the argument for it, for me it isn't.
I didn't really find anyone likeable, which I guess is the point of the book. I also found the ending to be like "well, the bad guy has to be defeated, so let's just wrap this up as quick as we can!" I wish this book was longer, so it could have been more fleshed out, but as a novella it does sorta work?
I didn't really find anyone likeable, which I guess is the point of the book. I also found the ending to be like "well, the bad guy has to be defeated, so let's just wrap this up as quick as we can!" I wish this book was longer, so it could have been more fleshed out, but as a novella it does sorta work?
Unbelievable: Investigations Into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena, from the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory by Stacy Horn
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
So where do I start with this book... it's really boring. Which is interesting considering it's material. I found that I would skim over paragraphs because it never captivated me as a read. It's just written in a way that was bland and didn't get my attention. The book also jumps around a lot, so I never really understood the timeline of events or what was going on. It could be because of how boring I found it, but I barely remember anything that I read, and still have no clue really who Rhine was.