nicekweenreads's reviews
194 reviews

adventurous challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

Wow. This book was certainly... published.

Look, dystopians are RIGHT up my alley. I love them. I grew up on the Hunger Games. I adore The Lottery. And you know what? The marketing team / publisher / who ever made the blurb really set the bar way too high. What made those books work was succinct, clear, and well-woven world building. Additionally, the characters were developed well and felt like real people. If you liked those things about those other books, do not read Curdle Creek.

One thing Curdle Creek did well was the creativity and ideas. The Widow's Race and Moving On were very interesting concepts however, the execution was poor. 60% into the book, suddenly time travel is introduced, which is only used to visit the town a few decades earlier. A lot of time is wasted here and suddenly we are transported to the underworld. Then to England (ireland?). It's so bizarre to cram all of these settings changes right at the end.

What makes it worse is that the main character, who is a 45 year old woman, acts like an impulsive teenager. She is difficult to root for because she is so immature. It's difficult to remember she is a mother until she reminds the reader because of how she acts. The supporting cast of characters are just completely unlikeable. They aren't villains, they just aren't good people.

Overall, this was a rough read and was no where close to the books it compares itself to in its own blurb. Maybe some more brainstorming and discussion with ARC readers would've improved this book. I'm not sure, but I can't recommend in good faith.

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

5.0

While I can certainly see how this can be a decisive book, I absolutely loved it.

Pros:
I really liked and related to Sarah, the main character. She is a women who just cut off ties with her manipulative mother and just left an emotionally abusive relationship. Accepted to an artist colony, Sarah is excited to find who is without her ex. However, strange events start occurring the moment she accidentally digs up a woman when trying to dig an area for a kiln. From there she is mysteriously connected to the dead woman, receiving flashbacks to her life, and the horrors that await at the property.

Most of the characters felt real and multidimensional. I could relate to a lot of them in many ways (except the artistic talent).

I also really liked the feminist perspective this book was written from. It's very refreshing in the horror genre and sadly relatable.

Another relatable relationship was the "romantic interest".

A lot of books have some hunky, magical man to come in and save the heroine's heart, this isn't it. I love they didn't get together. Right person, wrong time.

Though I'm not normally a fan of historical horror, I thought it was done well.

The historical truth of how easily women were given to asylums added an extra layer of eeriness. The ties between Emily and Sarah served as a great, yet heart breaking parallel. I do wish Emily has a better redemption though.

Cons:
I felt the pacing was a little slow in beginning. We spend a long time with characters that don't really matter much.

I am positive the nails were supposed to have some bigger conenction but I didn't get it. It was really clear what those who held them besides being randonly possessed.

I also felt the ending was also little rushed and odd, especially when compared to how long the beginning of the book was.

The ex boyfriend showing up at the end in the hotel was so odd. Especially since there was no expalnation if he and Gale were working together.

Content Warnings

I Found Puppets Living In My Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Some of Your Blood by Theodore Sturgeon

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The Unmothers: A Novel by Leslie J. Anderson

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dark mysterious slow-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

2.5

Interesting premise but poor execution. Reads like a slow burn mystery. Not sure why it is categorized as horror.

Perfect dark read for horse girls though.

The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced