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poisoned_icecream's reviews
1988 reviews
Good Night, Sleep Tight by Brian Evenson
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
These stories are so strange and unsettling. They all managed to remind me of The Twilight Zone. There's a decent mix of horror and science fiction, and all of them are thought-provoking in their own way. All of the stories have similar themes but told in different ways, such as what it means to be human, servitude and slavery, childhood fears, and climate change. Brian Evenson is a talented writer and I am definitely gonna be reading more of his writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Mental illness, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Pregnancy
White Pines by Gemma Amor
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Megs goes to the home she inherited from her grandmother after her the dissolution of her marriage. There she uncovers secrets and terrifying revelations about her family history, as well an island called White Pines. This excellently combines folk horror with cosmic horror, and Megs is such a flawed and interesting character. The moments between her and Matthew bored me, but overall I enjoyed this book. Many of the images were so well written that they will forever be in my head :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Hotell by John Lees
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This is about a motel in which scary things happen to the people who stay there. I'm glad I borrowed this from the library. All of these stories are interconnected, which I enjoyed seeing. I did not care for the first and second stories, but the third and final were more interesting in my opinion. The first is about a pregnant woman who left her abusive boyfriend and the second is about a husband whose wife keeps coming back to life each time he murders her. The third one is about a woman searching for answers about her sister. The final story is about a man who's convinced his mentally ill son is actually possessed by a demon, which made me more sad than scared. Right now I'm not motivated to read the next volume, but maybe I'll change my mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
One Good Turn by Sarah Wallace
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
Nell Birks wants to do honest work and learn to cast spells after living her entire life as a pickpocket, but when she prevents a wealthy man from being robbed, she is told to break into and steal from the home of a powerful spellcaster named Finlington. This leads her to becoming Finlington's pupil and assistant.
This is such a sweet fantasy novella about friendship. Nell is a very endearing character and I adored the friendship between her and Pip. It is also nice to read about an aromantic lesbian who is unapologetic about wanting sex without romance. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it is more telling than showing, but that to me is a minor issue and did not make me enjoy this less. I will definitely read more from this author.
This is such a sweet fantasy novella about friendship. Nell is a very endearing character and I adored the friendship between her and Pip. It is also nice to read about an aromantic lesbian who is unapologetic about wanting sex without romance. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it is more telling than showing, but that to me is a minor issue and did not make me enjoy this less. I will definitely read more from this author.
The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
Darby was fired from the company he was working at in New York, so when he calls his mom and she tells him that she's moving to a condo, he decides to move back to Oak Falls to help with the move. He also reconnects with his childhood friend, who he hasn't spoken to in a really long time. When he enters an independent bookstore called In Between Books, he travels to 2009 and sees himself as a teen before he transitioned.
This is both a beautiful book but also so frustrating. Every time Darby and Michael interacted I wanted them to just talk to each other already. Miscommunication in books annoys me so much. When they finally talk and are friends again instead of just people who knew each other as teens, I was so relieved. I also very much enjoyed seeing chosen/found family in this book. If I ever read this again it'll be as an audiobook because at times it lost my attention.
This is both a beautiful book but also so frustrating. Every time Darby and Michael interacted I wanted them to just talk to each other already. Miscommunication in books annoys me so much. When they finally talk and are friends again instead of just people who knew each other as teens, I was so relieved. I also very much enjoyed seeing chosen/found family in this book. If I ever read this again it'll be as an audiobook because at times it lost my attention.
Bedside Manor by Jack Townsend
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Jack and his friend Jerry are on a road trip when their car breaks down. They go to a manor to ask for help and while they're there the hostess tells them they're going to play a game and to not break character. Things get bizarre and absurd as the game goes on.
This book is so funny, I was giggling at just about every moment. It has vibes of cozy mystery mixed with cosmic horror. Also the audiobook has sound effects, which made the listening experience more fun and immersive.
This book is so funny, I was giggling at just about every moment. It has vibes of cozy mystery mixed with cosmic horror. Also the audiobook has sound effects, which made the listening experience more fun and immersive.
Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I had a lot of fun with this comic. The cozy, bright, and soft illustrations mixed with murder, horror and bloodshed in a small town of anthropomorphized animals was perfect for me. :)
Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
I really enjoyed this, but there were also moments in which I was bored. It has three protagonists who have superpowers. One is a marine biologist, another is a rapper, and the third is a soldier. It is up to them to bring the people of Lagos together with the aliens, with the help of the president and a reporter and other characters. There's many characters who appear in several chapters or just one chapter before they die. My favorite moment was when there was a road that eats people, and the Nigerian folklore was fun to read. Even if I didn't always like this I'd still recommend it to readers who enjoy science fiction and fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World by Antony Loewenstein
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This is so depressing and infuriating, but also an essential book. Loewenstein does an excellent at explaining how Israel tests weapons and surveillance technology on Palestinians and then selling to dictator and fascist nations. I struggled reading this but it was definitely worth the effort.
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
This is the sequel to All Systems Red. Murderbot left its guardian (a gentler way of saying owner), and is pretending to be a human. It meets a system named ART. At first Murderbot distrusts ART but they eventually become friends. Murderbot wants and needs to find out about its past, and to get to a certain area ART convinces it to take on a temporary job as a security consultant. The interaction between Murderbot and ART was so much fun to read and the few action scenes were well-written. I really adore Murderbot and really excited to read more of this series. :)