whatellisreadnext's reviews
630 reviews

Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

Of the Flesh by Susan Barker, Adorah Nworah, Emilia Hart, Bridget Collins, Lucy Rose, Robert Lautner, Michel Faber, Evie Wyld, JK Chukwu, James Smythe, Lewis Hancox, Lavie Tidhar, Francine Toon, Louisa Young, Ainslie Hogarth

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dark funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

A really solid collection, that grabbed my attention after months of little to no concentration. Yes, It probably could have been scarier, but I did enjoy how dry and British a lot of the stories were. My favourites are pretty all over the place, but highlights include: Waffle Thomas, Shade, Bob-a-job and Broccoli Eel. A great collection for spooky season and I will definitely be looking into a lot of the authors other works.
The Searcher by Tana French

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

3.0

This was fine, and I'm glad I finally read it. It just came nowhere close to the Dublin murder books at all. It felt pretty basic and obvious. The characterisation was okay, but nothing like her usual vivid characters. I definitely need to just carry on with the Dublin murder series, I think I've two left. 
Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

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funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I'm sorry, but this was barely a book. Graveyard Shift needed about 300 more pages of character establishment and plot. It was so short, you don't know who anybody is, or care. Some people have a knack from short fiction. They can bring you into a story immediately, without need for elaboration, M.L. Rio doesn't have that skill, unfortunately, which is fine, but this should have just been a novel instead. It wasn't scary, and the interesting parts felt very rushed. I'm over it, expect it to be on my vinted at the end of the month 🤣
Authority by Jeff VanderMeer

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funny mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

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

3.0

This book was just what I needed, full of fall vibes and a slightly trashy but captivating narrative. The ending just didn't really do it for me. It felt really rushed and easily resolved after that massively moody build-up.  I would still recommend it though, especially if you're feeling slumpy.
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

5.0

Clear by Carys Davies

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dark emotional hopeful reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

You were all right. Clear is the perfect mix of cosy and strange and a great little book to squeeze onto your autumn reading list. It reminded me of books like The Wall, Small Things Like These, and The Old Haunts, not in subject matter, but in how it made me feel.  We follow John as he journeys north to evict Ivar, the sole resident of a Scottish island. He's not long there when something happens and things go awry.
The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Hotel Iris by Yōko Ogawa

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dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Yoko Ogawa is definitely one of my favourite authors, but this one is my least favourite so far. I loved how it was written, but the subject matter of a 17 year old in quite a graphic relationship with a 60+ year old, was not my idea of a good time 💁🏻‍♀️ I did forget how much I love Ogawa's matter of fact style, even when it comes to the very brutal and horrific. And being in her books is just so effortless.