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wildflowercrypt's reviews
122 reviews
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
i don’t know how to explain this book, i don’t even know how to process anything i just read. i’m devestated. i’m hopeful. i’ve the sneaking suspicion that a lot of it went clear over my head and i won’t fully appreciate everything Le Guin tried to say with tLHoD until i’ve read it for a second time.
and i probably, definitely shouldn’t have picked this as my first Le Guin because it was a true exercise in “trust the process,” or, in this case, trust the storyteller.
and i probably, definitely shouldn’t have picked this as my first Le Guin because it was a true exercise in “trust the process,” or, in this case, trust the storyteller.
It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over by Anne de Marcken
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
when the zombie novel about love and grief is actually a zombie novel about love and grief (i prayed for times like these)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Miscarriage
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
man, i’m having a hard time digesting this one. a sobering look at the pain and self-hatred queer people lived with and internalized, even in places like mid-1950s France where homosexuality was no longer criminalized but still came with massive social stigma.
David was hardly a likeable protagonist, and yet part of me still felt such compassion for him even as i watched his self-loathing destroy, not only himself, but everyone around him. a complex, tragic story of a man unable to accept himself, or the love he desires. Baldwin is a masterful writer; looking forward to reading more of his works.
David was hardly a likeable protagonist, and yet part of me still felt such compassion for him even as i watched his self-loathing destroy, not only himself, but everyone around him. a complex, tragic story of a man unable to accept himself, or the love he desires. Baldwin is a masterful writer; looking forward to reading more of his works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
the Metamorphosis is a story of alienation and dehumanization told in three parts. and as i read, my heart slowly broke for Gregor, our anti-hero; used, reviled, neglected, abandoned… he deserved so much more than his fate.
O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
“But the raw, sheer edge of her misery was blunted; she had learnt to cope, even to survive, by deviousness, by reading, and, as always, by day-dreaming.”
if sixteen-year-old me had been able to read this book, i would’ve made it my whole personality.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
i don’t think there’s a single more important book to read in 2025. if you read any banned book this year, please— make it this one. this book is so raw, brutal in its honesty and hope for humankind. people….. people are not good to each other. but in the end, it’ll be the few good people left that will inherit this earth. if this book leaves you with anything, it is that.
there are a slew of content warnings for this book, definitely go in prepared. the first half is….. harrowing. one of my favorite aspects of the horror genre is how it allows you to engage safely with fear, all the stuff that can be too hard to face without the safety of ink and paper between you and it. parable of the sower isn’t horror, but much like the genre, it allows you to safely face the realities about our world’s near future that are often too hard to look at directly in real life. but it doesn’t leave you there, reflecting on and lost in all that inescapable ugliness mankind made for itself. there’s hope, too. because where there are people, there is always hope.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Cannibalism, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism and Trafficking
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
my favorite book in the series, so far. 🩶
The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
alright, i finished it. five stars. this is another one that i’d categorize as “not for everyone but, damn, it was for me.” the Bog-Wife is a character study in generational trauma as experienced by five siblings who bury their abusive father only to watch the rhythm of their isolated lives collapse around them. not everyone will find Eda, Charlie, Wenna, Percy, and Nora lovable but i did— lovable, and painfully familiar.
technically this is classed as horror but i’d recommend it to anyone who’s interested in testing the waters in the shallow end of horror, or more specifically: folk horror.
technically this is classed as horror but i’d recommend it to anyone who’s interested in testing the waters in the shallow end of horror, or more specifically: folk horror.