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776 reviews by:
bebocarrick
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Man, this book sounded SO up my alley. Eco-horror, a bit of cult horror, a bunch of birdwatchers and bird references, a literary tone, and a healthy dose of anti-government sentiment and you have a cocktail for what could be one of Bebo's favorites.
Alas, I feel rather ambivalent towards this one. It wasn't horrible at all, and I really did enjoy the prose. I just immediately felt myself lose interest once we got into more sci-fi territory. My need for clarity/concreteness also reared its head when this book failed to answer my many questions about who is targeted by the deading, what the actual goal of the thing that was once Bernhard was, why the cult formed in the first place, what happened to Ingram, and so on.
I was also a bit confused by the narration of this book because of the shift in perspectives without actually revealing who was talking. While I don't mind a good mystery, I do need some clarification because I am a little slow on the uptake sometimes.
All in all, a bit disappointed by this one. It definitely could have been worse though.
Man, this book sounded SO up my alley. Eco-horror, a bit of cult horror, a bunch of birdwatchers and bird references, a literary tone, and a healthy dose of anti-government sentiment and you have a cocktail for what could be one of Bebo's favorites.
Alas, I feel rather ambivalent towards this one. It wasn't horrible at all, and I really did enjoy the prose. I just immediately felt myself lose interest once we got into more sci-fi territory. My need for clarity/concreteness also reared its head when this book failed to answer my many questions about who is targeted by the deading, what the actual goal of the thing that was once Bernhard was, why the cult formed in the first place, what happened to Ingram, and so on.
I was also a bit confused by the narration of this book because of the shift in perspectives without actually revealing who was talking. While I don't mind a good mystery, I do need some clarification because I am a little slow on the uptake sometimes.
All in all, a bit disappointed by this one. It definitely could have been worse though.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This short story collection was equal parts dark, surreal, and real. As someone who lives an ocean away from Northern Ireland and isn't well-versed in any kind of Irish literature, I think a lot of the finer points (and even some of the non-finer points) of these stories went over my head, nevertheless, I found a quiet beauty in many of them.
My favorite by far is "Pillar." I think it was a wonderful look at mental illness and what it would look like if struggles with mental illness and the desire to get help were very visible.
I am very intrigued to explore Jan Carson's full length novels!
Publication Date: July 9, 2024
This short story collection was equal parts dark, surreal, and real. As someone who lives an ocean away from Northern Ireland and isn't well-versed in any kind of Irish literature, I think a lot of the finer points (and even some of the non-finer points) of these stories went over my head, nevertheless, I found a quiet beauty in many of them.
My favorite by far is "Pillar." I think it was a wonderful look at mental illness and what it would look like if struggles with mental illness and the desire to get help were very visible.
I am very intrigued to explore Jan Carson's full length novels!
Publication Date: July 9, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was such a fun spooky tale! It was fast-paced, with lots of action keeping the story going. The setting of the park was very well described, and it sucked me in from the very beginning. Despite the obvious problems at the park, I found myself thinking it would be quite fun to go to a horror-themed amusement park.
Unfortunately, I found the characters a little one-dimensional, which made it a little harder to sympathize with them and their plights. I also wish the chapters from each of their POVs were labeled so I didn't have to spend the first page or so of each chapter determining who was talking.
Overall this was a fun, if not quite believable horror romp. I genuinely enjoyed this read despite some flaws, and would recommend for a quick scary YA read!
Publication date: 7 May 2024
This was such a fun spooky tale! It was fast-paced, with lots of action keeping the story going. The setting of the park was very well described, and it sucked me in from the very beginning. Despite the obvious problems at the park, I found myself thinking it would be quite fun to go to a horror-themed amusement park.
Unfortunately, I found the characters a little one-dimensional, which made it a little harder to sympathize with them and their plights. I also wish the chapters from each of their POVs were labeled so I didn't have to spend the first page or so of each chapter determining who was talking.
Overall this was a fun, if not quite believable horror romp. I genuinely enjoyed this read despite some flaws, and would recommend for a quick scary YA read!
Publication date: 7 May 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
As someone deeply interested in Christian religious history and trope use throughout history, this book was incredible! It was such a wonderful deep dive into the various historical and literary uses of the Faustian bargain and the many iterations it has gone through. The author clearly did a lot of meticulous research to prepare this book, and it shows.
It also provides some wonderful philosophical quandaries about our connection with and participation in Faustian bargains as they relate to capitalism and ethical consumption. I'll be thinking on the points it brought up for a while.
In addition to the content, the writing style was beautiful. I have added several of the author's other books to my TBR because I enjoyed both his content and style so much!
Publication date: 9 July 2024
As someone deeply interested in Christian religious history and trope use throughout history, this book was incredible! It was such a wonderful deep dive into the various historical and literary uses of the Faustian bargain and the many iterations it has gone through. The author clearly did a lot of meticulous research to prepare this book, and it shows.
It also provides some wonderful philosophical quandaries about our connection with and participation in Faustian bargains as they relate to capitalism and ethical consumption. I'll be thinking on the points it brought up for a while.
In addition to the content, the writing style was beautiful. I have added several of the author's other books to my TBR because I enjoyed both his content and style so much!
Publication date: 9 July 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Despite this book being slower than I anticipated, I greatly enjoyed it! It follows a journalist (Rika) as she interviews a serial killer (Kaiji) and they talk about recipes, love, marriage, and female company.
This novel has a very philosophical bent to it, as it covers many things like the value of women in society, human connection, and fixation. The strange connection between Rika and Kaiji and their connection through food gave me slight Hannibal vibes, so I'm here for that.
There were portions of this book that were slow, but with the more philosophical bent, that is to be expected. Additionally, there is a lot of discussion about weight in this book, which could be triggering to some people.
Despite this book being slower than I anticipated, I greatly enjoyed it! It follows a journalist (Rika) as she interviews a serial killer (Kaiji) and they talk about recipes, love, marriage, and female company.
This novel has a very philosophical bent to it, as it covers many things like the value of women in society, human connection, and fixation. The strange connection between Rika and Kaiji and their connection through food gave me slight Hannibal vibes, so I'm here for that.
There were portions of this book that were slow, but with the more philosophical bent, that is to be expected. Additionally, there is a lot of discussion about weight in this book, which could be triggering to some people.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was a beautiful yet bleak look at a small community struggling to survive through the eyes of a young woman named Manod. Set on a fictional Welsh island, this story starts with a whale washing onto the beach of this island, which the people see as a bad omen. Soon after, two English ethnographers come to the island to document the dying community.
Though this book was bleak and sad, the prose was beautiful, told through folk tales and Manod's quietly strong voice. I really enjoyed the physical representation of the community's death shown in the rotting carcass of the whale. This constant reminder of real and societal decay was very interesting.
I also enjoyed that it brought up some of the ethical concerns behind ethnography, and if there is a way to study a people without it being exploitative. Overall a short but powerful read.
Publication date: 7 May 2024
This was a beautiful yet bleak look at a small community struggling to survive through the eyes of a young woman named Manod. Set on a fictional Welsh island, this story starts with a whale washing onto the beach of this island, which the people see as a bad omen. Soon after, two English ethnographers come to the island to document the dying community.
Though this book was bleak and sad, the prose was beautiful, told through folk tales and Manod's quietly strong voice. I really enjoyed the physical representation of the community's death shown in the rotting carcass of the whale. This constant reminder of real and societal decay was very interesting.
I also enjoyed that it brought up some of the ethical concerns behind ethnography, and if there is a way to study a people without it being exploitative. Overall a short but powerful read.
Publication date: 7 May 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I was very excited about this novel. After all, what's not to love about Appalachia, sister bonds, magical realism, baby lesbians, and dash of mystery? Unfortunately, most of this book did not hook me. The interesting subject matter and beautiful prose was held back by some hella slow pacing. Although I love some slow literary novels, the book's description, subject matter, and length all led me to believe this one would be faster paced, so I finished this book feeling a bit misled.
I will say, if you're struggling with finishing this one, the last 30% was my favorite portion of the novel. The pace sped up and things were happening. I think if more of the book was written with that pacing, it would have kept my interest more than it did.
I have no doubts this book will find an audience that loves its slow, eerie atmosphere. It just wasn't quite for me.
Publication Date: 16 July 2024
I was very excited about this novel. After all, what's not to love about Appalachia, sister bonds, magical realism, baby lesbians, and dash of mystery? Unfortunately, most of this book did not hook me. The interesting subject matter and beautiful prose was held back by some hella slow pacing. Although I love some slow literary novels, the book's description, subject matter, and length all led me to believe this one would be faster paced, so I finished this book feeling a bit misled.
I will say, if you're struggling with finishing this one, the last 30% was my favorite portion of the novel. The pace sped up and things were happening. I think if more of the book was written with that pacing, it would have kept my interest more than it did.
I have no doubts this book will find an audience that loves its slow, eerie atmosphere. It just wasn't quite for me.
Publication Date: 16 July 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Hera always gets the short end of the stick, usually stuck into the simple role of "Zeus's jealous and not very powerful wife." BUT NOT THIS TIME! This retelling puts Hera in the forefront and shows the reader her power, fury, and depth.
I loved hearing a multitude of well-known and more obscure myths from Hera's perspective, especially in such a beautiful and cohesive narrative. This feminist spin on Hera's tale was a welcome respite from all the needlessly negative portrayals of her. However, I also liked that her flaws are still apparent in the novel.
The ending was quite possibly my favorite part of the book. It felt like such a love letter to Hera and a beautiful resolution to all that she faced.
My one complaint would be the narration of the audiobook. The pronunciations of many gods and goddess's names differs from the usual, and having to stop every so often to puzzle out which god or goddess was being referred to was frustrating.
Publication date: 13 August 2024
Hera always gets the short end of the stick, usually stuck into the simple role of "Zeus's jealous and not very powerful wife." BUT NOT THIS TIME! This retelling puts Hera in the forefront and shows the reader her power, fury, and depth.
I loved hearing a multitude of well-known and more obscure myths from Hera's perspective, especially in such a beautiful and cohesive narrative. This feminist spin on Hera's tale was a welcome respite from all the needlessly negative portrayals of her. However, I also liked that her flaws are still apparent in the novel.
The ending was quite possibly my favorite part of the book. It felt like such a love letter to Hera and a beautiful resolution to all that she faced.
My one complaint would be the narration of the audiobook. The pronunciations of many gods and goddess's names differs from the usual, and having to stop every so often to puzzle out which god or goddess was being referred to was frustrating.
Publication date: 13 August 2024