I don’t particularly care for classics, as I don’t think books by cis het white men should be the only books we hold up and praise (and teach, but that’s a whole different conversation). But I really loved this one. The audiobook was full cast and outstanding. I love that Orwell used something as outlandish as talking animals to comment on politics and everything else he touched upon. 

Katrina Leno is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. I love how she uses magical realism or fantabulism to discuss and give commentary on difficult subjects. Her writing feels like vert fairytale-esque, where there’s a moral to a story that’s told in a magical way. So good. 

This is marketed as a thriller but it wasn’t very thrilling. Feels a bit more like literary fiction. Also, the writing style was odd and I didn’t care for it. The atmosphere of dread and uncertainty was what elevated this one. 

Did I start and finish this book all in one sitting? You bet. It’s very readable. Sad girl vibes. Deals with grief. Magical realism would be the genre I’d go with, or contemporary YA with a splash of the fantastic. 

This wasn’t an enjoyable read by any means and I only liked a small handful of the stories, but a lot of them have stuck in my head to where I can’t stop thinking about them. Which I think a lot of short horror stories aim to do. That’s why I’m rating it higher than a 1 or 2 star.