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booktribe's Reviews (603)
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual assault
Although I cared about the characters, this book was very much a no plot just vibes story. I think if it had a subplot or two I could’ve continued reading. I needed more to happen, otherwise this could’ve just been a short story.
But, if you’re a character driven reader who doesn’t need a plot to enjoy a story, then you may enjoy this one!
But, if you’re a character driven reader who doesn’t need a plot to enjoy a story, then you may enjoy this one!
Although I was very interested in the mystery of the story, the pacing was so slow. We weren’t getting any story. The writing was just full of random anecdotes about the main character’s life that have NOTHING to do with the plot. It became exhausting to read.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
“I thought I was my best with her but she saw how wretched I was and she loved me for it—“ - Black Hole by November Rush
““I think I’m not well,” he whispers. “Hey, it’s okay. I’ll take care of you.” How that phrase, take care of, implies both nurturing and disposal.” - American Gothic by LC von Hessen
Overall I enjoyed this collection! There were definitely some hits and misses, but there were several stories that I really enjoyed! My faves were: Your Honor, I’d Like to Put You in the Shoes of One of Dr. Morehouse’s Thirty Proven Clients by M. V. Pine (absolutely horrifying), Black Hole by November Rush (horrifying & beautiful & heartbreaking all at once), Lost and Found by Charlene Adhiambo (I too feel like a dead body rotting in a tub that has nothing except her dreams) & American Gothic by LC von Hessen!
I really enjoyed the continued use of second person POV in these stories, it really brought a haunting vibe to a lot of the stories! A lot of the stories were on the erotic horror side, which isn’t for me, so I think that’s why some of the stories didn’t connect with me. But, the ones I enjoyed, I REALLY enjoyed!
Individual story ratings:
📚 Your Honor, I’d Like to Put You in the Shoes of One of Dr. Morehouse’s Thirty Proven Clients by M. V. Pine: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
> TW: dead naming, transphobia
📚 This Body is not your home by Son M. : ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 Curdled Song of the Broken Earth by Jonathan Louis Duckworth: DNF
📚 Fortune Favors Grief by Cassandra Khaw: ⭐️
📚 Cleodora by August Clarke: ⭐️⭐️✨
📚 Summer Night by Robbie Banfitch: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
> TW: hate crime
📚 Bad Axe by Ed Kurtz: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
> TW: suicide; grief
📚American Gothic by LC von Hessen: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚Sardines by Gretchen Felker-Martin: DNF
📚 Zero Tolerance by M. F. Rose: DNF
> TW: bullying
📚 Black Hole by November Rush: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚Lost and Found by Charlene Adhiambo: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
> TW: parental abandonment, drug use
📚Love Like Ours by Violet: ⭐️⭐️✨
📚 Filthy Animals by Thomas Kearnes: skipped (I can tell this one is not for my ace ass lol)
📚 Worth the Dying Shame by Matteo L. Cerilli: DNF (loved the idea, but couldn’t get into the writing)
📚 All of Our Boys Are Missing by Joe Koch: DNF
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief
Moderate: Abandonment
Dead Girls Walking was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, but sadly I couldn’t finish.
It’s so hard when you’re reading a book with a story that you’re really interested in, but the writing just ain’t hitting. Do you keep reading to find out what happens, even though you know the writing is going to bother you the whole time? Or do you give up & save yourself the time, but always wonder what happened?
I chose to save myself the time. The story was so interesting and I was very intrigued by the mystery. I still really want to know what happened at the end, but reading through that writing wasn’t worth it to me. There were superfluous descriptions of unimportant things, but the interesting parts aren’t described enough. And there was no horror ambience. Technically creepy things were happening, but the scene wasn’t being set, so I couldn’t FEEL it. The dialogue also felt very forced. This novel would be much better as a movie because while the description is lacking, the potential of a great story is there.
It was very fast paced with a summer camp slasher feel to it, but the writing just wasn’t for me. DNF at 20%.
Thank you to the author for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent
This is exactly why I have to stop trying to read enemies to lovers books. They’re always so mean spirited. The male MC is so mean. He said something to the woman MC that would’ve been unforgivable to me. I don’t root for their relationship after that and I feel like she deserves better. But, I also don’t understand her because I don’t understand people who annoy other people on purpose just to get a rise out of them. Enemies to lovers is just never going to be for me. But I will try more books by this author in the future because I was enjoying the writing style!
I had high hopes for this one! I always love a sci-fi thriller and I enjoyed The Space Between Worlds by this author. However, I couldn’t finish the book. I really just cannot connect to the writing style. It feels very discombobulated & all over the place. I’m interested in the mystery, but I know that I can’t get past this writing. But, the writing style may work out better for others, so if you don’t mind a more chaotic feel to writing, you could try this out!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wow! This book was one of my top 2 most anticipated books of 2024 and it DELIVERED!
I was hooked from just the dedication and foreword and I stayed hooked the entire time! I sped through this book! It was so fast paced, both the individual stories and the collection as a whole. I loved that the stories were on the longer side (20+ pages) because it really gave them time to develop. There were stories that were creepy, some that were fun, and some that were straight up horrifying! There were also mentions of Black history throughout the stories and I feel like they did a great job of saying enough about them to teach teens some history, but they still kept overall fun horror feel of the collection! But, I can see those mentions making teens interested enough to do their own research on those topics.
Some of my favorite stories were The Skittering Thing by Monica Brashears, The Brides of Devil’s Bayou by Desiree S. Evans, Black Girl Nature Group by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite, and Harvesters by L. L. McKinney! But I enjoyed every single story except for one. Queeniums for Greenium! by Brittney Morris was the only story I didn’t enjoy. I found both the main character and the story as a whole to be very condescending and judgmental to people who live a different lifestyle than them. The story made it seem as if natural & spiritual healing (herbalism, crystals, reiki, etc.) is inherently stupid & the people who believe in it are not only stupid, but evil. That path is obviously not for everyone, especially disabled people, but it’s not stupid. I did not appreciate the condescension from that story. But, other than that, every other story was great!
This collection is amazing for both teenage and adult horror lovers! I’d love to see it get adapted one day as a series with each story having its own episode! I have so many thoughts about the collection as a whole and the individual stories, so I will definitely be talking about this book on my YouTube channel (Book Tribe) soon!
Individual story ratings (synopses are covered as spoilers just in case people don’t wanna know what each story is about):
📚 Harvesters by L. L. McKinney- haunted corn maze : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
📚 Welcome Back to the Cosmos by Kortney Nash- body snatching space horror : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 Ghost Light by Erin E. Adams- a vengeful theatre ghost : ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 The Brides of Devil’s Bayou by Desiree S. Evans- a deal with a demon turns into a curse on a family’s bloodline : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 TMI by Zakiya Dalilah Harris- a girl begins to hear other people’s thoughts : ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: racism)
📚 Black Pride by Justina Ireland- a cabin trip in the wilderness where people keep going missing : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: racism)
📚 The Screamers by Daka Hermon- a ghostly axe murderer & his victims prey on a grieving family : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: grief, death of a family member)
📚 Queeniums for Greenium! By Brittney Morris- a health retreat gone wrong : ⭐️⭐️ (TW: fat phobia)
📚 Inheritance by Camara Aaron- Soukouyans : ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
📚 Black Girl Nature Group by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite- 2 Black girls go to a wilderness retreat only to discover that something strange is going on : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (TW: death of a family member, racism)
📚 Cemetery Dance Party by Saraciea J. Fennell- a party at a cemetery unleashes an ancient evil : ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 The Skittering Thing by Monica Brashears- a new friend invites 2 girls over to play a sinister game : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 The Black Strings by Vincent Tirado- a girl who can see when someone is going to die begins to see death on everyone around her, including herself : ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: death of parents)
📚 Local Color by Eden Royce- a girl finds an old journal & goes on a dangerous treasure hunt : ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 Foxhunt by Charlotte Nicole Davis- a town tradition gets flipped on its head : ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Thank you so much to Flatiron Books for this arc! All opinions are my own.
Moderate: Death, Racism, Grief, Death of parent