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237 reviews by:
e_gracereads
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The plot twist DEFINITELY surprised me, honestly; this book did NOT take me where I thought I was going, so that was excellent. Unfortunately, the ending fell the teeniest bit flat for me, leaving kind of a sour taste in my mouth, but overall a very enjoyable read.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
I DEVOURED this book. It is a BEAUTIFUL fantasy set in a very vivid, gorgeous world based on medieval Hungary. I love our main characters, Evike and Gaspar, despite the fact they both have very evident negative traits (very refreshing in a book!) and I felt truly seen by them both. The conflict of not only two religions but two entirely different ways of life is portrayed beautifully here, and there is so much thought provoking imagery, as well as beautiful storytelling that is utterly central to the plot and emphasizes the importance of storytelling and myth in our lives and culture. God. I could go on and on. I loved this book and I will be reading more from her.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was… memorable, to say the least, following a female psychopath through a brief period of her life. It’s kinda gross, in the way speculative horror tends to be, but interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Listen. This book was good. But I wish I could bleach the entire thing from my mind. I read it all in one go and I feel like I need to take a fucking shower. This book is about a female pedophile pursuing “relationships” with young teenage boys, and it’s about as gross as it sounds. Reads with the same grotesque fascination as extreme horror while somehow managing to be much more sinister and disgusting. Made me literally nauseous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is as devastating as everyone says it is. Easy to get into, easy to understand, NOT easy to read. Incredibly rich fantasy world that explores the atrocities of war in IMMENSE detail. It’s devastating. It’s also realistic, both in the sense of the atrocities, but also in how people react to them. A HUGE fan of this book. It’s incredibly accessible and immensely devastating — a must read for anyone who’s a fan of political/military fantasy who can handle the triggers present.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Just… another disappointing horror anthology, for me. Well-written, just not my cup of tea. It’s all about the minutiae in this small town, and it’s somewhat interesting, just not what I thought I was getting into.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
I’m going to be so honest: this is just quite obviously out of my age range and interest level. All it took for me to want to close this book was the immediate “I’m not like other [insert thing here]” trope, and the mention of a current social media platform (TikTok). It just really was already not doing it for me. It reads like middle of the road fanfiction, and if I wanted to read that, I’d just open Archive of Our Own.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As with any anthology, the only struggle this really faces is that some stories are incredible, and others really fall flat. As it were, though, this anthology was solid. I primarily enjoyed it, although my favorite story was Wild Acre, which was the second story in the book, and the rest just didn’t hold up the same way. These stories, despite being rooted in horror, are much more based in commentary on the human condition, and are quite beautiful and sad. Ballingrud is truly a masterful author, and this collection shows that, some just fall flat compared to others.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I actually REALLY enjoyed this book! I’m not a huge science fiction person, but I’ve always immensely enjoyed Ursula K. Le Guin’s short stories, and I guessed this would be a good foray into sci-fi as a genre, and I feel totally validated in that. This was a beautifully written work about humanity, gender, and feminism, and I immensely enjoyed the characters, to the point that I cried at the end of this novel. Amazing!