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howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)
#1 Offline ★★★★★
#2 In the Flesh ★★★★★
This was such a fun, suspenseful, quick read with a really enjoyable twist to it. I remember loving how the first book in this series was told through online correspondences (I'm such a sucker for epistolary stories of any kind), so I was pleased that this one was formatted the same. The stories aren't connected at all, so you don't need to read them in any particular order, but I highly recommend both!
If you're a Sea of Thieves player who's ever wanted more back story on the Pirate Legend and his children, you'll definitely want to pick up this super fun graphic novel! It tells the story of how DeMarco and Lesedi came to the Sea of Thieves, following their infamous father's footsteps in search of not only his treasure, but his legacy, too. DeMarco and Lesedi are both lovable characters for sure, as are most of their crewmates, and the whole story plays out in typical Sea of Thieves fashion with a lot of laughs, a bit of violence, and a few knives in unsuspecting backs.
I can't finish this review without also mentioning that this graphic novel featured some lovely canon queer rep for characters players will be familiar with from the game, and that warmed my heart. I've been in the gaming community a long time, and it still makes me so proud to see popular games embrace the reality of a diverse world. Give me all the chaotic bisexual pirate icons, please. ♥
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I can't finish this review without also mentioning that this graphic novel featured some lovely canon queer rep for characters players will be familiar with from the game, and that warmed my heart. I've been in the gaming community a long time, and it still makes me so proud to see popular games embrace the reality of a diverse world. Give me all the chaotic bisexual pirate icons, please. ♥
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Anything worth doing is worth doing partially.
I've been watching KC's Tiktok videos for a little while now and have immensely enjoyed the way she interweaves self-care, cleaning/organizing, and therapy, so when I realized she had this little book on KU, I wanted to check it out right away - and I'm so glad I did. Even if you've watched every video on her Tiktok account over at @domesticblisters, I still recommend reading this. It's so short, very easy to read through, and adds some really incredible insight into what causes our brains to view care tasks as something morally charged and something worthy of stressing over or faulting ourselves for — instead of what they should be: a morally neutral path to helping ourselves function in daily life, to whatever degree.
You do not exist to maintain a space of static perfection. Care tasks exist for one reason only....to make your body and space functional enough for you to easily experience the joy this world has to offer.
3.5 stars
If you love modern stories that give a whole lotta love to 80s slashers, you're going to want to check out Chopping Spree. It's a short, fun ride, and the length of it works well — we get right to the quick of it, without any necessary development being sacrificed in the story itself. Despite the fact that there's a bit of predictability to the over-arching theme, I think it's a story you should go into knowing as little as possible, so I won't be the one to spoil you. I definitely look forward to reading more from Angela Sylvaine and I'm glad I picked this up!
NOTE: I usually only shelve books as adult or YA, but I wanted to mention that I think this book would appeal very widely to lovers of both age ranges!
✨ Representation: the main character is queer (bi/pan, no specific label used)
✨ Content warnings for:
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
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twitter | booktok | bookstagram | blog
If you love modern stories that give a whole lotta love to 80s slashers, you're going to want to check out Chopping Spree. It's a short, fun ride, and the length of it works well — we get right to the quick of it, without any necessary development being sacrificed in the story itself. Despite the fact that there's a bit of predictability to the over-arching theme, I think it's a story you should go into knowing as little as possible, so I won't be the one to spoil you. I definitely look forward to reading more from Angela Sylvaine and I'm glad I picked this up!
NOTE: I usually only shelve books as adult or YA, but I wanted to mention that I think this book would appeal very widely to lovers of both age ranges!
✨ Representation: the main character is queer (bi/pan, no specific label used)
✨ Content warnings for:
Spoiler
murder, violence, bombing, brief reference to death of a puppyThank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
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I love a good cult story, but I don't find many cult-based horror books that actually feel like horror. A lot of the ones I've read seemed to tread more along the thriller line — which is perfectly acceptable, don't get me wrong... but sometimes, I want more, and I can safely say that Children of Demeter delivered.
Children of Demeter follows a woman who's grieving her husband, though not in the way you might think: his death led to the reveal of his infidelity, and thus, Sarah is left grieving her marriage on multiple levels. Desperate to get away, she buys an old house without visiting it first, and finds out that it was the site of a bizarre, hippie-esque cult in the 70s. Things seem innocent at first, but Sarah quickly learns that this home has a way of getting inside her mind, and shit hits the fan pretty quickly after that.
First of all, I really enjoyed Sarah immensely as a protagonist. She's incredibly head-strong, constantly putting her nose where it doesn't belong and determined not to let anyone stop her from finding out the truth. Not only that, but the setting is so atmospheric and the reveals are perfectly paced to make this a quick, engaging read that never gets stale.
I enjoyed Children of Demeter very much and I finally experienced for myself how incredible E.V. Knight's writing talent is. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future!
Thank you so much to Erin Al-Mehairi & the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Children of Demeter follows a woman who's grieving her husband, though not in the way you might think: his death led to the reveal of his infidelity, and thus, Sarah is left grieving her marriage on multiple levels. Desperate to get away, she buys an old house without visiting it first, and finds out that it was the site of a bizarre, hippie-esque cult in the 70s. Things seem innocent at first, but Sarah quickly learns that this home has a way of getting inside her mind, and shit hits the fan pretty quickly after that.
First of all, I really enjoyed Sarah immensely as a protagonist. She's incredibly head-strong, constantly putting her nose where it doesn't belong and determined not to let anyone stop her from finding out the truth. Not only that, but the setting is so atmospheric and the reveals are perfectly paced to make this a quick, engaging read that never gets stale.
I enjoyed Children of Demeter very much and I finally experienced for myself how incredible E.V. Knight's writing talent is. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future!
Thank you so much to Erin Al-Mehairi & the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Despite the fact that it took me way too long to finish this, it was a really enjoyable, inclusive collection of comics. I appreciated how immensely inclusive it was, covering topics all over the queer spectrum as well as discussing how many individuals are marginalized beyond their queerness (race, body presentations, place of birth, and much more), and there's such a vastness of creators involved that each piece feels genuinely unique. I strongly recommend this for anyone who enjoys queer nonfiction and comics!
This was a tough read, but a worthwhile one. Part memoir and part self-help, So Much for Love details the author's experience with an immensely toxic and emotionally/mentally abusive relationship before moving on to things she has learned in therapy and throughout her healing process, resources, and tips for readers who may suspect they, too, are in an unhealthy relationship.
While she delivers the story with a lot of brevity and candidness (and really cute art), the relationship-based bits of So Much for Love are hard to read at times. As a fellow abuse survivor, there were moments that hit way too close to home, but it was cathartic, knowing from the get-go that the author wrote this book from a perspective of someone who had escaped that terrible situation and is healing.
So many domestic abuse depictions in stories feature the beginning and the middle, but not the end - or if they do feature the end, it goes into very little detail thereafter. We see the trauma, but not its long-lasting effects or the healing process afterwards. That's not the case here: the abuse depictions only last (for the most part) until somewhere around the halfway mark, and the rest is all healing, and I loved that a lot. It was so heartwarming to read the things Sophie Lambda has learned in her time since leaving her ex, and I was so proud of her (as well as some other important figures in her story) by the end of it that I just wanted to give her a big hug. ♥
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
While she delivers the story with a lot of brevity and candidness (and really cute art), the relationship-based bits of So Much for Love are hard to read at times. As a fellow abuse survivor, there were moments that hit way too close to home, but it was cathartic, knowing from the get-go that the author wrote this book from a perspective of someone who had escaped that terrible situation and is healing.
So many domestic abuse depictions in stories feature the beginning and the middle, but not the end - or if they do feature the end, it goes into very little detail thereafter. We see the trauma, but not its long-lasting effects or the healing process afterwards. That's not the case here: the abuse depictions only last (for the most part) until somewhere around the halfway mark, and the rest is all healing, and I loved that a lot. It was so heartwarming to read the things Sophie Lambda has learned in her time since leaving her ex, and I was so proud of her (as well as some other important figures in her story) by the end of it that I just wanted to give her a big hug. ♥
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Eh, this was okay. I played the first game recently and loved it a lot, but I wanted so much more from the world and lore, so I was hoping this would really tie in well or explain some things. Unfortunately, it focuses on stories mostly unrelated to the game and while it's kind of neat, and the art is fun, it didn't feel necessary at all and didn't add anything to the game. On the other hand, if you've never played the game, I could see this graphic novel making you want to pick it up, so that's a plus?
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely adored this. Katrina Leno has become an auto-read author for me, especially if she keeps writing these bizarre, terrifying stories with messed up characters. Jane is such an interesting protagonist and I found her incredibly easy to empathize with, which made the stakes in this story feel so much higher. I can safely say Horrid was the first YA horror novel to ever give me legitimate chills, and it did so several times! Leno has this way with creating such a thick atmosphere that I felt like I had been transported right into the middle of everything going on, and it was genuinely horrifying.
The mystery element to this story is also immensely enjoyable, but more than anything else, I enjoyed the incredibly gothic atmosphere and the depictions of anger management. I don't see a lot of protagonists with serious anger management issues, and while Jane's actions definitely aren't always positive or reasonable, they feel authentic and it was refreshing to read a story that touched upon those issues. I'm also a fan of the way Katrina Leno tackles generational trauma, which plays a prominent role throughout this story from start to finish.
All in all, Horrid was an unsettling, captivating read that I'm so grateful to have read, and I can't wait to pick up more stories from this brilliant author.
Buddy read with the incredible Malli! ♥
I read a final copy I borrowed from the library, but for the sake of disclosure, I was also sent an early review copy by the publisher. Thank you, Little, Brown!
✨ Representation: BIPOC side characters
The mystery element to this story is also immensely enjoyable, but more than anything else, I enjoyed the incredibly gothic atmosphere and the depictions of anger management. I don't see a lot of protagonists with serious anger management issues, and while Jane's actions definitely aren't always positive or reasonable, they feel authentic and it was refreshing to read a story that touched upon those issues. I'm also a fan of the way Katrina Leno tackles generational trauma, which plays a prominent role throughout this story from start to finish.
All in all, Horrid was an unsettling, captivating read that I'm so grateful to have read, and I can't wait to pick up more stories from this brilliant author.
Buddy read with the incredible Malli! ♥
I read a final copy I borrowed from the library, but for the sake of disclosure, I was also sent an early review copy by the publisher. Thank you, Little, Brown!
✨ Representation: BIPOC side characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse
This was a pretty fun little collection! I have to say that I was slightly disappointed that the final story, which is about 50% of the ebook overall, was more fantasy than horror, but it did have a really fun, whimsical fairytale sort of vibe to it. The first story sucked me right in and I was shocked by how far it went! I've always had a big fear of dolls and I'm honest enough to admit that I slightly regretted reading the first story in the dark, right before bed!