howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)

 I think it's about time that I accept that Ania Ahlborn's books just aren't very exciting for me. This is the third book of hers that I've read, and I think I've given each one 3-3.5 stars because, while she's great at writing characters, all three of the books have just bored me. 😩 I still plan on trying the other books of hers that I own, but I don't have high hopes at this point.

The Shuddering had potential to be a great read for me: it follows a group of characters essentially stranded in a snowstorm, surrounded by man-eating monsters, and honestly, I'm a big sucker for that sort of thing. Combining the supernatural element of inhuman creatures with the danger of real-life survival? Sign me up!

But this story just dragged because the vast majority of it was about the relationships and drama between these characters, and even when there were action scenes, I was left wanting more. I couldn't bring myself to root for any of the characters because I simply did not care about any of them. Had The Shuddering been a movie, it would've been that film I started playing on my phone 30 minutes into because I wanted to see how it all played out, but I didn't want to invest any real attention to it.

I should also say that the audiobook made this a less enjoyable experience for me; I'm being generous by bumping it up a star because it isn't the author's fault that the narrator did a terrible job, but his voices for the women characters all made them sound like horrible whiny children. Then again, the writing itself also kind of made all of the women out to be horrible whiny children, so...

If you're looking for a good snowy horror read, there are a ton out there that are way more exciting than this. I don't recommend it and kind of wish I could get my time back. 

 

Oh my gosh, I LOVED this. As an animal lover who has worked and volunteered with animals before and seen some of the terrible things humans are capable of doing to their "pets", there was something immensely cathartic about this story. It's graphic and includes some really painful references to animal abuse, so it won't be for everyone, but if you can stomach the trigger warnings, I highly recommend it. The writing was also fantastic and it made me very excited to read more from this author!

Also, that ending? PERFECT!

✨ Representation: Camilla is part Native American 

 

Holy hell, this is the kind of extreme horror I'm looking for!

Horror House of Perversion is a short, nasty horror read for everyone who finds catharsis in a victim's revenge story. If you've ever wanted the book version of I Spit On Your Grave or similar films, here you go: a group of rapists getting their comeuppance in vile, creative ways that will have you cringing and cheering at the same time.

At less than 100 pages, there isn't much more I can tell you about this story other than the fact that it was bloody, messy, and fantastic. Carl John Lee's writing is incredible and I'm so glad there's a sequel, as well as a few other books by this author waiting for me, because I'm going to snatch those right up. 

 I haven't been in the mood for contemporary romances lately (much less sports ones!) and I never pick up books in the middle of a series first, but I saw someone post a review for this on instagram and something about it sounded like exactly what I needed as a palette cleanser right now, and it was!

Blurred Lines is a really sweet, angsty romance featuring long-time best friends hiding secret loves for one another, which is a combination of so many of my favorite tropes rolled into one. It wasn't anything ground-breaking and some plot moments seemed silly or over-the-top, but I don't mind that in a swoony romance. What mattered most was that the chemistry between these characters was absolutely there and I found myself rooting for their romance so easily!

Also, Brendan is clearly neurodivergent-coded and I saw myself so much in that depiction and the pain he carried about being told he was too much, too needy, too loud, etc. I think just about everyone who grows up neurodivergent knows what it's like to need to mask your truest self to please the people around you so they don't leave, and oof, it was tough to read his inner thoughts at times but I definitely related. 💔

I recommend this to anyone looking for a sweet queer sports romance, as long as you don't mind some tough topics (check my trigger warnings below if you need to!).

✨ Representation: both MMCs are bi/pan, multiple queer side characters, Brendan is implied to be neurodivergent 

 This wasn't a new favorite, but it was fun! I loved the premise of the story, but the writing left me a little confused at times. Maybe it was just difficult for me to imagine some of the things the author was describing (and to be fair, I do have covid brain fog right now, so that could be on me). All I know is that I thought this was a pretty alright Christmas horror story and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author soon!