howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)

 I think one of these days I should just accept that extreme horror isn't for me. The violence is whatever, but at the end of the day, I usually have the same issue with books like this: I don't care enough about the plot or characters to be drawn into what's happening. 😕
 

 

Dracula is one of those books that feel pointless to review; it's a classic, everyone's familiar with the story (whether they've read it or not), and I doubt that my thoughts on this work are going to influence another reader much on whether they'll pick it up or not.

I'm going to tell you a few of my thoughts anyways, because what else am I here for?

Dracula is such an influential tale that I'm willing to comfortably assume horror and paranormal fantasy as a whole would be vastly different (and lacking) without its existence. Not only is there the obvious—the vampires, of course!—but there's also the heavy focus on good versus evil and the capabilities of a group of people who are motivated by nothing so much as their love and affections for one another.

I joked to my spouse at one point that this book is primarily a bunch of people arguing over who will die for the other first, but seriously, let Dracula be a timeless reminder to us all that we can stride bravely into the darkest of terrors without hesitation when we do so for love. It truly is the most powerful emotion, and Bram understood that vividly.

(Case in point: Jonathan Harker's shift from kindhearted, gentle Englishman obsessing over his newfound love of spice to a feral knife-wielding madman who will take down anyone and anything standing between him and his end goal of protecting his wife? Beautiful. Jonathan and Mina Harker are my heroes.)

It isn't a perfect read by any means... but I had a really damn good time reading this story and I fully understand why, to this day, readers all over the world uphold it as necessary reading for horror and vampire lovers alike.

 

 

I posted my full thoughts on the story itself in a review for Dracula here, but as far as Dracula Daily goes, I absolutely loved this way of telling the story. Not only do I think the idea of putting everything in chronological order is fantastic, but the memes and comments in the margins were a trip and I laughed out loud at a lot of them. I even followed the link in the author's note to view more of the posts, and I could spend days down that rabbit hole.

If you or someone in your life likes Dracula and appreciates the inherent rampant bisexual chaos this classic holds, definitely grab a copy of Dracula Daily.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own. 

 I've reached a point in my reading life where I've happily accepted that T. Kingfisher can do no wrong. I know, some of you are rolling your eyes inwardly because you don't think any author can be flawless, and that's fine for you, but this is my review and I'm saying T. Kingfisher's stories are flawless and that's that on that.

Thornhedge is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but wow, does it turn the story on its head. It's such a short read that it's very difficult to say much without spoiling things, plus one of the most important pieces of the plot is a bit of a surprise, so all I can really say is this: I loved this story very much, and if you enjoy unique, short fairytales with unusual heroines, you should absolutely give Thornhedge a try. If nothing else, I bet you'll love little Toadling just like I do.

I read a final copy I purchased myself, but for the sake of disclosure, I was also sent an early review copy by the author/publisher. All thoughts are honest and my own. 

 

The Lottery is considered by most to be Shirley Jackson's masterpiece, and I think most people are familiar with it from assigned reading in school, but this story was actually brand new to me—in a sense. I read the short story in a collection of classics back on June 27th of this year (Lottery Day, of course), and was absolutely amazed, but decided to save my review and combine my thoughts when my library hold for this graphic adaptation came in.

First of all, I can easily see why this story is so highly lauded: it's an incredibly powerful piece of fiction that packs a massive punch, but it's also a masterclass in short story writing. I read a lot of short stories, and it's rare that an author can create so much depth with so few pages.

Now, when I said this story was new to me in a sense, what I meant is that I knew exactly what was going to happen, not because anyone had spoiled it for me, but because it is such an influential story that I feel it impacted the worlds of horror and dystopian literature forever! I've read and watched so many pieces of media that might not exist today if not for The Lottery, and that's really an incredible testament to its longevity.

As far as the graphic adaptation is concerned, I thought this was a fantastic rendition and I loved that it was created by Shirley's own grandson. The art suited the setting and mood of the story well, and I enjoyed how some of the panels paused to reflect on things like the kids rounding up stones, and the way most of the townsfolk treat it like it's an everyday thing until it's their family pulling the dot. It really makes you think about how normalized the Lottery is in this town and how obsessed with tradition these people are, even at such a high cost. 

 

This book has been on my TBR for so many years and I couldn't possibly tell you why I hadn't gotten around to it sooner. Something about the premise of people selling their livelihood away for the tiniest chance of instantaneous, lifelong bliss has always horrified and fascinated me—especially in an instance like this, where 100 boys begin the journey and only one sees the end of it.

I went into The Long Walk expecting more of a typical horror novel—guts, gore, some sort of terrifying twist—and what I got was full-on, real world horror: watching a group of young men literally walk to their deaths in front of crowds of frenzied on-lookers, being reminded that, at the end of the day, a lot of folks just want to watch someone else's real, honest suffering. 

 Miiiight try this one again someday, but the protagonist was so infuriating in the first few chapters (one poor choice after another, no common sense) that I couldn't bring myself to continue right now. 💀