howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)

 Gory Details is a great example of a nonfiction work that had the potential to be excellent, but tried to cover too many topics and each of those topics' coverage suffered for it. If the author had trimmed down the subjects a bit and delved into each one deeper, I think I'd have been much more interested, but as it was, every time a topic really drew me in, it was too late and we were on to the next one!

The other issue was my own expectations: I think the title had me expecting more "gore" and less "gross-out", but a massive chunk of this book was about bugs and bodily fluids. (If you're interested in bugs, this one's definitely for you - I, on the other hand, am only squeamish about one thing in life and it's real-life parasites, so I skipped a couple of the audiobook chapters)

At the end of the day, I more or less had fun with this audiobook, but it left a lot to be desired and I probably wouldn't reach for another book by this author in the future. 

 Okay, this was absolutely precious. My little cat-loving gothic heart is so happy. Creepy Cat is less of a singular storyline and more of a set of loosely connected comics about a girl named Flora, who has moved into a spooky haunted mansion and finds a mysterious little critter inside she calls Creepy Cat. There are clearly some mysteries about Creepy Cat's origin and powers (and maybe even his motives), but all I know is that he's hilarious, silly, and so freaking cute. I also loved the little touches of spookiness here and there, like the ghost living in Flora's house or the random spirits scattered throughout. I definitely want to continue this series!
 

 I've never read The Handmaid's Tale in its original format (or seen the television show), but I was generally familiar with the subject and so, when I saw that my library had a graphic novel adaptation, I thought that might be a good way of determining if I want to pick up the original novel or not.

Since this is my introduction to the story, I can't say if it's a faithful adaptation, but I can say that it was an excellent, haunting read on its own. It didn't delve into much backstory at all on how things came to be or what life is like for women outside of The Red Centre, but it touched briefly on the conditions in the Colonies and Jezebel's, and it definitely made me interested in learning more. My only complaint was that the ending felt so abrupt, but at the same time, I can see that it was done so intentionally, and it made sense. I probably won't be rushing to pick up the original book right away, but only because I know it's going to be such a difficult read emotionally.

✨ Representation: queer and BIPOC side characters 

 This is a solid adaptation that I would absolutely recommend, especially to young readers today who haven't read the original text. Anne's diary is unquestionably one of the most culturally relevant pieces of literature in recent history, and reading her entries gives so much insight into what her life was like, not only as a teen Jewish girl in hiding from Nazis, but also as a girl surrounded by bickering, stress, anguish, sorrow, grief, and dealing with all of that on top of her own internal struggles (such as puberty, loneliness, depression, and self-loathing).

All of that said, just to review this honestly (and explain the 4-star rating): Anne's narrative is so much angrier (and, to put it bluntly, brattier) than I remembered it being, and at times I found myself skim-reading her tangents.

✨ Representation: all main characters are Jewish, Anne essentially describes herself as bisexual or pansexual 

Eh, the writing just wasn't for me. Maybe I'll give this another try sometime, but... probably not.

 Sacred Lamb involves one of my personal favorite horror tropes: it follows "final girls" (or, in this case "Eves") after their slasher run-ins. Unfortunately, I didn't think it was executed so well in this instance! The characters all felt pretty flat and shallow, and we didn't get to see much of the trauma response that you would expect from portrayals of characters who have undergone such awful circumstances. I'm not saying I enjoy seeing final girls suffer, but it's only realistic to expect more awareness and concern from these women than what we got.

I also have to admit that the art was not my cup of tea at all, and some of the plot pieces felt like threads that never quite tied up. I was left with quite a few questions in the end, and then the abrupt cliffhanger was a bit pointless as well. There's also something to be said about the casual inclusion of a cis gay man in the "women's group" and the trope of the magical Black woman saving the day, but by now you're getting the gist.

All of that aside, I was intrigued enough to stay invested in the story, I enjoyed Kellyn as a main character (especially getting to see her delve into what led her to become an influencer in the first place), and I always love seeing women rooting each other on, especially in the face of misogyny.

Despite having a few redeeming qualities, at the end of the day, the good didn't outweigh the bad for me with Sacred Lamb, and I won't be recommending this title when there are so many other better horror graphics in the world.

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

✨ Representation: one gay side character, multiple side characters of color