howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)

 I was sold on the premise of The Bone Cutters as soon as I first heard of it, and had looked forward to reading it for quite a while, but unfortunately, it was more of a letdown than anything else. The premise sounds so twisted and dark that I expected a much darker and more violent story, but the bulk of this brief novella focuses on mundane exchanges between the main character and a specific side character, and the plot felt lost along the way.

The main character is difficult to get a solid read on because there is a lot of self-contradiction in how she views her mental illness (and how others view it) vs. how it actually plays out, and I'm not certain about how I feel regarding the mental illness representation in general here. There's a lot of internalized misogyny and slut-shaming (including a statement that "no rape victim can possibly have rape fantasies", despite that being a very common and widely acknowledged response to SA trauma), and I also don't remember the last book I read that featured this much body-shaming and fatphobia (with most of it coming from the main character). All of this combined made the main character impossible to root for because she was just so awful that I wanted out of her head as soon as possible.

While the base plotline is cool, it simply wasn't executed well enough to redeem this story from any of my major issues with it. 

 

I might revisit this some time, but I dunno. I generally really don't like bully romances, but I woke up a few days ago in the rare mood for one, so I picked this up, and enjoyed the first 20% or so. I put it down for a couple of days, came back to it, and was just kinda "over it". It isn't the book's fault, it's just a theme I basically never enjoy, but if the urge strikes me again in the future, I'll come back to this.

 

I'm so sad to DNF this, but at this point I've recognized that I can either DNF it now with no star rating, or power through the rest of it and inevitably give it a low rating, because this book is not working for me at all. I love the fact that we're getting to see Black queer rep in YA horror, because that's something that is almost unheard of, but the writing is disjointed and not enjoyable, the school shooter's personality feels sensationalized to the point of being a stereotype, and Jake as a narrator simply isn't an enjoyable head to be inside of.

Jake is so emotionally and mentally clocked out from everything and everyone around him that reading this book feels like the literary equivalent of a really bad "brain fog" day (IYKYK). I'd also liken it to a hazy dream sequence, except it's the entire book and it wasn't a pleasant narrative experience.

I would have loved to have enjoyed this book more and I'm definitely open to reading future releases from this author, but The Taking of Jake Livingston didn't work for me. That said, it definitely feels like one of those stories that has an audience, so if you enjoy YA horror, I would still recommend giving it a try!

✨ Representation: Jake is Black and queer; Jake's brother Benji is Black; Allister is Black and queer.

✨ Content warnings for: school shooting, violence, murder, suicide, substance abuse, characters filming and sharing films of sexual activity without consent

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. 

 I'm sad because this is my first time trying a Tessa Bailey book and I've heard so many people rave about her, but this was NOT for me. I hate how Georgie's family treats her, I don't care for any of the side characters but Rosie (and not enough to feel very pressed to read book 2 in this series), and Travis is getting on every single nerve that I have.

He's self-centered, rude, and it feels like 99% of his thought processes are either objectifying Georgie with no regards for her as an actual human, or thinking about how terrified of her brother he is, or drowning in self-pity. I'm also solidly not a fan of men with the whole "I can't have sex with her because she'll get attached because women are overly emotional UwU children" vibe.

I'm not enjoying any of this, sadly. Also, the smut scene a chapter or two back genuinely made me cringe from start to finish and I hope it isn't an indicator of how all of Tessa Bailey's books are. 😬

Based on a few recommendations, I'll probably try It Happened One Summer next, but I don't think I'll bother trying to continue this series. 

 

When Eric posted a surprise announcement for this novella's release earlier this week, I was absolutely beside myself. There are some authors in this world whose work I enjoy so deeply and am held so captive by, that each and every new piece of fiction feels like something I need to get my hands on right away. I ordered a copy within mere seconds of seeing the announcement, but was lucky enough to be allowed to read the ebook while I waited for the shipment, and I'm so grateful for that, because I think I would have been counting down the hours and days until it arrived!

Now that I've experienced this bizarre little treat, I don't even know how to possibly describe You've Lost a Lot of Blood without spoiling it. There's a very good reason the synopsis for this story is so brief and vague: you need to go into it without knowing what to expect. In fact, even if I did tell you what to expect, spoilers and guts and all, I'm still not sure anyone could be fully prepared for the sheer unraveling chaos within these pages.

All I know is that, yet again, I've been reminded of why Eric's books hold such a special place in my heart. Dark and entrancing, their works always leave me reeling to process what I've just read in the best possible "what the hell just happened" way, and as always, I'll be counting down to their next release.

✨ Representation: multiple queer characters 

I immensely enjoyed the original version of Sour Candy, and I love all of KPB's work in general, so I was very excited to see this get the graphic novel treatment — and friends, this spooky little piece does NOT disappoint!

I think this version and the novella are equally frightening in their own ways, but there's definitely an added element thanks to the disturbing artwork combined with the cute, yet twisted child at the center of the story. I thought this was a fantastic adaptation that didn't miss anything crucial from the original version, and can easily stand on its own if you're unfamiliar with the novella.

Whether you pick up this graphic novel or the novella (I recommend both!), Sour Candy is a modern classic in the indie horror world for good reason, and I strongly suggest it to anyone who wants a fresh twist on the "evil child" theme. 

This wasn't well-done at all, thanks to some incredibly confusing panels (way too many close-ups where I genuinely couldn't even tell what or whom I was looking at), a plot that isn't making a lot of sense so far, and what I suspect may have been a poorly crafted translation (some dialogue bits didn't make much sense or read very awkwardly). This is definitely a manga series that I suspect will eventually be mostly valued for its steamy content above all else, and there's nothing wrong with that, but the plot itself is rough and the characters are very self-contradicting for the most part. Levi makes some choices in this volume that didn't make sense to me based on everything he's said and done leading up to this point, and it didn't sit well with me at all! I was already hesitant to continue the series after volume 1, and I'm thinking at this point that I probably won't move on to the next installment.

✨ Content warnings for: violence, death, dub-con, assault, drugging without consent

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!