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1.14k reviews by:
ishouldreadthat
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A Murderbot short story that fills in some gaps between Exit Strategy and Network Effect. The story is told from Mensah's point of view, which was a surprise, and showcases their feeling about our favourite SecUnit and her struggles with PTSD.
Not a necessary read, but it was nice to see what a human character thinks of Murderbot.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
A Murderbot short story that fills in some gaps between Exit Strategy and Network Effect. The story is told from Mensah's point of view, which was a surprise, and showcases their feeling about our favourite SecUnit and her struggles with PTSD.
Not a necessary read, but it was nice to see what a human character thinks of Murderbot.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Check out more bookish thoughts and videos on my YouTube channel
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
I've been looking for more translated fiction to read, and The Cabinet caught my eye. This was a really interesting read -- a book that juxtaposes the strange and unusual sides of humanity with the mundane and familiar.
This book feels like two in one: one part of this book is a series of anecdotes from symptomers, people who display strange abilities or attributes that show the potential emergence in a new stage of humanity. I absolutely adored these strange stories -- they were thought-provoking, unusual, and often quite playful and sweet in the way they were written. From a man who desperately wants to turn into a cat to win the love of a woman to people who fall into a deep and undisturbed sleep for months or years of their lives, I could read a whole book just made up of the symptomers' tales. For me, the symptomers were the stars of this book.
The other half of the book tells the story of Deok-Geun, the bored office worker who stumbles upon this curious cabinet and is charged with all the admin, including fielding calls from symptomers. I really enjoyed the first half of his story -- he is a very ordinary man who has had strange and unusual experiences himself -- but it went in a very strange and violent direction toward the end that felt a little out of left field. To me, a Western reader, the book felt a little unbalanced, but that could honestly be a difference in storytelling that I am just unfamiliar with. Regardless, I really enjoyed The Cabinet, and at times had trouble putting it down.
The Cabinet is a book that is strange and unusual, but worth a read, especially if you're interested in Korean fiction.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
CW: quite graphic torture
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
I've been looking for more translated fiction to read, and The Cabinet caught my eye. This was a really interesting read -- a book that juxtaposes the strange and unusual sides of humanity with the mundane and familiar.
This book feels like two in one: one part of this book is a series of anecdotes from symptomers, people who display strange abilities or attributes that show the potential emergence in a new stage of humanity. I absolutely adored these strange stories -- they were thought-provoking, unusual, and often quite playful and sweet in the way they were written. From a man who desperately wants to turn into a cat to win the love of a woman to people who fall into a deep and undisturbed sleep for months or years of their lives, I could read a whole book just made up of the symptomers' tales. For me, the symptomers were the stars of this book.
The other half of the book tells the story of Deok-Geun, the bored office worker who stumbles upon this curious cabinet and is charged with all the admin, including fielding calls from symptomers. I really enjoyed the first half of his story -- he is a very ordinary man who has had strange and unusual experiences himself -- but it went in a very strange and violent direction toward the end that felt a little out of left field. To me, a Western reader, the book felt a little unbalanced, but that could honestly be a difference in storytelling that I am just unfamiliar with. Regardless, I really enjoyed The Cabinet, and at times had trouble putting it down.
The Cabinet is a book that is strange and unusual, but worth a read, especially if you're interested in Korean fiction.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
CW: quite graphic torture
A stunning and beautiful book from one of my absolute favourite authors. Silvia Moreno-Garcia once again demonstrates her incredible talent for writing complex characters and fantastic stories across genres.
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A collection of haunting and unsettling short stories, Things We Lost in the Fire is quiet, yet unnerving. If you're looking for straightforward narratives, you wont find them here. Instead, Enríquez shows the dark side of humanity and human interaction.
Not every story was for me, but my favourites include 'Adela's House', 'An Invocation of the Big Eared Runt', and the titular 'Things We Lost in the Fire'. I'd definitely recommend this to fans of literary horror, but be please check content warnings before picking it up -- there's a lot going on here!
CW: murder and dismemberment, self harm, suicide, animal death, mentions of rape, mutilation
A collection of haunting and unsettling short stories, Things We Lost in the Fire is quiet, yet unnerving. If you're looking for straightforward narratives, you wont find them here. Instead, Enríquez shows the dark side of humanity and human interaction.
Not every story was for me, but my favourites include 'Adela's House', 'An Invocation of the Big Eared Runt', and the titular 'Things We Lost in the Fire'. I'd definitely recommend this to fans of literary horror, but be please check content warnings before picking it up -- there's a lot going on here!
CW: murder and dismemberment, self harm, suicide, animal death, mentions of rape, mutilation
Check out more bookish thoughts and videos on my YouTube channel
Pet Sematary wasn't what I was expecting, and I loved it regardless.
Having read my fair share of Stephen King's books, I went into this book expecting unsettling locations coupled with lots of scares. Instead, this book is about grief, family, and human connections. Don't get me wrong, it has plenty of classic horror moments that any King fan will delight in, but at the same time it is surprisingly quiet book.
King creates a suffocating, all-encompassing sense of dread the ramps up as each page turns, making the book tense and unputdownable, yet it is also the most emotional book I've read from him. And to top it all off, it has a fantastic ending (not something he is known for).
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
CW: death, animal death, gore
Pet Sematary wasn't what I was expecting, and I loved it regardless.
Having read my fair share of Stephen King's books, I went into this book expecting unsettling locations coupled with lots of scares. Instead, this book is about grief, family, and human connections. Don't get me wrong, it has plenty of classic horror moments that any King fan will delight in, but at the same time it is surprisingly quiet book.
King creates a suffocating, all-encompassing sense of dread the ramps up as each page turns, making the book tense and unputdownable, yet it is also the most emotional book I've read from him. And to top it all off, it has a fantastic ending (not something he is known for).
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
CW: death, animal death, gore
Check out more bookish thoughts and videos on my YouTube channel
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
Margaret Rogerson is an author who gets better and better with each book. I read An Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns and enjoyed them, but this felt like a step up in terms of maturity and skill. Vespertine is a book about religion, faith, conspiracy, and confronting the way you interact with the world. Oh, and it's ridiculously good fun and filled to the brim with banter and friendship.
Loraille is a world with strong medieval France vibes that is filled with magic in the form of religion. Artemisia's faith in The Lady is explored through the book as she uncovers a conspiracy and reckons with her own power, and the question of faith plays an interesting, secondary role in the overall story. Religion and faith just isn't something I'm much interested in, to be honest it usually turns me off of a book, but Rogerson's light touch approach and the complexities she introduces are well done.
The characters and their relationships are where this book really shines. Artemisia is a departure from the self-assured, confident, and powerful girls so often seen in YA fantasy books. Instead she is an awkward girl with deep-seated traumas and anxieties. She struggles in her interactions with other people and has been 'othered' by her peers at the convent. Her relationship with the revenant is what helps her blossom. I absolutely loved their interactions -- the revenant is sarcastic, snarky, and rude and Artemisia is putting up with none of its bullshit. The two coax each other out of their respective shells and the masks drop, making their charming relationship something really special.
There are a number of side characters in this book that also have fantastic relationships with Artemisia. I really loved the people who she meets and interacts with later in the book, as well as her antagonistic relationship with our villain. Rogerson really nails the character interactions in this book, making it an absolutely joyful read.
I feel like this author is well known for her swoony romances, so it's interesting to me that this book just doesn't have any romance in it at all (although it's the first in a duology, so something may develop later). I actually really appreciated this -- it feels rare for a YA book to not have a romantic plotline. Vespertine really focuses on friendships and non-romantic relationships, making room for deeper character explorations we may not have gotten otherwise.
Vespertine is a fabulous YA fantasy book that I'd highly recommend, whether you're a fan of her previous books or not. A masterfully told story and a cracking good read, Vespertine is the perfect lightly spooky read for the winter.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Content warnings: some self harm, PTSD, child neglect
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
Margaret Rogerson is an author who gets better and better with each book. I read An Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns and enjoyed them, but this felt like a step up in terms of maturity and skill. Vespertine is a book about religion, faith, conspiracy, and confronting the way you interact with the world. Oh, and it's ridiculously good fun and filled to the brim with banter and friendship.
Loraille is a world with strong medieval France vibes that is filled with magic in the form of religion. Artemisia's faith in The Lady is explored through the book as she uncovers a conspiracy and reckons with her own power, and the question of faith plays an interesting, secondary role in the overall story. Religion and faith just isn't something I'm much interested in, to be honest it usually turns me off of a book, but Rogerson's light touch approach and the complexities she introduces are well done.
The characters and their relationships are where this book really shines. Artemisia is a departure from the self-assured, confident, and powerful girls so often seen in YA fantasy books. Instead she is an awkward girl with deep-seated traumas and anxieties. She struggles in her interactions with other people and has been 'othered' by her peers at the convent. Her relationship with the revenant is what helps her blossom. I absolutely loved their interactions -- the revenant is sarcastic, snarky, and rude and Artemisia is putting up with none of its bullshit. The two coax each other out of their respective shells and the masks drop, making their charming relationship something really special.
There are a number of side characters in this book that also have fantastic relationships with Artemisia. I really loved the people who she meets and interacts with later in the book, as well as her antagonistic relationship with our villain. Rogerson really nails the character interactions in this book, making it an absolutely joyful read.
I feel like this author is well known for her swoony romances, so it's interesting to me that this book just doesn't have any romance in it at all (although it's the first in a duology, so something may develop later). I actually really appreciated this -- it feels rare for a YA book to not have a romantic plotline. Vespertine really focuses on friendships and non-romantic relationships, making room for deeper character explorations we may not have gotten otherwise.
Vespertine is a fabulous YA fantasy book that I'd highly recommend, whether you're a fan of her previous books or not. A masterfully told story and a cracking good read, Vespertine is the perfect lightly spooky read for the winter.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Content warnings: some self harm, PTSD, child neglect
The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights
Imogen Hermes Gowar, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Elizabeth Macneal, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Bridget Collins, Laura Purcell, Sara Collins, Natasha Pulley
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I'm not much of a short story reader, but this collection caught my eye for two very simple reasons:
1) That cover is gorgeous
2) The contributing authors is top notch.
Two of my favourite authors have stories in this book (Laura Purcell and Kiran Millwood-Hargrave), but the rest each has at least one book sitting on my TBR shelf right now. Getting the opportunity to sample the writing of Bridget Collins, Imogen Hermes Gowar, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Elizabeth Macneal, and Natasha Pulley was an absolute treat.
This is a rare collection in which I loved every story in the volume -- I don't think this has ever happened to me. With varying levels of spookiness and paranormal encounters, these Gothic tales are the perfect thing to read on a cold winter night. If you've read and enjoyed anything by one of these authors before, you should absolutely pick The Haunting Season up!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Content warnings: child death, psychosis, confinement, murder
I'm not much of a short story reader, but this collection caught my eye for two very simple reasons:
1) That cover is gorgeous
2) The contributing authors is top notch.
Two of my favourite authors have stories in this book (Laura Purcell and Kiran Millwood-Hargrave), but the rest each has at least one book sitting on my TBR shelf right now. Getting the opportunity to sample the writing of Bridget Collins, Imogen Hermes Gowar, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Elizabeth Macneal, and Natasha Pulley was an absolute treat.
This is a rare collection in which I loved every story in the volume -- I don't think this has ever happened to me. With varying levels of spookiness and paranormal encounters, these Gothic tales are the perfect thing to read on a cold winter night. If you've read and enjoyed anything by one of these authors before, you should absolutely pick The Haunting Season up!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Content warnings: child death, psychosis, confinement, murder
Check out more bookish thoughts and videos on my YouTube channel
The vast majority of this collection follows a single storyline -- a small town obsessed with fortune telling and plagued with suicides. I absolutely loved these stories -- they're fantastically well told and illustrated and I couldn't get enough.
The last few felt totally unrelated and weren't particularly interesting. They felt more like filler to pad out the book.
The Lovesickness storyline gets 5/5 stars from me, the remainder get 2/5 stars.
The vast majority of this collection follows a single storyline -- a small town obsessed with fortune telling and plagued with suicides. I absolutely loved these stories -- they're fantastically well told and illustrated and I couldn't get enough.
The last few felt totally unrelated and weren't particularly interesting. They felt more like filler to pad out the book.
The Lovesickness storyline gets 5/5 stars from me, the remainder get 2/5 stars.
Check out more bookish thoughts and videos on my YouTube channel
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
I have my ups and downs with the Warward Children books, but Where the Drowned Girls Go is an excellent addition to the series. It pulls back from the worlds beyond the doors and instead investigates what happens to the children who don't attend Eleanor West's school - the children who are told to forget, whether they want to or not.
I feel like Where the Drowned Girls Go is among the most realistic and relatable books in this series, both in terms of Cora's story and The Whitethorn Institute and their approach to dealing with the kids who return from their adventures beyond the doors. This book made my heart ache, especially as we see how stories from prior books tie into this one.
Cora was one of my favourite characters, and I was totally thrilled to see her story expanded on in this book. Her backstory is so tragic and all too familiar to so many kids. She was bullied terribly for her weight and spent her life dealing with the sneers and disgust of fellow students and even adults - her unwilling return to the real world was so tragic. However, watching her strength grow over the course of this book was incredibly rewarding. The Whitethorn Institute is a house of horrors for any child who still believes in and yearns for the magic on other other side of the doors, and Cora's strength really shines in this setting (whether she likes it or not). She's been solidified as of the the best characters in the series.
This is a very short review, but I think it's best to dive into this book without knowing too much about where McGuire will take you. Where the Drowned Girls Go is less whimsical than the other books in this series, but provides a much-needed look at the world beyond the walls of Eleanor West's school and what is at stake for the wayward children.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Content warnings: fatphobia, bullying, eating disorders, suicide as backstory
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
I have my ups and downs with the Warward Children books, but Where the Drowned Girls Go is an excellent addition to the series. It pulls back from the worlds beyond the doors and instead investigates what happens to the children who don't attend Eleanor West's school - the children who are told to forget, whether they want to or not.
I feel like Where the Drowned Girls Go is among the most realistic and relatable books in this series, both in terms of Cora's story and The Whitethorn Institute and their approach to dealing with the kids who return from their adventures beyond the doors. This book made my heart ache, especially as we see how stories from prior books tie into this one.
Cora was one of my favourite characters, and I was totally thrilled to see her story expanded on in this book. Her backstory is so tragic and all too familiar to so many kids. She was bullied terribly for her weight and spent her life dealing with the sneers and disgust of fellow students and even adults - her unwilling return to the real world was so tragic. However, watching her strength grow over the course of this book was incredibly rewarding. The Whitethorn Institute is a house of horrors for any child who still believes in and yearns for the magic on other other side of the doors, and Cora's strength really shines in this setting (whether she likes it or not). She's been solidified as of the the best characters in the series.
This is a very short review, but I think it's best to dive into this book without knowing too much about where McGuire will take you. Where the Drowned Girls Go is less whimsical than the other books in this series, but provides a much-needed look at the world beyond the walls of Eleanor West's school and what is at stake for the wayward children.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Content warnings: fatphobia, bullying, eating disorders, suicide as backstory
