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403 reviews by:
ladylovestead
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
This is a fun read if I don't think too much about it. I thought the butterfly garden was creepy the characters were interesting. There were some issues in logic that I struggled with. For example, the butterfly garden must be just a huge structure. It housed lots of girls each with their own room. Then there were rooms for like snacks and a natural area with a cliff and a waterfall. This garden was supposed to be nestled inside an even larger greenhouse? The geometry didn't make sense to me and I found things like this to be really distracting. If you can ignore some of those logic issues and read it for sheer entertainment, it's a dark and twisted fun ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Kidnapping, Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was pitched as a dark mafia romance, but to me, it read more like a romcom with mafia elements. The characters were quirky and funny. When I read dark romance, that isn't necessarily what I'm looking for. I more so want my characters to be really broken people. These two characters were well developed and unique, but not what I would expect from a dark romance. It was a fun read, but left me wanting something more.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lolita is such an ubiquitous story that I think most of us know what it is about without having to read it. That being said, if you can handle the content, you absolutely should read it. This book has so many layers and nuances including bits of humor. I know that Nabokov is often criticized for "glorifying" pedophilia, but I think if you read this book carefully, you'll understand that he's actually doing quite the opposite. He is pointing out the ways pedophilia happen, what goes on in a predator's head to justify their behavior to themselves, why this is so dangerous, and why it is so abhorrent. I did think the story meandered a bit in the last third, but overall, I was captivated and really appreciate this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This book is perfection. It is the best mystery/thriller/police procedural I've ever read. My favorite book by my favorite mystery/thriller author. The first time I read it, I read it all in one sitting. The second time I read it over a span of a week but I loved it just as much, if not more than the first time. This has an isolated setting where Maura and her companions are forced to survive a brutal Wyoming winter. The book is tense, gory, and full of twists. It addresses some important themes around cults, how cults function, child brides, and rural cultures. I love it so, so much!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Excrement
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
As a spectrum woman myself, I have to be honest and say reading this book was a deeply painful experience for a number of reasons. First, the book itself is fine. I thought Higashida covered a lot of important elements of living with ASD. Some of it didn't necessarily line up with things I've experienced or heard of but that's why it is called autism SPECTRUM disorder. No two people will experience it in the same way.
After I read the book, I read the reviews, and this is what was painful for me. Reviewers don't believe that Higashida actually wrote the book. They claim that the prose is "too sophisticated" for someone his age and especially someone his age on the spectrum to have possibly written it. They claim that the translator, David Mitchell, and his mom, embellished the original manuscript in order to make a buck. Either this book WAS written by Higashida and no one believes it because of how deeply entrenched ableism is in our world (because how DARE someone with AuTiSm write something of VaLuE!) or, he didn't actually write the book and was exploited by the adults in his life. It doesn't matter which is true. Both are deeply painful options for those of us on the spectrum.
After I read the book, I read the reviews, and this is what was painful for me. Reviewers don't believe that Higashida actually wrote the book. They claim that the prose is "too sophisticated" for someone his age and especially someone his age on the spectrum to have possibly written it. They claim that the translator, David Mitchell, and his mom, embellished the original manuscript in order to make a buck. Either this book WAS written by Higashida and no one believes it because of how deeply entrenched ableism is in our world (because how DARE someone with AuTiSm write something of VaLuE!) or, he didn't actually write the book and was exploited by the adults in his life. It doesn't matter which is true. Both are deeply painful options for those of us on the spectrum.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This books has multiple timelines and multiple POVs. It is consistent with Karen M. McManus's other books. It's a thriller with some fun twists and turns. The families are dysfunctional and most of the characters are pretty well developed. If you like thrillers set in the Martha's Vineyard area, you might enjoy this. If I was a teenager, I would have been obsessed. As an adult, I still enjoyed it so long as I didn't think about the logic of the resolution too much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Minor: Death, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is the second book in the devil's night series. You do need to read the first book in the series to understand what is happening in this one. It helps to read the first one as well because Rika and Michael are in this one and you get to enjoy seeing their relationship develop a bit more. This romance focuses on Kai and Banks. Banks is one of the most interesting characters I've read about in a long time. I absolutely loved her and she is one of my top favorite characters of all time. Her transformation in this story was so wonderful, and this would have been a great book if that's all it was, but it was more than that. Not only did we see this wonderful character transformation in Banks, but we get to know Kai and see how he struggles with this inner battle between the dark and light parts of himself. The book also has thriller elements with the storyline about Damon that continues from the first book. This was a great read if you like dark romance and I'm excited to read book 3! I don't like to share triggers because some find them to be spoilers, but if you need to know triggers, do look them up before reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Minor: Blood, Murder, Abandonment
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
DNF at 40%. (I do not give star ratings to books I DNF).
I read this as a buddy read with a friend of mine who was reading a bit ahead of me. He got to a point where he read a traumatic scene involving animal cruelty and I had to put the book down. That's like, my one and only trigger. Up until that point, I thought the book was intriguing. It was kind of middle of the road where I thought it was smart, a bit pretentious, but also not so pretentious that it was unlikeable. If you can handle graphic animal cruelty, I've heard this is worth finishing.
I read this as a buddy read with a friend of mine who was reading a bit ahead of me. He got to a point where he read a traumatic scene involving animal cruelty and I had to put the book down. That's like, my one and only trigger. Up until that point, I thought the book was intriguing. It was kind of middle of the road where I thought it was smart, a bit pretentious, but also not so pretentious that it was unlikeable. If you can handle graphic animal cruelty, I've heard this is worth finishing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, Gaslighting
Minor: Toxic relationship
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
This is a fun adventure story. My favorite part was the exciting plot and the steampunk elements. I thought that, with the exception of Arthur and Harriet, most of the characters were one dimensional, if that. Felicity has weird feet. Maude is an engineer. The one guy has weird eyebrows. I wanted more dimension to the characters. I also wanted more world building. There was just enough world building for us to know what is happening in the story and nothing more. I think overall, this book would have been better if it was a bit longer and more time was spent developing the characters and building the world. This story didn’t grab me at an emotional level. The closest moment was when something tragic happens, but that tragic moment was sort of brushed over in a way that didn’t allow for much emotional processing for the characters or the readers. That being said, what we do learn about the world is fun and interesting and exciting. I am unsure if I will continue the series because I just didn’t feel enough attachment to the characters, plot, or universe to be super interested in future stories.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
I love the creatures in this world. They’re so cute and whimsical and loveable. I love that Sophie gets to live with a family who are caretakers for all these creatures because it really resonates with me on a personal level. It has been over a year since I read the first book in this series but I remembered all the characters easily, and that’s because Messenger does such a good job with character work and development. She cleaned up her prose from the first book and I enjoyed how the storyline developed in this installment. I like that we still aren’t sure who the Black Swan is and whether they’re good or bad–morally grey for the win! This book made me feel a full range of emotions and its nearly 600 pages flew by. Loved it!