magicalghoul's Reviews (115)

Well, that sure was a disquieting read.

I'm very in love with the way it used the concept of genii loci sucking up and then reflecting the racism of a previous owner and That being the horror, as well as the way it integrated the theme in the narrative.

I would recommend it for the excellent creepy imagery and stylization, wouldn't recommend it if you're not fond of non-endings and loose plots with more flair than anything.

Must admit I read the first two chapters and wasn't too impressed but thankfully I kept reading and it held me and didn't let go, holy shit.

The sense of dread ramping up, the good good grotesque imagery, the atmosphere... It was a distressing read (in the best way) and managed to give me the creeps in more than one occasion.

It also hits for the most part that good point with exposition where you can guess where the story is going since it gives you the necessary elements to do some guesswork without dumping it on— and when the dumping did come at least it didn't feel so out of place, which I'm thankful for since I'm very pesky with that sort of thing. 

Using the gothic genre as a conduit to portrait white supremacy and patriarchy (and all it entails— the racism, the misogyny, the colonization and commodification of people as mere bodies) was brilliant. I simply love it when horror is used to talk about and portray socially relevant themes. Absolutely enjoyed this. 

Everything about this is so sweet, from the hopeful notes and the reason the author wrote it in the first place... 

First of all I didn't expect to like Hrathen as much as I did. 

Have mixed feelings about the exposition but loved the lore. The pacing on the last part felt too rushed, but the ending was a satisfactory one— and once in a while it's nice to read something that you know is going to end well, despite it all. 

Sarene was an interesting character, despite her falling into the I'm Not Like Other Women cliché at times. Would've loved to see her interacting with other women, though. 

Also if I were Galladon and the (very white)  prince of Arelon made up a stereotypical brownface persona of my people, I would simply kick his ass. 

First Rachel book! We love her! Her motives are present here from the get-go but given a more solid form: from the previous book we know that she finds courage to protect others even when she herself is scared to death, and here we have that desire to protect (the others animorphs, Melissa, and then all the kids that have been left loveless and that will be left loveless because of the yeerks) being shaped into the foundation of what the animorphs are fighting for.

With this we're also seeing as one by one the kids start falling into the roles they deconstruct more than embody: Jake as Fearless Leader and Rachel as Blood Knight.

Nothing else to say besides the character-focused content, but once again that's where the draw of the series is.

Where to even begin.

Animorphs is one of those pieces of media that I find myself revisiting every few years. It's fantastic despite its flaws and I'm awed and moved by the themes and the treatment every single time. And on a reread it's even more clear that the intent of the animorphs series was never to romanticize war, nor to talk down to its young audience— something crucial, considering the heavy subject matter it was treating. 

The Invasion is a great first installment that sets the basics for every character motivation and the future conflicts they'll face just as well as the theme and tone for the rest of the series: a bleak (albeit not completely hopeless) one that's not here to do pro-war apologism, who will take the premise of "Kids given powers to fight in a war" and take it to it's full realistic potential, one that won't shy away from its portrayal of PTSD and the heavy mantle of war on those who have to fight it.

Also: Petition to recategorize these books as horror because wow, certain passages are scarier than some of the horror media I've consumed recently. 

I didn't expect the stories in this anthology to be so dependent on sexual violence for their horror, so that was a letdown. Moreover, I feel they suffer for it.

There were some stories I enjoyed though, but the rest of them were more miss than hit for me.

Noteworthy stories (♢ liked; ❥ loved)

♢ Slug by Megan Milks
♢ Conspiracy of Fuckers by Nomy Lamm
❥ Homeland by Kristyn Dunnion
♢ Crabby by Michelle Tea
❥ Shark by Kestrel Barnes
♢ Fear of Dying to the Wrong Song by Amanda Lamarche

I'd be all over Here Lies the Last Lesbian Rental in East Vancouver by Amber Dawn if it weren't for the sexual assault. A shame, because the concept is really good and the execution was doing well up until that point.

Please mind the warnings if you intend to read this anthology, I wouldn't recommend it to someone who's had trauma related to any of the things listed.  

This is my comfort book and this time I tried out the audiobook because for some reason I hadn't listened to it yet. Merricat's magical-thinking induced narration comes out gorgeous as spoken word, and the whispering voice of the narrator really works to further the atmosphere Jackson created. 

This time around I felt a great sadness at finishing the book. Maybe the first few times I was more focused on the elements of the story, but this time the tragedy of it all really hit me.

Sin palabras, la verdad. Es la primera vez que leo algo de Mariana Enríquez y quedé con ganas de más. Me encanta cuán distintivas y marcadas son las voces de sus protagonistas, lo cotidiano del horror y el ritmo de la prosa.