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morganjanedavis's Reviews (396)
How far can you go into the woods?
Piecing together the past has proven to be a challenge. The unnamed main character in Penpal has reflected on his childhood and called in the help of his mother to fill in the gaps. In a narrative that bounces through time the protagonist recalls playing with his best friend Josh, spending time in the woods behind his house, and participating in an anonymous penpal project at school. All is well until strange yet seemingly harmless events mesh together to paint a sinister picture, leading back to the same source.
There’s a Goodreads review for this novel that says “Creepypasta more like weepypasta!!” and I couldn’t agree more. Penpal is horror with heart. The story was told nonlinear which in some cases could be confusing. Here, I felt as I was sitting at a table with someone as they recalled their most precious memories with their best friend. As a child it’s easy to not sense the full scope of a dangerous situation. Superman complex is real with children, they’re young and are convinced that nothing is a danger, until it is. We see that numerous times throughout the story with the boys, which makes the knock the air from your lungs ending so much more gut churning. Penpal’s origins are easily distinguishable; it reads like a long, personal blog post. This book offered way more emotional depth than I was prepared for, in the best way. Ominous, foreboding, heartbreaking. Read this !!
Piecing together the past has proven to be a challenge. The unnamed main character in Penpal has reflected on his childhood and called in the help of his mother to fill in the gaps. In a narrative that bounces through time the protagonist recalls playing with his best friend Josh, spending time in the woods behind his house, and participating in an anonymous penpal project at school. All is well until strange yet seemingly harmless events mesh together to paint a sinister picture, leading back to the same source.
There’s a Goodreads review for this novel that says “Creepypasta more like weepypasta!!” and I couldn’t agree more. Penpal is horror with heart. The story was told nonlinear which in some cases could be confusing. Here, I felt as I was sitting at a table with someone as they recalled their most precious memories with their best friend. As a child it’s easy to not sense the full scope of a dangerous situation. Superman complex is real with children, they’re young and are convinced that nothing is a danger, until it is. We see that numerous times throughout the story with the boys, which makes the knock the air from your lungs ending so much more gut churning. Penpal’s origins are easily distinguishable; it reads like a long, personal blog post. This book offered way more emotional depth than I was prepared for, in the best way. Ominous, foreboding, heartbreaking. Read this !!
This novel is G R I P P I N G, sucking the reader in at PAGE 5 and not letting up until the very end. Rachel is a total badass, doing whatever it takes to get her daughter Kylie back, and eventually channeling that same energy in an attempt to break
Lydia is a recent college graduate trying to figure out her next phase in life. An artist, she is interning at a gallery and following in the footsteps of her late father who’s sold works allow for her to rent (and secretly live in) a studio as well as pay for her deteriorating mother to be cared after in a lavish nursing home. Navigating through this quarter life crisis while watching who you know your mother to be fade away would emotionally drain any normal person but, it hits Lydia exceptionally hard. She’s starving in other ways, too. Her bloodlust is getting unbearable as she goes days without a proper meal. Lydia rides the line between morality and immortality; how can she take control of her life and deal with the truth of what she truly is?
Woman, Eating surprised me in many ways. This was a character driven read, focusing on Lyd and her internal struggles. These ranged from her adopted self-hatred instilled from her mother and her view of vampirism, the feeling of disassociation that stems from sexual harassment/assault, and the sadness of missing out on any form of relationship with her father. Kohda dug deeper than I anticipated. While most of Lyd’s battles were framed through the lens of her being a vampire, there were some very real and raw emotions exhibited throughout that are universally relatable. While the plot was fairly stagnant and the storyline very much falls under the “melancholy millennial with no life direction” umbrella, it packed a heartier punch than most of the reads in the same category. The sense of closure delivered felt on par with Lydia’s character and development throughout, a classic twenty-something vibe. Lit fic is a genre I don’t venture into too often and reads like this make me want to broaden my horizons more frequently. A quick, raw read.
Woman, Eating surprised me in many ways. This was a character driven read, focusing on Lyd and her internal struggles. These ranged from her adopted self-hatred instilled from her mother and her view of vampirism, the feeling of disassociation that stems from sexual harassment/assault, and the sadness of missing out on any form of relationship with her father. Kohda dug deeper than I anticipated. While most of Lyd’s battles were framed through the lens of her being a vampire, there were some very real and raw emotions exhibited throughout that are universally relatable. While the plot was fairly stagnant and the storyline very much falls under the “melancholy millennial with no life direction” umbrella, it packed a heartier punch than most of the reads in the same category. The sense of closure delivered felt on par with Lydia’s character and development throughout, a classic twenty-something vibe. Lit fic is a genre I don’t venture into too often and reads like this make me want to broaden my horizons more frequently. A quick, raw read.
Amy is lives a run of the mill life in suburbia. Her and her husband moved from Chicago to a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone, PTA rules all, and the hottest gossip involves who brought store bought cupcakes to the function. This isn’t really Amy’s style. Luckily, she’s found her micro-community within Whispering Farms. Amy, Liz, Jess, and Melissa find solace in one another and use their bond to decompress from the rigid social standards placed onto suburban stay at home moms. All is well, until the most meek, level-headed, calm member becomes…different. After digging up a spot for the women’s she-shed and unearthing a horrible stinky nightmare Liz morphs into a self-centered being. She has no interest in her family or friends, she lives to look hot and act as a recluse. Determined to get to the bottom of what’s going on, Amy leads her friends down the rabbit hole, uncovering secrets they wished they didn’t have to in order to save Liz.
Suburban Hell is a campy horror delight. Kilmer’s ability to inject comedic relief between the women’s woes is reminiscent of Grady Hendrix’s writing style (I’ve seen Suburban Hell compared to My Best Friend’s Exorcism—hard agree) and I couldn’t get enough. The women are painted as they should: multidimensional people who long to be labeled as something else besides MOM. The struggles they face in Whispering Farms, the place where being a “good mom” is made to be a competition with multiple requirements are real and reflect the unrealistic societal standards that mothers are held to. Community and reliance on one another were strong themes presented throughout the novel, which reigned true until the very end.
The paranormal elements were sporadic, catching me off guard at times, intertwining with the elements of suburbia seamlessly. My only qualm is that the build up was there but, the ending felt it was missing something compared to all the activity that took place to get to that point. All in all, I highly recommend this suburban spooker. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title!
Suburban Hell is a campy horror delight. Kilmer’s ability to inject comedic relief between the women’s woes is reminiscent of Grady Hendrix’s writing style (I’ve seen Suburban Hell compared to My Best Friend’s Exorcism—hard agree) and I couldn’t get enough. The women are painted as they should: multidimensional people who long to be labeled as something else besides MOM. The struggles they face in Whispering Farms, the place where being a “good mom” is made to be a competition with multiple requirements are real and reflect the unrealistic societal standards that mothers are held to. Community and reliance on one another were strong themes presented throughout the novel, which reigned true until the very end.
The paranormal elements were sporadic, catching me off guard at times, intertwining with the elements of suburbia seamlessly. My only qualm is that the build up was there but, the ending felt it was missing something compared to all the activity that took place to get to that point. All in all, I highly recommend this suburban spooker. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title!
She has fallen into a bit of luck, leaving Monte Carlo and her unpleasant employer to the wind. She's headed to the extravagant estate, Manderley, owned by her soon to be husband Max de Winter. She finds herself caught up in a whirlwind of overwhelm. So much to see, so much to oversee, so many staff members to become acquainted with. She is excited, and uncertain. On the surface (besides Ms. Danvers), everything is serene, a true dream. Until she feels the shadow of the past bubbling below. This presence is incessant, nagging, refuses to go unnoticed. Try as she might, this isn't her home, her rightful place, her dog, her husband, her Happy Valley, her estate. She can feel the true owner's hand gripping at what is hers. She can feel Rebecca.
Rebecca is a perfect example of Gothic literature. du Maurier creates a foreboding, ominous cloud that hangs over the narrative. As the story progresses, this cloud becomes larger, swallowing everyone and everything up. It's inevitable, and as you read you are very much aware of this fact. This solidified my investment in the story, even through portions that were slower and/or lagged. The building tension surrounding the characters (especially Danvers and our unnamed main character & our unnamed main character and Max) was palpable but, the events that created the tension were ones I was not able to predict. du Maurier's writing style is eloquent and strong, forcing the reader to live inside of our heroine's mind, and making even the smallest of thoughts gripping. There's no question as to why this is a classic, read REBECCA.
Rebecca is a perfect example of Gothic literature. du Maurier creates a foreboding, ominous cloud that hangs over the narrative. As the story progresses, this cloud becomes larger, swallowing everyone and everything up. It's inevitable, and as you read you are very much aware of this fact. This solidified my investment in the story, even through portions that were slower and/or lagged. The building tension surrounding the characters (especially Danvers and our unnamed main character & our unnamed main character and Max) was palpable but, the events that created the tension were ones I was not able to predict. du Maurier's writing style is eloquent and strong, forcing the reader to live inside of our heroine's mind, and making even the smallest of thoughts gripping. There's no question as to why this is a classic, read REBECCA.
3.5
This was a fun listen! Eddie is sent to a small South American country to investigate a human anomaly that is supposedly caused by his company’s potatoes. An entire family of children are walking on their hands and feet, bear crawl style. This is not only alarming to the family but could tarnish the company’s name as well. Moralez’s only job is to get down there, find the root cause of this issue (and like it BETTER not be the potatoes), and leave. That is until the country’s revolution, and befriending a journalist muddy his goals. Eddie has to make a decision and pick a side—all in the name of taters.
One Potato is probably the most unique concept for a novel I’ve stumbled upon as of late. The plot points drew me in immediately because of this. I loved how deep the story got and how intertwined things were as information was revealed to the reader. I would’ve never predicted some of the revelations throughout. Raven was a fun character and I loved her development and commitment to the truth. Eddie’s dedication to the afflicted children was chivalrous, especially when the revolution got extremely dicey and dangerous. The potato makes its way through this book from beginning to end, and I loved viewing Eddie’s growth through the lens of a potato and how he now viewed mass food corporations. I went into this looking for a light-hearted goofy read and instead became invested in the revolution of this fictitious country. I felt some of the aspects were unnecessary but overall, I’d recommend this for a seriously unique read!
This was a fun listen! Eddie is sent to a small South American country to investigate a human anomaly that is supposedly caused by his company’s potatoes. An entire family of children are walking on their hands and feet, bear crawl style. This is not only alarming to the family but could tarnish the company’s name as well. Moralez’s only job is to get down there, find the root cause of this issue (and like it BETTER not be the potatoes), and leave. That is until the country’s revolution, and befriending a journalist muddy his goals. Eddie has to make a decision and pick a side—all in the name of taters.
One Potato is probably the most unique concept for a novel I’ve stumbled upon as of late. The plot points drew me in immediately because of this. I loved how deep the story got and how intertwined things were as information was revealed to the reader. I would’ve never predicted some of the revelations throughout. Raven was a fun character and I loved her development and commitment to the truth. Eddie’s dedication to the afflicted children was chivalrous, especially when the revolution got extremely dicey and dangerous. The potato makes its way through this book from beginning to end, and I loved viewing Eddie’s growth through the lens of a potato and how he now viewed mass food corporations. I went into this looking for a light-hearted goofy read and instead became invested in the revolution of this fictitious country. I felt some of the aspects were unnecessary but overall, I’d recommend this for a seriously unique read!
3.5
Charlie Asher is a normal guy. Despite being painfully average (or in the words of Charlie: a “Beta Male”), he’s been pretty lucky in life. He has a beautiful wife, runs a secondhand shop/apartment complex that’s been passed down from his father, and is expecting a baby girl soon. Charlie is doing better than he ever anticipated. If only it lasted. After baby Sophie is born, Charlie seems to be losing his mind. Random objects are glowing red, shadows are following him around, and voices reverberating in the sewer threaten to eat his baby, and refer to him as “New Meat”. Confused and terrified, Charlie tracks down a man by the name of Minty Fresh who informs Charlie he’s a Death Merchant, like himself. Being (a) Death proves to be a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it!
This is my first Moore read following heavy pushes from friends and family. Horror comedy is just *so* fun, there’s something about the opposing themes that mesh so well together to create an over-the-top narrative. Moore did that here and did it well. The plot points intertwined with the humor perfectly, resulting in imagery that is downright hilarious. With that being said, it’s very evident this novel was written in 2006. There are some attempts at humor that are extremely dated + in poor taste and it shows. Specifically, a Black character states cabs won’t stop for him bc he is Black and it’s supposed to be funny, Charlie speaks with a blaccent complete with the word “wigga” ((MEGA CRINGE…like 9-1-1)) and a freshly 18 year old character who the reader has known since she was 12-13 has graphic sex with a character in his mid-40’s…who’s also known her since she was 12-13. When I read these portions, my thoughts ranged from “this isn’t funny, how could this have gotten approved, disgusting, no like rlly who said this is ok, uh tf?”. My takeaway from this is that I’m happy to exist in a time and space where “jokes” that use racism + grooming as the punchline are immediately recognizable, unfunny, unacceptable, and don’t get swept under the rug. These jokes alone brought the book from a 5-star read to a 3.5.
I can only assume that existing as a white male author in 2006 there wasn’t much feedback from women, Black, or POC peeps while writing but, I hope like hell Moore is receiving that feedback now and adjusting accordingly.
If you don’t like humor + horror don’t reach for this one. It definitely leans more closely towards humor vs horror, with horror elements peppered in every so often. It worked for me despite the issues I had with it but, if those will turn the novel into a DNF for you—don’t say I didn’t warn you
Charlie Asher is a normal guy. Despite being painfully average (or in the words of Charlie: a “Beta Male”), he’s been pretty lucky in life. He has a beautiful wife, runs a secondhand shop/apartment complex that’s been passed down from his father, and is expecting a baby girl soon. Charlie is doing better than he ever anticipated. If only it lasted. After baby Sophie is born, Charlie seems to be losing his mind. Random objects are glowing red, shadows are following him around, and voices reverberating in the sewer threaten to eat his baby, and refer to him as “New Meat”. Confused and terrified, Charlie tracks down a man by the name of Minty Fresh who informs Charlie he’s a Death Merchant, like himself. Being (a) Death proves to be a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it!
This is my first Moore read following heavy pushes from friends and family. Horror comedy is just *so* fun, there’s something about the opposing themes that mesh so well together to create an over-the-top narrative. Moore did that here and did it well. The plot points intertwined with the humor perfectly, resulting in imagery that is downright hilarious. With that being said, it’s very evident this novel was written in 2006. There are some attempts at humor that are extremely dated + in poor taste and it shows. Specifically, a Black character states cabs won’t stop for him bc he is Black and it’s supposed to be funny, Charlie speaks with a blaccent complete with the word “wigga” ((MEGA CRINGE…like 9-1-1)) and a freshly 18 year old character who the reader has known since she was 12-13 has graphic sex with a character in his mid-40’s…who’s also known her since she was 12-13. When I read these portions, my thoughts ranged from “this isn’t funny, how could this have gotten approved, disgusting, no like rlly who said this is ok, uh tf?”. My takeaway from this is that I’m happy to exist in a time and space where “jokes” that use racism + grooming as the punchline are immediately recognizable, unfunny, unacceptable, and don’t get swept under the rug. These jokes alone brought the book from a 5-star read to a 3.5.
I can only assume that existing as a white male author in 2006 there wasn’t much feedback from women, Black, or POC peeps while writing but, I hope like hell Moore is receiving that feedback now and adjusting accordingly.
If you don’t like humor + horror don’t reach for this one. It definitely leans more closely towards humor vs horror, with horror elements peppered in every so often. It worked for me despite the issues I had with it but, if those will turn the novel into a DNF for you—don’t say I didn’t warn you
