randi_jo's Reviews (420)

Disturbing. Themes of infant loss and delusions. Sophie is a nightmare woman. The children were very well written. I like these points because they fuel the uneasiness of the narrative.
I didn't like how inconclusive everything was. There were too many little things being touched on once and then forgotten or left unexplored. It was like someone was trying to shove as many triggers into my face without any real purpose. The ending was also really lackluster/rushed. Not my favorite.

This was a nice fast-paced read with good, flowing prose. I enjoyed the dark fairytale aspects of the story and the hints at things below the surface for the adult reader. A lot of it felt nostalgic, the kind of feelings of 'miss the world before I understood it' feelings; a childhood resentment.

I'm sticking with 3 stars because while it was a fun read, nothing really stuck out to me as overly special or resonating. I won't go out of my way to recommend it, but if someone asks if they should read it, I'd give them a thumbs up.

Cliché romance. Cringe sex. Panties dry. :(

Poetry is always evolving and this collection really reminded me of that. While I'm not the biggest fan of free form poetry, there are some very, very beautiful poems here and I'll be thinking about them for a long time to come.

The second half of the collection is my favorite. My only qualms with any of the poems are the ones that step away and explain the etymology of a word, how it's going to be double-meaning in the poem, rather than making it a footnote or added into the notes section at the end of the book. Some poems felt more like essays and while I don't find it an inherently bad thing, it's definitely not something I was looking for.

Still, by the end of the book I felt pretty much every emotion I could feel, and the ending 3 or so poems had a grace and passion that left me feeling happy/satisfied as I closed the book.

Still emotional. Still has its flaws but they're not terrible. Even though this was my third read, I still teared up in places.

I really enjoyed this. I was worried at first it was going to be like a Sherlock Holmes style mystery but was pleasantly surprised to find it reads more like a suspense/thriller. And boy, were there some REALLY suspenseful moments.

I love Will Graham's character. I also love that he is, in essence, the contrast of the villain and Hannibal Lecter. SpoilerIt's pushed blatantly that everyone believes he thinks "just like criminals/sociopaths" but he himself is not one, but alludes that he CAN be one. With his deteriorating relationship and physical conflicts/injuries plus Lecter stalking him, I feel like I want to pick up book 2 just to find out if he manages to keep his sanity/ethical compass intact.

4 stars though because that ending. What the fuck. Having a hard time accepting it happened or even explaining to myself what happened/is happening.