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Men, Women, and Chainsaws by Stephen Graham Jones
Despite its short length Men, Women, and Chainsaws packs a punch. This novella is characterized by Stephen Graham Jones’ signature style, which is as propelling as it is chaotic. The central character’s knowledge of slashers and her intense personality brought to mind Jade from the author’s The Lake Witch trilogy, so I found myself rooting…
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Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
Summer Sons is very much a vibes-driven novel that would not exist without Maggie Stiefvater’s The Dream Thieves. From the aesthetics permeating the story to the combative & codependent character dynamics, Summer Sons share a lot of similarities with that book. Lee Mandelo’s older cast of characters however allow for them to employ an edgier…
3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, academia, Adult, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, bi side characters, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, cars, coming of age, Contemporary, curses, DEATH, FANTASY, friendships, gay side characters, ghosts/spirits, GOTHIC, history, HORROR, identity, it’s about the *aesthetics*, Lee Mandelo, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, M/F/M side, m/m, MURDER, My reviews, MYSTERY, nashville, NEW ADULT, PARANORMAL, polyamory, published in 2021, queer, read in 2022, reading, SEXUALITY, Southern America, southern gothic, summer reads, Summer Sons, SUPERNATURAL, tennessee, toxic relationships, trans side characters, trauma, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE -
Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
“You were never out of the Life completely. You were always looking over your shoulder. You always kept a gun within reach.” Blacktop Wasteland is a thrilling, adrenaline-fueled read that gives a fresh new take on the One Last Job™ premise. S.A. Cosby’s pitch-perfect sophomore novel is brutal, twisty, and very gritty. Blacktop Wasteland will…
3rd pov, 4.5 STARS, adrenaline fuelled reads, Adult, American, Black & Black heritage authors, Blacktop Wasteland, cars, Contemporary, CRIME, DEATH, family, fatherhood, fathers & sons, grit lit, heist, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, male authors, Noir, published in 2020, read in 2020, rural setting, S.A. Cosby, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, Southern America, SUSPENSE, terrific prose, THRILLER, violence, virginia -
Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater — book review
Okay, I loved it even more this second time around. This book is full of Stiefvaterisms (in the best possible way). “This is going to be a story about the Lynch brothers.” The very first line of Call Dawn the Hawk echoes that of a fairy tale and Maggie Stiefvater demonstrates just how impressive a…
3rd pov, 4 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, adventure, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ART/CREATIVITY, ARTISTS, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, brothers, Call Down the Hawk, cambridge (us), cars, Contemporary, declan lynch, dreamers, Dreams, england, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, FOLKLORE, friendships, gay, great storytelling, Harvard, heist, henrietta, Jordan Hennessy, KIDS WITH POWERS, lgbtq+, m/m, Maggie Stiefvater, MAGIC, magical swords, Massachusetts, occult, PARANORMAL, POWERS, published in 2019, re-reads, READ IN 2019, road trip, Ronan Lynch, series that went downhill, tarots, the raven boys, the raven cycle, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, virginia, Washington DC, witchcraft, YOUNG ADULT