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Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez
“You have something of mine, I passed on something of me to you, and hopefully it isn’t cursed, I don’t know if I can leave you something that isn’t dirty, that isn’t dark, our share of night” Although I have previously quoted Lady Gaga’s iconic “talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same,…
1980s, 1990s, 4 STARS, abuse, Adult, ALIENATION, all of the trigger warnings, argentina, argentinian author, atmospheric, big books, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, boyhood, child abuse, CHILDHOOD, coming of age, creepy setting, cults, dark, DEATH, england, FANTASY, fathers & sons, female authors, friendships, gay side characters, graphic content, GRIEF, grotesque, growing up, GUILT, haunted house, HISTORICAL FICTION, HORROR, illness, latin america, lgbtq+, loneliness, Mariana Enríquez, missing girls, missing persons, morality, occult, orphans, otherness, Our Share of Night, parallel universes, PARANORMAL, POWERS, published in 2019, queer, read in 2022, road trip, sexual assault/abuse/rape, strong sense of place, summer reads, SUPERNATURAL, toxic relationships, tragedy, TRANSLATED FICTION, trauma, unrequited love, violence -
Confidence by Rafael Frumkin
“It seems now like everything I’ve done in my life I’ve done because of love, a useless, gutting love that left me devoured from the inside.” Fans of books exploring white-collar crime and/or conmen & scammers should definitely give Rafael Frumkin’s sophomore novel Confidence a shot. There were aspects of the storyline that reminded me…
1st pov, 3.25 stars, Adult, America, American dream, bad love, Confidence, Contemporary, CRIME, cults, disabilities, gay, heartbreak/breakups, jealousy, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, LITERARY FICTION, Longing, m/m, masculinity, morality, obsession, prison, PRIVILEGE, psychological, published in 2023, queer, Rafael Frumkin, read in 2022, rich people, SEXUALITY, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, summer camps, toxic relationships, unrequited love, wellness culture, white-collar crime -
Lightseekers by Femi Kayode
Lightseeker is a propulsive thriller that combines a who/whydunnit with a thought-provoking social commentary. Set in Nigeria, Lightseeker is predominantly narrated by Dr. Philip Taiwo, an investigative psychologist who has recently returned to Nigeria after having spent years in the United States. A husband and a father of two, Philip struggles to readjust to Nigeria’s…
3 STARS, Adult, affairs, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, CRIME, cults, cultural dissonance, DEATH, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), Femi Kayode, graphic content, Lightseeker, male authors, MURDER, My reviews, MYSTERY, Nigeria, Nigerian author, politics, PSYCHIATRISTS & THERAPISTS, published in 2021, read in 2022, reading, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social issues, THRILLER, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, violence -
No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull
My review for No Gods, No Monsters will not make a lot of sense. The main reason for this is that, to be quite frank, I did not ‘get’ this novel. I did try, I persevered in spite of my mounting confusion, hoping that at some point I would be able to understand the what/why/who/hows…
3 STARS, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Cadwell Turnbull, confusing for the sake of being confusing, Contemporary, cults, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), FANTASY, gay side characters, HORROR, lgbtq+, MAGIC, male authors, monsters, My reviews, MYSTERY, No Gods No Monsters, PARANORMAL, polyamory, published in 2021, queer, read in 2021, reading, social issues, SPECULATIVE FICTION, SUPERNATURAL, TRANSGENDER, URBAN FANTASY, violence, werewolves -
All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue
Caroline O’Donoghue’s foray into YA will definitely appeal to fans of the genre. Although I do have a few criticisms I can safely say that I found All Our Hidden Gifts to be an entertaining read. Set in Ireland, our narrator and protagonist is sixteen-year old Maeve Chambers, the youngest in a big family. She…
1st pov, 3 STARS, all girls school, All Our Hidden Gifts, Caroline O’Donoghue, coming of age, Contemporary, cults, curses, Dreams, FANTASY, female authors, FOLKLORE, gender identity, IRELAND, IRISH AUTHOR, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, missing girls, missing persons, PARANORMAL, published in 2021, queer side characters, read in 2020, ROMANCE, social issues, tarots, WITCHES, YOUNG ADULT -
The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto
The Lake is narrated by the quintessential Banana Yoshimoto protagonist. While Yoshimoto’s sparse yet dreamy makes for an easy reading experience this is definitely not one of her ‘strongest’ novels.Chihiro, daughter of an ‘unconventional’ couple, moves to Tokyo in order to pursue a career graphic artist. She’s still grieving her mother’s death and spends most…
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The Bright Lands by John Fram
At first, I was intrigued by The Bright Lands: a small town in Texas, missing teen(s), possible evil entities…I kind of expected it to be a modern take on Twin Peaks by way of Stephen King. Sadly, however, The Bright Lands never delivers on its intriguing premise. The writing leaves a lot to be desired,…
2 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BOOK REVIEWS, Contemporary, cults, gay, heavy on telling, HIGH SCHOOL, HORROR, John Fram, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, male authors, missing boys, MYSTERY, NEW YORK, PARANORMAL, problematic, published in 2020, queer, read in 2020, REVIEWS, rural setting, sex, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, Southern America, sports, SUPERNATURAL, SUSPENSE, texas, The Bright Lands, THRILLER, weak prose -
Sacred by Dennis Lehane
Kenzie and Gennaro are hired by an incredibly wealthy – and dying – Trevor Stone to find his missing daughter. Things soon start to get complicated. Kenzie’s own mentor was looking for Desiree Stone and is now also MIA. Kenzie and Gennaro will venture from a shady Grief Counselling organisation, that is possibly connected to…
1990s, 1st pov, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BOSTON, CRIME, cults, DENNIS LEHANE, DETECTIVE, FLORIDA, HARD-BOILED, KENZIE & GENNARO, LEHANE’S BOSTON, male authors, MISSING DAUGHTERS, missing persons, MYSTERY, Noir, PATRICK KENZIE, private investigator, published in 1997, read in 2018, SACRED, SUSPENSE, THRILLER
luce [is reading] 