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Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
Bad Cree was one of my most anticipated 2023 releases and while I did like it, it didn’t quite live up to its premise as it ultimately reads as one of those debuts that manages to be both refreshing (in its imagery, in its lack of the usual romance subplot) and cliched (in its storyline,…
1st pov, 3 STARS, Adult, alberta, America, bad cree, canada, canadian author, Contemporary, Cree, cree author, dead girls, DEATH, Dreams, FANTASY, female authors, forests, GUILT, hauntings, HORROR, indigenous, indigenous author, Jessica Johns, lgbtq+ side, MAGICAL REALISM, MYSTERY, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, nehiyaw author, PARANORMAL, published in 2023, queer side characters, read in 2023, SISTERS, subject over characters/story, SUSPENSE, trauma -
The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
“I think a lot of people would elect to be dead if they didnt have to die.” By turns, blunt and meandering The Passenger presents its readers with an unsparing tale permeated by existential angst. Cormac McCarthy’s prose is uncompromising: much of the narrative consists of dialogues: rambling conversations, mystifying backwards and forwards, sharp repartees,…
1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, addiction, ageing, ALIENATION, ambiguous protagonist, ambivalent mood, America, atmospheric, bad love, bars & restaurants, Cormac McCarthy, dead girls, DEATH, desire, dialogue heavy, endless monologues, existentialism, experimental, feverish, FLORIDA, GRIEF, grit lit, GUILT, hallucinations, hauntings, history, i don’t think happiness is for me, Ibiza, Idaho, incest, introspective, ISLAND, Kafkaesque, lgbtq+ side, LITERARY FICTION, literary references, Longing, Louisiana, madness, MEMORY, mental health, Mississippi, morality, MYSTERY, nature, New Orleans, no plot just vibes, no quotations marks, obsession, paranoia, philosophical, PSYCHIATRISTS & THERAPISTS, psychological, psychology, published in 2022, read in 2022, road trip, schizophrenia, science, scientists & co, sea, siblings, Southern America, spain, suicide, survival, terrific prose, The Passenger, tragedy, trans side characters, war, western -
White Horse by Erika T. Wurth
The story and themes in White Horse were promising enough, their execution however ultimately is somewhat of a letdown. That is not to say that White Horse is not worth reading as I do think that it does have value in terms of entertainment and in its discussions of trauma, self-destructiveness, and survival. Our narrator…
1st pov, Adult, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Apache Chickasaw Cherokee author, bars & restaurants, colorado, Contemporary, dead girls, Denver, disabilities, Erika T. Wurth, female authors, female friendships, friendships, ghosts/spirits, GRIEF, gritty aesthetics, hauntings, HORROR, indigenous, indigenous author, literary references, mothers & daughters, MURDER, MYSTERY, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, PARANORMAL, published in 2022, read in 2022, self-destructive, survival, SUSPENSE, THRILLER, trauma, White Horse -
The Less Dead by Denise Mina — book review
The Less Dead is a gripping, if bleak, piece of tartan noir. When sex workers, drug addicts, migrant workers, and otherwise marginalised groups are victims of murder, they are called the ‘less dead’. Their deaths are less important, not as ‘impactful’. Denise Mina’s novel, in a similar vein to recent releases such as Long Bright…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, addiction, ADOPTION, BOOK REVIEW, cheating, class, Contemporary, CRIME, dark, dead girls, Denise Mina, female authors, lgbtq+ side, mothers & daughters, netgalley, Noir, obsession, Poverty, prostitution, published in 2020, rape, read in 2020, REVIEW, scotland, scottish author, serial killers, sexual assault/abuse/rape, social issues, SUSPENSE, Tartan Noir, The Less Dead, THRILLER, violence against women -
The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel — book review
“We can be sad, distraught, confused, pleading, forgiving. But not furious. Fury is reserved for other people. The worst thing you can be is an angry woman, an angry mother.” Once again I find myself in the minority but I just didn’t find The Familiar Dark to be a very riveting read. From its gratuitous…
1st pov, 3 STARS, abuse, addiction, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, dark, dead girls, DEATH, family, female authors, GRIEF, grit lit, missouri, motherhood, mothers & daughters, MURDER, Ozarks, Poverty, psychological, published in 2020, read in 2020, revenge, rural setting, siblings, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, Southern America, survival, SUSPENSE, The Familiar Dark, trauma, violence -
Everything You Want Me to Be : Book Review
Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia ★★★✰✰ 3 stars Last summer I read Mejia’s latest novel Leave No Trace: A Novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it had a suspenseful and fast-paced story with alluring main characters. While Everything You Want Me to Be is an undoubtedly well-written novel that…
1st pov, 3 STARS, Adult, affairs, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Contemporary, dead girls, domestic thriller, Everything You Want Me to Be, female authors, HIGH SCHOOL, Mindy Mejia, minnesota, MURDER, murder mystery, MYSTERY, published in 2019, READ IN 2019, REVIEW, rural setting, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, SUSPENSE, teachers, unreliable narrators, whodunnit -
Broken Harbor by Tana French
Broken Harbour is a gripping novel that portrays – with much intensity – complex relationships between friends, partners and family members. French, as per usual, pays close attention to the human psychology rather than focusing solely on the ‘crime’ itself. Tense and frayed relationships aside, the story is one peppered with doubt: throughout the investigation,…
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In the Woods by Tana French
What I am telling you, before you begin my story, is this – two things: I crave the truth. And I lie. An incredibly intense and absorbing read. In the Woods is so much more than a ‘crime’ novel. French creates incredibly vivid characters. She also has a knack for dialogue: that is to say…
1st pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, Adult, american irish author, BOOK REVIEW, Contemporary, CRIME, dark, dead girls, DETECTIVE, female authors, IN THE WOODS, IRELAND, LITERARY FICTION, missing children, missing persons, MYSTERY, police procedural, psychological, Psychological thriller, read in 2017, SUSPENSE, TANA FRENCH, trauma, unreliable narrators, whodunnit
luce [is reading] 