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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 -
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
That was what Lethe and the societies demanded. Secrecy. Loyalty. Well, fuck them. In Hell Bent, the long-awaited sequel to the high-octane Ninth House, we are reunited with the danger-prone and dangerous Alex Stern. Still recovering from her several near-death experiences, and attempting to keep up with her coursework and maintain the facade of being…
3rd pov, 4 STARS, academia, Adult, adventure, alex stern, alex stern #2, ambiguous protagonist, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, autumn, California, campus, Contemporary, curses, dark academia, dark fantasy, DEATH, DEMONS, FANTASY, female authors, friendships, gay side characters, ghosts/spirits, gritty aesthetics, hell, Hell Bent, HORROR, it’s about the *aesthetics*, it’s about the *yearning*, Leigh Bardugo, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, morality, MURDER, MYSTERY, NEW ADULT, New Haven, Ninth House, occult, PARANORMAL, place as character, PRIVILEGE, published in 2023, quests, read in 2023, rich people, secret societies, secretiveness, she is dangerous, strong sense of place, SUSPENSE, terrific prose, trauma, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, URBAN FANTASY, VAMPIRES, violence, Yale -
A Carnivore’s Inquiry by Sabina Murray
“This is what exploration had opened up the door to. Not only widespread slaughter, but the necessary accompaniment of gorging.” Unapologetically solipsistic and deeply manipulative, Katherine, the central character of A Carnivore’s Inquiry, makes for an awful human being and a deeply entertaining narrator. A predecessor to Ottessa Moshfegh and Mona Awad’s protagonists, and many…
1st pov, 2000s, 4 STARS, A Carnivore's Inquiry, A Carnivore's Inquiry by Sabina Murray, Adult, affairs, age gap, ALIENATION, ambiguous protagonist, ambivalent mood, America, ART/CREATIVITY, books about writers, cannibalism, cheating, class, cold tone, colonialism, Contemporary, dark, dark humor, desire, ennui, female authors, feverish, filipino american author, GOTHIC, history, HORROR, introspective, Italy, LITERARY FICTION, literary references, madness, maine, Mexico, modern gothic, MURDER, MYSTERY, navel gazing, NEW YORK, no plot just vibes, otherness, PRIVILEGE, psychological, Psychological thriller, psychopaths, published in 2004, read in 2023, rich people, road trip, Sabina Murray, satire, self-destructive, serial killers, she is dangerous, she is not feeling good at all, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, SUSPENSE, terrific prose, the female malaise, travel, unreliable narrators, violence, womanhood/femininity -
The Night Eaters, Vol. 1: She Eats the Night by Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda
Intrigued by the title and cover of this latest graphic novel by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, I decided to give it a shot despite not being a fan of ‘Monstress’. Sadly, it seems that this creative duo is just not for me. In She Eats the Night we follow twins and restaurant co-owners, Milly…
2 STARS, Adult, America, asian american, asian diaspora, bars & restaurants, Contemporary, FANTASY, Graphic Novels, haunted house, hawaii, hong kong, HORROR, ISLAND, JAPANESE AUTHOR, monsters, PARANORMAL, published in 2022, read in 2022, Sana Takeda, Sequential Art, She Eats the Night, siblings, Taiwanese American Author, The Night Eaters, twins, URBAN FANTASY -
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 Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
“It felt scary, as if she were stepping across some invisible boundary, as if she might not know herself afterward. As if she were becoming the self she’d always thought lurked just underneath her skin. Her coolest possible self.” The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is very much old-school Holly Black: edgy aesthetics, gritty/snarky dialogues, and…
3.25 stars, 3rd pov, Adult, adventure, age gap, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, balls, bi side characters, DEATH, drama, dystopia, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, gritty aesthetics, HOLLY BLACK, HORROR, it’s about the *aesthetics*, lgbtq+ side, monsters, no plot just vibes, PARANORMAL, published in 2013, queer side characters, re-reads, read in 2013, read in 2022, revenge, road trip, ROMANCE, SPECULATIVE FICTION, survival, The Coldest Girl, trans side characters, URBAN FANTASY, VAMPIRES, violence, YOUNG ADULT -
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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Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin
Having found Samanta Schweblin’s Mouthful of Birds to make for a relatively disturbing collection of short stories I was intrigued to read more by her. Seven Empty Houses even promised a thematic unity in its seven stories, as they all featured strange houses. Sadly I found the motif to be explored/utilized in a rather underwhelming…
2 STARS, Adult, argentina, argentinian author, collection of short stories, Contemporary, creepy setting, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), female authors, ghosts/spirits, haunted house, hauntings, HORROR, latin america, latinx author, LITERARY FICTION, MAGICAL REALISM, published in 2015, read in 2022, Samanta Schweblin, Seven Empty Houses, short stories, surreal, SUSPENSE, weird -
Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty
“Mom had no money, and I knew better than to look. What money she ever came into she blew. Money—it was everywhere but nowhere.” Over the last few years, I have developed a certain fondness for collections of interlinked short stories, especially when they focus on the same character or various members of the same…
1st pov, addiction, Adult, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, boyhood, collection of short stories, coming of age, Contemporary, curses, DEATH, family, GRIEF, gritty realism, growing up, HORROR, illness, indigenous, indigenous author, interconnected stories, LITERARY FICTION, MAGICAL REALISM, maine, male authors, Morgan Talty, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, Penobscot author, Poverty, published in 2022, read in 2022, reservations, short stories, siblings, snapshots, social issues, toxic relationships, trauma -
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
luce [is reading] 