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emilywemily6's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
For a light, spooky read for the season, this book had more depth than I expected. This book is about a character’s experience and growth rather than plot, and I found it really interesting with lots of insights actually. It was more gorey/graphic than I expected too (the curses were very creative). It took a while for the witchiness to really get introduced, so it had a slower start but the pacing picked up throughout the book. I appreciated how Annie’s perspective of her relationship with Sam changed over time; not a fan of him. I was disappointed that the co-dependent/slightly toxic nature of this friendship wasn’t really addressed beyond the one conflict at the end of the book, as we didn’t really get closure about how Annie chose to act morally in the long run. I appreciated the themes of empowerment though, and the vibes of this were perfect for October!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Cursing, Grief, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Blood, and Misogyny
Moderate: Hate crime, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Eating disorder, Murder, Infidelity, and Vomit
jaren's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcohol and Eating disorder
bluelillybooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Menacing, magnanimous, magic.
Annie is a 30 year-old teacher who suffers from depression after her boyfriend broke up with her. She moves through life trying to be as inconspicious as possible, while her mind is haunted by anxiety. Now that she has to move cities and live on her own, she is confronted with her bad drinking habits and loneliness. Then she meets Sophie, who carries herself with a grace and confidence that inspires awe in Annie. They quickly become friends, but if Sophie is that wonderful, then why are the other villagers always nervous around her? And why are there so many spiders in Annie's appartment?
I have never before seen myself in a character as much as I saw myself in Annie. "Cackle" describes anxiety attacks, self-doubt and depressive symptoms in such an accurate way that I highlighted some of the passages to show to my therapist. Not even joking. I've seen some reviews calling Annie gullible and annoying, but girlies that's literally how anxiety works *shrugs*.
Without spoiling anything, because I think everyone should read this book, "Cackle" is about finding the courage to live life for yourself and all the magic in yourself that is just waiting to come out. Also spooky vibes!
Annie is a 30 year-old teacher who suffers from depression after her boyfriend broke up with her. She moves through life trying to be as inconspicious as possible, while her mind is haunted by anxiety. Now that she has to move cities and live on her own, she is confronted with her bad drinking habits and loneliness. Then she meets Sophie, who carries herself with a grace and confidence that inspires awe in Annie. They quickly become friends, but if Sophie is that wonderful, then why are the other villagers always nervous around her? And why are there so many spiders in Annie's appartment?
I have never before seen myself in a character as much as I saw myself in Annie. "Cackle" describes anxiety attacks, self-doubt and depressive symptoms in such an accurate way that I highlighted some of the passages to show to my therapist. Not even joking. I've seen some reviews calling Annie gullible and annoying, but girlies that's literally how anxiety works *shrugs*.
Without spoiling anything, because I think everyone should read this book, "Cackle" is about finding the courage to live life for yourself and all the magic in yourself that is just waiting to come out. Also spooky vibes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Bullying
Moderate: Body shaming, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Eating disorder, and Grief
Spidersqueergoth_reads's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I received this as an eARC from NetGalley but all thoughts are my owns.
This is such a cozy little horror novel. It doesn't lean into the horror as much as I think it could have but it was a really great read. It's definitely the book is give people if someone asked about my taste in literature.
Also as someone who is afraid of spiders, this book did a great job at endearing them to me which is quite a feat.
<Spoiler> I do feel that maybe Sophie was forcing her world view on Annie a bit much but then I think most of the conflict in the book wouldn't have happened so probably necessary in this case. </Spoiler>
I do feel like Annie's dependency on alcohol probably could have done with a bit more serious discussion.
Overall great read though. Very much enjoyed it.
This is such a cozy little horror novel. It doesn't lean into the horror as much as I think it could have but it was a really great read. It's definitely the book is give people if someone asked about my taste in literature.
Also as someone who is afraid of spiders, this book did a great job at endearing them to me which is quite a feat.
<Spoiler> I do feel that maybe Sophie was forcing her world view on Annie a bit much but then I think most of the conflict in the book wouldn't have happened so probably necessary in this case. </Spoiler>
I do feel like Annie's dependency on alcohol probably could have done with a bit more serious discussion.
Overall great read though. Very much enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Grief and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent and Eating disorder
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