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almo's review
4.0
I noticed a remake of Firestarter being in the movie theatres now. Excellent timing to have read this novella, I suppose.
Ruby Miller's an asshole you'll come to love and hate at the same time. Mayhap she'll even be fueling a bit of pent-up anger within yourselves. Only to realise it's not that bad in retrospect. If otherwise: go see a therapist.
I'm interested in reading more of Gemma Amor's work. At times, her writing style reminded me of the great Firestarter King. Which is a compliment, obviously.
Ruby Miller's an asshole you'll come to love and hate at the same time. Mayhap she'll even be fueling a bit of pent-up anger within yourselves. Only to realise it's not that bad in retrospect. If otherwise: go see a therapist.
I'm interested in reading more of Gemma Amor's work. At times, her writing style reminded me of the great Firestarter King. Which is a compliment, obviously.
enchantressreads's review
5.0
After leaving her abusive father, Ruby Miller crashes her car in the desert. She catches on fire, and all goes black. But like a phoenix, she is reborn...
To cause chaos. To spread her anger.
This was one of my favorite stories in Cruel Works of Nature, one of Gemma's short story collections (the entire collection was a 5 star read for me, go read it). I'm really happy to see that we got an extended version, and it was wonderful. The little nods to her other works were also a very nice touch. I love when authors include past stories. That being said, I would definitely read Cruel Works of Nature first, so you can be like me and smile like an idiot when you see a reference.
Gemma's writing keeps you wanting to know more. Keeps you flipping pages. I finished this novella in just a couple of hours, and while I've finished the last of my books for #AugustForAmor, I'm already itching to pick up another read from Gemma Amor.
Read for August's book picks with Queens of Horror book club!
To cause chaos. To spread her anger.
This was one of my favorite stories in Cruel Works of Nature, one of Gemma's short story collections (the entire collection was a 5 star read for me, go read it). I'm really happy to see that we got an extended version, and it was wonderful. The little nods to her other works were also a very nice touch. I love when authors include past stories. That being said, I would definitely read Cruel Works of Nature first, so you can be like me and smile like an idiot when you see a reference.
Gemma's writing keeps you wanting to know more. Keeps you flipping pages. I finished this novella in just a couple of hours, and while I've finished the last of my books for #AugustForAmor, I'm already itching to pick up another read from Gemma Amor.
Read for August's book picks with Queens of Horror book club!
spookyoctopusreads's review
5.0
WOWWWWWW!!! If you have not picked this one up yet, you need to RUN and grab it....now, not later. Go ahead, you can open a new tab right now and order this one. I'll be here when you get back.....
Okay, you done? Is your copy on it's way to you? You'll thank me later. Trust me! While you're waiting for yours to get here, I'll let you in on some of my thoughts...and I have a lot of thoughts about this one....
Ruby is finally free! She's free of her crappy past and her even crappier family. She's getting far, far away, and then...BAM! She crashes her car, and everything she was running from and running towards goes up in flames...literal flames. As Ruby burns alive, she also begins to transform into something bigger than herself. She becomes someone who will no longer be held down by her life circumstances. Like the phoenix of mythology, she rises from the flames stronger than ever and ready...ready to take on the world.
I could not get enough of Ruby's story. It is steeped in anger and rage, but it also has a passionate beauty to it. I found myself in Ruby's corner throughout all of her deeds (some worse than others). She's the type of character you can get behind and root for. Your heart goes out to her, and you're happy to see her sometimes misdirected wrath (even though that may sound slightly nefarious). She's vengeful and does some rather evil things, but once you understand her story, you understand anger, and you understand Ruby.
5/5 - I was immediately sucked into this book from page one, and the varying viewpoints from which the story is told is so impeccably done. Sometimes shifting viewpoints can make a story feel disjointed or hard to follow, but not here. I don't know that I've seen this technique utilized so well. If you don't already love Gemma Amor, this book will make you fall hard. If you're already crushing on her writing, you are just going to fall deeper after reading this beautiful novella.
Okay, you done? Is your copy on it's way to you? You'll thank me later. Trust me! While you're waiting for yours to get here, I'll let you in on some of my thoughts...and I have a lot of thoughts about this one....
Ruby is finally free! She's free of her crappy past and her even crappier family. She's getting far, far away, and then...BAM! She crashes her car, and everything she was running from and running towards goes up in flames...literal flames. As Ruby burns alive, she also begins to transform into something bigger than herself. She becomes someone who will no longer be held down by her life circumstances. Like the phoenix of mythology, she rises from the flames stronger than ever and ready...ready to take on the world.
I could not get enough of Ruby's story. It is steeped in anger and rage, but it also has a passionate beauty to it. I found myself in Ruby's corner throughout all of her deeds (some worse than others). She's the type of character you can get behind and root for. Your heart goes out to her, and you're happy to see her sometimes misdirected wrath (even though that may sound slightly nefarious). She's vengeful and does some rather evil things, but once you understand her story, you understand anger, and you understand Ruby.
5/5 - I was immediately sucked into this book from page one, and the varying viewpoints from which the story is told is so impeccably done. Sometimes shifting viewpoints can make a story feel disjointed or hard to follow, but not here. I don't know that I've seen this technique utilized so well. If you don't already love Gemma Amor, this book will make you fall hard. If you're already crushing on her writing, you are just going to fall deeper after reading this beautiful novella.
sarahkate_reads's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
booknerd93's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
happenstance's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bloodinthesigil's review
5.0
You’ve certainly got my attention Gemma!! Another amazing outing from one of the best writers in horror right now!