adamyeti's reviews
59 reviews

American Rapture by CJ Leede

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

American Rapture is a brutal, merciless story with  a heart of gold. As a big fan of Maeve Fly, I was incredibly excited to check out C.J. Leede's latest offering. I was worried that it wouldn't live up to my own expectations after enjoying Maeve Fly so much, but ultimately, I think American Rapture is the stronger book.

Stories that take place just before and during the apocalypse are right up my alley, and C.J. did a fantastic job of making me just as interested in the before times as I was in the later chaos. Sophie's home life was rough enough that it could have been a horror story on its own...

Overall, this is essentially an incredibly dark, apocalyptic coming of age story. The main themes center around religious trauma, womanhood, and the intersection of the two.

For most of the book, I had a hard time setting it down. I don't think many—if any—pages could have been culled. There was a slowdown about three quarters in, but otherwise, I was thoroughly captivated the entire time. 

While not incredibly gory or gruesome, its content is incredibly dark and disturbing. Cheap shocks aren't necessary when the entire premise is this vile.

For me, this type of content bothers me more than a lot of other things due to how possible it feels. After experiencing a global pandemic and seeing how governments and individuals reacted to it, this book felt so painfully and disappointingly real at times. The story was awful and beautiful, and the ending could not have been any better. This is, to me, a near perfect book.

There were a couple of things that I disliked, such as a bizarre sequence that almost seemed like a dream due to how impossible it sounded but turned out to be real. Additionally, there was a bit of plot armor and a few other moments that I felt needed an explanation. (There was a bit of "somehow Palpatine returned.") In the end, everything else was so good that these things didn't bother me that much.

If you are up for the content and think you are remotely interested, absolutely read this. It is one of my favorites of the year, and C.J. Leede has cemented her spot as one of my favorite authors.

Thanks to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the advance copy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was so fast paced that it almost read like a short story. Mysterious things start happening right away, and the scenes and chapters are very short, which really keeps things moving. I read almost the entire book in one day, which I am never able to do. That should speak to my level of investment in this story.

The whole book is full of fantastic horror/suspense vibes. So much tension builds throughout the story. One scene in particular would have made me had a heart attack if this was a movie.

The writing and story were both really tremendous. Unfortunately, the ending fell flat for me. This is one of those books that feels like it just kind of... stops. There was a "payoff" of sorts, but it was very rushed and unsatisfying. I would still recommend reading this though, because the rest of the book makes up for the disappointing ending many times over.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Human Sacrifices by María Fernanda Ampuero

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A

4.0

A very strong collection about the horrors of misogyny, classism, and human nature. Some were better than others, but there was not a single bad story in this book. I really enjoyed the variety of content and writing styles.

Story of the Eye by Georges Bataille

4.0

Story of the Eye appears, at first glance, to be written for the mere purpose of being as shocking as possible. I can't imagine the responses to this book when it was written nearly a century ago. After reading Bataille's telling of the unintended coincidences between the story and his life, Story of the Eye begins to seem more like a deeply unsettling dream where your mind decides to resurface every dark memory that had been previously tucked away into its own corner of your brain, suddenly blasting you with a cacophony of confused trauma that leaves you dazed and unsettled for the rest of the day.

Beyond that, I think Story of the Eye and its coincidences made an interesting point about most of the "shocking" elements within. Isolated, or in a different environment, the perception of these elements would be entirely different. When strung together into a linear story, each shocking occurrence comes off as over the top and absurd. Though, many of them are actually common in a different context and are usually met with other emotions, such as pity or sadness.

I think this is a very interesting read for anyone who enjoys modern extreme horror. It's hard to deny Bataille's impact on the genre as we know it today.

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

5.0

After reading the first page, I thought I was going to have a hard time with this one. Initially, the prose came off a bit too purple for my liking. I quickly grew accustomed to Cassandra's writing style, however. I was blown away by how invested I became in these characters in such a short book. This, combined with their arcs, really demonstrates Khaw's talent as a storyteller. Even if this doesn't sound like your type of book, give it a shot. It may surprise you.

Along the River of Flesh by Kristopher Triana

fast-paced

5.0

 This was a fantastic continuation of Gone to See the River Man. Both books have a similar tension throughout, as the protagonists head down the river toward the inevitable. Once again, Triana's greatest strength is his ability to drip feed information about the characters throughout the story. That was one of my favorite aspects of GTSTRM, and it's arguably done even better this time around. If you were a fan of the original, you'll love this one too. 

My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My Darling Dreadful Thing is a beautiful story of romance bathed in gothic horror. 

Immediately we find out that there has been a murder, and our protagonist, Roos, is the main suspect. We aren't immediately given any further details about the situation. Instead, the story is told from two alternating timelines: Roos's re-telling of her story and a series of pre-trial interviews between Roos and a psychologist, as he tries to determine if she is insane. All of this provided a great element of mystery and suspense for the book's duration. It also made the story feel very fast-paced, as it briefly jumped between timelines.

This book did something rare, which was captivate me from the very beginning. Right off the bat, I was heavily invested in figuring out what happened, and found a beautiful, heartbreaking love story along the way. At no point did I ever want to put this book down.

Although this is truly a gothic horror, as I mentioned, there are several other elements at play here. I think this will end up being very popular beyond the horror community, as Johanna has done a fantastic job at bringing the best elements of a few genres together.

If you have any interest in gothic horror, romance, and themes of supernatural versus mental illness, this is the book for you! Even as a reader of typically more extreme horror, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

Grey Dog by Elliott Gish

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Seeking a fresh start, Ada moves to a quiet village in 1901. Very quickly it seems that something isn't quite right however, and many of the residents seem to have something to hide. As time goes on, the reader and Ada both will begin to question whether anything is truly amiss, or if she is simply going insane.

Told through Ada's diary entries, "Grey Dog" immediately immerses you in its world. The dated language, vivid environments, and puritanical townsfolk made me feel like I had been transported to the past instead of alienating me as a reader.

"Grey Dog" is a perfectly paced, psychological slow burn. Odd things appear almost immediately, capturing your interest and curiosity from the first pages. As the story progresses, more questions arise than answers, and even the well culminated ending leaves you with a few more.

The main themes throughout center around independence, misogyny, female rage, societal expectations, and the self-fulfilling prophecies that can come from these. The plot, setting, and themes all drew a very close comparison to Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" and Robert Eggers's "The Witch." "The Witch" is a very strong comparison. Despite being set nearly 300 years apart, it almost felt like a companion piece.

My only critique comes from the ending, where I just wanted a bit more. With about 10 more pages, I would have felt more satisfied. Though, I don't believe this was unintentional. The story was paced perfectly, but just stopped a bit short for me. Regardless, if you enjoyed "The Witch" or slow burns in general, I am almost certain that you will enjoy "Grey Dog," which truly has its own story to tell.

Thank you to ECW Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

4.0

I'm glad that Jennette was able to tell her story. It's an important one that doesn't get told often enough. Personally, I would have liked a bit more reflection and introspection throughout the book instead of delivering most of the story without commentary.

Regardless, this is a book that everyone should read. You will begin to look at your favorite childhood shows through a different lens.

The Invisible Hotel by Yeji Y. Ham

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad 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

3.5

I will start by saying that I just don't think I'm the intended audience for this book. It was beautifully written, and the ending felt like a great pay-off. However, I had a really hard time connecting with the book overall. I was curious to find out what was happening, but I wasn't excited to read it.

The Invisible Hotel primarily takes place in the quiet, superstitious village of Dalbit. While the residents are friendly, something isn't quite right there. Much of the book focuses on building the atmosphere around Dalbit and its inhabitants. Unfortunately, I needed a bit more forward movement from the plot mixed in with this.

If you enjoy slow, atmospheric books with one ultimate payoff saved for the end, this is a fantastic pick. As I mentioned, the writing is beautiful, and it all comes together really well.