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bitter's reviews
135 reviews
Devil House by John Darnielle
3.75
i liked the idea of this more than the execution. i think it needed to get to the point faster (it REALLY drags in the middle). the font change was an interesting accessibility choice, i honestly ended up skipping that passage because i just couldn’t parse the text.
Memorial by Bryan Washington
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.5
personally i felt that the first section with benson narrating was a little slow, i wasn’t really invested in his family situation and the relationship with omar left me confused about what was happening with mike (and not in a good way). plus the writing felt a little too terse for my personal taste, which i later realized was a character choice. but the section with mike narrating was wonderful, and the ending was BEAUTIFULLY done. i think it’s really difficult to write endings that are both satisfying and memorable and this totally nailed it.
Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
DNF’d after struggling to get through the first 2/3 for 2 months. i thought i would love this but it just wasn’t for me - it felt very surface level and repetitive and i just stopped caring. i also think that the historical passages were overused - informative, sure, but i think the same ideas could have been communicated more effectively.
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
dark
emotional
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
very surprised by how much i enjoyed this - honestly i got it confused with a different book, otherwise i wouldn’t have picked it up. i’m typically not a huge fan of books about the struggles of motherhood because they tend to assume that the reader understands the reasons why one would choose to become a parent in the first place, and then just underline the negatives for the entire book. but personally i’ve never understood the appeal at ALL, so i get more frustrated while reading than anything. nightbitch did nothing to explain the allure of parenting to me either, but i liked that the protag was allowed to fully express her rage. honestly i mostly just enjoyed the animalism and violence, i’d like to read something else by this author that wasn’t so motherhood-centric.