bookbearreads's reviews
236 reviews

Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

0.5

This was such an awful book I struggled to finish it. The author makes horrible connections between the trans community, the kink and fetish community, and those suffering from mental illness and trauma. They connect them all in such harmful ways that I am surprised this book was published. The POVs from one of the character is absolute brain rot and the commentary the author tries to put in there becomes completely invalidated because the character is mentally unstable.

The ending was absolute garbage and so stupid. It was such a cope out and tried to make sense of everything that happened. I'm no stranger to extreme horror but the violence and gore in this book just was so stupid and pointless and gross for the sake of being gross.

Do not recommend. If you have this, trash it.

Bad Dreams in the Night by Adam Ellis

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I've always enjoyed Adam's work but I really enjoyed when he delved into more sorry horror work. It's really good stories and he does a really good job of capturing the story and doing he trying to tell. 

Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono

emotional inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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? No

4.5

Kikis delivery service has always been one of my favorite ghibli films so I was excited to give the book a try. The story does differ very much from the movie as the characters she meets in the movie have very small roles in the book. The book is still about Kiki growing up and discovering who she is, but it shows her actually growing up and doing all she can to be helpful. You learn that her deliveries aren't just the items, but the joy and happiness she brings to people and how that makes her feel and how that makes connections with people. 

Benjamin by Shane McKenzie, Aron Beauregard

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was an experience to say the least. The mixing of the visuals and the story itself was truly a unique experience. The story is very dark and there is a lot of tragedy and graphic imagery, but it does paint some hopeful scenes and messages. Definitely worth the time into it.

Kissing With Teeth by Daryl Banner, Daryl Banner

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I've read this before but listened to the audio book but the audio version seemed so slow and it was a struggle to get through.  I recommend reading the book instead of the audio version.

Soichi: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I really enjoy Junji Ito but the Soichi stories, at least most of them, are my least favorite. I feel like Soichi is supposed to be like comedic horror but he just gets annoying after a while. I appreciate the collections of stories about him, but I think they should be spread out in the other volumes. 

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An absolute masterpiece! This book was so engaging from beginning to end. This is the first full length novel I've read by Chapman and it did not disappoint. it's got such great social commentary and the mix of horror and imagery is amazing. It's very tense at a lot of moments which was very nice. Highly recommend!

The Witches by Roald Dahl

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved revisiting this book as an adult. It's always been one of my favorites and such a dark story for a children's book. I always enjoy a Dahl novel.

Cubs & Campfires by Dylan Drakes

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? No

4.25

I enjoyed this story. It definitely had a lot of emotion and quite a good amount of detailed spice. There was only really maybe two moments of tense emotions but I wish there had been a little more tension and uncertainty between the two characters. The spicy scenes were very graphic, so if that's not your thing, then maybe this isn't for you. The representation of bigger guys was a nice thing to see. The story just started off a little slow.

Psychic Teenage Bloodbath II by Carl John Lee

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I felt after the first one, this one really kind of dropped the ball. The story was more exciting in the first one, and there was may more violence in this one,

but since the story doesn't take place in the real world

, it felt like it was hollow and nothing more than a movie. Since the characters are already dead, it just felt like there was nothing at risk and the ending was a major disappointment. I wanted to like the main protagonists but there was just really nothing likeable about them. It had its good moments, but overall it was just a disappointment.