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burnoutbooks's reviews
131 reviews
Normal Women by Ainslie Hogarth
4.5
this was great and the ending was fun! i missed some deeper commentary on gentrification at the end, and it didn't speak to me quite as viscerally as motherthing, but i loved it nevertheless!
The Will of the Many by James Islington
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
this book was AMAZING
i’m obsessed
pacing was awesome
information rollout was great
characters are so loveable
i adore a rage-driven and brilliant MC
i’m obsessed
pacing was awesome
information rollout was great
characters are so loveable
i adore a rage-driven and brilliant MC
McGlue by Ottessa Moshfegh
challenging
dark
3.0
ottessa is reliably so weird
i enjoy the general experience of exploring her plots but i read all of her books with a sort of grimace on my face
and it’s not that i’m squeamish because books that are demonstrably grosser or more violent or darker do not elicit the same reaction
but there is something about how she writes that evokes the basest cruelty and shame which makes me feel physically disturbed
her other books make me confront her characters general disgust for fatness - mcglue makes me confront a bleak and lethal variety of vaguely historical homophobia
i love the premise and the general setting but i would almost like to read it in the hands of another author
i enjoy the general experience of exploring her plots but i read all of her books with a sort of grimace on my face
and it’s not that i’m squeamish because books that are demonstrably grosser or more violent or darker do not elicit the same reaction
but there is something about how she writes that evokes the basest cruelty and shame which makes me feel physically disturbed
her other books make me confront her characters general disgust for fatness - mcglue makes me confront a bleak and lethal variety of vaguely historical homophobia
i love the premise and the general setting but i would almost like to read it in the hands of another author
One's Company by Ashley Hutson
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
5.0
this was fucking crazy
narrator is a cuckoo crazy unreliable queen whom i love very much
my instinct is also to attack when people piss me off! trespassers? run at them like a bull - slay girl boss!
kind of insane emotional resonance for such an experimental debut novel i’m obsessed
i do now have to go watch at least one episode of threes company
narrator is a cuckoo crazy unreliable queen whom i love very much
kind of insane emotional resonance for such an experimental debut novel i’m obsessed
i do now have to go watch at least one episode of threes company
A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens by Raul Palma
4.5
i enjoyed this!! spooky ghost story in miami
debt and collections are central to the story and the characters which makes for a genuinely interesting perspective on human behaviors
also central to the characters are the various multicultural heritages of people in miami and how the main character has navigated his Latin American identity and come to terms with Spanish colonialism, especially in bolivia
third person narrative, sprinkled with nonlinear flashbacks to build a picture of the main character and his motivations
fun and abrupt ending
debt and collections are central to the story and the characters which makes for a genuinely interesting perspective on human behaviors
also central to the characters are the various multicultural heritages of people in miami and how the main character has navigated his Latin American identity and come to terms with Spanish colonialism, especially in bolivia
third person narrative, sprinkled with nonlinear flashbacks to build a picture of the main character and his motivations
fun and abrupt ending
Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo
slow-paced
3.0
not the best!! really enjoyed some of his others but the pacing here is weird and the plot itself is not very interesting and vaguely offensive
Elektra by Jennifer Saint
4.25
she did it again! this time was even better than atalanta - these three stories are woven together really well, and i’m compelled by all of the justifications for the characters competing behaviors. also, there’s so much more material about the trojan war for her to work with and she does not squander the opportunity
Atalanta by Jennifer Saint
adventurous
4.0
retelling a greek myth like atalanta seems like such a difficult task - there are limited references to the story in many of the most well-known sources, but the name and core elements of her stories have remained. atalanta being an argonaut makes the task even more difficult as saint strives to add detail to a classic story without changing its characters or plot beyond a subtle tweak
i think atalanta's motivations are still indeterminate towards the last quarter of the book - epilogue, however, was exactly what I wanted it to be
i think atalanta's motivations are still indeterminate towards the last quarter of the book - epilogue, however, was exactly what I wanted it to be
Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
dark
fast-paced
5.0
i love books about the child of satan / harbinger of the apocalypse being a little shit of a kid and messing up the rapture and there are like… a few
i thought this was great, rachel harrison has really nailed the balance between reasonable storylines/relatable characters and super satisfying supernatural endings
i thought this was great, rachel harrison has really nailed the balance between reasonable storylines/relatable characters and super satisfying supernatural endings
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
adventurous
4.0
for me, the writing was really more of a 3 star if i’m being honest - a few lose plot threads, some editing errors, not the greatest development of characters key decisions
however, the premise, magic style, and world are so engaging and well done to me that i must consider it 4 stars
however, the premise, magic style, and world are so engaging and well done to me that i must consider it 4 stars