burnoutbooks's reviews
132 reviews

Lakewood by Megan Giddings

dark slow-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Not for me - writing and editing were not good and I didn’t enjoy the plot as much as I had hoped 

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

Thoroughly enjoyable, quick read that reminds me of Emily Windsnap YA vibes. Minus points for oddly paced slow burn but it was cute 

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No

5.0

Clayton wants to make plot matter again and oh boy did she!! Will be purchasing a physical copy and rereading for insights 

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

challenging dark tense fast-paced

5.0

aptly titled novella that twists ecological horror and maternal instinct into a deeply unsettling read
two speaking characters, varying timelines 
read jia tolentino's new yorker essay "the sick thrill of 'fever dream'"

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica

dark mysterious sad

4.0

solid collection of actually short stories!

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

really gripping and odd - absolutely a dark character study of Christianity, family, and suffering 

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

atmospheric and philosophical 
inscrutable and mysterious
introspective bildungsroman 
conjures a delicate treatment of the allegory of the cave

The Mermaid of Black Conch: A Love Story by Monique Roffey

challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

this was such a perfect romantic and fantastical novella - dark in atmosphere, engaging writing (phonetic Caribbean English requires a bit more focus) - sweet and tragic plot that kept pace and had a great side story

Paradais by Fernanda Melchor

dark slow-paced

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

3.0

excited about the premise but the pacing fell flat for me - the wait for the story's climax was long and didn't end up being particularly satisfying or conclusive.

i enjoyed that the narration focused on Polo, but found the confusion of the fluid timeline to detract from the story

Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

too slow for me, lots of character exposition that was redundant and didn't move the plot forward. the plot itself I felt has a lot more potential, but I was waiting most of the short book to arrive at its destination.