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c0rpsekat's Reviews (29)
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I sadly think I'm just really not into Grady Hendrix's writing. I find that his writing of women is entirely from the perspective of a straight man without any further nuance. And on occasion his writing style reads a little juvenile to me, which is sad when it's between some incredibly written gore.
The thing that makes me the most sad is that I love the ideas for the stories he writes, and the overarching plots. The 80's vibe and idea for this book is so fun and I wish I loved the whole thing.
I also felt that the 80's being the setting was used as an excuse to say some slightly culturally insensitive things. It can still be immersive without using the R-slur and saying somebody is sitting 'indian-style'.
The thing that makes me the most sad is that I love the ideas for the stories he writes, and the overarching plots. The 80's vibe and idea for this book is so fun and I wish I loved the whole thing.
I also felt that the 80's being the setting was used as an excuse to say some slightly culturally insensitive things. It can still be immersive without using the R-slur and saying somebody is sitting 'indian-style'.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nothing feels quite like reading a book that feels like it's written for people like you, a book about something only you can fully understand. It feels like a beautiful secret to know what a novel really is about.
Tingle has done exactly that and more with Bury Your Gays. I love this book in the most personal way possible. The full faceted perspective of queer media pushed through an almost violently queer lens is so visceral, and beautiful, and of course horrifying. It is a horror novel after all.
Exposure, violation, misunderstanding, lack of autonomy, and isolation are some of the scariest things in the world, but especially so for queer people, and Tingle creates the perfect canvas to express those fears onto - Misha. A perfectly fleshed out character with just the right amount of everything to make him totally himself, but also the reader. I love these characters, and found myself so attatched that I was genuinely anxious about their well-being (even in this totally self-referrential universe).
Of course I knew deep down in my soul that in a novel about fighting tropes about queer characters that the queer characters would not fall victim to said tropes. But goddamn did Tingle have me questioning that. Tara, Zeke, and of course Misha are absolutely perfect and gorgeous and GENUINE portrayals of queer people and holy shit, did I not want a single bad thing to happen to them. They felt like my friends and loved ones. And the irony of my anxiety is not lost on me.
Finally, the allegory of it all is so perfectly done, I fear I don't possess the language to do it justice. I will just say that every queer person's journey is different, but it really REALLY feels like your own demons, your job, the entire world, AND murderous nanobots are trying to kill you until you reach the part where you can come out and love yourself fully.
Gay, gorey, and gut-wrenching. I love this book so deeply. Thank you Chuck Tingle.
Tingle has done exactly that and more with Bury Your Gays. I love this book in the most personal way possible. The full faceted perspective of queer media pushed through an almost violently queer lens is so visceral, and beautiful, and of course horrifying. It is a horror novel after all.
Exposure, violation, misunderstanding, lack of autonomy, and isolation are some of the scariest things in the world, but especially so for queer people, and Tingle creates the perfect canvas to express those fears onto - Misha. A perfectly fleshed out character with just the right amount of everything to make him totally himself, but also the reader. I love these characters, and found myself so attatched that I was genuinely anxious about their well-being (even in this totally self-referrential universe).
Of course I knew deep down in my soul that in a novel about fighting tropes about queer characters that the queer characters would not fall victim to said tropes. But goddamn did Tingle have me questioning that. Tara, Zeke, and of course Misha are absolutely perfect and gorgeous and GENUINE portrayals of queer people and holy shit, did I not want a single bad thing to happen to them. They felt like my friends and loved ones. And the irony of my anxiety is not lost on me.
Finally, the allegory of it all is so perfectly done, I fear I don't possess the language to do it justice. I will just say that every queer person's journey is different, but it really REALLY feels like your own demons, your job, the entire world, AND murderous nanobots are trying to kill you until you reach the part where you can come out and love yourself fully.
Gay, gorey, and gut-wrenching. I love this book so deeply. Thank you Chuck Tingle.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't have much to say about this book, but not in a negative way! I enjoyed every bit, and the body horror was beautifully grotesque. An absolute blast to read such a fun and disgusting tale of growth and culture.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Before specifying my thoughts on this specific book, I want to highlight one of the things that solidifies Nat Cassidy as one of my two favorite authors (shoutout Clay McCleod Chapman)- the ability to properly write women. It's a trait that is so hard to come by, especially by men, and especially in the horror genre. Women in horror are overlooked as just a 'final girl' quite often, and when written by men can be unintentionally portrayed in sexist ways by having them be devoid of all personality except their womanhood. Cassidy writes women as real humans, who are complex and flawed, and who you feel like you really know.
In this absolute art piece of a novel, Jess is certainly the perfect example of this ability Cassidy possesses. She is a perfect vessel for the gutwrenching themes of grief, loss, fear, and parenthood. I fear I can't properly put into words how this novel made me feel. The writing style's intentional visual effects are so visceral, they add a whole new layer to how you feel when viewing them. I don't believe I'll ever read another book that makes me feel punched in the face quite like this again.
As somebody who's dad passed away when he was 3, and his mom suddenly pass away 2 years ago, this book was a beautifully perfect and horrifying display of the myriad of emotions a person goes through greiving a parent. Parents from the perspective of their children is multi-faceted, and Cassidy manages to explore almost all of those facets. This book is dark and emotional, yet manages some humor and political commentary between the big feelings and revolting body horror. Which, wow, again I am sickened by the extremely graphic and well-written horrors that Cassidy provides! The body horror in this novel is unmatched, and truly skin-crawling.
Disgusting, depressing, anxiety enducing, and wonderfully enjoyable. Nat Cassidy, you have done it again. Thank you for your work.
In this absolute art piece of a novel, Jess is certainly the perfect example of this ability Cassidy possesses. She is a perfect vessel for the gutwrenching themes of grief, loss, fear, and parenthood. I fear I can't properly put into words how this novel made me feel. The writing style's intentional visual effects are so visceral, they add a whole new layer to how you feel when viewing them. I don't believe I'll ever read another book that makes me feel punched in the face quite like this again.
As somebody who's dad passed away when he was 3, and his mom suddenly pass away 2 years ago, this book was a beautifully perfect and horrifying display of the myriad of emotions a person goes through greiving a parent. Parents from the perspective of their children is multi-faceted, and Cassidy manages to explore almost all of those facets. This book is dark and emotional, yet manages some humor and political commentary between the big feelings and revolting body horror. Which, wow, again I am sickened by the extremely graphic and well-written horrors that Cassidy provides! The body horror in this novel is unmatched, and truly skin-crawling.
Disgusting, depressing, anxiety enducing, and wonderfully enjoyable. Nat Cassidy, you have done it again. Thank you for your work.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Sarah is such a pillar in the Twilight fandom, and an absolutely wonderful human . Her humor really shines through this book and you can feel the passion in it . This book will become a new bible for the fanbase, and I'm so glad to have read and enjoyed every part of this. It feels like a secret language that siblings create as kids, and that isn't a common feeling in writing . I love this book and the community I feel so so lucky to be a part of
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have a lot to say about this book and I don't feel like anything is really positive about it, which is incredibly sad to me because I was absolutely enthused for this read.
I'll start with my large overarching issues with it, but will preface it with the fact that I am a disabled queer transgender man and a very active member of all the communities I belong to, and a huge advocate for all LGBTQIA2+ people and am always always ALWAYS looking to further educate myself.
Now that we have that out of the way (for the uneducated and cis readers of my review), my biggest problems with this book were down to the writing style and perspective. The writing style was not my personal cup of tea but is always something I can look past if I like other parts of the book. But I hated the authors perspective .
I find that a portion of the transfemme community have a very difficult time unlearning the male privilege they are raised with, and that leads them to forget they can still perpetuate misogyny even as victims of it. Women ARE one of the main reasons the patriarchy exists, and I personally find a lot of transfemme people accidentally upholding it, and I believe this author does that. I don't believe it's intentional, but I do think almost all of her characters are a gross sterotype or are upholding misogynist viewpoints and standards (and yes I mean the trans characters).
I also find the perspective of the author a bit uninspired in the fact that the entire overarching view is a very simplistic and dumbed down view of feminism. Men = bad . Too much T = evil rapist monster . T is for boys , E is for girls . And on top of the fact this only upholds the binary system, erases intersex and nonbinary people, and equates sex with gender , it also scientifically makes almost no sense.
The other largest thing I had a difficult time with was the sterotyping, and the fact it seems nobody besides the author and white cishet allies proofread the novel. Fran feeds into the fear conservatives have that trans women are horned up rapists, while also feeding into intense transmisogyny. She's an incredibly dislikable character, and while I feel a lot of these traits are added to make her dislikable, I still found almost all of her parts virtually impossible to stomach. Fran hates trans people. Her internalized transphobia is no longer internal. She's also fatphobic (which I honestly believe the author is as well based on how she wrote anything about Indi). And while Beth was my favorite, she also is overly horny for zero reason, and is simply a walking ball of dysphoria. Robbie seems as if he was written by somebody who has never met a transmasc or native person. Indiresh is described as a vaguely Indian mass of fat with very little personality besides being a smart doctor (which is yet another stereotype). Ramona is a chaser and hates trans people and herself because of it, which is a sterotype almost every LGBTQIA2+ person is trying to break about homophobes. And Feather is an absolutely horrific depiction of nonbinary people that leads me to believe the author hates nonbinary people.
The final gripe I have is the extreme oversexualization of .... everything. You truly cannot go more than a few pages without graphic sex scenes. I have zero problem with sex as a horror motif. Alien is a perfect example of it done well. But this is not sex used in that way. This book is fetish content. It literally is pornographic. I'd even go as far to describe the genre as pornographic thriller more than horror.
In summary, the only likable part of this book to me was Beth and Robbie's characters, and even then I feel I was grasping at straws. I'm devastated I hated this novel, as LGBTQIA2+ horror is an underserved genre and is my favorite as well. I was dying to read this book and am heartbroken it was maybe my least favorite book I ever read. I only didn't DNF it because I felt I needed to see through the authors vision in case it changed . Sadly, it did not.
I'll start with my large overarching issues with it, but will preface it with the fact that I am a disabled queer transgender man and a very active member of all the communities I belong to, and a huge advocate for all LGBTQIA2+ people and am always always ALWAYS looking to further educate myself.
Now that we have that out of the way (for the uneducated and cis readers of my review), my biggest problems with this book were down to the writing style and perspective. The writing style was not my personal cup of tea but is always something I can look past if I like other parts of the book. But I hated the authors perspective .
I find that a portion of the transfemme community have a very difficult time unlearning the male privilege they are raised with, and that leads them to forget they can still perpetuate misogyny even as victims of it. Women ARE one of the main reasons the patriarchy exists, and I personally find a lot of transfemme people accidentally upholding it, and I believe this author does that. I don't believe it's intentional, but I do think almost all of her characters are a gross sterotype or are upholding misogynist viewpoints and standards (and yes I mean the trans characters).
I also find the perspective of the author a bit uninspired in the fact that the entire overarching view is a very simplistic and dumbed down view of feminism. Men = bad . Too much T = evil rapist monster . T is for boys , E is for girls . And on top of the fact this only upholds the binary system, erases intersex and nonbinary people, and equates sex with gender , it also scientifically makes almost no sense.
The other largest thing I had a difficult time with was the sterotyping, and the fact it seems nobody besides the author and white cishet allies proofread the novel. Fran feeds into the fear conservatives have that trans women are horned up rapists, while also feeding into intense transmisogyny. She's an incredibly dislikable character, and while I feel a lot of these traits are added to make her dislikable, I still found almost all of her parts virtually impossible to stomach. Fran hates trans people. Her internalized transphobia is no longer internal. She's also fatphobic (which I honestly believe the author is as well based on how she wrote anything about Indi). And while Beth was my favorite, she also is overly horny for zero reason, and is simply a walking ball of dysphoria. Robbie seems as if he was written by somebody who has never met a transmasc or native person. Indiresh is described as a vaguely Indian mass of fat with very little personality besides being a smart doctor (which is yet another stereotype). Ramona is a chaser and hates trans people and herself because of it, which is a sterotype almost every LGBTQIA2+ person is trying to break about homophobes. And Feather is an absolutely horrific depiction of nonbinary people that leads me to believe the author hates nonbinary people.
The final gripe I have is the extreme oversexualization of .... everything. You truly cannot go more than a few pages without graphic sex scenes. I have zero problem with sex as a horror motif. Alien is a perfect example of it done well. But this is not sex used in that way. This book is fetish content. It literally is pornographic. I'd even go as far to describe the genre as pornographic thriller more than horror.
In summary, the only likable part of this book to me was Beth and Robbie's characters, and even then I feel I was grasping at straws. I'm devastated I hated this novel, as LGBTQIA2+ horror is an underserved genre and is my favorite as well. I was dying to read this book and am heartbroken it was maybe my least favorite book I ever read. I only didn't DNF it because I felt I needed to see through the authors vision in case it changed . Sadly, it did not.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This may be my favorite book.
AJW said in the acknowledgements that West Virginia feels like home to everybody, even if you aren't from there. I don't think a novel has ever wrapped me up in the feeling of familiarity and safety and also filled me with pure discomfort and anxiety. Which sure feels like home to me.
I'm continually shocked by how beautifully AJW writes the autistic, disabled, and trans experience. I mean of course, who better to do so than a disabled trans and autistic person, however a lot of it is hard to put into words, especially ones that anybody could understand. And this book has explained my core feelings of existing in ways I didn't even know were possible.
And I haven't even touched on the purely disgusting feeling of horror I felt reading this! The gore was tastefully disgusting, and the constant threat of danger was oddly comforting even in the sense of drastic, unwavering anxiety.
Don't let the YA label fool you - this book is essential for all ages to experience.
Thank you Andrew for creating Miles and his family, both chosen and by blood. They will be with me for the rest of my existence.
AJW said in the acknowledgements that West Virginia feels like home to everybody, even if you aren't from there. I don't think a novel has ever wrapped me up in the feeling of familiarity and safety and also filled me with pure discomfort and anxiety. Which sure feels like home to me.
I'm continually shocked by how beautifully AJW writes the autistic, disabled, and trans experience. I mean of course, who better to do so than a disabled trans and autistic person, however a lot of it is hard to put into words, especially ones that anybody could understand. And this book has explained my core feelings of existing in ways I didn't even know were possible.
And I haven't even touched on the purely disgusting feeling of horror I felt reading this! The gore was tastefully disgusting, and the constant threat of danger was oddly comforting even in the sense of drastic, unwavering anxiety.
Don't let the YA label fool you - this book is essential for all ages to experience.
Thank you Andrew for creating Miles and his family, both chosen and by blood. They will be with me for the rest of my existence.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Truly spins the haunted house genre entirely on it's head. With a creeping sense of anxiety that ramps up to pure panic, this mind-bending novel has shook me in ways I never knew I was afraid of.
My mom said books like this have "chapters like popcorn" , so exciting and short, that just reading one is never enough. "It's only a few more pages, I can read another". It was absolutely a blast to read, not just in substance, but also format.
The easter eggs of morse code, the reddit posts, scripts, etc. all made the experience that much richer. And those things only added to the fear.
I love queer people being the focus, and the unique angle on the genre made this book a quick and easy favorite. The ending had me hoping for just a bit more, which is the only downfall. Loved every minute
My mom said books like this have "chapters like popcorn" , so exciting and short, that just reading one is never enough. "It's only a few more pages, I can read another". It was absolutely a blast to read, not just in substance, but also format.
The easter eggs of morse code, the reddit posts, scripts, etc. all made the experience that much richer. And those things only added to the fear.
I love queer people being the focus, and the unique angle on the genre made this book a quick and easy favorite. The ending had me hoping for just a bit more, which is the only downfall. Loved every minute
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Horror as a political platform is so essential . An "extreme" view of the state of the country in written form is one of the most important forms of protest .
Creatively framed and stuffed to the brim with unique metaphors , this novel has possessed my mind with thick , oily thoughts and has given a new -
gaslight
- light to the fact we are not alone in these feelings of fear for our future . An incredibly terrifying and reflective experience . A million 'thank you's to Chapman for it.
This book is first in line to be banned by our current administration .
"Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable." - Cesar A. Cruz
Creatively framed and stuffed to the brim with unique metaphors , this novel has possessed my mind with thick , oily thoughts and has given a new -
gaslight
- light to the fact we are not alone in these feelings of fear for our future . An incredibly terrifying and reflective experience . A million 'thank you's to Chapman for it.
This book is first in line to be banned by our current administration .
"Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable." - Cesar A. Cruz
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nat fucking Cassidy is beyond a modern king of horror . He is entirely rewriting the genre and setting new standards for what makes a good horror novel .
The things we find horrifying finds a new life through the uniquely and effortlessly diverse perspective of Cassidy's works.
Every character makes me sympathize with them deeply, even when I wish to strangle them. And the whole time I was on edge and allowing every piece of this book occupy all of my thoughts. A deeply personal feeling amd specific feeling of liminal dread and lack of belonging will ooze off of the pages and make your skin crawl.
Vampires apparently tend to be scarier when intertwined with ableism, sexism, is anti-semitism.
The things we find horrifying finds a new life through the uniquely and effortlessly diverse perspective of Cassidy's works.
Every character makes me sympathize with them deeply, even when I wish to strangle them. And the whole time I was on edge and allowing every piece of this book occupy all of my thoughts. A deeply personal feeling amd specific feeling of liminal dread and lack of belonging will ooze off of the pages and make your skin crawl.
Vampires apparently tend to be scarier when intertwined with ableism, sexism, is anti-semitism.