chloseencounter's reviews
85 reviews

The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn

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dark sad 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

The Shuddering was my only flop of this months reading but truly it was still entertaining, especially the second half of the book. This novel was about some friends getting snowed in at a cabin and some hungry and pretty intelligent creatures lurking in the woods, (not stated explicitly but this is very much a wendigo story.) I have read two other Ania Ahlborn books at this point and this was my least favorite so far but even so, it still had all the makings of an Ania Ahlborn story, including an ending that makes your stomach drop like she’s known for. My complaints really, are that the beginning of the novel was just a bit too drawn out and the characters were not very likable. Actually the character I think the reader was supposed to hate was the one I felt most sympathy toward. This book wasn’t bad but was pretty mid compared to Ania’s other works. 
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Goddess of Filth by V. Castro

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dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

Goddess of Filth was a coming of age story about loving your friends, embracing your sexuality and pleasure free from shame, and most importantly…female rage. I really enjoyed this read, it was a very fresh take on the possession genre. Honestly, the only reason I did not rate it a 5/5⭐️ is because it could’ve been longer, which is a rare complaint from me. I could’ve spent longer getting to know the girls more outside of the two main characters and the latter half of the novel could’ve been fleshed out more. Nevertheless, this was such an entertaining story that pulled me out of a reading slump.
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Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven

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

4.0

This book was laid out in a super unique way that kept me pretty drawn in consistently. Even though this is not a story I’d usually gravitate to, this novel deserves 4⭐️ just for being so well put together and different. I found it to be super interesting that despite this isn’t exactly a chronological story, you are able to begin putting everything together using different eye witness accounts of the same events.
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My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

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dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.0

An ode to the slasher, this novel really stole my heart pretty quickly. I enjoyed the MC (and maybe related to her a little too much…) The reason this isn’t a 4⭐️ for me is that the first 100 pages and last 100 pages where so fun but in between it was rather dense. As someone who has loved the slasher genre ever since Scream graced my eyeholes for the first time, I really enjoyed exploring the mind of the MC and all the slasher input she had on the genre, but I think this could be a harder read for most general audiences. The second book in the trilogy comes out this month and I’ll be excited to see how the story continues. 
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Audition by Ryū Murakami

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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

1.5

I really wanted to enjoy this novel considering the movie adaptation is a cult classic. I have never seen the movie adaptation, though I understand there are some large changes from the book but I wanted to read it first. The concept was interesting enough but honestly 3/4 of this book was just a romance novel and even though I knew it was going to switch up I got pretty bored listening to this manipulative man talk about how in love with this young girl he was. Before the “plot twist”, if you can call it that, there was a sex scene that felt as if it was written by a teenage fan fiction author. In fact I’ve read fan fiction much less cringe worthy. The ending was lack luster, I saw it from a mile away even without having seen the movie. I still have a few books by Ryu Murakami on my TBR so I hope to enjoy those better. I’ll give the movie a try soon.
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Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

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challenging dark funny reflective medium-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

4.0

Boy Parts, in the most simply put way, is about an already unhinged woman taking a nosedive into actual insanity. Eileen is horrible but you also love to hate her. I really enjoyed the writing style of this book and the cheeky dialogue, some moments had me cringing in disgust but then I’d be giggling at some exchange on the next page. 
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Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

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emotional funny mysterious 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

Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

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dark emotional funny hopeful tense 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

5.0

I was so excited to get my hands on this novel and it did not disappoint, I felt as if a lot of the things I wanted more of in My Heart is a Chainsaw where delivered to me on a silver platter in this sequel. More slashing and more Jade and Letha being a duo. The book was actually longer than the first and yet I flew through it in no time. My Heart is a Chainsaw sort of dragged a bit in the middle but it all paid off in this sequel because I already went in loving these characters, which made it all the more enjoyable. As a slasher girl myself I have such deep love and empathy for Jade as a MC and I was so happy to hear from her again, like an old friend, (actually, we graduated the same year so we would’ve definitely been friends in high school.) There were literally moments in this book that made me internally cheer for my girls! Jade and Letha will always have my heart. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the end of the Indian Lake trilogy and of Jade’s journey.
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Brother by Ania Ahlborn

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Brother was my second novel by Ania Ahlborn and I always find myself enjoying her narrative voice. To be as vague as possible this book is about a very twisted family and one child who finds himself doubting his capacity for evil. Ania Ahlborn’s books are always so bleak and this was not a departure from that theme, if you want to read a story that’ll ruin your week and an ending that’ll make your stomach drop, this is it. I will say, that in my own personal opinion, I liked The Devil Crept In more even though this is her most talked about novel. Either way this was a solid read. I’m excited to read The Shuddering next.
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You've Lost a Lot of Blood by Eric LaRocca

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

3.5

This was my second novel by Eric LaRocca and I was pleasantly surprised by it. I had read Things Have Gotten Worse Since we Last Spoke previously and didn’t really care for it but I picked this one up regardless just because I love the cover, I was pleased to have really enjoyed it. You’ve Lost a lot of Blood was a collection of poems, transcribed audio recordings, and journal entries written by a serial killer, intertwined with a short storycalled “You’ve Lost a lot of Blood.” The short story was easily my favorite part, I enjoyed that bit so much that the rest was just icing on the cake. This book was weird and different though I can definitely understand why it maybe would not be your cup of tea if you’re looking for something with a more concrete plot. As someone who reads a lot of horror, I always love to pick up something unexpected, so if you’re looking for a story unlike anything you’ve read before with some stunning visuals and gnarly body horror, I think you’d enjoy this. I personally had such a fun time reading! 
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