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chloseencounter's reviews
86 reviews
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This story was so much more than I ever could’ve expected. I loved the constant back and fourth of “is it mental illness or is it a demon?”, and ultimately it is kind of whatever you want and/or both, which I find to be a very fresh take on the haunting/possession genre. At the end of the day this was a family that was, in the very least, haunted by the ghosts of ideas, religious fear, money problems, a failing marriage, misogyny, mental illness, etc. The Berrets were manipulated, pushed, and agitated to the absolute breaking point.
There was so much here, I honestly don’t even know how to talk about it all. First and foremost I think having the majority of this story being told in the eyes of an eight year old was great, there was so much tension even in Majorie’s most mild episodes because truthfully Merry had no idea what Marjorie might say or do, or if she (or anyone else) would protect her from someone she wasn’t even completely sure she was afraid of. I enjoyed all the nods to classic horror media but also the way common tropes were twisted and turned on their head, we’re asked “is anyone ever really possessed or has the church always been taking advantage of the vulnerability of the mentally ill and fueling the psychosis of the sick?” There were so many parallels and metaphors in the book I reveled in picking apart and analyzing, I think this novel had so much to say very eloquently hidden beneath what the story seemed to be at face value.
My one critique looks to be the common one…the blog sections were cringy at best and annoying at worst, but despite the kind of “hello fellow kids” attempt at writing a blog post that was supposed to sound as if it was written by a hip and up on the trends women in her early 20s, I still enjoyed the detached POV of what this family’s suffering looked like to the world and how the show succeeded to make good television but failed Majorie and Merry. (Every adult did to be completely honest) I also appreciated the insight we got by hearing Merry’s thoughts coming from her child self, her adult self, and (vague spoiler) an alter ego of sorts. I thought it was sweet that in all three contexts you could still see Merry and how some bits of her personality never change.
Without spoiling I did actually quite like the twist ending because even that, may or may not be true. I think Merry has grown to be a fairly well rounded individual especially for what she’s been through, but even still, much like Majorie I think her head is full of ghosts too and maybe some things she said were simply manifestations of guilt but also maybe they weren’t…and I don’t think are meant to know for sure.
There was so much here, I honestly don’t even know how to talk about it all. First and foremost I think having the majority of this story being told in the eyes of an eight year old was great, there was so much tension even in Majorie’s most mild episodes because truthfully Merry had no idea what Marjorie might say or do, or if she (or anyone else) would protect her from someone she wasn’t even completely sure she was afraid of. I enjoyed all the nods to classic horror media but also the way common tropes were twisted and turned on their head, we’re asked “is anyone ever really possessed or has the church always been taking advantage of the vulnerability of the mentally ill and fueling the psychosis of the sick?” There were so many parallels and metaphors in the book I reveled in picking apart and analyzing, I think this novel had so much to say very eloquently hidden beneath what the story seemed to be at face value.
My one critique looks to be the common one…the blog sections were cringy at best and annoying at worst, but despite the kind of “hello fellow kids” attempt at writing a blog post that was supposed to sound as if it was written by a hip and up on the trends women in her early 20s, I still enjoyed the detached POV of what this family’s suffering looked like to the world and how the show succeeded to make good television but failed Majorie and Merry. (Every adult did to be completely honest) I also appreciated the insight we got by hearing Merry’s thoughts coming from her child self, her adult self, and (vague spoiler) an alter ego of sorts. I thought it was sweet that in all three contexts you could still see Merry and how some bits of her personality never change.
Without spoiling I did actually quite like the twist ending because even that, may or may not be true. I think Merry has grown to be a fairly well rounded individual especially for what she’s been through, but even still, much like Majorie I think her head is full of ghosts too and maybe some things she said were simply manifestations of guilt but also maybe they weren’t…and I don’t think are meant to know for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Excrement, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
Come Closer by Sara Gran
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I quite enjoyed this short little read. It was a take on demonic possession I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced before, a very realistic downfall of questioning your own sanity and the feelings of losing control. I liked the interactions with the main character and the demon, the false sense of security the demon created for her while she was vulnerable truly manipulating her to the let the demon in. I really enjoyed the parts where I wasn’t even sure if they actually happened, like the doctors visits that only made the possession take more of a hold and when our main character (can you tell I can’t remember her name, I think it was Amanda) would run into other people who seemed to have demonic energy within them. I also thought the freakiest part was the sad excuse for an exorcism and the description of the demon just kind of skittering around in the darkness of her mind’s safe space. Overall this was a solid, short, spooky read perfect for my Halloween/Fall TBR.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
Minor: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This story was a short little read to get me ready for my Fall/Halloween TBR, this book captured a very specific feeling and atmosphere but was just not for me.
For how short it was, it still felt like quite a slow burn but the last few chapters did definitely keep me going and it was so short it would’ve felt wrong to DNF.
If you’re a fan of an spooky atmosphere and a historical gothic aesthetic you’ll like this book, lots of imagery of fungus, mushrooms, lakes, old manors, etc. It was a unique read and captured Poe in a modern way which was super interesting. Technically speaking it was also well written. I think I’ve just realized that historical fiction is not for me, horror or not.
So while at the end of the day this was a so so read for myself I still appreciate it for what it is and if you like something not too terribly scary with a very classic and gothic feeling, I’d definitely recommend this to you.
For how short it was, it still felt like quite a slow burn but the last few chapters did definitely keep me going and it was so short it would’ve felt wrong to DNF.
If you’re a fan of an spooky atmosphere and a historical gothic aesthetic you’ll like this book, lots of imagery of fungus, mushrooms, lakes, old manors, etc. It was a unique read and captured Poe in a modern way which was super interesting. Technically speaking it was also well written. I think I’ve just realized that historical fiction is not for me, horror or not.
So while at the end of the day this was a so so read for myself I still appreciate it for what it is and if you like something not too terribly scary with a very classic and gothic feeling, I’d definitely recommend this to you.
Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
I picked this book up skeptical of what it may actually be like considering it’s a YA novel about a clown and I was more than pleasantly surprised. As a fan of the slasher genre I never would’ve expected a book labeled YA to be so outwardly violent but I thought some of these kills were gnarly and fun, I also enjoyed that it become almost survival horror as we watched our main character turn into an absolute badass. This book was quick paced and exciting but also an interesting statement about how generations progress and change but sometimes our elders can’t let the old ways go. There was even a bit where the sheriff blamed the teens of the towns bad behavior on “growing up too fast” even though I’m sure we’re all aware that children really only grow up too fast when they’re made to (usually by adults in their lives). Cole makes a wonderful statement about how the generations before him laid out the world they live in now and then are angry at the children for learning to live in it in their own way. I will definitely be picking up the sequel to this novel asap. I also could not have been happier when they revealed Rust and Cole had feelings for each other, I kept wondering what the hell was up with them but that was so much better a conclusion than I expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Pet Semetery may be the scariest book by King I’ve read so far and it’s definitely the best one I’ve read since The Shining. I think often King’s novels are like the longest build up ever to the world’s saddest orgasm but I actually felt that the pay off was worth it in this novel. I’ll also say that this was some very strong character writing but despite that maybe only two characters were actually likable, though I do at least think the mental decline in Louis over time is articulated well. I was also slightly put off by the completely out of place sex scenes that added literally nothing to the story but King is nothing if not horny. Even though I love to complain about King’s books I really did enjoy this one and would actually recommend it to people especially if you’re new to King or horror in general. I still think it could’ve been edited so much shorter but for the most part it felt more evenly paced than other King novels and I wasn’t often bored.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness, Confinement, Mental illness, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is my second Grady Hendrix novel and I really enjoy their writing style. I expected (due to the quirky nature of the title) for this to feel a lot more YA but there were some parts that were genuinely disturbing and mature. Even though I grew up during the 90s/2000s the story still gave me a heavy sense of nostalgia for summers as a teenager, I felt that especially at the beginning when all the characters and their relationships were being established. It all felt very real and genuine, like people I would’ve known, friends I would’ve had, and things I would’ve done (or did without being possessed thankfully). The way the girls felt so real is what made this novel truly worth it for me. I know that some bits were wildly cheesy but I honestly enjoyed it a lot, the toss up between horrific and sooooo melodramatic was a good mix for me. I also loved how the exorcist had said that most people just make up what they say during a deliverance and in the end Abby believed a lot more in Phil Collins than religion. As silly as that seems, it suited the climax for our main characters. I really enjoyed the ending, because that too was realistic and truthful, it wasn’t a fantasy happily ever after but it was about as good as life and friendship gets. My only complaint is that I felt the first few chapters were a little slow, I wasn’t grabbed as immediately as I would usually like to be by a book but I also appreciated the time spent learning about the girls, their relationship with each other, their relationship with their parents, and the inherent differences in their lives being two separate economic classes. In the end I think the time spent paid off in making the reader care more about what may happen to them. I can’t wait to give more Grady Hendrix books a go and I’m excited to see the movie adaptation for this one soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Gaslighting
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I have no other way to put this than, this was the world’s okay-est book. It wasn’t good, it wasn’t bad, it just kind of existed. For the very tense plot of this book you’d expect to be sucked in rather quickly but at no point was I grabbed by anything or felt the need to keep turning pages in order to know what happened. I finished the book at a pretty slow pace for me and at about 80% of the way in I realized I still didn’t know if I even liked the story or not. The twists where alright, I never really guessed exactly what was happening so I can give it that but oh my god, not a single character was likable so you didn’t even really feel the need to root for anyone at any point aside from maybe feeling bad for the mother and baby. I thought the ending was sort of disappointing because the poor mom was jerked around through this entire story, she was put through hell and back, everyone at some point manipulated and/or used her, she was treated by friends and family as if she was an absolute burden due to her mental illness, and in the end she’ll probably go to prison meanwhile Marco, who is a horrible person, father, and husband (and by the way still claimed at the end that there were no other women even though he screwed around with Cynthia willingly after she initiated) doesn’t really have any consequences for his absolutely despicable actions.
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
This novel was my favorite Karin Slaughter book I’ve read so far. After really enjoying Pretty Girls I picked this up and was surprised when I liked it even more. I think this book has just the right amount of twists and turns, I loved all the main characters (even rusty was enjoyable), the sister’s relationship was complex and interesting and they had a great dynamic. I really have nothing to complain about here except that maybe I would’ve liked a little more time with Kelly. We heard a lot about Kelly through the lenses of other people but didn’t often hear her experiences articulated straight from her. I am now rereading this book and I am caught surprised by all the tiny seeds being planted from the very first chapter that I think would almost be impossible to catch before a second read, I can really appreciate the author’s writing style in that way. Some very effective writing techniques where used to make you feel a certain way about characters before they were even introduced. Such as choosing not to bring Rusty into the story until much later because he was often described as an absent father who put work first, and in that way he was even absent to the reader for quite awhile. Or that Sam was treated as if she was dead up until her intro to the story a few chapters in, because to Charlie she might as well have been dead. I will warn that this story can be graphic at times (though it doesn’t hold a candle to Pretty Girls) but I do think the violence served a purpose in explaining why characters acted the way they did in their adult lives and even gave some insight on relationships between the sisters and parents. Like Rusty asking Charlie to lie about being assaulted or how Sam told Charlie she was able to see when she couldn’t to comfort Charlie. I also really enjoyed the banter between Charlie and Sam, sometimes even Rusty. I think this was a super solid read and has made me excited to work my way through more Karin Slaughter books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Cursing, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
The Outsider by Stephen King
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I’m going to try and keep this as concise as possible but I have a lot of feelings about this book, mostly disappointment, especially after it was recommended to me by multiple people. I can tell by the reviews that this book was very polarizing, you either love it or hate it and unfortunately I really hated it.
The first half of this book was pretty strong but too long, the same things could’ve been accomplished in half the time or less, this book should’ve been 300 pages. Also while I enjoy the supernatural elements, they should’ve been introduced into the story way earlier instead of over 20% of the way in, it felt very abrupt.
The cast was way too large and a lot of the characters where similar and spoke the same way, I have never had trouble keeping track of characters in media before but I found myself multiple times thinking “wait, which character was this again?”
I actually really like Holly Gibney as a character but her addition over halfway into the story was unneeded. Ralph’s wife could’ve accomplished the same role (she could’ve started her own investigation after Ralph doubted her) or they could’ve put Holly in much earlier in the book and took out other useless characters instead of making this ever growing cast even larger. It felt strange to put a character in a story over the 50% mark just to come in and put all the puzzle pieces together effortlessly for our main characters. I honestly only think King only put her in this story because he is so clearly in love with her. The way he writes women (especially “unattractive” and/or fat women) has always been off putting but the way he describes Holly over and over is like… “She was thin and fragile but adorable, she was smarter than most people but she didn’t know it. She is eccentric and quirky, not at all like other girls. She could solve every problem but couldn’t take a compliment because she was so insecure. She was strong but only found her true self for a man who she has continued living her whole life for. Did I mention she was thin and also takes lexapro?”, I don’t understand why Holly can’t be a badass and confident lady instead of this insecure women who only finds her strength due to Bill Hodges, King couldn’t even let her curse. It’s almost comical and made me wonder if Bill Hodges is a self insert for him.
Minor complaint but still wanted to say, I really don’t mind talking about poop or even poop humor but I didn’t think we needed multiple paragraphs describing Jack’s diarrhea.
Lastly, the last half of this book was painfully slow. I felt as if it was wrapping up at a little over 300 pages in but it just kept going. By the time I reached about 100 pages left I was reading out of pure spite. I had to know if the ending made this awful book worth it and surprise…it didn’t. If you get over halfway done with this book and you’re bored, DNF, it’s absolutely not worth it at all.
I actually really like King and he has written some of my favorite books however I also recognize the flaws in his writing in which he’s never improved upon and I feel like they all came out full force in this story. If it was maybe paired down to half the length and he cut out all the unneeded stuff, it could’ve been better. An interesting premise absolutely demolished, it’s really unfortunate.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
The first half of this book was pretty strong but too long, the same things could’ve been accomplished in half the time or less, this book should’ve been 300 pages. Also while I enjoy the supernatural elements, they should’ve been introduced into the story way earlier instead of over 20% of the way in, it felt very abrupt.
The cast was way too large and a lot of the characters where similar and spoke the same way, I have never had trouble keeping track of characters in media before but I found myself multiple times thinking “wait, which character was this again?”
I actually really like Holly Gibney as a character but her addition over halfway into the story was unneeded. Ralph’s wife could’ve accomplished the same role (she could’ve started her own investigation after Ralph doubted her) or they could’ve put Holly in much earlier in the book and took out other useless characters instead of making this ever growing cast even larger. It felt strange to put a character in a story over the 50% mark just to come in and put all the puzzle pieces together effortlessly for our main characters. I honestly only think King only put her in this story because he is so clearly in love with her. The way he writes women (especially “unattractive” and/or fat women) has always been off putting but the way he describes Holly over and over is like… “She was thin and fragile but adorable, she was smarter than most people but she didn’t know it. She is eccentric and quirky, not at all like other girls. She could solve every problem but couldn’t take a compliment because she was so insecure. She was strong but only found her true self for a man who she has continued living her whole life for. Did I mention she was thin and also takes lexapro?”, I don’t understand why Holly can’t be a badass and confident lady instead of this insecure women who only finds her strength due to Bill Hodges, King couldn’t even let her curse. It’s almost comical and made me wonder if Bill Hodges is a self insert for him.
Minor complaint but still wanted to say, I really don’t mind talking about poop or even poop humor but I didn’t think we needed multiple paragraphs describing Jack’s diarrhea.
Lastly, the last half of this book was painfully slow. I felt as if it was wrapping up at a little over 300 pages in but it just kept going. By the time I reached about 100 pages left I was reading out of pure spite. I had to know if the ending made this awful book worth it and surprise…it didn’t. If you get over halfway done with this book and you’re bored, DNF, it’s absolutely not worth it at all.
I actually really like King and he has written some of my favorite books however I also recognize the flaws in his writing in which he’s never improved upon and I feel like they all came out full force in this story. If it was maybe paired down to half the length and he cut out all the unneeded stuff, it could’ve been better. An interesting premise absolutely demolished, it’s really unfortunate.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
adventurous
funny
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
4.0
This was a super fun read, honestly I think they could’ve pushed it further but it was still good overall. I thought the cast was very fun, the fact that they were all so different made their interactions enjoyable and I liked the ending.