cryfest's reviews
22 reviews

The Night Flowers by Sara Herchenroether

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Violence, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Cancer, Dementia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, and Medical content

Mad Honey by Jennifer Finney Boylan, Jodi Picoult

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Reading this as a trans queer non-binary person who has loved Jodi Picoult (one of the authors of this book) since high school -  I was a little apprehensive because I wasn’t sure if I trusted Jodi with my trans siblings, and while heart breaking, a lot of nuance to trans identities was explored compassionately, with the genius and lived experience of Finney Boylan of course. I definitely would encourage non-trans folks to read this as a small slice of insight to one fictional trans person’s experience/journey.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Suicide attempt, Violence, Domestic abuse, Murder, Abandonment, Hate crime, Mental illness, Outing, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Pedophilia, Abortion, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Mass/school shootings

The Couples Trip by Ulf Kvensler

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Blood, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Violence

One's Company by Ashley Hutson

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Gun violence, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Murder, and Sexual assault

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Chronic illness, Grief, Murder, and Sexism

What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Self harm, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Stone Fruit by Lee Lai

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Transphobia

Night Shift by Stephen King

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5