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curiousherring's reviews
205 reviews
You Like It Darker by Stephen King
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.75
Two Talented Bastids
3.5 Stars ★★★☆
For a short story, it still took a bit to get the ball rolling for me. I still enjoyed it though, and it has a thought-provoking ending which is always a plus.
Though, I kind of expected darker than this...
The Fifth Step
4.5 stars ★★★★☆
Okay, this one got darker, and straight to the point — loved this one!
Willie the Weirdo
4.5 stars ★★★★☆
I wished this one had been longer! Gave me the creeps and left me wanting more. Also, it's mad how SK can make me feel such a strong connection between two characters in only 10 pages.
Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream
4 stars ★★★★
I'm always up for some Uncle Stevie crime! Bit of a slow burn, and I was constantly waiting for a real big twist that didn't really happen. This is the longest story of the bunch, and although it's a great, suspenseful crime novella, I just wished it had ended with a bit of a suprise element.
Finn
3 stars ★★★
Torture. Lots of torture. I mean, it's definitely dark, so can't complain!
On Slide Inn Road
4.5 stars ★★★★☆
Such a great short story! This one actually made me panic alongside the characters— the same way you want to scream at the TV when you're routing for the girl or whoever to escape the bad guy. Loved it.
Red Screen
2.5 stars ★★☆
In comparison to the other stories so far, this one just wasn't as engaging for me. I think it has the potential to be a little longer to build more suspense? Idk.
The Turbulence Expert
4 stars ★★★★
For someone getting on a flight in a weeks time, this one has me feeling a little unnerved! Not very dark, but definitely a little strange.
Laurie
5 stars ★★★★★
Whenever SK mentions a dog in one of his books, I get this unsettling feeling that they're not going to last. Thankfully, this one isn't that dark.
Rattlesnakes
5 stars ★★★★★
Killer snakes, creepy dead children, a haunted pram— anyone else feel Joe Hill's <i>The Pram</i> vibes!?—a lot of tragic memories, battling trauma, and touches of past SK books... this is by far <i>You Like It Darker's</i> center of attention. <i>Cujo</i> is such a classic, and this follow up definitely did it justice!
The Dreamers
4.5 stars ★★★★☆
I love that SK has a way of creating such thought-provoking short stories. This is one of them.
The Answer Man
5 stars ★★★★★
Ahh, loved this one! The Answer Man gave me proper Leland Gaunt vibes— one of my favourite characters in the SK universe!
3.5 Stars ★★★☆
For a short story, it still took a bit to get the ball rolling for me. I still enjoyed it though, and it has a thought-provoking ending which is always a plus.
Though, I kind of expected darker than this...
The Fifth Step
4.5 stars ★★★★☆
Okay, this one got darker, and straight to the point — loved this one!
Willie the Weirdo
4.5 stars ★★★★☆
I wished this one had been longer! Gave me the creeps and left me wanting more. Also, it's mad how SK can make me feel such a strong connection between two characters in only 10 pages.
Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream
4 stars ★★★★
I'm always up for some Uncle Stevie crime! Bit of a slow burn, and I was constantly waiting for a real big twist that didn't really happen. This is the longest story of the bunch, and although it's a great, suspenseful crime novella, I just wished it had ended with a bit of a suprise element.
Finn
3 stars ★★★
Torture. Lots of torture. I mean, it's definitely dark, so can't complain!
On Slide Inn Road
4.5 stars ★★★★☆
Such a great short story! This one actually made me panic alongside the characters— the same way you want to scream at the TV when you're routing for the girl or whoever to escape the bad guy. Loved it.
Red Screen
2.5 stars ★★☆
In comparison to the other stories so far, this one just wasn't as engaging for me. I think it has the potential to be a little longer to build more suspense? Idk.
The Turbulence Expert
4 stars ★★★★
For someone getting on a flight in a weeks time, this one has me feeling a little unnerved! Not very dark, but definitely a little strange.
Laurie
5 stars ★★★★★
Whenever SK mentions a dog in one of his books, I get this unsettling feeling that they're not going to last. Thankfully, this one isn't that dark.
Rattlesnakes
5 stars ★★★★★
Killer snakes, creepy dead children, a haunted pram— anyone else feel Joe Hill's <i>The Pram</i> vibes!?—a lot of tragic memories, battling trauma, and touches of past SK books... this is by far <i>You Like It Darker's</i> center of attention. <i>Cujo</i> is such a classic, and this follow up definitely did it justice!
The Dreamers
4.5 stars ★★★★☆
I love that SK has a way of creating such thought-provoking short stories. This is one of them.
The Answer Man
5 stars ★★★★★
Ahh, loved this one! The Answer Man gave me proper Leland Gaunt vibes— one of my favourite characters in the SK universe!
Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes
adventurous
dark
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Watching You by Lisa Jewell
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.25
Watching You by Lisa Jewell
dark
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? Yes
3.75
Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
You by Caroline Kepnes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I wish I had read this before seeing the TV show, but unfortunately, Netflix got to me first. That's not a bad thing–I absolutely loved the show, but it just made me read the book in a different light. It's always hard to visualise characters in any other way after seeing them on screen, and I couldn't imagine it any other way.
However, I'm not sure if that made me love the book more because it made me think of the show, or if it hindered my thoughts because it took away some of the creativity that reading offers. Would it have been a five-star read had I not seen the show? I have no idea.
I think it must be really hard to write a book from the perspective of a psycho, especially as it's easy for people to then judge the author for being sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, racist or whatever. In many cases (for me, at least) if a character is vile, it's because the author has done a great job of representing them in a sadistic way, aiming to make the character's traits provoke the reader. It's not because the author themselves feel that way. Maybe some do, but I feel like a lot of authors (and, after reading some other reviews, Kepnes seems to have fallen into this, unfortunately), get a bit of a harsh time because of it.
Perhaps that's why I enjoyed this so much. Like American Psycho, I'm amazed that people can write characters so undeniably fucked up. Kudos.
However, I'm not sure if that made me love the book more because it made me think of the show, or if it hindered my thoughts because it took away some of the creativity that reading offers. Would it have been a five-star read had I not seen the show? I have no idea.
I think it must be really hard to write a book from the perspective of a psycho, especially as it's easy for people to then judge the author for being sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, racist or whatever. In many cases (for me, at least) if a character is vile, it's because the author has done a great job of representing them in a sadistic way, aiming to make the character's traits provoke the reader. It's not because the author themselves feel that way. Maybe some do, but I feel like a lot of authors (and, after reading some other reviews, Kepnes seems to have fallen into this, unfortunately), get a bit of a harsh time because of it.
Perhaps that's why I enjoyed this so much. Like American Psycho, I'm amazed that people can write characters so undeniably fucked up. Kudos.
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
Praised by SK and Ruth Ware, two authors I absolutely love, so I knew I'd have to give this one a go.
It was alright.
Besides it taking a good 100 pages to really get going, it was also quite predictable. However, it kept me reading, and at times, you really do question everything and everyone.
It was alright.
Besides it taking a good 100 pages to really get going, it was also quite predictable. However, it kept me reading, and at times, you really do question everything and everyone.