danimacuk's reviews
328 reviews

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I had a great time with this book up until about 3/4 of the way through it. The climax felt rushed and messy, with so many questions left unanswered (and not in a mysterious, intentional way). Overall, it was a decent read but a letdown towards the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Vomit, Pregnancy, Classism, Medical trauma, Animal death, Racism, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, and Death of parent

Minor: Blood, Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, and Grief

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Rape, Body shaming, Child abuse, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death, Alcohol, Deadnaming, Bullying, and Self harm

Soichi: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito

dark funny fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Death, Child abuse, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

dark mysterious sad fast-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Torture, Violence, Gore, Death, Infidelity, and Murder

Moderate: Cannibalism, Confinement, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual violence, Alcohol, Rape, and Medical content

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

dark mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Medical content, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, and Classism

Peach Pit by Kristel Emma Buckley, Molly Llewellyn

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito

dark fast-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Stalking, Violence, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, and Suicide

Moderate: Eating disorder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cannibalism, and Infidelity

Minor: Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, and Bullying

Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain by Charles R. Cross

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

This biography is comprehensive and heartbreaking. It details the struggles Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain faced throughout his life with honesty  
and compassion.

A must-read for those interested in the intersections of class, addiction, fame, and family.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Classism, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Grief, and Vomit

Minor: Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Violence

Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu by Junji Ito

funny lighthearted fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement and Vomit

Moderate: Animal death