draven_deathcrush's reviews
313 reviews

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

dark reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

Not bad. I've wanted to try this author and this was his most popular work, so I tried it. It's definitely a film bro kinda book, which I don't mind. It was interesting, but not amazing in my opinion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Blood

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.5

Wow. I've owned this book for years, debating on whether I should read it or not. The movie is good and I'd love to rewatch it, but the book was insane. While yes, the gore, sexual violence, and animal cruelty were horrible, I think the worst part was the blatant racism and homophobia (coming from a gay author, I know). I did think that the character exploration was incredibly interesting though, and Patrick Bateman's spirals were pretty cool to read. Even though I have many problems with the book, and I wouldn't say I like it, I'm glad I finally read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content

Minor: Pregnancy

Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz, Kevin J. Anderson

dark mysterious 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

1.5

I did not like this. Frankenstein is my favorite book of all time, and I thought this would get a retelling, but it ended up being a stupid reimagining. It changed Victor's character as a whole, and I hated that. Also, there were a couple autistic characters, and everything they did was said to be because they were autistic. The writing was good though, and I'd like to read more from Dean Koontz, but I won't continue this series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Sexual content, Sexual violence

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

I really love this author's writing and I've been meaning to read this for awhile, and I'm not disappointed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault

Minor: Child death, Death of parent

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

dark emotional sad 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

5.0

I loved this so much. I was a little scared to read it because I didn't really like The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but this was great. Haymitch was the perfect character to write about. Everything hit me really hard and I will think about this forever.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Violence

Minor: Death of parent

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This was definitely trippy, but it was nothing special to me. I was thrown off by the very sudden use of the n word. I will watch the movie though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Murder

Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual content

A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon

hopeful reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Grief, Murder

Schoolgirl by Osamu Dazai

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

This book had its ups and downs, but I ultimately really love it. The mc goes through moments where she rejects her womanhood and femininity, and I've gone through the same thing. I've recently rediscovered my femininity, so I really think I just read this at the right time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent

Moderate: Body shaming, Misogyny

Minor: Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts

The Invisible Hotel by Yeji Y. Ham

dark sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, War

Moderate: Body horror, Pregnancy

Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? by Mark Fisher
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.

This was so confusing to me. The language isn't accessable at all, at least to me. The concept was interesting though.