draven_deathcrush's reviews
313 reviews

Mr Salary by Sally Rooney

emotional reflective sad fast-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

Wow, another five stars from Sally Rooney! I didn't expect to love this, but it hit me a lot harder than I thought it would. It's partly because I read this on Christmas Eve, and also because I relate to Sukie a lot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, Death of parent

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Sexual content

Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney

adventurous dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I read this because it's mentioned in The Faculty (an amazing 90s alien horror movie) and I was pleasantly surprised. While I probably won't think about this book all the time, it was very enjoyable!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Kidnapping

Moderate: Misogyny, Violence

Minor: Mental illness, Racism

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

So, Sally Rooney owns my heart. This book made me smile, think, cringe, cry, literally everything. Most importantly, it made me think about my friends, and I loved that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy

Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag

challenging dark informative slow-paced

This wasn't what I expected it to be. I didn't know it was all about war, and I expected for discussions about other shock images. I did like some of the discussions made, but it was also very repetitive. I don't rate nonfiction unless I really loved them, and I didn't love this or get much from it.

Also, this book came out like twenty years ago, and I honestly don't think it aged very well, especially with the political climate nowadays.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, War

Moderate: Body horror, Genocide, Gore

Minor: Slavery, Colonisation

Normal People by Sally Rooney

emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

I've always been scared of this book for some reason, but I absolutely loved it. While the characters kinda suck at times, I thought that they felt so real. I loved the discussions about politics, art, class, and self love. I also thought the writing was great. It was simple but also had some merit, and I can't wait to read more from Sally Rooney. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content

Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment

Minor: Racism, Death of parent, Classism

Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories by Bram Stoker

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

I'm seeing the new Nosferatu on Christmas, so I wanted to read more Bram Stoker. Most of the stories just fell flat for me. My favorites were The Judge's House and A Dream of Red Hands. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Racial slurs

Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Violence

Minor: Injury/Injury detail

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.

I didn't care enough to read the whole 600 page book. I also just felt iffy about how things were going.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness by William Styron

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I loved this. I related to the author in a lot of ways, and it felt good to feel seen. This was published a while ago, but I don't think it's aged badly at all.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicide

Moderate: Addiction, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

Record of Ragnarok, Vol. 10 by Shinya Umemura, Azychika, Takumi Fukui

dark 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

4.0

I love this series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder

Transformation by Mary Shelley

dark mysterious 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

2.0

The writing was great but the story was kinda bland and weird. I still love Mary Shelley tho.