e_gracereads's reviews
225 reviews

The Push by Ashley Audrain

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The pacing in this book was a little funky — however, an EXCELLENTLY suspenseful build. The last sentence of this novel is like an absolute punch to the gut, but unfortunately does leave you wanting about 100 pages that you’re never going to get. Another sickening novel about motherhood, almost in the realm of Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder. 

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

I actually adored this book. It was short but sweet, with the writing style perfectly matching the whimsy of a faerie world that she’s trying to express. A fantastic quick read. 

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

For me, this book was a slog. If you like a charcater-based, introspective book that’s an allegory more than it is a plot, you will absolutely love this. It was very well-written, just decidedly not my cup of tea. I wanted more monsters and less… whatever this was making a statement about grief. 

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

3.5

This was fun! It didn’t blow me out of the water, but it was enjoyable, and gave me a very pleasant twist on the Romeo and Juliet story. 

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

The first 75% of this book was absolutely heart wrenching and beautiful, but the last quarter fell a little flat. The prose was still stunning, however, and I love a tale of human resilience, kindness, and compassion. Honestly, this book really moved me, start to finish, and was quite stunning, even if the ending fell a little flat. 

Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

I actually really enjoyed this? Is it my favorite read in the world - no. But was it a hilarious, fun, gross, disturbing romp through cosmic horror? Yeah, and it was just a damn good time. Definitely recommend if you’re not squeamish and looking for something fun and a little different. 

Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I adored this little novella more than I can put to words. Wolves have been one of my favorite animals since I was a little kid, and this book managed to capture both the beauty of them and the harsh reality that many packs are facing; not only are they facing human expansion, but also human exploitation. Our main character here, Sean, is unable to break the cycle even herself, even after the worst happens, and it made me literally sick. I don’t think I’ve cried this hard over a novella before, how futile while simultaneously beautiful it was. Jesus, this was a tough read, but a great one. 

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I unexpectedly enjoys this. I’m not a huge sci-fi fan, typically, but this was a STUNNING book. A little hard to understand, at first, but once you settle into it, Red and Blue absolutely grip you with their story. Highly recommend going in blind, because it’s better than I ever could’ve hoped. 

Ararat by Christopher Golden

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

I actually really enjoyed this! It’s not a particularly scary horror book, but it has an excellent plot, and it was a VERY intelligent book. It’s got just enough science, just enough folklore, just enough truth in it to make you really feel like this is something that could happen. A really fun read, even if not very scary! 

The Deep by Nick Cutter

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This book is a 5 star read until literally the last… 20 pages? Which is just really typical for Nick Cutter, unfortunately. I LOVE his plots and I LOVE his books and they’re nauseating and gut wrenching, and then the last 20 pages rolls around and totally ruins it. The plot gets lost by whatever weird crock shit he’s come up with, overexplaining things to the point where they’re no longer scary, and the ending will just leave you unsatisfied. I am just not ever impressed with how his books end — he spoon feeds you the answer instead of just leaving you with dread. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail