eclecticjace's reviews
28 reviews

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances by Eric LaRocca
Did not finish book. Stopped at 70%.

Definitely some intriguing horror scenarios, I felt like the pacing was a little too fast to truly be effective, and it felt as if they fell slightly short of what they were trying to convey. Didn't manage to make it through the third story, and didn't bother with the fourth

The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch

challenging dark sad medium-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

Incredibly dark, incredibly graphic,  but required reading for understanding Laura Palmer, especially after watching Fire Walk With Me. A lot of people say FWWM lets you "know" Laura in a way Twin Peaks didn't. I think this lets you know her more than Fire Walk With Me. Jennifer Lynch really knocked it out of the park with this one, and Sheryl Lee's acting is excellent as always.

John Dies at the End by David Wong

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Honestly what can I say. It took me a long time but this is my favorite new read in a long while. I can't say I got Everything about it, as it's incredibly dense and convoluted but it's fun. Who needs to understand everything? No one in this book understood everything.

It has something to say about navigating a world with things both bigger and smaller than yourself, and how it's messy. It won't stop being messy. You roll with the punches as is. Excellent pep talk from Jason Pargin in the special afterword. Gonna go make some art that's difficult to make now.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Another excellent Shirley Jackson work, even if I had suspicions about the twist somewhat early on.

While I was put off by some of Merricat's classist remarks at the beginning of the novel, the cruelty exhibited by the villagers and Charles really made me feel for her.

The ending dragged a little in my opinion, the audiobook still had a whole hour left after the climax of the story, but overall it was a very charming thriller.

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

caming back to actually write a review for a bunch of reading from vacation, starting with this!

This was a book club pick and I was really endeared to Sister Holiday, but I felt like the book kept bringing up feminism and complex relationships with religion without really actively exploring that. The mystery itself was a little lackluster too, though I still found myself wanting to know what happened next.

Knowing this is a debut novel though, I am curious to read the sequel and see where the writing goes.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I'll admit I was drawn to this book after watching the netflix adaptation by Mike Flanagan, and while the two have very little actually in common, I found myself liking this equally as much, if not more than the show (which I adore).

Theo is still my favorite character by far, and I loved the push and pull, love and hate relationship Eleanor had with her. I read an article afterwards about Theo's subtextual queerness and it really stuck with me.

I also adored the focus on the house itself, as someone who became obsessed with haunted houses as living things after watching Jacob Geller's video The Legacy of the Haunted House. He actually mentions Haunting of Hill House in passing, and it was incredibly fun to get the full context for what he was referencing.

All in all a really good read

Harley Quinn Vol. 1: Hot in the City (the New 52) by Jimmy Palmiotti

adventurous dark funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

adventurous challenging medium-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? No

4.0

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

adventurous challenging 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

4.5

I missed some of the mystery of the first one, with it's alternating time periods, but still a fun read!