goblingirlreads's reviews
813 reviews

Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones

challenging dark emotional slow-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

4.0

Jesus SGJ is some weird genius. For part of this book, I was really confused. There's a lot of symbolism and playing with reality. But SGJ wrapped the story up in a way that I found really moving because he's just like that. It's a bit of a gut-wrenching book about grief, trauma, and moving on (or not moving on) and I ended up really enjoying it.

Home Sick Pilots, Vol. 1: Teenage Haunts by Dan Watters

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

3.0

Lots of really cool concepts here but I wish the storytelling was a little more clear. It was sometimes hard to tell what was going on. Still lots to enjoy here.

Camp Crypticon Seattle 2024: Writing Contest Anthology by

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

YES all the winners and honorable mentions KILLED it. This anthology is seriously as strong (and stronger) as other more mainstream horror anthologies I've read. Would honestly have taken a book double the length to feature even more honorable mentions, but either way am definitely hoping this gets made again next year. I plan on picking it up!

Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Thank you to Levine Querido, Hear Our Voices tours, and Netgalley for my e-copy.

This short story collection is stunning. Many of the stories are inspired by classic monster stories but they are paired with real life horrors such as colonization and domestic violence. Andrea L. Rogers is Cherokee and also includes mythology, language, and the experience of Cherokee people over time. As with all short story collections, there were some stories I liked more than others. But overall, I'm very impressed - there's a lot of powerful imagery in here that I'm not going to forget. Excited to see what this author does next!

A Rose by Any Other Name by Mary McMyne
Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.

The period of history is interesting enough but I'm just not connecting with the main characters or the writing style. I think someone who likes a slow paced historical read with a strong bi female character would absolutely love this. The pacing just didn't work for me!

Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Lévy, Frederik Peeters

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

The graphic novel that inspired the movie Old and much like I expected (and was told) Shyamalan has missed the point (despite much of the story beats from the movie being taken directly from the book) The heart of the book is very different and much more beautiful because it's not about figuring out the beach and more about how the characters face aging and death.

Read at Your Own Risk by Remy Lai

dark mysterious fast-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

4.5

THIS is like Diary of a Wimpy Kid but for spooky kids who want to read about curses and untimely ends. The story, about some kids who sneak into a haunted attic during a school assembly to play "Spirit of the Coin", and the artwork are legitimately creepy as hell. I enjoyed it immensely as an adult and I think if any of you have creepy kids in your life that are reading middle grade books, you should definitely get your hands on this one!

I received an advance reader copy e-book thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group - the book comes out on August 13th.

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

dark emotional slow-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

Give me more Alma Katsu RIGHT NOW. this fictionalized Donner party retelling with a supernatural twist is everything I want in a horror novel. It's a slooow burn. You get to know the characters REALLY WELL before the worst things happen to them which make grisly moments feel so much more impactful. I loved that this historical fiction had a lot of true historic facts to make it feel very real (clearly a LOT of research went into this) but that the author was able to make artistic changes to really make the story pack the biggest emotional punch. Def recommended to my horror lit girlies. 

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

funny mysterious fast-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

3.5

This is a popcorn book. I thoroughly enjoyed myself while reading even though there's not much substance here. Tonally, a little all over the place and some parts were so corny and cliche that my eyes rolled to the back of my head. But also I must admit that it was fun and I did want to stay in it until the end.

The West Passage by Jared Pechaček

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

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

3.5

I think people are either going to be absolutely GAGA in love with this read or they are going to be very confused. It's intricate. It's strange. It uses its own logic. I've seen other readers compare it to Alice in Wonderland for the strange otherworldly logic here and I think it's an apt comparison but only for that aspect of the book. This is a weird and wild medieval fantasy with beasts, giant Eldritch ladies, and a quest that will introduce you to many wacky characters. This book also goes very dark places and I was sometimes shocked at how violence and whimsy live side by side in this strange world. I'm really excited for other readers to get their hands on this one and hear what they think. There's so much going on in this book that is difficult to describe in a quick review/synopsis. If you're looking for something weird, whimsical, dark, and intricate - this is a good pick for you!

For me, I gave it a 3.5 because I was impressed and enjoyed the epic world-building and the layers of logic. At some points on the quest, I got confused and the stakes diminished for me as a result. At a certain point I had a hard time continuing. However, I pushed through that and it picked back up and I ended up really enjoying the end.