The first half of this book is slow and repetitive but the second half saves it with a fast paced and intense turn of events. One of those books that would make an incredible movie or series if it was done right. The ending will make you want to reread the beginning to see the whole story in hindsight- We love subtle foreshadowing.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Classic. Jackson’s prose is so vivid it lingers with you for days. She leaves a lot of details up to the reader but it the most intriguing way-always blurring the lines of reality and fiction. I did find the characters to to be a bit fickle but I couldn’t tell if that was Eleanor’s imagination or not… there is also an eerie playful tone that makes even the reader feel mad. It’s a quick read that will leave you feeling as empty and dark as hill house itself.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Loveable characters? No

3.0

The book was a quick read and generally enjoyable although it never seems to answer any of the real questions, or if it does it’s not exactly in a satisfying way (using words that don’t make much sense unless you really stretch your imagination, which is maybe the point, or answering the questions with just the narrators speculation). None of the characters are very likeable, but the plot is intriguing enough to excuse that. I wasn’t a fan of the ending, the revelation wasn’t the one I really wanted (I know it’s part of a trilogy but still). The author always seems to be answering the questions you don’t care as much about while ignoring the elephant in the room.

Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King

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dark sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Worst part about this book is that it doesn’t have proper chapters which somehow made it feel super long

Gerbil Mother by Dawn Bryan

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tense slow-paced

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

2.0

A book told from the perspective of an unborn child is probably expected to be kinda bad (that’s frankly just a bad premise in my opinion) but somehow this book makes the narration worse by having the fetus be a dark humoured, sarcastic, and harsh voice who feels the need to express her deep rooted, although never justified, hatred for her own mother. The author also struggles with the consistency of the intelligence of the fetal narrator. Gerbil goes from spewing off long words and explaining events she could not have possibly experienced to not understanding basic everyday things. All this made it difficult to begin reading but I found that by the end of the book I became used to the narration style and was at least a little bit intrigued by the characters (hence the 2 stars). Overall, I’d say don’t read it unless you can easily suspend your disbelief or if you enjoy this more experimental style of writing.

Hosanna by Bill Glassco, Michel Tremblay, John Van Burek

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2.0

Medicine River by Thomas King

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No

2.75

There’s not much of a plot in this book but it’s a quick read. Nothing too heavy although it’s also not very lighthearted. Everything about this book feels gloomy and monotone but also nostalgic and content. Overall a pretty average book.

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graceham22's reviews 23 reviews

graceham22's reviews
23 reviews