grimalkintoes's reviews
140 reviews

Chainsaw Man, Vol. 4 by Tatsuki Fujimoto

dark funny fast-paced

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

5.0

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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

5.0

 Alexa, play The Chain by Fleetwood Mac at max volume.

"I came to hate that I'd put my heart and my pain into my music because it meant that I couldn't ever leave it behind." 

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

 Raw. Dynamic. Inspired. Voyeuristic. Powerful. 

Mamo #1 by Sas Milledge

adventurous dark reflective 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

5.0

Sas Milledge's Mamo has it all — witches, folklore, fae, LGBTQ+ romance. Paired with stunning artwork that's reminiscent of Ghibli and a major narrative focus on place and belonging, this delightfully bewitching read is perfect for summer daydreaming and trips back home.

"The old witch, how did she die?"
"Alone. A bitter old thing. Your witch was trying to escape that fate, we think. We do wonder why she came back. Perhaps we all fly home, one day. No matter how cold it is, how dark." 

Final Girls by Riley Sager

dark slow-paced

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

2.0

Riley Sager's Final Girls is not a thriller. The horror adage to the "final girl" is stripped of context and thrust into something less enticing, less bloody, less powerful. As a lover of the horrifying, I was disappointed, and as a leisure literary critic, even more.

Though the plot twists in the narrative strived to be original, Sager's reliance on horror tropes felt cheesy, and not in the corn syrup, shitty practical effects, B-Rated way. Oftentimes, the story felt like I was watching a particularly terrible Friday the 13th knockoff, with no satirical lens and no new ideas of substance for the horror genre. 

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

5.0

“If you strip away all the trappings of personality and lifestyle, what are the core components that make me me?”

Blake Crouch's Dark Matter is a (not so) healthy dose of depersonalization bound into 340 pages of pure identity-chaos. Who am I after reading this book? That's for another Becca to find out. 

Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals by Laurie Zaleski

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

"I am looking forward to my next chapter, because my unexpected life with 600 animals can only be the beginning."

Laurie Zaleski's Funny Farm is a love letter to her mother, the woman who taught her resiliency, toughness, and how to foster "the kind of compassionate generosity that leaves the door open for everyone." Interspersed with animal tales/tails of Funny Farm residents past and present, this memoir is a must-read for animal lovers and rescue advocates alike. There is a familiarity in Laurie's written voice that quite literally leaves the lights on and welcomes you in. 

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

✷ BOOK CLUB REVIEW ✷

"I'm not just writing about you," said Shane. "I'm writing to you."

Tia Williams' Seven Days in June is a tumultuous and alluring second-chance romance between two authors, Eva and Shane, who fell in love 15 years prior over 7 days in June. More than that, though, their second-chance rekindling is an unflinching story of Black love, humor, redemption, history, and power. Tell your contemporary romance friends about this one, their bookshelves are bare without it.

Neo Parasyte f by Yuki Obata, Kaori Yuki, Asumiko Nakamura, Banko Kuze, Asia Watanabe, Lalako Kojima, Kashio, Yui Kuroe, Yuri Narushima, Hajime Shinjo, Miki Rinno, Mikimiki, Renjuro Kindaichi, Ema Tōyama, Hikaru Suruga

dark funny medium-paced

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

5.0

Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 4 by James Tynion IV

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0