hali's reviews
349 reviews

The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste

4.0

The Family Experiment by John Marrs

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-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

scifi thrillers may be my favorite type of mystery/thriller. just like a black mirror episode, i was enthralled with how this near future society operates. i enjoyed many of the POVs - mostly how we didn’t spend too much time with any of them so they didn’t feel grating. 

overall a great read, and i’m gonna check out the other books in this world he’s made.

(this was a 5 until the end where he started explaining waaaaay too much)

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

Super interesting and kept me hooked 95% of the time. Not super predictable and the reveals were well earned. 

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan

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? No

2.0

hey… how yall doin…

this was a huge disappointment for me. i loved tan’s previous works so much that i auto-bought the deluxe edition of this book. i was very much looking forward to it. but i just can’t with the fake enemies-to-lovers romantasy stuff.

the characters here were not as fleshed out as those in the Celestial Kingdom duology. nor was the plot or the romance or ANYTHING i was supposed to care about. i barely cared about anything happening. a few plot twists made me perk up, but i was quickly bored again.

sue lynn tan please leave the world of the Celestial Kingdom. i know you have more good books in you. this just wasn’t it.

A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon

dark funny reflective fast-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

4.0

you too can become a magical girl, as long as you suffer first!

reminds me of Vicious in a way… since in both powers come from trauma.

i wanted this to be longer. or just a straight up manga/manhwa. still, i enjoyed my time with it and the themes throughout.

The Haunting Season: Nine Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights by Bridget Collins

slow-paced

2.5

Not very scary and didn’t really feel horror as much as it felt paranormal. It sure was “haunting” as almost every story had a ghost of some kind. I have no interest in reading anything else from these authors - even the few I rated highly.

• A Study in Black and White - 2 ⭐️
• Thwaite’s Tenant - 4 ⭐️
• The Eel Singers - 4 ⭐️
• Lily Wilt - 2 ⭐️
• The Chillingham Chair - 4 ⭐️
• The Hanging of the Greens - 1 ⭐️
• Confinement - 2 ⭐️
• Monster - 1 ⭐️

Monster: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 8 by Naoki Urasawa

5.0

“I’ve seen the end… Over and over again… What is the end?

This is the end. You die… and I die too.”

WTFFFFFWTFETTFTWTF

Monster: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 9 by Naoki Urasawa

5.0

“Human beings can’t lose their emotions. Mine… were lost… buried in some unknown place. It’s like someone wrote me a letter… and it arrived decades later.”

Thrilling until the final page. I have some unanswered questions but I trust it’s all intentional. A fantastic saga that I can’t recommend enough.

“Did my mother mean to save me? Or did she confuse me with my sister? Which was it? Which one of us didn’t she need?”

Monster: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 7 by Naoki Urasawa

5.0

"I am you... and you are me. Shoot me. Shoot me right in the head."

"Call me... by my name... That will prove... that I lived."

sick and twisted

Monster: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 6 by Naoki Urasawa

5.0

the way i was gagged in the first chapter...

even at volume 6 tensions are still high and im completely invested!!