hali's reviews
349 reviews

Horror Movie: A Novel by Paul Tremblay

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

i didn’t know how to feel at first. upon reread, this can’t give anything less than 5 stars. i think my love of The Angel of Indian Lake trilogy, and more importantly, horror movies, really informed my opinion on this book. all this to say - this was completely for me.

Alien: Echo by Mira Grant

slow-paced

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

2.0

maybe not the best introduction to mira grant. despite being YA i expected this to be more tense and scary. if this was adult i might’ve liked it more, but the overall plot was kinda boring and i didn’t care about the romance at all. i’ll stick with seanan mcguire for now.

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

dark emotional funny tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

fantastic. no notes.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

3.0

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

"And perhaps beyond those shrouded swells another man did walk with another child on the dead gray sands. Slept but a sea apart on another beach among the bitter ashes of the world or stood in their rags lost to the same indifferent sun" (pg 219).

even better upon reread. i still had the audio, but made a point to read as i listened. that was the best experience i think.

there was so much to highlight and annotate. i see why this is thought of as one of the great books, and why it won the Pulitzer. it's extremely gripping. i believe the author accomplished everything he set out to do. the prose, the structure, and the journey all felt so intentional and every word had its purpos

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I don't really know why I liked this so much. I enjoyed how aimless things felt and how the book refused to put us in a recognizable place or time. Everything was muted and stripped of their identifying features. The writing style was perfect for this kind of novel - simple, repetitive, bleak. Yet, the core relationship was very complex. My favorite part of the book comes from a character that we only spend one scene with. I felt like I too was on The Road, for we all are, because that's all there is.

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

dark emotional sad 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

4.0

another great examination of the slasher genre and it's tropes, with a fun twist. this was really engaging and kept my brain working to keep up with it's references and commentary. it felt a bit monotonous at points, but those moments thankfully didn't last too long. you can definitely tell this was written in the My Heart is a Chainsaw era (or at least, i can) because they share a lot of the same DNA. honestly, it felt like they could even exist in the same universe. which is great for me because i love that series.

SGJ is an auto-buy author for me at this point. he never disappoints. 

The Trees by Percival Everett

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.0

One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole

challenging dark mysterious sad 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

3.5

i really enjoyed this! i’ve been interested characters who have DID since the show Mr. Robot. it’s usually not portrayed well, and sometimes it’s used as a scary “gotcha” (the last house on needless street comes to mind). with this story, we understand that our main character is living with it from page one - which i really appreciated. i don’t have DID and i don’t know anyone personally who does, but i did feel like this was good rep. 

Ken’s alters had interesting personalities and it was fun to see how they all interacted with each other and worked together (or not). this was the best part of the book for me, and it made up most of the story. HOWEVER… the actual island plot was kinda odd and didnt really do anything for me.

i would recommend this more for those who enjoy character studies. this felt very Gothic™️, as the setting played a major role in curating the vibes.

James by Percival Everett

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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? No

5.0

“With my pencil, I wrote myself into being. I wrote myself to here.”

James is a wonderful subversion of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. While it hits the main story beats as Huck Finn, it is more concerned with what James was doing outside of that. While Jim was originally a “Magical Negro,” here he is placed in a survival thriller that shows how nothing comes easy in the antebellum south.

I loved the focus on language, philosophy, and identity. The specific conversations around speech and code-switching served as a commentary on the language in Huck Finn and the skills Black people still employ today.

This was a great read, and I’m excited to pick up more of Everett’s works.

"I am the angel of death, come to offer sweet justice in the night… I am a sign. I am your future. I am James."