hortmar's reviews
76 reviews

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

I felt that the middle of this book lost a little of its initial momentum, but the ways in which all the characters tied together was so utterly gorgeous. Stories 2 and 4 made me cry my eyes out. 

The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan

3.0

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

Stupid ass lesbian representation is so important to me

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

Absolutely baller plot twist half way through this thing knocked my goddamn socks off. One star off because Adam Wright is one of the most unlikeable characters I've ever had to witness and the fact that he isn't

dead in a ditch by the end

is a crime against humanity.

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

mysterious reflective tense medium-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

book bad. 

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.5

And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

Kinda lost me toward the end. Really loved parts 2 and 3. 

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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

Do not listen to "I Guess" by Mitski after finishing this book. My head hurts from crying. 

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

Here's the thing. <If the world ended, and you were just an average person witnessing it? You wouldn't know what the hell was going on either.>

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Vomit, and Racism

Graphic descriptions of dental gore.