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house_of_hannah's reviews
257 reviews
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
dark
mysterious
fast-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
3.0
If I ever have to read the word "bourbon" again it will be too soon ! I swear 2/3 of this book is simply talking about how many drinks this woman has had. It gets tiring very quickly, and if alcoholism is a needed content warning for you, then I would not pick this one up.
This book is a lot. The first 2/3 are very generic, and full of stereotypes that are bizzarely self aware. It gets pretty boring, feels slow, and is honestly just a whole lot of nothing. Then for the last third everything shifts into an entirely different story, and even the pacing completely changes. It feels like this has three different endings with how it just keeps going and going at the end.
I think at least 50 pages could have easily been shaved off. It feels so drawn out, and I even grew to hate the main character. As usual, if you pay attention to what people say in the beginning you can see where this is going early on.
I do feel like the final third of this book almost invalidates the previous part. We see things through the main character, Casey's, eyes so there is information we should have known from the get go, but is purposely withheld from us to make the twists more impactful. You cannot tell me that there was no point where she was thinking about these things. It just feels like lying by omission, and is weird with the point of view we are given.
Even though there are things I majorly disliked in this book, I still think it comes out as an average read. It's quick and easy to get through, kept me intrigued enough to want to know the ending, and gives us a proper, albeit not very believable, ending. The last third is what bumps it up to 3 for me though, as the first 2/3 is sadly just a 2.
This book is a lot. The first 2/3 are very generic, and full of stereotypes that are bizzarely self aware. It gets pretty boring, feels slow, and is honestly just a whole lot of nothing. Then for the last third everything shifts into an entirely different story, and even the pacing completely changes. It feels like this has three different endings with how it just keeps going and going at the end.
I think at least 50 pages could have easily been shaved off. It feels so drawn out, and I even grew to hate the main character. As usual, if you pay attention to what people say in the beginning you can see where this is going early on.
I do feel like the final third of this book almost invalidates the previous part. We see things through the main character, Casey's, eyes so there is information we should have known from the get go, but is purposely withheld from us to make the twists more impactful. You cannot tell me that there was no point where she was thinking about these things. It just feels like lying by omission, and is weird with the point of view we are given.
Even though there are things I majorly disliked in this book, I still think it comes out as an average read. It's quick and easy to get through, kept me intrigued enough to want to know the ending, and gives us a proper, albeit not very believable, ending. The last third is what bumps it up to 3 for me though, as the first 2/3 is sadly just a 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Murder, Violence, Alcohol, and Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Suicide
Minor: Infidelity and Vomit
A Fig for All the Devils by C.S. Fritz
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Thank you so much to Albatross Book Co. and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
This starts out with a fantastically dark and surprising introduction, but then it goes down hill from there. The concept of Death being able to finally rest and choose a successor is always interesting, but it didn't feel fully fleshed out here. The ending came off rushed, and the chapters are so short it's a bit difficult to tell the passage of time between each one, or what day it's supposed to be. It ends up reading more like a draft of a story, rather than a finished book.
I do wish the author hadn't taken the obvious choice for the ending here.There's literally a line about how the mom needs a replacement for the deceased father, and it seems like Sonnny becomes that in the end, which is not only weird, but exacerbated by the fact that the mother has disliked Sonny since he was born. When it comes to stories about well known characters, I like to see something new, and this seemed rather par for the course. However, I do think this would make for quite a creepy movie. There were definitely some good scenes here when it comes to horror. I just wish the story could have held on to that quality throughout.
This starts out with a fantastically dark and surprising introduction, but then it goes down hill from there. The concept of Death being able to finally rest and choose a successor is always interesting, but it didn't feel fully fleshed out here. The ending came off rushed, and the chapters are so short it's a bit difficult to tell the passage of time between each one, or what day it's supposed to be. It ends up reading more like a draft of a story, rather than a finished book.
I do wish the author hadn't taken the obvious choice for the ending here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, and Child abuse
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Vomit and Excrement
In Between by D.M. Siciliano
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you so much to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
This is one of those books where you might not fully understand what the hell was happening, but it was still an enjoyable time. You have to think and pay attention while you're reading here, or you can easily get lost in the plot. The main character, Amy, is an unreliable narrator, so the reader learns truths as she does.
The writing in this book is so vivid and colorful. I could easily picture the scenes, and I rather enjoyed the way they flowed into each other. As a reader I felt as confused as Amy did, so it's easy to understand Amy's emotions and reactions. You truly go on a journey with Amy.
It is common for books like this to have an ambiguous ending, but that actually is not the case here. We find out exactly what happens to everyone in the end, and why it happened. (Although that part is definitely the most confusing aspect) You need to go into this story with an open imagination, and I can see how this book won't be for everyone, but it's a solid entry in the genre.
This is one of those books where you might not fully understand what the hell was happening, but it was still an enjoyable time. You have to think and pay attention while you're reading here, or you can easily get lost in the plot. The main character, Amy, is an unreliable narrator, so the reader learns truths as she does.
The writing in this book is so vivid and colorful. I could easily picture the scenes, and I rather enjoyed the way they flowed into each other. As a reader I felt as confused as Amy did, so it's easy to understand Amy's emotions and reactions. You truly go on a journey with Amy.
It is common for books like this to have an ambiguous ending, but that actually is not the case here. We find out exactly what happens to everyone in the end, and why it happened. (Although that part is definitely the most confusing aspect) You need to go into this story with an open imagination, and I can see how this book won't be for everyone, but it's a solid entry in the genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death, and Child death
The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
This book was 100% just a setup for the actual action of the third book, so most of this is just conversations between the characters.
Once again my favorite part of the story are the characters, but everything started feeling quite repetitive. Lancelot is just always guarding Guinevere, and apparently never sleeps. Arthur is always busy, and Brangien is off in a corner doing her own thing. The events themselves just kept repeating as well, and unfortunately this made Guinevere come off as annoying in this book. She always jumps to the wrong conclusions, which leads to spectacular fuck ups, and it's just like...why.
I'll still pick up the third book, since that's where all the answers will be, but I just wish there was more character development and substance to this one.
Once again my favorite part of the story are the characters, but everything started feeling quite repetitive. Lancelot is just always guarding Guinevere, and apparently never sleeps. Arthur is always busy, and Brangien is off in a corner doing her own thing. The events themselves just kept repeating as well, and unfortunately this made Guinevere come off as annoying in this book. She always jumps to the wrong conclusions, which leads to spectacular fuck ups, and it's just like...why.
I'll still pick up the third book, since that's where all the answers will be, but I just wish there was more character development and substance to this one.
The Masker by Torrey Peters
dark
sad
fast-paced
2.0
This needs to be proofread. There is everything from typos, missing words, and even extra words. I don't think I have ever read something with as many issues as this, especially considering how short it is.
This novella does say some interesting things about accepting ourselves, but then it also says some very questionable things about cis women. I honestly just don't really know what to think in the end.
This novella does say some interesting things about accepting ourselves, but then it also says some very questionable things about cis women. I honestly just don't really know what to think in the end.
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I expected this book to be a lot more surface level than it actually was. The mental torment that Cecile put herself under was interesting, and showed that she's capable of complex emotions. All the characters felt really human, and honestly, the ending made me like this novella even more.
The Best American Short Stories 2021 by Heidi Pitlor, Jesmyn Ward
slow-paced
2.0
I really wanted to give this three stars, but with how that very last story made me feel I don't think I can. There are 20 short stories in this book, and they vary greatly in genre and quality. When I first started reading I thought it was alright, but then it got to be a slog to get through. I think the second to last story, Biology, is my favorite, but then the very last story, Little Beast, just made me angry.
There are a few gems in here, but there are also stories that I absolutely do not understand the point of. Several stories seem to be people acting evil for no rhyme or reason, no consequences, and I cannot figure out what the message is supposed to be.
For me this title was just very misleading. Claiming that these stories are the best of the year is high praise, but unfortunately it just could not live up to it.
There are a few gems in here, but there are also stories that I absolutely do not understand the point of. Several stories seem to be people acting evil for no rhyme or reason, no consequences, and I cannot figure out what the message is supposed to be.
For me this title was just very misleading. Claiming that these stories are the best of the year is high praise, but unfortunately it just could not live up to it.
Fangs by Sarah Andersen
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
A slice-of-life that is full of very stereotypical and predictable jokes. I'd love to see a full story about these two characters. However, this was incredibly short (took me less than 15 minutes), and most of the comics were just the traditional 4 panels. I never laughed out loud, or broke into a smile, but I do like the art and the characters themselves.
The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
2.0
Some BookTubers I really enjoy have given this 5 stars, so I was expecting something pretty great. However, this was just an average read for me.
Molly's tone throughout the entire book is very monotone. Due to this there never feels to be much tension, or stakes, even though she is hunted by these duplicates of herself. It's just such an average day to her, that it doesn't feel like much of anything.
There are a few interesting moments, but there's also A LOT of plotholes that really took me out of the story at some points. Maybe the next two novellas flesh it out more, but I don't think I'm interested enough to continue with the series.
Molly's tone throughout the entire book is very monotone. Due to this there never feels to be much tension, or stakes, even though she is hunted by these duplicates of herself. It's just such an average day to her, that it doesn't feel like much of anything.
There are a few interesting moments, but there's also A LOT of plotholes that really took me out of the story at some points. Maybe the next two novellas flesh it out more, but I don't think I'm interested enough to continue with the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Confinement, Blood, and Death
The Beast by Jenika Snow
dark
fast-paced
2.0
I was surprised at how short this was ! Unfortunately, it didn't really hit the mark for me. I felt like the dialogue was very repetitive to where I'm pretty sure there's a scene where the dialogue is copy/pasted from earlier.
There were a few moments in this book that were actually turn-offs for me instead.Like when Belle got turned on by Beast murdering an entire group of men, including pulling the heart out of someones chest and giving it to her. As well as in the epilogue when he spits and splooges on her ass, and consideres that enough prep for anal sex. As someone who has had anal sex, scenes like that just make me cringe.
As for the spicy scenes, there is so much buildup to actual penetration, but then that part feels almost skipped over ? I was a bit confused at how glossed over the actual penetration was after everything else is described so much more in depth.
Overall, there are a few good scenes here, but I just found myself rolling my eyes way more than I would want in a book like this.
There were a few moments in this book that were actually turn-offs for me instead.
As for the spicy scenes, there is so much buildup to actual penetration, but then that part feels almost skipped over ? I was a bit confused at how glossed over the actual penetration was after everything else is described so much more in depth.
Overall, there are a few good scenes here, but I just found myself rolling my eyes way more than I would want in a book like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Death, Stalking, and Murder