kayleighosaur's reviews
83 reviews

Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I absolutely ADORED this book!! This book reminded me so much of what made me fall in love with cozy supernatural films and books growing up and the importance of family and myths and knowing where you’re from and the meaning your name carries while living in a small town. Lindy Ryan absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one and I loved every second I was in this novel. Stephanie Németh-Parker’s narration was pure gold too, made the whole experience so immersive. 

If I could give this book some vibe siblings they would have to be Cate Teirnan’s Sweep series, Practical Magic (movie), and Charlaine Harris’s Midnight Texas.  

Midnight Is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Came for the Twilight out of spite stayed for the absolute vindication of my girlhood and contemporary American literature. There were so many specific it he’s this book scratched for me and I can not express how much teen me needed to read this as an adult. Winstead completely knocked it out of the park. 

If this book had siblings I think they would be a Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison, Candy Cain Kills by Brian McCauley, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, and Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrew’s 💅🏻

✨Now that’s what I call Girlhood✨

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Absolutely beautiful and unique take on the vampire story all wrapped up in a swoon-worthy Vaquero love story.

It’s ALWAYS more sinister when the real monsters of the novel turn out to NOT be the ACTUAL monsters.

DFCC Feb 2024 Crypt Pick

Boys In the Valley by Philip Fracassi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.

It’s the mood reader in me 😭 this was perfect when it was cold and snowy up in PA now that I’m back in Texas I just can’t get back into it the same way. I might try again later. 

Carmilla: The First Vampire by Amy Chu

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This novella was tragically beautiful. Excellent for fans of Birdbox, Pushing Dasies, and Hannibal. In such a short space Moraine does an incredible job of taking you on a descent into islotation driven madness and will leave you questioning who you can trust until the very end. I was graciously allowed early access to an early audio copy on NetGalley via tor Nightfire and I couldn’t be more appreciative for that experience considering it was narrated by the author themself. 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.75

Come Closer by Sara Gran

dark emotional reflective tense fast-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

5.0

Hi! Are you a modern woman? Have you ever had an intrusive thought? What if I told you “that’s not an intrusive thought, NEVER! You’re CLEARLY just possessed. It has NOTHING to do with you being unhappy and wanting more for yourself at all” 👀 this book was fan-freakin-tastic and HAUNTINGLY relatable.