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kendallreadsitall's reviews
313 reviews
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica
4.0
The Unworthy is a dystopian cult literary horror novel that is a collection of writings from a woman trapped in a secret religious order while the outside world has fallen to chaos and despair. Made up of all women, the Sacred Sisterhood worships an unseen man just referred to as Him. Anyone in the sisterhood can be deemed unclean at anytime and endure unfathomable punishment and brutality.
My husband and I read this one together and had similar opinions in opposing ways. We both thought it was beautifully written. Bazterrica can somehow make the most brutal and vile content sound so beautiful and poetic, and we both agreed on that aspect. For me, I had a hard time with the first half of the book. I found myself forgetting to pay attention and having to reread sections until the new character was introduced. The storyline with the new character in the last half, as well as the ending, is what I enjoyed most. My husband was fully the opposite and preferred the beginning of the book.
This one gave me similar vibes to I Who Have Never Known Men but not executed as well. By no means is this book bad, but it does not live up to the bleakness that IWHNKM brings, and I believe that was the intention with the way The Unworthy was written. I had a hard time rating this book because my level of enjoyment probably sat at a 3, but the beauty of the writing deserved a 4. With that said, I am giving this a *light* 4.
My husband and I read this one together and had similar opinions in opposing ways. We both thought it was beautifully written. Bazterrica can somehow make the most brutal and vile content sound so beautiful and poetic, and we both agreed on that aspect. For me, I had a hard time with the first half of the book. I found myself forgetting to pay attention and having to reread sections until the new character was introduced. The storyline with the new character in the last half, as well as the ending, is what I enjoyed most. My husband was fully the opposite and preferred the beginning of the book.
This one gave me similar vibes to I Who Have Never Known Men but not executed as well. By no means is this book bad, but it does not live up to the bleakness that IWHNKM brings, and I believe that was the intention with the way The Unworthy was written. I had a hard time rating this book because my level of enjoyment probably sat at a 3, but the beauty of the writing deserved a 4. With that said, I am giving this a *light* 4.
rekt by Alex Gonzalez
4.0
A story of grief and tragedy that weaves in body horror and Black Mirror-esque themes through technology and the dark web. Our main character, Sammy, is a walking tragedy. After losing his uncle in a devastating way, he copes by writing stories called ‘The Wax Man’ on Creepypasta. With the lack of family support that he needed, he really turned to these stories to find solace. At least he had his girlfriend and soulmate, Ellery, to keep him grounded and moving forward. Until the car accident. Spiraling, he turned back to the dark web and was sent a link that would unravel his life in ways he never expected that turned his online obsession into a real life manhunt.
Who runs this profane site and what is real?
I’ve never read something like Rekt. Sometimes it was a deeply tragic story of grief, sometimes I was cringing at the body horror, and other times I was on the edge of my seat. It really highlights the hidden horrors of the internet and how an obsession can change your psyche into not knowing what’s real and what isn’t. If you were a creepypasta fan, you will absolutely eat this one up. Overall, I really liked this. My only minor complaints is there were a lot of characters to keep track of, and some parts were a bit slow. Otherwise, this is a really unique book that I think a lot of people will really enjoy!
Thank you @erewhonbooks and @nahitsjustalex for the advanced copy!
Who runs this profane site and what is real?
I’ve never read something like Rekt. Sometimes it was a deeply tragic story of grief, sometimes I was cringing at the body horror, and other times I was on the edge of my seat. It really highlights the hidden horrors of the internet and how an obsession can change your psyche into not knowing what’s real and what isn’t. If you were a creepypasta fan, you will absolutely eat this one up. Overall, I really liked this. My only minor complaints is there were a lot of characters to keep track of, and some parts were a bit slow. Otherwise, this is a really unique book that I think a lot of people will really enjoy!
Thank you @erewhonbooks and @nahitsjustalex for the advanced copy!
The Thrashers by Julie Soto
4.0
The Thrashers is a YA paranormal mystery novel that follows a group of friends called “The Thrashers”. Either you’re in or you’re out. Zack Thrasher, Julian, Paige, and Lucy are your typical popular high school kids. Stunning looks, good at everything, rich with affluent parents, and the whole shebang. Our protagonist, Jodi, is not at all like her Thrasher peers. She is the smart, artsy girl who grew up poor with a truck driver alcoholic father, but she is solely in this group since she had known Zack since childhood. The story opens with the tragic suicide of their classmate, Emily Mills. She is found on prom night, in the bathtub wearing her gown, and this sets the haunting and mysterious tone that we will see throughout this story.
I did not expect how deep and thought provoking this story would be. It had you really taking yourself back to high school and look into that lens to remember the hierarchy that cliques really held and how complex it is finding yourself in a group like The Thrashers. It touches on triggering topics like suicide, friendship dynamics, obsessions, and socioeconomic statuses. All of which play a huge role into where this story ultimately leads us. With these core five teens in The Thrashers being investigated for what happened to Emily, weird things keep happening to each of them that are unexplained, and it seems like Emily is trying to communicate from beyond. This specific plot line could have totally come of cheesy, but I really enjoyed this and it helped to keep you wondering what actually happened to Emily Mills and who is to blame.
Overall, this was a super enjoyable YA read! Even though we are following a group of high school students, it was written in a mature nature and reminded me a lot of Thirteen Reasons Why but with a twist. I think any mystery or YA friends would really dig this one! The audiobook was narrated by Eva Kaminksy and Jesse Vilinsky, and it was a great listen overall.
Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Julie Soto for this ALC!
I did not expect how deep and thought provoking this story would be. It had you really taking yourself back to high school and look into that lens to remember the hierarchy that cliques really held and how complex it is finding yourself in a group like The Thrashers. It touches on triggering topics like suicide, friendship dynamics, obsessions, and socioeconomic statuses. All of which play a huge role into where this story ultimately leads us. With these core five teens in The Thrashers being investigated for what happened to Emily, weird things keep happening to each of them that are unexplained, and it seems like Emily is trying to communicate from beyond. This specific plot line could have totally come of cheesy, but I really enjoyed this and it helped to keep you wondering what actually happened to Emily Mills and who is to blame.
Overall, this was a super enjoyable YA read! Even though we are following a group of high school students, it was written in a mature nature and reminded me a lot of Thirteen Reasons Why but with a twist. I think any mystery or YA friends would really dig this one! The audiobook was narrated by Eva Kaminksy and Jesse Vilinsky, and it was a great listen overall.
Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Julie Soto for this ALC!
Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi
2.0
Black Mouth follows Jamie Warren, a man haunted by his dark and traumatic childhood, running from his past and away from home where his disabled brother lives. Two decades later, Jamie gets a call that is going to force him to go back to Black Mouth where he meets back up with the group of childhood friends that all experienced this same strange summer, and it seems like fate has brought them back together to ultimately figure out The Magic Man and the horror they experienced that fateful summer that has followed them all of their lives.
I was enthralled with the start of this book. I thought the Magic Man was so creepy and was excited to see what horrifying direction it would go. I loved Dennis and thought his character was really crucial to this story with his innocent demeanor, but still clearly the person who secretly knew the most. Unfortunately, that is really all I enjoyed. This book dragged and dragged and went around in circles. I was bored to tears for most of it, just waiting for anything scary to happen. I expected true terror in this book but pretty much yawned the entire way through. It picked back up a bit toward the end, but still not enough to fully grasp me as a reader. I just don’t really get why this book needed to be nearly 500 pages with the minimal character development and the lack of an engaging plot.
This was my first book by Malfi, and I’m definitely not planning on writing him off, but I was not impressed with this one.
I was enthralled with the start of this book. I thought the Magic Man was so creepy and was excited to see what horrifying direction it would go. I loved Dennis and thought his character was really crucial to this story with his innocent demeanor, but still clearly the person who secretly knew the most. Unfortunately, that is really all I enjoyed. This book dragged and dragged and went around in circles. I was bored to tears for most of it, just waiting for anything scary to happen. I expected true terror in this book but pretty much yawned the entire way through. It picked back up a bit toward the end, but still not enough to fully grasp me as a reader. I just don’t really get why this book needed to be nearly 500 pages with the minimal character development and the lack of an engaging plot.
This was my first book by Malfi, and I’m definitely not planning on writing him off, but I was not impressed with this one.
Gothictown by Emily Carpenter
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
After losing her restaurant due to the pandemic and her mother running off to join a cult, Billie Hope is lost and waiting for a sign. Then, an email appears with an offer she can’t refuse. The town of Juliana, Georgia started an initiative to revitalize their town and offered Billie an old beautiful Victorian home for the measly price of $100 and a business grant to start a new restaurant. Her husband, Peter, Billie, and their daughter Meredith decide to take the chance and prepare for a fresh start. Shortly after arriving, this town seems too good to be true and is completely picture perfect with some of the most warm and inviting citizens. Billie thinks she’s hit the jackpot, but Peter isn’t too sure. It seems that this sunshine-y Georgia town is hiding something much darker than they could have ever expected.
I’m not sure how I completely feel about Gothictown. The premise was super interesting and unique with great potential. I definitely expected to have much more present horror elements, but it turned out to be much more of a cozy mystery than a typical Gothic or Southern horror. However, with the expectation of such, it made this book drag a bit for me. Not to mention, Billie was so unlikeable in so many ways. Unfaithful to her husband, completely self absorbed, and would forget to even mention the existence of her 6 year old daughter for long stretches of time.
The audiobook was also just okay, but I did have a hard time getting fully immersed into the story. Not sure if that was an audio problem or a plot problem in general. This one wasn’t for me, but I do think a lot of people would like if this if they went in with the expectation of a mystery book over a horror book!
Thank you to Netgalley, Emily Carpenter, and RB Media for this advanced listener copy!
I’m not sure how I completely feel about Gothictown. The premise was super interesting and unique with great potential. I definitely expected to have much more present horror elements, but it turned out to be much more of a cozy mystery than a typical Gothic or Southern horror. However, with the expectation of such, it made this book drag a bit for me. Not to mention, Billie was so unlikeable in so many ways. Unfaithful to her husband, completely self absorbed, and would forget to even mention the existence of her 6 year old daughter for long stretches of time.
The audiobook was also just okay, but I did have a hard time getting fully immersed into the story. Not sure if that was an audio problem or a plot problem in general. This one wasn’t for me, but I do think a lot of people would like if this if they went in with the expectation of a mystery book over a horror book!
Thank you to Netgalley, Emily Carpenter, and RB Media for this advanced listener copy!
Little Eve by Catriona Ward
3.0
This is another beautiful literary work of gothic horror from one of my all time favorite authors, Catriona Ward. Little Eve is told in two perspectives, Dinah and Eve, two orphaned girls who are deep in an isolated religious cult led by ‘Uncle’. Also included are two more children, Abel and Elizabeth, and two women, Alice and Nora. This “family” lives in horribly poor conditions with very little to eat in a mansion on the coast of Scotland on the Isles of Altnaharra. Led by Uncle, the group must remain clean and practices bizarre rituals for the end of the world. Eve hopes to one day inherit Uncle’s power, but of course, things don’t go according to plan and has Eve questioning what is real.
This was very different from other Catriona reads and was the last book I needed to read from her catalog. Though I was fully entranced by her absolutely stunning writing, the lyrical prose, and the intensity of this story, my little smooth brain had trouble getting into the plot. And that is a complete me issue because that tends to happen when I read a gothic horror or something that has an old English type dialogue, I’m simply too dumb! 🤭 Otherwise, this book was gorgeous, filled with insane characters, a twisty plot, a lil body horror, and all of the makings for a great Catriona book.
This was very different from other Catriona reads and was the last book I needed to read from her catalog. Though I was fully entranced by her absolutely stunning writing, the lyrical prose, and the intensity of this story, my little smooth brain had trouble getting into the plot. And that is a complete me issue because that tends to happen when I read a gothic horror or something that has an old English type dialogue, I’m simply too dumb! 🤭 Otherwise, this book was gorgeous, filled with insane characters, a twisty plot, a lil body horror, and all of the makings for a great Catriona book.
Puppet's Banquet by Valkyrie Loughcrewe
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Martin and Celia were brutally and violently attacked on the Irish countryside, leaving Celia seemingly living in two places at once inside her mind - the ‘real’ world and an unfathomable nightmare. Martin’s condition is unknown for weeks until he is discovered in a hospital for rare and abnormal diseases, his body spliced together with an unknown woman… and they’re pregnant. Told through a mostly Celia’s and Martin’s points of view, we are taken on a journey that feels like a complete fever dream through a journey of extreme medical abuse and the treatment of human beings like lab rats, but can we tell what is real and what isn’t?
In just over 100 pages, Valkyrie Loughcrewe was able to fit a level of disturbing insanity that you would find in a fully fledged novel, and I’m beyond impressed with this little novella. It was visceral, gory, and totally mind bending. Sometimes hard to follow, but that was kind of the point and I lived for it. Also, the illustrations by @trevorhenderson were incredible and really helped bring this nightmare to life.
Thank you so much to Tenebrous Press and Valkyrie Loughcrewe for this advanced copy! If you like horror, psychological horror, and/or body horror - grab a copy of Puppet’s Banquet this May!
In just over 100 pages, Valkyrie Loughcrewe was able to fit a level of disturbing insanity that you would find in a fully fledged novel, and I’m beyond impressed with this little novella. It was visceral, gory, and totally mind bending. Sometimes hard to follow, but that was kind of the point and I lived for it. Also, the illustrations by @trevorhenderson were incredible and really helped bring this nightmare to life.
Thank you so much to Tenebrous Press and Valkyrie Loughcrewe for this advanced copy! If you like horror, psychological horror, and/or body horror - grab a copy of Puppet’s Banquet this May!
Serial Killer Support Group by Saratoga Schaefer
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Cyra's sister was murdered and she is hell bent on finding the person responsible. She gets word that there is a potential that whoever had done this might be a serial killer due to a certain signature. With some insider information, she finds out about a top secret serial killer support group that she infiltrates, convinced that one of the attendees is the culprit. Set on vengeance, Cyra is ready to do whatever it takes to find out what happened to Mira and get her own revenge.
This was a fun little listen! I thought Cyra was well rounded and semi relatable character, until you get deeper into the story, iykyk, and the people she meets along the way added a lot to the story. This was definitely a unique plot, but I do wish the execution would have been a bit better. I found some parts to be a bit boring, and oh my gosh I was craving a romance with Mira so bad in the group and thought that would have made the story a bit more entertaining. Otherwise, I enjoyed my time with this read overall, and would definitely recommend it to my thriller/mystery friends for a good "whodunit" type mystery with a female revenge aspect. I definitely will keep an eye out for more from Saratoga Schaefer!
The audiobook was a good listen overall! I liked narrators, Abby Craden and Timothy Andres Pabon, but there were some volume discrepancies when doing the other characters voices with the side characters being a bit louder and I'd have to quick turn my volume down, but not a big deal at all!
Thank you to Netgalley, Spotify Audiobooks, and Saratoga Schaefer for this ALC!
This was a fun little listen! I thought Cyra was well rounded and semi relatable character, until you get deeper into the story, iykyk, and the people she meets along the way added a lot to the story. This was definitely a unique plot, but I do wish the execution would have been a bit better. I found some parts to be a bit boring, and oh my gosh I was craving a romance with Mira so bad in the group and thought that would have made the story a bit more entertaining. Otherwise, I enjoyed my time with this read overall, and would definitely recommend it to my thriller/mystery friends for a good "whodunit" type mystery with a female revenge aspect. I definitely will keep an eye out for more from Saratoga Schaefer!
The audiobook was a good listen overall! I liked narrators, Abby Craden and Timothy Andres Pabon, but there were some volume discrepancies when doing the other characters voices with the side characters being a bit louder and I'd have to quick turn my volume down, but not a big deal at all!
Thank you to Netgalley, Spotify Audiobooks, and Saratoga Schaefer for this ALC!
Tampa by Alissa Nutting
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Celeste Price is in a loveless, money driven marriage with her trust fund/cop husband, Ford. Celeste’s physical interest in her husband is out the door, and she sets her sights on teaching middle school, specifically to be around the population of what she actually finds attractive. She spots Jack Patrick walk into her classroom and it doesn’t take long to lure him into her web of manipulation.
I only kind of knew what I was getting into with this book, but wow the level of detail in every thought and every inappropriate and highly disturbing moment had me constantly thinking ‘why would she write this?!’, but here I am continuing to turn ever page and completely invested in the story. Alissa Nutting wrote something highly grotesque and obscenely controversial, but captivating, interesting, and impossible to put down.
It felt weird reading a book with this subject matter. It felt weird calling a book with this subject matter ‘good’. It felt even weirder actually reading this book. It felt the weirdest to say the I enjoyed it. Tampa is not for the faint of heart and definitely take some time to consider this book before you dive in. It is A LOT. I love books that push the envelope, and this one pushed the envelope as far as she could go.
I only kind of knew what I was getting into with this book, but wow the level of detail in every thought and every inappropriate and highly disturbing moment had me constantly thinking ‘why would she write this?!’, but here I am continuing to turn ever page and completely invested in the story. Alissa Nutting wrote something highly grotesque and obscenely controversial, but captivating, interesting, and impossible to put down.
It felt weird reading a book with this subject matter. It felt weird calling a book with this subject matter ‘good’. It felt even weirder actually reading this book. It felt the weirdest to say the I enjoyed it. Tampa is not for the faint of heart and definitely take some time to consider this book before you dive in. It is A LOT. I love books that push the envelope, and this one pushed the envelope as far as she could go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia