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kibernick's reviews
132 reviews
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
Badly written and felt like a teen was just writing down the most edgiest scenarios just to disgust you.
The Trees by Percival Everett
dark
funny
fast-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
4.0
Really good writing. Somehow manages to get both dark and funny - I laughed out loud many times. Would’ve had a bigger impact on me if I was American or West European, but the topic of racism and generational trauma is sadly universal.
White Noise by Don DeLillo
Did not finish book. Stopped at 61%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 61%.
No plot, no emotional connection to any of the many characters, the dialogue was extremely frustrating, and the book is very rooted in 80s USA, so you might miss some context.
Private Rites by Julia Armfield
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It took me a long time to get into this. The prologue (and the book cover) tricked me into expecting more horror/supernatural shenanigans than the family drama that’s the real meat of the novel. Once I looked up the King Lear references, the book got more enjoyable.
The writing style is reflective and rich. At times it felt a bit rambly, with jumping across different time periods and reflections on characters, all in the same paragraph. Maybe because I was rushing to read it for my book club.
So, don’t rush this book, but enjoy its lush prose about dysfunctional families.
Speaking of rushing, the ending felt weird. One of the characters even thinks “wrong genre!” as the novel turns into an A24 movie. The horror parts were way too vague throughout the book so I was left puzzled.
The writing style is reflective and rich. At times it felt a bit rambly, with jumping across different time periods and reflections on characters, all in the same paragraph. Maybe because I was rushing to read it for my book club.
So, don’t rush this book, but enjoy its lush prose about dysfunctional families.
Speaking of rushing, the ending felt weird. One of the characters even thinks “wrong genre!” as the novel turns into an A24 movie. The horror parts were way too vague throughout the book so I was left puzzled.
The Safety of Unknown Cities by Lucy Taylor
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I hate-read the second half of this book.
The first half gripped me. It teased with an otherworldly “City” from another realm, like in a Clive Barker book. There was also the “chase” by an antagonist straight up from “Exquisite Corpse”. But then, the author gave up on making a coherent story and just wrote straight up torture porn and “perversions” for pure shock value. It all loses impact really fast.
The first half gripped me. It teased with an otherworldly “City” from another realm, like in a Clive Barker book. There was also the “chase” by an antagonist straight up from “Exquisite Corpse”. But then, the author gave up on making a coherent story and just wrote straight up torture porn and “perversions” for pure shock value. It all loses impact really fast.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual violence, Torture, Cannibalism, Murder
Minor: Pedophilia
Butcher by Joyce Carol Oates
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Brutal. Opened my eyes at the price paid for “progress” and how patriarchal the Western society was, not so long ago.
Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
I loved the podcast but the audiobook format didn’t work for me. Also the writing didn’t feel like it was for a book but for a scenario at times. Maybe that makes it more YA than I’d like. I do have the Welcome to Nightvale novels in print though, waiting for me on the shelf.