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kristallmarie's reviews
193 reviews
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
3.0
I'm so, so sad to say this is the first Neil Gaiman book I didn't care for. The writing is lovely, as it always is, and it was surprisingly funny, in a Douglas Adams kinda way, but I just couldn't bring myself to care about Richard or Door. Croup and Vandermar were fun, though, and I liked Anesthesia. This is one of those books where it feels like we spent the story focusing on the wrong characters. The performance was lovely, though. I love that Gaiman performs it himself, it feels so much more personal!
Now, Conjurers by Freddie Kölsch
3.0
First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an audio ARC! I greatly appreciate it!
While this didn't grab me the way I was hoping it would, I had a good time with this story! There were too many characters, which is to be expected for a coven, but the writing was pretty good, and man, what a title! It was the title that got my attention, actually! The narration was really good, too! And the 90s nostalgia! As a 90s baby, I always appreciate that!
Three stars out of five for Now, Conjurers!
This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances by Eric LaRocca
2.5
First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an audio ARC! I greatly appreciate it!
I've been having a bad time with ARCs lately. They'll sound amazing, and then they're just… Not. The potential was there, but it wasn't lived up to.
This Skin Was Once Mine was fine up until you realize the MC is a horrible person, too, and there's no shock in her getting what she gets because it's what she deserved.
Seedling was definitely my favorite. It was giving The Dark And The Wicked vibes in the best possible way!
All the Parts of You That Won't Easily Burn, meh. Also the audio quality took a serious step down in this story, for some reason.
Prickle, also meh.
The writing style is nice, but it's clear the author has a few phrases and visual metaphors he likes more than others. The constant talk of wounds having lips was super gross, which is probably the point, but it was used so often that it lost its power.
2.5 stars for This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
5.0
I've read R.F. Kuang's work before, and I wasn't impressed. The thing is, this was incredible. I don't read contemporary, but this was incredible! I very, very rarely have the "I couldn't put it down" experience, but this book gave me that! Amazing! As an aspiring writer, I can be petty, but holy jeez, what a mess! This was terrible and hilarious and I absolutely loved it!
The Haunted Mask by R.L. Stine
5.0
I read this book something like a hundred times as a kid. I watched the TV adaptation just as many, if not more, times. Who didn't, honestly? The 90s were all about Goosebumps! This is much darker than I remembered, and I absolutely loved it! No wonder it's considered the best of the series!
Stay Out of the Basement by R.L. Stine
5.0
When I was a kid, I was a massive Goosebumps fan, and this one was one of my favorites. Coming back to read it as an adult, I can totally see why! The story's a blast! The characters are a little bland and the writing's a little choppy, but it's a kids book from the 90s, so I'm not counting that against it. I might have to read another Goosebumps book next!
Kittentits by Holly Wilson
1.0
First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an audio ARC! I greatly appreciate it!
Look at that cover! Read that description! See Gillian Flynn vouching for this book! I had such high hopes for it!
Alas, they were dashed by the most obnoxious character voice I have ever come across in my life. And I've read a lot of books with teenage main characters, so I'm used to obnoxious main characters. The fact that this kid is ten makes it even worse. No ten year old talks like this, and if they do, they need some serious help. Even without the rampant, completely unnecessary r-slurs, the writing is just so, so bad.
The story itself had potential, and that makes it even worse, because what a waste!
One out of five stars for Kittentits. Biggest disappointment of the year so far.
Look at that cover! Read that description! See Gillian Flynn vouching for this book! I had such high hopes for it!
Alas, they were dashed by the most obnoxious character voice I have ever come across in my life. And I've read a lot of books with teenage main characters, so I'm used to obnoxious main characters. The fact that this kid is ten makes it even worse. No ten year old talks like this, and if they do, they need some serious help. Even without the rampant, completely unnecessary r-slurs, the writing is just so, so bad.
The story itself had potential, and that makes it even worse, because what a waste!
One out of five stars for Kittentits. Biggest disappointment of the year so far.
It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror by Joe Vallese
4.0
As a queer horror fan, this was a really interesting read, even though I didn't always agree with the interpretations the writers talked about. Still interesting!
Docking a star for how weird and reach-y some of the interpretations were, particularly the one about Jaws, and also for the weird fat fetish stuff in the one essay. As a fat person myself, I would've appreciated a warning.
Docking a star for how weird and reach-y some of the interpretations were, particularly the one about Jaws, and also for the weird fat fetish stuff in the one essay. As a fat person myself, I would've appreciated a warning.
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
1.0
Is this what people are referencing when they say Russian classics are unpleasant and depressing?
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe, James Howe
4.0
When I was little, in second or third grade, this was one of my favorite books! And seeing as last month's illness put me behind on my way to my yearly reading goal, I thought I'd cheat a little and read something short. And I'm so glad this is what I chose! What a delightful little story!