kristenreids's reviews
23 reviews

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

The first few pages I struggled to know whether I'd finish because of the daughters disability. She is nonverbal and it was a bit ableist to make that into a horror story. Parents struggle with children with disabilities and it just rubbed me wrong, but I persisted. Once I got passed that, it was definitely a good horror story. I'm more eager to read the sequel, as the main character is an adult, but had it been more of the main character being a child, I wouldn't continue. Don't recommend if you're a new mother to a young daughter, but aside from that it was a good story & a fast read.

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The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood

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adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I love a good dystopian story and this was it. Had very few slow parts & actually had a happy ending. Made me chuckle a few times.

We Came to Welcome You by Vincent Tirado

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

This was a slow read for me. I think it could have gotten to the point in 20-50 pages less. Got to a point where I was just skimming through some of the dialogue. Wasn't awful but wasn't for me. Good if you like race/social relations and a lot of details.

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One Of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Did not expect the ending. Great book all the way through.

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Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

A bit slow to get through, but I never wanted to abandon ship. I really hated the way the main characters family treated/viewed her, but it ended up being a strength in the long run. I was upset a few times at some of the outcomes, but loved the ending. If you're looking for an actually scary horror story, this isn't it. But definitely good if you appreciate culture, history, and pieces of other languages.

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I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

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challenging dark mysterious tense 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? N/A

4.5

The ending made me want to read this book backward. I didn’t like this book the first few pages. I’m glad it took a turn and actually grabbed my attention. Finished in two sittings and I’m a slow reader.

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The September House by Carissa Orlando

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This was the best horror I've read in a while. There were very few slow parts in the middle. I liked that it was psychological too, I didn't expect that. Definitely recommend if you're looking for haunted house horror.

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