literaryjunarin's reviews
454 reviews

Foe by Iain Reid

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dark sad slow-paced

4.0

Huh. This was so good! 

So, this is about a married couple, Junior and Hen, living a solitary life on a farm far away from the city. One day, a man from the city arrived with the news that Junior was selected as a subject to live in a new home in outer space. But the man told them not to worry because Hen will not be left all alone. They will have a "replacement" for Junior.

At first, the narrator, Junior, bored me out of my mind with all his questions but since I've already read "I'm Thinking of Ending Things", I challenged myself to continue reading and figure out what the plot twist would be. And boy was I so wrong! 🤣

This was categorized as a thriller but it was not creepy at all. This was more of an introspection about marriage, identity and purpose. A little bit of sci-fi was just on the backdrop and the wild ending.

If you haven't read this yet, just read it for the ending! 😆
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

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dark

4.0

the screaming of conscience
The Woman Destroyed by Simone de Beauvoir

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sad tense

4.0

"My worst mistake has been not grasping that time goes by. It was going by and there I was, set in the attitude of the ideal wife of an ideal husband."

This book is about three emotionally provocative stories that portray women navigating existential crises in their later years. One woman grapples with a declining career and a strained relationship with her husband. Another, a 44-year-old, finds herself abandoned by her family. My favourite story involves a woman descending into despair after her husband admits to having a mistress and expects her to accept it. It was heartbreaking, and I felt anxious the whole time.

After reading this book, the woman destroyed, was me.
The Girl Who Cried Diamonds and Other Stories by Rebecca Hirsch Garcia

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dark sad

3.0

I loved the ideas but i dont understand the stories' abrupt endings. What are they trying to say actually?
How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

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2.0

Here is a reminder not to buy a book because of its cover and catchy title. Ugh, this book has a promise it did not deliver.

The first few chapters were exciting and actually made me laugh. Her plans and manipulations before executing the crime thrilled me. Her snipes about class, society, men, and influencers were witty at first but soon felt so long-winded that you could skim over a few pages and you would not miss anything.

And that twist at the end was annoying.
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

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dark

4.0

I like this so much more than Dracula.
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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funny slow-paced

4.0

A bit too long and ridiculous but a load of fun.
State of Paradise by Laura van den Berg

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adventurous funny mysterious

3.0

Okay read but the plot was all over the place.