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ljvalentine's reviews
107 reviews
Goons and Grease Paint: A Short Story Prequel to The Cotton Candy Massacre by Christopher Robertson
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
A savage short that shows the true viciousness of Buster B Bonkins! A perfect appetiser for the bloody main course
The Game by Linsey Miller
3.0
Interesting premise with an underwhelming payoff. Miller does a tremendous job of building suspense and I was thoroughly hooked throughout but the reveal and consequent resolution seemed quite short and underwhelming. Where Miller excels is through the characters and their relationships with the main protagonist, Lia, being a fully realised character and Gem, the best-friend of the protagonist, is an unashamedly queer character yet Miller does not allow this to be their defining characteristic. I look forward to reading more of Millers work!
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
4.0
The Breakfast Club meets Gossip Girl by the way of Agatha Christie. I was quite hooked throughout and did not see the big “reveal coming” right until it happened. Great pacing, great characters and the only flaw is a romance plot that seemed quite forced.
The Curse of the Mountain by Tyler Cram
4.0
CW: This book contains use of racial and homophobic slurs.
Overall I enjoyed this book a lot, there is a lot of heart for a horror book and Cram certainly has a lot of love for the genre and it shows. The book does not shy away from the visceral and the imagery it conjures serves well.
As much as I look forward to reading more of the authors work, I really do hope that they abstain from using slurs in their work. I feel like the extreme views of the characters using these words could be expressed without them being used. The real horror of this book was having to read the N and F slur.
Overall I enjoyed this book a lot, there is a lot of heart for a horror book and Cram certainly has a lot of love for the genre and it shows. The book does not shy away from the visceral and the imagery it conjures serves well.
As much as I look forward to reading more of the authors work, I really do hope that they abstain from using slurs in their work. I feel like the extreme views of the characters using these words could be expressed without them being used. The real horror of this book was having to read the N and F slur.
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
4.0
A friend suggested this to me under the premise that it was like “Steel Magnolias meets Dracula” which sums up my brand to a T.
As much as I can agree with that description, I feel the book truly lacks the heart of the former and the complexity of the latter. That’s not to say that the book is bad, in fact I found myself enjoying it more as the book progressed; I just didn’t really feel anything for any of the protagonists. I appreciated the description of the sacred bonds of female friendship but found myself wanting and I never truly felt a strong connection with them all.
That being said, I believe that where this book truly excels is with the villain. I truly loathed the character and felt nauseated by them at the end. I am looking forward to exploring more of the authors work.
As much as I can agree with that description, I feel the book truly lacks the heart of the former and the complexity of the latter. That’s not to say that the book is bad, in fact I found myself enjoying it more as the book progressed; I just didn’t really feel anything for any of the protagonists. I appreciated the description of the sacred bonds of female friendship but found myself wanting and I never truly felt a strong connection with them all.
That being said, I believe that where this book truly excels is with the villain. I truly loathed the character and felt nauseated by them at the end. I am looking forward to exploring more of the authors work.
The Bayou by Arden Powell
5.0
What a book!
I’m sat here with my mouth ajar at that ending, which I did not see coming at all.
Aside from the gorgeously written horror and sensuality, this book has heart. I felt myself drawn to Eugene in a way that a lot of authors fail to do with their protagonists.
I wish I could find the words to better describe how much I enjoyed this book!
I’m sat here with my mouth ajar at that ending, which I did not see coming at all.
Aside from the gorgeously written horror and sensuality, this book has heart. I felt myself drawn to Eugene in a way that a lot of authors fail to do with their protagonists.
I wish I could find the words to better describe how much I enjoyed this book!
The Loop by Ben Oliver
4.0
Quite a thrilling read. After years of an over-saturation of “teens in a dystopian future”, I admittedly was quite hesitant when I started the book but felt quite satisfied in the end.
With a compelling protagonist and a cast of endearing supporting characters, it was hard to not to get invested in the story.
I’m going to read some light-hearted stuff before delving into the sequel as the overt tones of classism and elitism was quite heavy hitting.
With a compelling protagonist and a cast of endearing supporting characters, it was hard to not to get invested in the story.
I’m going to read some light-hearted stuff before delving into the sequel as the overt tones of classism and elitism was quite heavy hitting.
Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli
2.0
I feel like the book could be slightly more enjoyable if every other word was something else other than f-boy or fuckboy. In the end the book just felt like a chore to read because of this and my eyes hurt from rolling them too much.
I don’t feel like any characters were particularly likeable, especially the main character, Kate. I will say that I enjoyed the relationship between her and Ryan, her brother.
It was nice to have a diverse cast of characters and it was nice to have Kate have to face her privilege in a scene with Andy.
All in all I don’t think this book does anything particularly exciting, and was very sluggish to get through.
I don’t feel like any characters were particularly likeable, especially the main character, Kate. I will say that I enjoyed the relationship between her and Ryan, her brother.
It was nice to have a diverse cast of characters and it was nice to have Kate have to face her privilege in a scene with Andy.
All in all I don’t think this book does anything particularly exciting, and was very sluggish to get through.
The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird
5.0
YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!
What an amazing story, so full of heart that I felt myself tearing up quite a lot.
I wish I could find better words to write a lengthy review but I’m stunned at how much I enjoyed this.
A major thank you to the author for touching on the impact of the plague on the LGBTQ+ community as it was something I was questioning throughout the book until it was touched on.
I really could not put this down!
What an amazing story, so full of heart that I felt myself tearing up quite a lot.
I wish I could find better words to write a lengthy review but I’m stunned at how much I enjoyed this.
A major thank you to the author for touching on the impact of the plague on the LGBTQ+ community as it was something I was questioning throughout the book until it was touched on.
I really could not put this down!
Carrie by Stephen King
5.0
When finishing Carrie it’s plain to see why King is such a successful author; he is a master of his craft.