luck13rabbit's reviews
49 reviews
Halloween Season by Lucy A. Snyder
Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.
The book felt more middle grade than I expected. It was fine and the stories were cute. I just have a long tbr and wasn't having as much fun as I'd hoped.
Who Haunts You by Mark Wheaton
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
👻 #WhoHauntsYou
🪦 by Mark Wheaton
🎧 narrated by Annalee Scott
After a fellow student dies stranhely, Bex, a neurodivergent high schooler, gets hyperfocused on solving the mystery.
Bex herself is often ignored or infantalized by her family. She's an odd MC choice because she's not actually very connected to anyone in the story. Her status as an outsider could be interesting, but it's never very utilized.
The mystery is compelling, but the reader is never given quite enough information to solve it. By the end of the book when the villain is unmasked, it has the same feeling as when Velma would explain all the behind the scenes things that happened off camera that would have helped us solve the crime with them.
I was not confused by the twisting realities, but they were confusing. It seemed like an unnecessary complication.
Overall, I was fully invested in this story until the end when it all started fraying apart. Its kind of fun and quick and the audiobook narrator is good.
👻👻
2/3 fictitious ghosts
Thanks to #netgalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this!
🪦 by Mark Wheaton
🎧 narrated by Annalee Scott
After a fellow student dies stranhely, Bex, a neurodivergent high schooler, gets hyperfocused on solving the mystery.
Bex herself is often ignored or infantalized by her family. She's an odd MC choice because she's not actually very connected to anyone in the story. Her status as an outsider could be interesting, but it's never very utilized.
The mystery is compelling, but the reader is never given quite enough information to solve it. By the end of the book when the villain is unmasked, it has the same feeling as when Velma would explain all the behind the scenes things that happened off camera that would have helped us solve the crime with them.
I was not confused by the twisting realities, but they were confusing. It seemed like an unnecessary complication.
Overall, I was fully invested in this story until the end when it all started fraying apart. Its kind of fun and quick and the audiobook narrator is good.
👻👻
2/3 fictitious ghosts
Thanks to #netgalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this!
Downpour by Christopher Hawkins, Christopher Hawkins
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
There was this interview I listened to with Tom Petty where the interviewer asked him about the meaning of one of his songs. I don't remember exactly what he said, but it amounted to something like, "It's about what I said it was about in the song. If I could have said it differently, I would have." Maybe it was Tom Waits? Some Tom. I digress.
The point is, I've been sitting on this review for a bit because I love this book. I don't know what I can say about it that could convey anything useful because it's all already there.
Scott lives in his old, crumbling childhood home with his family. He and his wife are...strained. It's hot. And they don't have enough money. And then the rain comes. It is not the cleansing, watering rain the failing farm needs. It's something else. Something that will change absolutely everything it touches.
I've seen comparisons to The Mist, and I can see it, but I think Pet Sematary or literally any Paul Tremblay book is better. There is a dread that seeps in and grows. Even as eldritch madness takes hold, the decisions the characters makes seem realistic and reasonable--to them, at least. As the #reader, I can see their options falling away. I'm watching as their ability to make good choices diminishes. It's like watching a flood. Or looking at an old photograph and knowing what happened after the shutter clicked was bad.
Horror with heart is my favorite thing and this one has a lot. Broken, yes, but so much. Huge thanks to @netgalley for the eARC. The book will release on October 3rd, 2023.
⛈️⛈️⛈️⛈️⛈️
5/5 strange little storm clouds
The point is, I've been sitting on this review for a bit because I love this book. I don't know what I can say about it that could convey anything useful because it's all already there.
Scott lives in his old, crumbling childhood home with his family. He and his wife are...strained. It's hot. And they don't have enough money. And then the rain comes. It is not the cleansing, watering rain the failing farm needs. It's something else. Something that will change absolutely everything it touches.
I've seen comparisons to The Mist, and I can see it, but I think Pet Sematary or literally any Paul Tremblay book is better. There is a dread that seeps in and grows. Even as eldritch madness takes hold, the decisions the characters makes seem realistic and reasonable--to them, at least. As the #reader, I can see their options falling away. I'm watching as their ability to make good choices diminishes. It's like watching a flood. Or looking at an old photograph and knowing what happened after the shutter clicked was bad.
Horror with heart is my favorite thing and this one has a lot. Broken, yes, but so much. Huge thanks to @netgalley for the eARC. The book will release on October 3rd, 2023.
⛈️⛈️⛈️⛈️⛈️
5/5 strange little storm clouds
Penpal by Dathan Auerbach
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The ending of this book brings everything together in a horrifying and heartbreaking way, but the build up didn't quite do it for me.
I know this was originally written in parts on the #nosleep subreddit and it does show. I wish there had been a few more passes to make this feel more like a cohesive novel.
I also think I maybe don't really love reading about kindergartners. I enjoyed the book more when the characters were older.
CW: It seems like something bad happens to a cat.
2/5 creepy polaroids
I know this was originally written in parts on the #nosleep subreddit and it does show. I wish there had been a few more passes to make this feel more like a cohesive novel.
I also think I maybe don't really love reading about kindergartners. I enjoyed the book more when the characters were older.
CW: It seems like something bad happens to a cat.
2/5 creepy polaroids
Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I put off reading this despite all the good things I heard because of the title. It seemed like it would be the kind of campy I don't really like. I did myself dirty.
This book is just really good. The writing is solid, the characters are layered and realistic, and the camp is spot on perfect. It reads fast and easy, almost more like watching a movie. It has a message without being overly preachy. And it has my favorite kind of love triangle.
This book is just really good. The writing is solid, the characters are layered and realistic, and the camp is spot on perfect. It reads fast and easy, almost more like watching a movie. It has a message without being overly preachy. And it has my favorite kind of love triangle.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
There are pieces of this book I like a lot, but I think the writing style is turning me off. It feels like there's a lot of effort put into making me think Caroline is really very interesting and quirky, but she's not. It tells me how much of a passion she has for history, but she doesn't seem to know simple things and her curiosity about the bottle she finds is so easily squashed. The apothecary timeline is more interesting, but it's still not quite grabbing me. Nella feels too flatly done with everything and Eliza feels a bit too bubbly and innocent.
The Spite House by Johnny Compton
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A haunting, pun intended, book about how ghosts and stories are made. A story about generational trauma, how history matters, and how hope is the hardest, most beautiful thing to hold.
One of the things that really stood out to me was how much no one really wanted to hurt anyone else, but they did anyway. By omitting facts, by not just asking for help, and by thinking their desperation made their plight or lives more important in the moment. It hammered home how easy it is to get caught up in the feelings of the moment without thinking things through.
And Eric is just fantastic. Brilliant horror lead who keeps his cool in the face of many reality breaking moments.
One of the things that really stood out to me was how much no one really wanted to hurt anyone else, but they did anyway. By omitting facts, by not just asking for help, and by thinking their desperation made their plight or lives more important in the moment. It hammered home how easy it is to get caught up in the feelings of the moment without thinking things through.
And Eric is just fantastic. Brilliant horror lead who keeps his cool in the face of many reality breaking moments.
Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There were parts of this book I liked so much. I wish it had been a little more metaphor and a little less obvious and preachy, but at the same time, I don't think that's bad. This is definitely a book some people need, and I'm so glad it exists. I just like my social commentary with more ghosts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Antisemitism, Blood, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Rape, Self harm, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, and Drug use
Merciless Waters by Rae Knowles
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is such a lovely, dark dairy tale. Just beautiful. Reading it is like draping yourself in heavy velvet and listening to a storm.
Below by Laurel Hightower
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I took my kid on a road trip once. it was supposed to be short. just a four hour drive. but we got caught in a winter storm on the way. it ended up taking twelve hours. I remember constantly looking down at my GPS and doing math. "I'm supposed to be on this road for twenty miles. it's only supposed to be fifteen minutes, but I have to go slow. an hour. just one hour of this road. just one hour."
I would repeat that myself over and over silently to keep calm. I couldn't pull off anywhere. I just had to keep going. and keep telling my kid everything was going to be okay.
this book is like that fear. you can't stop. you can't go back. you just have to keep moving forward. even if you don't want to. even if you just want to go home. even when you want someone else to be in charge.
just. keep. moving.
absolutely horrifying. the best scary Alice retelling I've ever read, even if it wasn't meant to be that.
I would repeat that myself over and over silently to keep calm. I couldn't pull off anywhere. I just had to keep going. and keep telling my kid everything was going to be okay.
this book is like that fear. you can't stop. you can't go back. you just have to keep moving forward. even if you don't want to. even if you just want to go home. even when you want someone else to be in charge.
just. keep. moving.
absolutely horrifying. the best scary Alice retelling I've ever read, even if it wasn't meant to be that.