mahtzahgay's reviews
56 reviews

House of Rot by Danger Slater

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Blurb displays a review that states that House of Rot contains "millennial humour", which if this is the case, then I must admit that I find millennial humour to be both irritating and cringe-worthy.

Much of the time while I was reading, I found both characters to not only be annoying and overly-verbose. The humour employed by Slater falls flat.

However, where House of Rot shines is through its commitment to its icky, gross, disgusting horror. In a genre that is slowly being gentrified by more palatable and sanitised material, House of Rot is a fresh breath of air. It's a love-letter to the shudder you get while watching senseless gore splatter the screen, or mould grow out of someone's eyes, or maggots writhe in flesh.

It's just a shame this love couldn't save the rest of book for me.
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25


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The Lesbian Cow and Other Stories by Indu Menon

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


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Burn by Melanie Saward

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
See: Brothers Karamazov. Took too long between reads to finish, and will have to come back to it when I have more deliberate time.
The Karamazov Brothers by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
Literally took too long to complete & had too many periods of not reading consistently. Will have to re-read another time when I have more concentration.
It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror by Joe Vallese

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challenging emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

There were some really good essays which knocked it out of the park, and some really bad ones. Ultimately, a bunch of queers writing about horror is such a unique and interesting lense that I'm not too fussed about the few misses.

I will say, however, the one essay where someone feels sorry for themselves after calling the cops on their mentally ill friend rubbed me the wrong way. But I'm an abolitionist and a Blackfulla, so my trust and care for coppas is much lower than some uppity white queer from Portland, I guess.
Flood Damages by Eunice Andrada

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challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

4.0