mentat_stem's reviews
810 reviews

Roswell High: The Outsider (TV Series) by Metz, Melinda(November 1, 1999) Mass Market Paperback by Melinda Metz, Melinda Metz

adventurous lighthearted 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

4.0

Pocketknife Kitty by Shannon Riley

dark tense medium-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

4.25

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

dark funny hopeful fast-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

A Country of Ghosts by Margaret Killjoy

adventurous informative inspiring 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

4.75

Sweet Tooth Compendium by Jeff Lemire

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

A Sign of the Times by Joe Hill

dark funny fast-paced

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

3.75

Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-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

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Content Warnings

Minor: Grief and Injury/Injury detail

The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.25

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig

dark informative mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

Still marinating in my thoughts.

My favorite by Wendig by a mile and I enjoy his writing.

Cranberry Cove by Hailey Piper

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is a clockwork sort of horror. Every scene, every thought, every repetitive noise all play their role.

This is a novella that could be staged as a play. Almost every scene is in a small room with 1-3 people. The larger world of both the haunting and the characters' criminal associates are told in exposition: small rays of information impotently attempting to dispel the claustrophobic shadows of the present.

Initially there's a hint of the supernatural in a creepy yet otherwise mundane setting. Every clue fills in a puzzle that contradicts reality. An off stage mob boss won't accept "ghost" for an answer. Along the way consent, enablement, fear and stubbornness are examined both sexually and supernaturally. The story crescendos to a satisfying magical confrontation.

A near perfect use of the novella length and a delightful overlap of crime, horror and literary character study.