moonlitemuseum's reviews
42 reviews

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

dark emotional informative sad tense fast-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

This one hurt really bad. Take care reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Psychosis, miscarriage

The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted

• 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

A fun and twisty coming-of-age story for gay witches; I liked it less than Engelsfors and other bitter sapphic YA in its ouvre, but it was still a gripping and compelling read. Can't wait for the sequel.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Dark, cloying, and delicious. Beautiful prose.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

A solid little moral tale with a surprising amount of meat.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

3.75

Dark, sad, and beautifully told.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Lesbophobia

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Oh this book was made for me and I hope I can create something that even comes close to how I felt while reading it 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Medical content, Terminal illness, and Body horror

If the ocean scares you maybe sit this one out

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

Phenomenal.

Pageboy by Elliot Page

funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

Warm, kind, and incredibly uplifting. This memoir is studded with spicy celebrity encounters that I often felt too awkward to read in full, but Page's eloquent and lightly sardonic tone make everything much easier to swallow.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

A ripping yarn, and one well-suited to an audiobook. Evelyn's story is absorbing and gripping. The final twist of the knife was a little underwhelming and overwritten in my opinion, but the journey more than justified that disappointment.

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Disappointing, especially from an author I typically like. While there is plenty of gut-clenching female agony on display, as is Hendrix's forté, I never truly sat comfortably with the protagonist or anyone around her and the characters felt frustratingly brittle. Skip this and read My Heart Is a Chainsaw instead.