natreviews's reviews
429 reviews

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A very good story with a twist in the middle that becomes obvious after it's revealed. This is less of a rework or retelling of Carmilla, but more a different take or an inspiration.

Carmilla is more of an omen, a usher of desire than a vampire, and it'll be interesting on a second read to know her character as such and see her in a new light.

This wasn't the story I was expecting, but a delightful read nevertheless! 

When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O'Neill
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.

Not in the right mood

Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence by Rafał Kosik

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Started out really good, but kind of fell apart by the end. I don't know if that's because of the translation, or because they were trying to do too much. They should've kept the story small and compact, but the more they added, the looser it spun until it was more just words on a page than anything. I found it didn't really add anything to the world of Cyberpunk 2077.

Junker Seven by Olive J. Kelley
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.

Over explanation city! There's a way to world build, and explaining every minute detail that doesn't matter and making sure you don't leave implication is not it. It didn't feel organic, and easily the first chapter could be edited down by a third. 

The Demeter Flower by Rochelle Singer, Shelley Singer

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. It's fascinating from both a narrative stand point and a history standpoint. Seeing how lesbian it actually is (especially for being published in 1980) is amazing. I won't go into the history of queer publishing, but to have a novel like this be as explicit as it is (not spicy explicit, but there is lesbian sex and showing of relationships) is a wonder (even though knowing the 80's were better for publishing a novel like this than past decades). 
It's also interesting reading this 45 years after it was published and being able to relate to the apocalypse thinking and how the new world functions. Seeing how we're shifting back to traditional gender roles and religion here in the west, the set up of the world outside Demeter isn't shocking. It's shocking how much things haven't changed since this was published. 
A very cool piece of queer literature that I would've never known about if not for picking it up at a used bookstore. 

Outlawed by Anna North

adventurous reflective relaxing 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

This is a really nice Sunday read. Not as queer as I thought it might be, but had a cast of queer side characters. I found the book lost its urgency around a quarter to a third way through. I knew then that everything would turn out fine in the end. Kind of like how you know a character in a tv show is gonna live, so when they get stuck in a high intense, live or die situation there isn't any urgency or edge of seat feeling to it. That was the main flaw for this book, but definitely worth the read. 

Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler

emotional reflective medium-paced

2.5

This book was not what I was expecting. I've been a fan of Anna's photography for years now, and I was expecting something... More creative? Maybe analytical? This book is a memoir, so it is hard to critique because of that, but this fell flat for me. At times it felt like "Okay, I see the dots you are laying out, and in the end will have this conclusion," but that never came. At times this felt like diary entries or stream of consciousness, which is fine, but I originally thought she'd analyze some of her feelings and beliefs more in depth, maybe go into some history of misogyny in general and in medical fields in specific. But nope.
At times, she came off as your stereotypical white lady who likes the occult and bitches to her friends over brunch about that thing X person said (we all know the type I'm talking about), which was really annoying and made for a dragging experience.

I guess I thought this book would be one thing, and ended up being another. 

Fragile Animals by Genevieve Jagger

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

Man what a book to read after rereading The Locked Tomb. If you're a fan of Harrowhark Nonagesimus, you will be a fan of Fragile Animals. 

It's this beautiful blend of the lies we tell ourselves, religion and losing faith, what we do to feel love and how we punish ourselves for that feeling, and about how our actions effect others. Just an excellent read. 
(I might also be a bit biased because this is the first book my girlfriend has gifted me, but man did she nail it out of the park)

The Broonie, Silkies & Fairies: Travellers' Tales of the Other World by Duncan Williamson

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

A good collection of stories. A lot of them are repetitive, but that's no surprise. I did really like how it was written with the dialect, but still understandable. 

Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

I reread will be needed to fully grasp this story, but the first read was good. A nice quick tale.