natreviews's reviews
417 reviews

Woodworm by Layla Martínez

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

3.5

I liked this story well enough. It could be a bit confusing at times. I will say I ran into the same problem with a lot of translated books, it felt like a piece of it was missing. Like there's some cultural aspect I'm not tuning into, making me feel a but disconnected. Overall though, a good read. 

Sunstone, Vol. 1 by Stjepan Šejić
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.

Im reading too many things as if right now

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

A very good read about hate, love, and the trauma of a race of people. I highly recommend going into this blind. 

The Bedmakers by Chad Lutzke

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was a read I didn't expect to like as much as I did. You could feel and connect with the characters and the situation they find themselves in. There was a printing mishap where pages 2 and 3 were switched, making it a bit confusing at first, but other than that a solid read. 

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

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

5.0

This book really takes you on the journey of the narrators life. You feel for her disconnect, the community that gets fostered, and the isolation faced. The story answers no questions. And when it's done, it's done. The third act seemed to effect me the most, and I'm not really sure why. 

BRZRKR, Vol. 1 by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

Looks to be an interesting start to a series about a man sent to be a weapon who can't die.

I don't know if it's a series I want to continue reading. It has an interesting origin, but I don't know if I care enough to read more. 

Elogona by Samantha Kolesnik

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I liked the story fine enough. I found it to be the weakest writing of the three novellas I've read by Kolesnik (True Crime and Waif being the others). This deals more with eldritch horror which I don't know is her strong suit. This seems a good read for a teen who likes horror or someone knew to the genre, but definitely isn't the extreme horror she's known for. 

The Succubus's Prize by Katee Robert

hopeful reflective 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

4.5

I really enjoyed the concept. I found it kind of rushed things at the end and the epilogue felt tacked on. The story could've easily been 100 pages longer. It felt like things moved super fast in the second half. The difficult concepts the book brought up (ie. Religious trauma) are touched on a bit, but it doesn't feel like it went deep into it. Just surface level and not how multifaceted it can be. 

Dark Matter Presents: Human Monsters by Sadie Hartmann, Ashley Saywers

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

A really good mix of horror stories. Some I liked more than others, but if you want to try a whole bunch of different authors in the extreme horror genre, this is the book for you. 

If You'll Have Me by Eunnie

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

5.0

An incredibly cute comic. I loved the story and the art style. It had me burst out laughing at points, and was a nice change of pace to the horror book I'm currently reading.