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oraclereadings's Reviews (107)
<i>Anticipated 2024</i>
<b><i>Date Read:</b> March 9, 2025</i>
This was a lot more <i>paranormal</i> than <b>horror</b> for me. The part that I'm going to be explaining happens at the beginning of the book, so I will not be putting a spoiler warning. However, with that in mind, if you are anticipating reading this with absolutely zero spoilers, then please feel free to skip this review.
I will use this line as a last-chance reminder that I will go into heavy detail about what happens in the first chapter. This is a significant plot point in the book, so if you consider that a spoiler, then please stop reading. Click back, keep scrolling, and refresh your home page. Do whatever you need to do to avoid spoilers.
Okay. Assuming that everyone who does not want spoilers-ahem, <b><i>SPOILERS</i></b>, -is gone now. Shall we continue?
In our first chapter of <i>, I Was a Teenage Slasher</i>, we learn a bit of backstory with our main character, Tolly, and he describes the town and the residents that live there, including his high school friends and, well, not friends.
There's a lot of backlog that happens a lot in this book. Tolly will go off the rails and ramble about something that happened two years ago to explain what is happening in the present. One of these tidbits happens to be explaining how, during a party or outing with their high school peers, one of their classmates-who qualifies under the loner spectrum and wants to fit in with the "cool kids"-dies during a horrible accident.
During another party a couple of years later, that same kid who died shows up all zombified and whatnot. And he's out for revenge. You know where this is headed if you have watched horror/slasher movies. He ends up killing the crew that had put him in that horrible situation before he died. All while this is happening, this same group of teenagers is putting Tolly through a tough time-including tying him to a chair and giving him an allergic reaction to peanut butter.
So after this group of bullies bites the dust, in a slasher way, the rest of the party finds themselves in the midst of the drama. I don't know remember if it's explained why this dead kid suddenly turns on everyone else. Tolly's best friend, Amber, is a horror/slasher expert and gives all the details of the who's, what's, when's, where's, and why's.
Anyway, amidst the drama, there's obviously a bit of a scuffle, and Tolly ends up with a few cuts and scrapes. His blood mixes with the dead kid's blood, and somehow this, <i>allegedly</i>, is what causes Tolly to turn into a slasher.
Well, I thought, <i>Okay, so, the dead kid is obviously haunting him because of the whole blood mix. Right? He's not the one actually killing all these teenagers left and right.</i> (Tolly makes it out like he killed a bunch of people, but it's really only maybe five? I say only like that's not a bad number. Like he could have done more lol wut)
But that's not the case. There's no explanation behind the science of how this all happened. There are some hints, and maybe I just didn't connect the dots. Maybe I'm the problem. But there is no explanation as to why this night affected Tolly so much (you know, other than being tied to a chair and forced to have a deadly allergic reaction). BESIDES THAT. Also, why is a dead kid just popping up out of his grave and getting revenge two to three years after his death. <s>(I think it was two to three years. Maybe I misread that too, though.)</s>
<b><i>Date Read:</b> March 9, 2025</i>
This was a lot more <i>paranormal</i> than <b>horror</b> for me. The part that I'm going to be explaining happens at the beginning of the book, so I will not be putting a spoiler warning. However, with that in mind, if you are anticipating reading this with absolutely zero spoilers, then please feel free to skip this review.
I will use this line as a last-chance reminder that I will go into heavy detail about what happens in the first chapter. This is a significant plot point in the book, so if you consider that a spoiler, then please stop reading. Click back, keep scrolling, and refresh your home page. Do whatever you need to do to avoid spoilers.
Okay. Assuming that everyone who does not want spoilers-ahem, <b><i>SPOILERS</i></b>, -is gone now. Shall we continue?
In our first chapter of <i>, I Was a Teenage Slasher</i>, we learn a bit of backstory with our main character, Tolly, and he describes the town and the residents that live there, including his high school friends and, well, not friends.
There's a lot of backlog that happens a lot in this book. Tolly will go off the rails and ramble about something that happened two years ago to explain what is happening in the present. One of these tidbits happens to be explaining how, during a party or outing with their high school peers, one of their classmates-who qualifies under the loner spectrum and wants to fit in with the "cool kids"-dies during a horrible accident.
During another party a couple of years later, that same kid who died shows up all zombified and whatnot. And he's out for revenge. You know where this is headed if you have watched horror/slasher movies. He ends up killing the crew that had put him in that horrible situation before he died. All while this is happening, this same group of teenagers is putting Tolly through a tough time-including tying him to a chair and giving him an allergic reaction to peanut butter.
So after this group of bullies bites the dust, in a slasher way, the rest of the party finds themselves in the midst of the drama. I don't know remember if it's explained why this dead kid suddenly turns on everyone else. Tolly's best friend, Amber, is a horror/slasher expert and gives all the details of the who's, what's, when's, where's, and why's.
Anyway, amidst the drama, there's obviously a bit of a scuffle, and Tolly ends up with a few cuts and scrapes. His blood mixes with the dead kid's blood, and somehow this, <i>allegedly</i>, is what causes Tolly to turn into a slasher.
Well, I thought, <i>Okay, so, the dead kid is obviously haunting him because of the whole blood mix. Right? He's not the one actually killing all these teenagers left and right.</i> (Tolly makes it out like he killed a bunch of people, but it's really only maybe five? I say only like that's not a bad number. Like he could have done more lol wut)
But that's not the case. There's no explanation behind the science of how this all happened. There are some hints, and maybe I just didn't connect the dots. Maybe I'm the problem. But there is no explanation as to why this night affected Tolly so much (you know, other than being tied to a chair and forced to have a deadly allergic reaction). BESIDES THAT. Also, why is a dead kid just popping up out of his grave and getting revenge two to three years after his death. <s>(I think it was two to three years. Maybe I misread that too, though.)</s>
<b>Actual Rating: 2.5</b>
Disclaimer: This is not a book I would have picked up alone. This was a suggestion for a book club that got (randomly) chosen. I also would not have pushed myself to finish this book if it wasn't for said book club. Too long, didn't read: Only, maybe, three of us finished the book.
My problem, and the reason I struggled to get into this book, was the beginning and first half of the plot. So many characters are introduced, not to mention the fictional "fictional" characters of thirteen-year-old Briony's imagination. It was hard to keep up with who was who, what was happening, and why these people mattered.
And then you get to about 48% of the book, and the plot shifts.
Disclaimer: This is not a book I would have picked up alone. This was a suggestion for a book club that got (randomly) chosen. I also would not have pushed myself to finish this book if it wasn't for said book club. Too long, didn't read: Only, maybe, three of us finished the book.
My problem, and the reason I struggled to get into this book, was the beginning and first half of the plot. So many characters are introduced, not to mention the fictional "fictional" characters of thirteen-year-old Briony's imagination. It was hard to keep up with who was who, what was happening, and why these people mattered.
And then you get to about 48% of the book, and the plot shifts.
Reading this was a literal emotional roller coaster for me.
I read this for a book club. I can't say that it's not something I would have never read before, but I don't think it would have been my first pick.
The synopses mention multiple viewpoints between a mother and a son, so I expected that, but then, surprise, here's grandma.
I loved Lily's story, her character, and her will to want to protect her son. I hated Nick, however. Like, sir, how dare you treat your mother like that? She did the best she could. And then, May's story made my heart ache. Honestly, the reason I gave this a 3.5 rating was because of Lily and May. It probably could have made it to four, but screw Nick!
Actual Rating: 4.5✩
I didn't know that Part of Your World had a continuation, and I was so happy to stumble across this. Abby Jimenez is definitely one of my new favorite authors!
The only reason this wasn't a perfect 5-star rating for me was because of Brianna's character. Like, I understood that she went through hell with her ex and had trust issues, but she was just so inherently rude for no reason at the beginning of the story. Also, I know that the trigger warning for (view spoiler) was stated at the beginning, but the whole (view spoiler) plot twist was out of nowhere and felt forced to me. Like, both of these characters are doctors. How could neither one of them see this becoming an issue?
See Also
⤷Part of Your World
I didn't know that Part of Your World had a continuation, and I was so happy to stumble across this. Abby Jimenez is definitely one of my new favorite authors!
The only reason this wasn't a perfect 5-star rating for me was because of Brianna's character. Like, I understood that she went through hell with her ex and had trust issues, but she was just so inherently rude for no reason at the beginning of the story. Also, I know that the trigger warning for (view spoiler) was stated at the beginning, but the whole (view spoiler) plot twist was out of nowhere and felt forced to me. Like, both of these characters are doctors. How could neither one of them see this becoming an issue?
See Also
⤷Part of Your World
I know that this is a short story, but I was just so underwhelmed. I know that only so much can be explored in a novella, which is why my expectations were probably high.
Like, I know that it's still an adult contemporary romance, and Ali Hazelwood is known for putting smut in her works, but we really didn't need a two-minute sex scene.
Like, I know that it's still an adult contemporary romance, and Ali Hazelwood is known for putting smut in her works, but we really didn't need a two-minute sex scene.
I honestly didn't think that I was going to finish this series. It's been a while since I read [book:Wonder Woman: Warbringer|29749085] and [book:Catwoman: Soulstealer|29749098]. I was sure that I would have lost interest by now.
And yet, here we are.
It wasn't amazing. It didn't blow my mind. But I did have fun and enjoyed reading [book:Batman: Nightwalker|29749090].
This is set before Bruce Wayne's eighteenth birthday when he is to inherit his parents' fortune and before he is to become the Batman.
Even as a teenager, Bruce is still his little shithead self and likes to get involved where he shouldn't. Like when he uses his super tech car to help the police take down a gang member of the Nightwalkers, disobeying a few road laws in the process. Unfortunately, since Bruce is not the Batman yet, he can't swiftly sneak away before being caught (and isn't buddies with his fellow policemen), so he ends up being punished with doing community service at Arkham.
At Arkham Asylum, Bruce meets another member of the Nightwalker gang - Madeline - and he has an attraction that can only be described as his relationship with Catwoman.
And yet, here we are.
It wasn't amazing. It didn't blow my mind. But I did have fun and enjoyed reading [book:Batman: Nightwalker|29749090].
This is set before Bruce Wayne's eighteenth birthday when he is to inherit his parents' fortune and before he is to become the Batman.
Even as a teenager, Bruce is still his little shithead self and likes to get involved where he shouldn't. Like when he uses his super tech car to help the police take down a gang member of the Nightwalkers, disobeying a few road laws in the process. Unfortunately, since Bruce is not the Batman yet, he can't swiftly sneak away before being caught (and isn't buddies with his fellow policemen), so he ends up being punished with doing community service at Arkham.
At Arkham Asylum, Bruce meets another member of the Nightwalker gang - Madeline - and he has an attraction that can only be described as his relationship with Catwoman.
<b><i>DNF</i></b> @ 51%
So. . . if this were targeted as an adult or even new adult book, I would have found myself invested. It is labeled YA, but this could have had a higher age rating. When I think of a young adult, I think of anywhere between the ages of 14 and 22. Granted, the main characters are 19 and in their early twenties in the present time, going back as far as their early teenage years in flashbacks. But come on, there are so many adult books where the main characters are young.
This also has many religious undertones, and I was not into the story. Usually, I like to invoke my religious trauma by subjecting myself to other tales of spiritual trauma, but it's when I know that I'm getting into that kind of story. The synopsis was not evident to me, and that was what this book was about.
I'm sorry to say that I'm going to have to pass.
So. . . if this were targeted as an adult or even new adult book, I would have found myself invested. It is labeled YA, but this could have had a higher age rating. When I think of a young adult, I think of anywhere between the ages of 14 and 22. Granted, the main characters are 19 and in their early twenties in the present time, going back as far as their early teenage years in flashbacks. But come on, there are so many adult books where the main characters are young.
This also has many religious undertones, and I was not into the story. Usually, I like to invoke my religious trauma by subjecting myself to other tales of spiritual trauma, but it's when I know that I'm getting into that kind of story. The synopsis was not evident to me, and that was what this book was about.
I'm sorry to say that I'm going to have to pass.
Sophie Lyon is a romance writer. Or, she tries to be. She wrote a book that hit off and signed up for a contract. Cool, right? Except that she's suffering from writer's block and only has six weeks to finish her deadline. Sophie blames this on the fact that she's never had the feeling of "being in love" before. With some inspiration, Sophie starts a TikTok page and dedicates her content to figuring out the solution.
She decides that she's going to do this by rekindling with her exes and find out what went wrong in their relationship. Or what happened that made her unable to say those three words.
Dash Montrose is a former child star and teen heart throb. He also happens to be Sophie's landlord. Dash is recovering from his issues has a former Hollywood star, suffering through the long battle of alcoholism and working his way through rehab. His family doesn't understand this and think that he's just "taking a break" from stardom and that he'll land another role in no time, even pressuring him to do so. Little do they know, Dash has taken on to becoming a famous crafter on social media (keeping his face out of the picture) and uses this hobby as a way to stay sane. In his spare time, (to avoid pressing matters from his family) Dash decides to help Sophie with her social media challenge.
She decides that she's going to do this by rekindling with her exes and find out what went wrong in their relationship. Or what happened that made her unable to say those three words.
Dash Montrose is a former child star and teen heart throb. He also happens to be Sophie's landlord. Dash is recovering from his issues has a former Hollywood star, suffering through the long battle of alcoholism and working his way through rehab. His family doesn't understand this and think that he's just "taking a break" from stardom and that he'll land another role in no time, even pressuring him to do so. Little do they know, Dash has taken on to becoming a famous crafter on social media (keeping his face out of the picture) and uses this hobby as a way to stay sane. In his spare time, (to avoid pressing matters from his family) Dash decides to help Sophie with her social media challenge.
If you grew up watching the 90's version of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, then this is for you!
This was fun and I had a good time reading, but it just didn't <i>wow</i> me like I thought it would.
At 19, Vivi is heartbroken after suffering a break-up with her boyfriend Rhys. Being in a silly, goofy mood, she and her cousin decide to caste a "hex" against her ex-boyfriend. Hence the title <i>The Ex Hex</i>. They're just having a silly fun time, it's not that serious. The candle they use is the equivalent of a Bath and Body Works candle for crying out loud. It's not that serious. Right?
Nine years later, Rhys comes back to town as a descendant of the town's founder? mayor? something of the sort. It's part of tradition that a Penhallow (Rhys) recharge the town's ley lines and make an appearance at the fall festival.
But everything goes wrong!
Dun, Dun DuN!
Now the cat is talking, inanimate objects are flying around, and there's a pissed off ghost roaming around.
This was fun and I had a good time reading, but it just didn't <i>wow</i> me like I thought it would.
At 19, Vivi is heartbroken after suffering a break-up with her boyfriend Rhys. Being in a silly, goofy mood, she and her cousin decide to caste a "hex" against her ex-boyfriend. Hence the title <i>The Ex Hex</i>. They're just having a silly fun time, it's not that serious. The candle they use is the equivalent of a Bath and Body Works candle for crying out loud. It's not that serious. Right?
Nine years later, Rhys comes back to town as a descendant of the town's founder? mayor? something of the sort. It's part of tradition that a Penhallow (Rhys) recharge the town's ley lines and make an appearance at the fall festival.
But everything goes wrong!
Dun, Dun DuN!
Now the cat is talking, inanimate objects are flying around, and there's a pissed off ghost roaming around.