otherworlds's reviews
122 reviews

At The Crossing by Suzanne Clay

4.25

Unexpectedly very sweet! I enjoyed this. 

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

• 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

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias

• 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

First Creation by mars adler

• 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

Very fun! I wasn't expecting a cannibalistic horror erotica to have such a sweet romance, but it works.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Cannibalism, and Religious bigotry

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

4.25

This was really tense. The romance was sweet and gave it some needed levity. There were parts that I felt could have been more polished, but I'm not sure if that's just because it's a YA and I'm not used to reading YA much these days. Glad to see we're giving the kids gore now! This would have changed my life when I was 16, autistic, closeted trans, and pissed off.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

5.0

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

5.0

The blueprint of haunted house stories.

The Sluts by Dennis Cooper

3.0

Engaging framing device and mystery. However, it fell flat for me in a lot of ways. It invoked a lot of horrific trauma without necessarily treating it with the weight and realism it deserved. There were also significant formatting problems that broke my immersion. It was interesting but ultimately didn't measure up to the hype. I personally wouldn't recommend it. Please heed the trigger warnings, especially for pedophilia, sex trafficking, torture, and rape.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler

medium-paced

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

5.0

Octavia Butler is incredible as always! These stories were so disturbing yet humane.

Her nonfiction essays are also very thought-provoking and gave me much to consider regarding the craft of writing and how/why I do it.

Ego Homini Lupus by Gretchen Felker-Martin

Okay... so this was pretty strange and uncomfortable! I will admit I'm not sure what to think of it. There is so much here and I want to sit with it for a while. 

But Felker-Martin, as always, is a masterful writer with scathing commentary on patriarchal hegemony and the intricate webs of violence that sustain it.