poisoned_icecream's reviews
2034 reviews

Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai

dark emotional reflective sad tense

• 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

4.0

This is a Frankenstein retelling in which all the important characters are queer, biracial, and nonbinary. The scientist in this novel is Z, who goes by Dr. Frank due to her being a fan of the book Frankenstein and her obsession with creating a child without sperm. She is just as ambitious, selfish, and reckless as Victor Frankenstein. Also in this book are some terrible and abusive parents, such as Z's dad. He's the worst, fuck that guy.

Anyway, occasionally there are quotes from the original Frankenstein in the text, which I found pretty cool. This is now one of my most favorite Frankenstein retellings. However this book really triggered my tokophobia, as there are very graphic descriptions of pregnancy and birth. Despite that I still like this book and would recommend it to readers who like horror, science fiction and the book Frankenstein.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment

LOSERS AND FREAKS by C.E. Hoffman

5.0

I really enjoyed C.E. Hoffman's short story collection Sluts and Whores, so when I saw in a newsletter from Querencia Press that there would be a new short story collection by them, I knew I had to have it. The stories in this collection deal with heavy topics, but Hoffman puts in a little bit of humor and a lot of empathy. As the title points out, these stories are all about the people who are at the bottom of the ridiculous and stupid hierarchy and therefore considered worthless. Some stories are fantasy and/or scifi. All of them convey the message that people need kindness, care and compassion from other people. I'm excited to read more from C.E. Hoffman.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail

The Ace and Aro Relationship Guide: Making It Work in Friendship, Love, and Sex by Cody Daigle-Orians

hopeful informative reflective

5.0

This book is an excellent resource and guide for aro and/or ace folks to navigate relationships, whether they're romantic, sexual or platonic. I really appreciate that Cody Daigle-Orians provides the nuances that exist in aspec identities. While this self-help book is primarily written for ace and aro readers, alloromantic (non-aromantic) and allosexual (non-asexual) people would also benefit from reading this.

Witch by Iain Rob Wright

0.0

Fuck this garbage book and fuck the author. This is nothing more than a shitty morality story about punishing unlikable, interesting women, and unnecessary descriptions of a teenage girl's breasts. I would not recommend this novella to anyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death of parent

And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

Angela Carter's writing is captivating and engaging. Unfortunately this novella contains so much gendered violence and outdated views and language. It is very much a product of its time and the things that happen are hard to read, so I get why this won't appeal to some readers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Excrement, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, War

Invaginies by Joe Koch

5.0

These are some very weird and unique horror stories. Some I've read from other anthologies, but it was nice to revisit them. So far I don't see myself ever not liking anything Joe Koch writes. Everything I've read of theirs leaves me feeling grossed out, horrified or confused. They are so creative and I'm excited to read more of their stuff.

The Unmothers by Leslie J. Anderson

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

Carolyn Marshall is a journalist who's sent to a small town to write about a boy who supposedly had a baby with a horse, and then gets involved in a murder and a mystery involving a creature that is believed to exist in the forest. 

This book was on my radar for a while and I am glad I read. I didn't enjoy descriptions of pregnancy but at least it's honest about how horrifying and painful it is. However I really enjoyed the moments with the horses and the way some of the women in the town support each other. I also like that each chapter is seen through the perspective of a specific character, and some chapters are told through the perspective of the horses, which was really interesting. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes folk horror or horses.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Vomit

The Haar by David Sodergren

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This horror novel manages to be both gruesome and sweet. I enjoyed the time I spent with Muriel McAuley. I'm definitely gonna reread this and also check out more books by David Sodergren.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Rape, Death of parent