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pulp_fiction_books's reviews
493 reviews
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
House of leaves is less a book and closer akin to a piece of art. This is essentially two stories running parallel 'The Navidson Record' which is the story described above and the story of Johnny Truant and his descent into madness as he tries to make sense of and catalogue 'The Navidson Record'. However this book is so far removed from being just "essentially" that. This book is extremely difficult to read, it is incredibly complex, filled with endless footnotes, puzzles and ciphers. The page layout is designed to disorientate and confuse you, it's less reading a book and more finding your way out of a labyrinth. it also contains multiple appendices of information and exhibits. This is no ordinary horror story, this will get under your skin and affect you. I found myself at times dealing with a genuine feeling of unease even after I had put the book down and I know I'm not the only one, if you go online you will find endless testimony of people describing their own visceral reactions and mental struggles. I will concede that I know this book will not be for everyone and I can see how some would find it boring and laborious and clocking in at over 700 pages I can see why it's so regularly DNF'd.
Trick Or...Trapped! by R.L. Stine
3.5
In the goosebumps community this book is the holy grail. It is one of the rarest books to find and one of, if not the most expensive. I've been looking for a copy for years to complete my goosebumps collection and was lucky enough to score one for a reasonable price just before Christmas. This was a fun book with some good gameplay and inventory functions, unfortunately it had some issues. The premise is, you work your way through houses trick or treating and have to make your way to a mansion on the hill which serves as a final boss of sorts. So, the first house I entered, the path I followed brought me straight to the mansion. Instead of continuing I decided to go back and choose a different house and low and behold I found a path to the mansion that way too. It was just frustrating as there is a great idea here but the mechanics are all screwed up, if they had got the layout right and plotted it so you had no way of getting to the mansion without hitting all the house (Or you could but would be disadvantaged having not visited them all) this could have been fantastic. I was caught between rating this a three or four star but I read this with my daughter and we had a great time so all in all I'm giving it the win.
Murder On The Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict
mysterious
medium-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? N/A
4.0
A locked room murder mystery... On a train... On Christmas Eve... What more could you possibly want? I really enjoyed this, it feels very Agatha Christie in its execution. Also I read a large portion of this on a train at Christmas so it definitely helped heighten my enjoyment. One other thing I really liked about this, was it has let's say "Extras" which are a great idea and a welcomed addition.
The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is the follow up to Janice Hallett's debut novel 'The Appeal' that I reviewed a few weeks ago. If you've read that then you'll know exactly what you're getting here. It's the exact same set-up and format as previously except we're two years removed from the events of that book. We return to the same group of characters (minus the obvious exceptions) and I will say it was kind of fun checking back in. I had a good time with this, I enjoyed the power struggle dynamic early on and then all the shenanigans on play night. I like the fact that this felt a bit more lighthearted, I also think this benefitted from being significantly shorter than its predecessor. While I think it still suffers from some of the same issues as before (again, see my previous review) I did find this a more enjoyable read.
The Very Merry Murder Club by Robin Stevens, Serena Patel
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Innocent fun, is how I'd describe this in a nutshell. 'The Very Merry Murder Club' is a collection of thirteen short stories written by an array of authors, set during the holiday season. One thing I really like is there is a ton of diversity and inclusivity throughout, which I am always a fan of especially when it's in works geared toward younger readers (most of the stories are by authors of colour). The title is slightly misleading however as only four of the stories in here actually contain murder (spoiler alert, they were among my favourites) but they all entail an aspect of mystery. Whilst there are a couple of weak tales in here, it's all in all a solid collection.