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276 reviews

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

REVIEW

Before we begin, I must invoke the Muses–I call upon Thalia, and Erato, and, of course, my girl Calliope. I beg you, sing; grant me the patience (and the caffeine) to get through writing this review without being too much of a joyless critic.

Let’s begin with the positives.

The setting is fun, if a bit sparse on the worldbuilding. It’s a very modernized (though in a self-aware way), romanticized version of 1812 Bath/London, where the gods of yore and faeries in tales are very much real, though largely not too much of a deal. The primary inspirations for Mortal Follies seem to stem from Shakespeare plays and Roman myth, with the two primary mythological figures being a Puck-ish narrator and a minor goddess local to Bath.

Prose-wise, the style is lighthearted and a bit flowery in a lively, frolicking way. The story is told in the first person from the point of view of a fae narrator, who primarily follows Miss Mitchelmore, with the occasional diversion to trail Lady Landrake or a side character.

The characters are good, primarily because they have snappy, witty dialogue and personalities that play well off one another. My favorite, likely surprising no one, is an extremely niche side trans character who gets two-ish scenes and is the coolest character in the whole novel. Tabitha (human Tabitha, not muse Tabitha) rules and it’s a crime she didn’t get more page time.

With that, we must unfortunately pivot into the more negative of my thoughts.

Setting was too modern at times. There’s a whole conversation about ‘tinging,’ a term coined by Miss Mitchelmore’s best friend, Miss Bickle, which is defined as her desire to see two characters–or two people–end up together. What's in a name? That which we call shipping by any other name would still be completely anachronistic in a Regency era setting, even if we call it something different. I believe it was supposed to be amusing, but it was not. It was eye-roll inducing.

There’s also the issue of swear words. I’m a great proponent of the word ‘fuck;’ it’s fun, but felt out of place in Mortal Follies, especially as it got to be used so liberally. (Yes, I’m well aware the word has been around for ages–this is a Tiffany Problem sort of issue.)

'Fuck' also just feels a bit… uninspired, in this context. I’d much prefer some more interesting, funny, or clever ways of swearing or referring to intercourse than just using ‘fuck.’ Like, come on! The narrative is drawing, at least partially, from Shakespeare. Have at least a little fun with it.

Now for my biggest issue: the narrator. In the prologue, Mortal Follies is framed as a novel written by a now-mortal fae, Robin, (who, within the lore, is actually also Alexis Hall, and maybe also Puck?). Due to a quarrel with Oberon, they have to make a living by writing books.

Robin is obnoxious. While their humor is, I admit, sometimes clever, it often isn’t. Their humor--and thus, the novel's--relies too much on the whole quirky “wow being a human is sucks, what do you mean you have to pay rent, you can’t turn into mist? that’s soooo silly” gimmick. I cannot stand it.

They also constantly insert themself into the narrative in a way that wore out my welcome as soon as it came through the door. I'm fairly certain this is to set up later books, as I believe this is going to be a series.

While Robin does follow the characters to whom the most interesting things are happening, they do not, in my opinion, follow the most interesting characters. Outside of her misfortune, Miss Mitchelmore is, quite frankly, boring, and so is Lady Georgiana Landrake (if to a slightly lesser extent). The side characters--such as Mr. Caesar, a gay man of color, and Tabitha, a trans woman and priestess--are so much more interesting. My favorite moments in the book were Mr. Caesar's visit to Serena's, a sort of gay gentlemen's club/salon/coffee house, and his subsequent visit to Tabitha, because those scenes explored what it meant to be queer in the novel's world in a really interesting, nuanced, genuine way, something completely lacking from the rest of the book, which overall came off as quite saccharine and shallow in comparison.

Anyway. Speaking of queerness and our leading ladies: their romance may be slow, but it does not burn. It barely sparked. I couldn’t give two hoots about their relationship and, quite frankly, do not ‘ting’ them. Especially since I'm not much of a fan of the age gap; Mitchelmore is 19, while Landrake is 24. Not the biggest age gap there is (especially in the context of a Regency era romance rather than a contemporary romance), but it's enough of a difference for me to get a little icked out. Probably couldn’t identify much of a real personality trait for either of them. There’s lots of dialogue between them that’s good but is also clearly designed to be ‘shippable,’ if that makes sense, rather than creating any real, deep, or interesting bond between them. They barely know each other, and I barely know them, either. Quite frankly, I don't really care to.

I had a fun enough time with the first half

(which focused on solving the mystery of Miss Mitchelmore’s curse).

The second half

(which sort of? focused on the romance and on Lady Landrake's backstory, which ended up being, in my opinion, boring)

felt disconnected, dragged in pace, and fell flat. An astounding accomplishment, considering it contains

an Orpheus-and-Eurydice mini-retelling.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The folklore/mythological elements and side characters, though far more interesting, were not the focus and thus did not compensate for the irritating, intrusive narrator and unengaging romance. While I’m sure others would like the humor, I don’t go for the type of quirky fandom-y humor often used. The second half dragged. And, in my humble opinion, the book had no business being over 400 pages in the first place.

Ultimately, this book just didn’t click with me. Maybe you’ll like Mortal Follies if you love Regency era romances and are itching for a sapphic one, but I’m not chomping at the bit to recommend it.

I’m not usually a romance reader, though, so it may be a matter of taste.

Thank you to Del Rey for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley. If you are interested in Mortal Follies, you can find more information from the publishers. If possible, support indie bookshops by purchasing the novel from your local brick and mortar or from Bookshop.org.

Content Warnings

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle

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dark mysterious reflective

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

2.75

I have... complex feelings about this book.

It was labeled as horror on the library's site, and after reading through the description, I assumed the same. It's not horror, though. No, certainly not.

I do love the story, and I'm very glad I listened to it. It's got some very interesting ruminations on grief, memory, and loss, particularly in a small town context. I liked all the characters (except

the new family at the end--not that I disliked them, but more so that they were part of an unsatisfactory end

), especially as they all felt deeply, deeply real. Of the issues I have with this novel, character writing was not one of them.

My issue is that the narrative holds onto revealing *anything* about Lisa and the truth of the tapes for so long that it becomes tiresome. I was so ready for things to wrap up at the end of section two, but was more than a little annoyed to see that there was still an hour and a half left, then even more annoyed when there was a jump to the future with a whole new family of people.

Yes, this time skip is narratively thematic, and yes, it does have some interesting stuff on the theme of loss and remembrance.

But those final act reveals come via an infodump by Lisa which reveals she's been the (possibly part time?) narrator all along. Instead of getting to discover this conclusion alongside Jeremy--or even get to experience what he experiences during the farmhouse interrogation--we are randomly ripped to another time, painstakingly introduced to four new people, those four new people find the tapes and figure out a little about them. We get to see what happened to Jeremy, which for some reason comes now, not earlier. Then the new guys wander offstage while Lisa mops the story up all clean in a final narration that reveals that the tapes were of a cult deprogramming.

I want to like this book. I loved the prose and the characters, and it hits a lot of themes/topics I love;

small towns, religion/cults of personality, complex but deeply loving family dynamics, VHS and found footage, and loss and grief

. But the narrative's tendency to skirt around actually telling the story was growing to overstay its welcome at about 70%. Events (such as

the Jeremy tape

and anything new about the actual content of the tapes) were not shown to to the reader for no discernible reason other than an attempt at mystery, which is a risky move and was not executed well here.

The summary focuses pretty hard on the weird spliced footage moment. While that is the spark that begins the novel, and the footage is a thorough line of the novel, that creepy footage is not the main focus of the novel at all, even when it is the primary plot point on the page.

Also, it was a little hard to follow at times. But that is likely because I was listening on audiobook (which I would actually recommend; it's read by the author, who has a lovely voice).

Content Warnings

All These Sunken Souls by Circe Moskowitz

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dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

SUMMARY

In All These Sunken Souls, horror is explored through a blending of genres–ghost stories, folklore, and weird, among others–written by established and debut Black authors.

REVIEW

All These Sunken Souls hits like hell and doesn’t stop. Every time I thought I’d surely found the standout story in the collection another came along and vied hard for the position, leaving me with three choices and no desire to choose favorites. So I shan’t! It's my review and I can do as I please.

“Be Not Afraid,” “The Consumption of Vienna Montrose,” and “Mother, Daughter, and the Devil” hit everything I want from a good horror short story. These three have fantastic prose that takes on a life of its own; it’s rare I feel like I can hear the protagonist's voice clear as day; these girls spoke. The narratives are fresh and unique while conversing with tropes, stories, and histories that came before them. And, as a bonus, they feature beautifully written female characters.

Save one, every single short story was as least three stars, with most of them being four or five stars. The single exception was a matter of purely taste–I didn’t enjoy the first five pages, skimmed ahead, and realized that my issue, the prose, persisted throughout. So I skipped it. (I only mention the fact I DNF’d this one story for transparency’s sake, as this was an ARC.)

Broadly speaking, this collection features tropes and themes I love love LOVE in horror. Body horror (tooth, flesh, and bone), names (and the lack of them), houses (sentient or otherwise), biblical imagery (of the accurate angelic sort), folk tales and ghost stories (told and acted), and the comfort–yet also the horrific pain–of isolation.

And that’s not all, of course. But you’ll explore the rest yourself.

INDIVIDUAL STORY RATINGS

"Lights" by Kalynn Bayron - ⭐⭐⭐
"Be Not Afraid" by Ashia Monet - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"All My Best Friends Are Dead" by Liselle Sambury - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
"The Teeth Come Out At Night" by Sami Ellis - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I Love Your Eyes" by Joel Rochester - DNF
"The Consumption of Vienna Montrose" by Joelle Wellington - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ok it's 5⭐ but GOD I loved this one so much)
"The Landscape of Broken Things" by Brent Lambert - ⭐⭐⭐.5
"Mother, Daughter, and the Devil" by Donyae Coles - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Papa Pearlie" by Ryan Douglass - ⭐⭐⭐
"No Harm Done" by Circe Moskowitz ⭐⭐⭐⭐

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you like horror, you absolutely must read this collection. Doubly so if you have interest in diverse horror, horror short stories, or, like me, just really love a visceral piece of character-driven horror.

Thank you to Amberjack Publishing for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley. If you are interested in All These Sunken Souls, it will be released 17 October 2023. If possible, support indie bookshops by purchasing the novel from your local brick and mortar or from Bookshop.org!

Content Warnings

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

I loved the narrator. He's got a lovely, deep voice, perfect for the horror stories. He also did decent character voices.

Originally I just wanted to re-read the horror stories, but since the audiobook had the whole kitten caboodle, I figured hey, why not just listen to all of them. I now understand why no one remembers Chambers for his romance. His horror has such a lovely sense of unreality and slow, creeping terror, while his romance is excrutiatingly boring, only made palatable if the protagonist is likable.

THE REPAIRER OF REPUTATIONS (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐): My fav of the collection, though it's hard to choose. A masterclass in having an unreliable narrator.
THE MASK (⭐⭐⭐⭐): A good tragedy but not the best of the collection regarding the horror of it.
IN THE COURT OF THE DRAGON (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐): So creepy. Love a church setpiece, especially a French church with a big organ.
THE YELLOW SIGN (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐): My second fav! The weird guy is so creepy, and the hearse dream is so bizarre.
THE DEMOISELLE D'YS (⭐⭐⭐): Wasn't expecting the twist at the end; pretty decent romance story.
THE PROPHETS' PARADISE (N/A): I have a hard time listening to poetry for the first time out loud so honestly most of this went in one ear and out the other. I need to go back and read it in print.
THE STREET OF THE FOUR WINDS (⭐⭐): Plus half a star for the very sweet protag who, relateably, has the "custom to converse with animals, probably because he lived so much alone."
THE STREET OF THE FIRST SHELL (⭐): I hope the protagonist chokes and dies on that stupid roast chicken. Fuck that guy.
THE STREET OF OUR LADY OF THE FIELDS (⭐⭐⭐): Reaches three stars because of the sweet darling himbo protagonist, as well as due to this line that made me laugh out loud: "'There is a nouveau here who is so tender and green and appetizing that Heaven help him if he should fall into a salad bowl.'"
RUE BARRÉE (⭐⭐): Honestly thought it was part of the last story and was very confused but I get it now. Anyway, it was boring but at least I didn't despise the protagonist.

All the Lovely Bad Ones Graphic Novel by Mary Downing Hahn

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adventurous dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

SUMMARY

Siblings Travis and Corey are incorrigible trouble makers. When they get sent to their grandmother’s inn for the summer and find out it’s supposedly haunted, they decide to stage a haunting of their own. It will be fun, and besides, a ghost will be good for business.

Turns out, though, the ghosts of Fox Hill are easy to wake. When Travis and Corey realize what they’ve done, they must try to lay the restless spirits to rest.

REVIEW

It’s been ages since I’ve read Juvenile horror (the last one being Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark), so picking this up, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. What I got was a fantastic ghost story with beautiful art that got surprisingly (but, I think, appropriately) dark. I won’t spoil anything, but the final confrontation had my jaw dropped.

The art is gorgeous. It’s consistently excellent, too–something I’ve noticed isn’t always the case in graphic novels (to no fault of the artist’s, of course. Poor art quality is typically a reflection of rushed deadlines or poor pay). The character designs are fantastic (the kids are all adorable), the colorwork is gorgeous, and I love the style and use of lineart. The cover is accurate to the inside.

The illustrators are Naomi Franquiz, Brittany Peer, and Joamette Gil, who all absolutely knocked it out of the park. I’d love to see more horror graphic novels from them as a team in the future!

The ghost story elements are very American folklore, reminding me of ghost stories I’ve heard both as an adult in the horror space and as a kid at summer camp: wicked rich folk using their power and wealth to suppress poor folk, accompanied by all the resulting the bloodshed and tragedy. What is especially vital about All the Lovely Bad Ones’ ghost story is the treatment of historical tragedy; the narrative urges acknowledgement of tragedy and honoring the dead, rather than profiting off of or making a spectacle of very real pain.

Ghost stories are about the past, but they’re about the future, too. In a digital age where it’s all too easy to make a spectacle of death and pain, it’s especially important for narratives to explore how to respect tragedies while honoring and acknowledging the dead.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I had such a blast with All the Lovely Bad Ones. I should read more juvenile horror, especially ghost stories–they’re where it’s at.

All the Lovely Bad Ones is a treat for middle-grade readers and adult readers alike. If you’ve got a ghost-story loving kid in your life, they’ll love this graphic novel, and readers of the original story will love the way the artists brought the characters to life.

Thank you to Clarion Books for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley. If you are interested in All the Lovely Bad Ones, it releases 15 August 2023. Find more information from the publishers, including preorder information. If possible, support indie bookshops by purchasing the novel from your local brick and mortar or from Bookshop.org!

Content Warnings

Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I was recommended this book and am so glad I picked it up!

As someone who does not read a lot of science/psychology non-fiction, I struggled with getting through the more dense sections discussing neurological aspects of reading with all the brain illustrations and such. While Wolf did an excellent job of making what she was saying understandable, it was just a bit dry for me at times. Also, the book focuses very heavily on the development of the reading brain; while some discussions of the reading brain later in life (for example, the occasional discussion of the effects of strokes on reading), this book is primarily about the development of reading in young children. Don't get me wrong, that's fascinating! But I'm left curious about the effects and continued evolution of reading in adults.

Structurally, the organization is decent. The first part is a very short, brief history of some aspects of the development of reading and writing. The second follows the development of the reading brain throughout adolescence, then the third part is about dyslexia. I found the bit about dyslexia far easier and more interesting than the other three parts, possibly because it is where Wolf has the most personal experience and uses anecdotes that are both fascinating and very sweet. (Meow!)

If you're interested in reading and linguistics (particularly English reading and linguistics), PROUST AND THE SQUID is a must-read. Just come prepared to wade through some dense science.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I fully believe that in order to fully appreciate this book, one ought to read and listen to it.

I also believe everyone ought to read IN THE DREAM HOUSE. The craft is immaculate and the narrative vital.

What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing by Susan Ferber, Jane Friedman, Calvert D. Morgan Jr., Anne Savarese, Carol Fisher Saller, Gregory M. Britton, Peter Ginna, Erika Goldman, Katharine O’Moore-Klopf, George Witte, Matt Weiland, Diana Gill, Betsy Lerner, David Henry Sterry, Deb Aaronson, Nancy Siscoe, Scott Norton, Michael Pietsch, Jonathan Karp, Arielle Eckstut, Peter Coveney, Susan Rabiner, Katie Henderson Adams, Wendy Wolf, Chris Jackson, Nancy S. Miller, Jeff Shotts

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informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

A fantastic exploration of editorial work, both from the beginning to the end of the editing process as well as across genre.

I started this book interested in editorial. At it's end, I'm not longer interested (currently taking a publishing course which has made me realize that editorial is not a career path I want), but the contributions from editors across the industry provide valuable insight not only into the process but also into core aspects of publishing, primarily in the industry's position as curator and connector. While this is a must-read for any aspiring editor, it's also going to be useful for any publishing hopeful who will need to understand the where, what, who, and how of a book so that they can best serve it in whatever role they are in (marketing and publicity, production, managing editorial, sales...).

Northranger by Rey Terciero, Bre Indigo

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emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

REVIEW

I devoured this graphic novel in one day. The characters were deeply empathetic, and I loved Cade as a protagonist. Terciero’s writing perfectly captured the crushing loneliness and anxieties of being a closeted queer teenager in the South, while Indigo’s expressive art did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life.

I don't have that much else to say. It's not a new favorite of mine. As a horror reader, this really missed what I want from a title labeled horror. As someone who isn't a big fan of romance YA (I haven’t read Heartstopper, and as revolutionary as Love, Simon was, I’m never going to watch it or read it), I just wasn't the target audience.

For those of you for whom they are your thing, read Northranger. You'll adore Cade and Henry.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I won't say that it isn’t horror, but it’s far more gothic romance in the classical sense (obviously, as it a retelling of Austen’s Northanger Abbey) than the kind of horror in the movies Cade references throughout. If you’re looking for a YA horror graphic novel, this probably won’t hit the spot for you.

This was a well-written contemporary YA graphic novel with cute art and a southern gothic spin. I would recommend it to folks who like contemporary YA queer romance (especially Heartstopper or Love, Simon), as it's far more romance than horror.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley!

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readthesparrow's reviews 276 reviews

readthesparrow's reviews
276 reviews