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readthesparrow's reviews
276 reviews
Raised by a Serial Killer by April Balascio
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Book review TK
Audio review notes:
While the audio and editing wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t flawless either. The author reads, and while she did a fine job, there are times when it is a little obvious she isn’t a professional narrator (for example it’s very easy to tell when the audiobook goes from take to take, and there are moments when the sound quality changes slightly or sounds off.)
Audio review notes:
While the audio and editing wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t flawless either. The author reads, and while she did a fine job, there are times when it is a little obvious she isn’t a professional narrator (for example it’s very easy to tell when the audiobook goes from take to take, and there are moments when the sound quality changes slightly or sounds off.)
Troublemaker by Joseph Hansen
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is the third in Hansen's iconic detective series, snd TROUBLEMAKER has everthing I loved from the first two: vivid style, sharply drawn characters (seriously, Hansen is fantastic at evoking a living human being even with only a few lines), and tight pacing.
While chatting with a friend, I descibed Hansen's prose as 'dense' before realizing that wasn't quite what I meant--it's not difficult to get through at all. It is extremely efficient, tight, impactful, all without sacrificing imagery or becoming dry or tough to chew.
Even though they carry quite a bit of 70's flaws that don't quite gel with modern day sensibilities (the mandarin duck line.... oof) I really love the Brandstetter series. I read one or two every year and, so far, every one has delivered.
While chatting with a friend, I descibed Hansen's prose as 'dense' before realizing that wasn't quite what I meant--it's not difficult to get through at all. It is extremely efficient, tight, impactful, all without sacrificing imagery or becoming dry or tough to chew.
Even though they carry quite a bit of 70's flaws that don't quite gel with modern day sensibilities (the mandarin duck line.... oof) I really love the Brandstetter series. I read one or two every year and, so far, every one has delivered.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
5.0
I'm in lesbians with Murderbot
Body by Asa Nonami
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’ve had this book on my shelf for… gosh, six years now? It was suggested by my creative writing professor (shoutout Jim) because he knew I love body horror and fiction about obsession.
While I am glad I read it, I am sure that the contents were more shocking back when these stories were first published. Unfortunately, with the rise of the internet, the kind of intense body dysmorphia and strange obsessions are the sort of thing I have seen before, and the prose style (which was, as a disclaimer, translated from Japanese) did not carry it otherwise.
The two standout stories—and the ones that will stick with me—are “Blood” and “Jaw.” In “Blood,” a man with a knee fetish has marital problems when he gets caught groping women on the subway; in “Jaw,” (my personal favorite of the collection), a troubled young man who is constantly being beaten by older men becomes obsessed with boxing.
I am still very glad I read Bødy, but I don’t think it will be a collection I will return to.
[All opinions shared here are my own.]
While I am glad I read it, I am sure that the contents were more shocking back when these stories were first published. Unfortunately, with the rise of the internet, the kind of intense body dysmorphia and strange obsessions are the sort of thing I have seen before, and the prose style (which was, as a disclaimer, translated from Japanese) did not carry it otherwise.
The two standout stories—and the ones that will stick with me—are “Blood” and “Jaw.” In “Blood,” a man with a knee fetish has marital problems when he gets caught groping women on the subway; in “Jaw,” (my personal favorite of the collection), a troubled young man who is constantly being beaten by older men becomes obsessed with boxing.
I am still very glad I read Bødy, but I don’t think it will be a collection I will return to.
[All opinions shared here are my own.]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail
Body dysmorphia
The Bride Was a Boy by Chii
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
This is about the third time I've read this manga, and every time it's so sweet. While there are elements of the language that are either outdated or are not relevant to an American audience, and that may make some folks feel some type of way, I personally think that's a good thing. Everyone's experiences are going to be different, depending on where they are from and who they are.
In the end, it's comforting to read a transgender person's story, and hear that they made it through to happiness and love.
In the end, it's comforting to read a transgender person's story, and hear that they made it through to happiness and love.
Blood Relations by Clare McNally
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
Unironically? One of my favorite gothic horrors I’ve read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abandonment
Minor: Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping
Skin Horse, Volume Six by Shaenon K. Garrity, Jeffrey C. Wells
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
I really want to return to Skin Horse one day but at this point I just gotta accept it’s been several months and I just gotta accept I’m not getting back to it any time soon
Victim F: From Crime Victims to Suspects to Survivors by Aaron Quinn, Denise Huskins
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Cemetery Kids Don't Die #1 by Daniel Irizarri, Zac Thompson, Brittany Peer
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The pitch for Cemetary Kids Don't Die reminded me a bit of the anime Goodnight World, which is why I initially picked it up. Both are about kids that escape their fraught family lives into a VR MMO that hides a dark secret, and I hoped that Cemetary Kids Don't Die would bring what I was missing from Goodnight World (namely, likeable characters and a good plot [because, look, while Goodnight World is fun garbage, I wouldn't call its plot particularly engaging or unique]).
Cemetary Kids Don't Die did, for the most part, deliver on that! Although sometimes shitty to one another in the way that teens are, the main characters were really quite likable, especially the main character Birdie. After a car crash that killed her mother, Birdie is disabled, and uses a wheelchair--my favorite moment comes when one of her friends accuses her of being obsessed with the game Nightmare Cemetary because it allows her the full mobility that she no longer has in her waking life, which Birdie shuts down immediately.
The setting was also really interesting. A la eXistenZ, there is a splash of bio-tech horror with the eerily fleshy Dreamwave, the gaming console that the kids put on at night. The game's visuals are delightfully busy, with gorgeous art and lush colors that really make it pop. I love the kid's avatars--they feel very accurate to what edgy teens would make for themselves--and while the mechanics of Nightmare Cemetary are a bit up in the air (is it an MMO or a multi-player game? How do the levels work?), the fact it doesn't really quite read like a functioning video game doesn't really matter much.
Ultimately, reading this novel really brought me back to books I loved as a teen: Discordia (which absolutely no one else has ever read or remembers) and Malice.
The main issue stopping me from giving this a full five stars is the end. It felt rushed, unfulfilling, and a little rote. I'm not going to knock the creators for it, since the vibe it gave me was that the series was suddenly canceled and they had to wrap the story up quick, but it still left me feeling disappointed.
Cemetary Kids Don't Die did, for the most part, deliver on that! Although sometimes shitty to one another in the way that teens are, the main characters were really quite likable, especially the main character Birdie. After a car crash that killed her mother, Birdie is disabled, and uses a wheelchair--my favorite moment comes when one of her friends accuses her of being obsessed with the game Nightmare Cemetary because it allows her the full mobility that she no longer has in her waking life, which Birdie shuts down immediately.
The setting was also really interesting. A la eXistenZ, there is a splash of bio-tech horror with the eerily fleshy Dreamwave, the gaming console that the kids put on at night. The game's visuals are delightfully busy, with gorgeous art and lush colors that really make it pop. I love the kid's avatars--they feel very accurate to what edgy teens would make for themselves--and while the mechanics of Nightmare Cemetary are a bit up in the air (is it an MMO or a multi-player game? How do the levels work?), the fact it doesn't really quite read like a functioning video game doesn't really matter much.
Ultimately, reading this novel really brought me back to books I loved as a teen: Discordia (which absolutely no one else has ever read or remembers) and Malice.
The main issue stopping me from giving this a full five stars is the end. It felt rushed, unfulfilling, and a little rote. I'm not going to knock the creators for it, since the vibe it gave me was that the series was suddenly canceled and they had to wrap the story up quick, but it still left me feeling disappointed.