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ribbenkast's reviews
87 reviews
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
It's weird rating someone's personal memoir, but I cannot give this anything else than 5 stars.
It's a horrific account of childhood abuse, the child entertainment industry and the fallout on one's mental health. Jennette McCurdy has spoken up and laid her whole soul bare. It's a witness account that should be used as an example by law-makers and everyone else in the industry.
On top of that, the writing is excellent. I wouldn't call any of the book funny but McCurdy's writing is bittersweet tongue in cheek. McCurdy has proven herself as an amazing writer. I couldn't put this book down
Even though it's non-fiction please check the trigger warnings and keep yourself save.
It's a horrific account of childhood abuse, the child entertainment industry and the fallout on one's mental health. Jennette McCurdy has spoken up and laid her whole soul bare. It's a witness account that should be used as an example by law-makers and everyone else in the industry.
On top of that, the writing is excellent. I wouldn't call any of the book funny but McCurdy's writing is bittersweet tongue in cheek. McCurdy has proven herself as an amazing writer. I couldn't put this book down
Even though it's non-fiction please check the trigger warnings and keep yourself save.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Grief, Death, Alcohol, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Terminal illness, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Addiction, Cancer, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Stalking, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, and Religious bigotry
How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book was really a mixed bag of things that the author did really well and things that went, not so great. If you like Killing Eve and simmilar media this might be a good book for you.
I picked this book up because I couldn't enter a single bookstore here in The Netherlands without this book being on full display front and center (probably because it recently got translated), to that I say it's a bit over-hyped. Given that it's Bella Mackie's first novel I am excited to see how her skills are going to devellop in the future.
I have a lot to say about this book so here we go :)
I want to start off with the things that where great about this book. It's not easy to write a book in a non-chronological timeline, and yet Bella Mackie has pulled that of greatly. The pacing of this book is great, there's never a dull moment. Furthermore, I really like the writing style and the character's voice, every sentence was pure gold. The murders were creative and it was fun watching the plan and the excution (ha!) unfold.
But, the book lost me a bit in the middle. I still struggle to find the writer's intent. The main character Grace, to me at least, is not a likable girlboss anti-hero she was set up to be (by the marketing of this book). Whilst continueing to read, I found her to be a spoiled brat, uninteresting, fake deep and a raging hypocrite and I kind off had to stop rooting for her. It's still unclear to me if this was the author's intent for this character. Are we supposed to root for her and did Bella Mackie fail to make a likable character? Or are we supposed to dislike Grace too? In that case Mackie did an excellent job.
Grace's "feminist" opinions display an incredible lack of intersectionality. All of this could and would be fine, unreliable narrotors you're supposed to disagree with exist for a reason. However, given the paralles between Grace and the author in real live, I fear that some of these opions are not meant as a way to show how self-centered Grace really is. Rather, Mackie seems to use Grace as a mouth piece for her own (white) feminist views. This doesn't work on two levels: 1. The narrator is unreliable, any opion voiced by such a narrator is immeditatly subject to further questioning and 2. The opions are just not good, white feminism. TO BE CLEAR: I'm hoping I misjudged Mackie's character here and that all of these bad opinions are just to display how Grace is not a good person, let alone a feminst, while she pretents to be one. Unfortunatly, the opinions are not insane enough and could've and probably have been published in a Vogue or Vice article. (Publications Mackie writes for)
Either way, this book is a excellent satire of white feminsm and human entitlement. It's unclear to me if the writer is in on the joke herself.
Beyond the midway point though, you can tell that Grace is supposed to be insane and go off the deep end a little. This is where the book picks up the pace again. If you halfway through want to give up on this book (I know I did, but I'm stubborn) don't. If you made it that far, it's worth it to read on.
The (twist) ending was, just like the rest of the book a bit of a mixed bag. The ending was fitting, it wrapped up the story nicely and it could've worked really well. My only problem with it, is that it came out of nowhere. An ending like that could've (should've) been forshadowed in many places earlier in the book. Moments a reader can look back on and go: Ah, now that makes sense! Mackie seemed to have forgotten to go back after her first manuscript to do that which made the ending feel very tacked on. Shame, because other than that, it was a great twist. I liked that Grace's distand attitude, and dismissal of other people's intelect collapsed in on itself. Truly what she deserverd
This book was fun. Pick it up if you want a thriller-comedy and want to be entertained for a few hours.
I picked this book up because I couldn't enter a single bookstore here in The Netherlands without this book being on full display front and center (probably because it recently got translated), to that I say it's a bit over-hyped. Given that it's Bella Mackie's first novel I am excited to see how her skills are going to devellop in the future.
I have a lot to say about this book so here we go :)
I want to start off with the things that where great about this book. It's not easy to write a book in a non-chronological timeline, and yet Bella Mackie has pulled that of greatly. The pacing of this book is great, there's never a dull moment. Furthermore, I really like the writing style and the character's voice, every sentence was pure gold. The murders were creative and it was fun watching the plan and the excution (ha!) unfold.
But, the book lost me a bit in the middle. I still struggle to find the writer's intent. The main character Grace, to me at least, is not a likable girlboss anti-hero she was set up to be (by the marketing of this book). Whilst continueing to read, I found her to be a spoiled brat, uninteresting, fake deep and a raging hypocrite and I kind off had to stop rooting for her. It's still unclear to me if this was the author's intent for this character. Are we supposed to root for her and did Bella Mackie fail to make a likable character? Or are we supposed to dislike Grace too? In that case Mackie did an excellent job.
Grace's "feminist" opinions display an incredible lack of intersectionality. All of this could and would be fine, unreliable narrotors you're supposed to disagree with exist for a reason. However, given the paralles between Grace and the author in real live, I fear that some of these opions are not meant as a way to show how self-centered Grace really is. Rather, Mackie seems to use Grace as a mouth piece for her own (white) feminist views. This doesn't work on two levels: 1. The narrator is unreliable, any opion voiced by such a narrator is immeditatly subject to further questioning and 2. The opions are just not good, white feminism. TO BE CLEAR: I'm hoping I misjudged Mackie's character here and that all of these bad opinions are just to display how Grace is not a good person, let alone a feminst, while she pretents to be one. Unfortunatly, the opinions are not insane enough and could've and probably have been published in a Vogue or Vice article. (Publications Mackie writes for)
Either way, this book is a excellent satire of white feminsm and human entitlement. It's unclear to me if the writer is in on the joke herself.
Beyond the midway point though, you can tell that Grace is supposed to be insane and go off the deep end a little. This is where the book picks up the pace again. If you halfway through want to give up on this book (I know I did, but I'm stubborn) don't. If you made it that far, it's worth it to read on.
The (twist) ending was, just like the rest of the book a bit of a mixed bag. The ending was fitting, it wrapped up the story nicely and it could've worked really well. My only problem with it, is that it came out of nowhere. An ending like that could've (should've) been forshadowed in many places earlier in the book. Moments a reader can look back on and go: Ah, now that makes sense! Mackie seemed to have forgotten to go back after her first manuscript to do that which made the ending feel very tacked on. Shame, because other than that, it was a great twist.
This book was fun. Pick it up if you want a thriller-comedy and want to be entertained for a few hours.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Death of parent, Torture, Violence, Death, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Cursing, Body shaming, Ableism, Car accident, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Grief
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
T. Kingfisher has wat I call 'Writer's delight'. It's a certain writing style from which every word springs a sense that the author has enjoyed every moment they got to spend writing this book.
In just about 170 pages Kingfisher crafts an amazing rich country with its own costums, culture and even language/grammer system. Although the book be short, every single character is a joy to get to know and read about.
The story is a beautiful classic horror tale. If you're in a reading slump this is bound to pull you out of it.
In just about 170 pages Kingfisher crafts an amazing rich country with its own costums, culture and even language/grammer system. Although the book be short, every single character is a joy to get to know and read about.
The story is a beautiful classic horror tale. If you're in a reading slump this is bound to pull you out of it.
The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I have never felt dread as I've felt whilst reading this book. T.. Kingfisher is a master of crafting horrors beyond human comprehension.
The first word that comes to mind after finishing this book is clever. T. Kingfisher has managed to craft an amazing narrative through the use of props from a different dimension and the backdrop of something so mundane as a divorce.
Beyond this book giving me a genuine spook, the characters are all a delight to read about. The narrator Kara has a distinct voice and she's funny. In fact most dialogue and internal monologue is incredibly clever, funny and entertaining to read. None of this takes away from the terror and frightfulness of the situation the characters find themselves in.
This book is creative, clever, scary and fun. If you're looking for the perfect lovecraftian Horror book, you've found it.
Also: Fuck Mark, me and all my homies hate that piece of shit ex-husband Mark
The first word that comes to mind after finishing this book is clever. T. Kingfisher has managed to craft an amazing narrative through the use of props from a different dimension and the backdrop of something so mundane as a divorce.
Beyond this book giving me a genuine spook, the characters are all a delight to read about. The narrator Kara has a distinct voice and she's funny. In fact most dialogue and internal monologue is incredibly clever, funny and entertaining to read. None of this takes away from the terror and frightfulness of the situation the characters find themselves in.
This book is creative, clever, scary and fun. If you're looking for the perfect lovecraftian Horror book, you've found it.
Also:
Uzumaki by Junji Ito
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
It's a classic for a reason. A must read for every horror fan. The art is so wonderfully done, it made me actually nauseous sometimes.
As always with horror, check the various trigger warnings and take care of yourself!
As always with horror, check the various trigger warnings and take care of yourself!
The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Immediately, I was very interested by the premise of this book. Right from the start, although the subject matter is quite dark I was having so much fun reading it. However the book took a little while to convince me it was not only fun but also clever and good. The ending was worth it though.
The premise: 25 years ago Ireland got cut off from the rest of the world and now every teenager at one point in their live gets "called" and transported to the Grey Land/the fae realm where they have to survive being hunted for sport by vengeful sadistic Sìdhe/fae is amazing. This premise has also major implications for how society will shape itself around this conundrum. A good example is that we follow a physically disabled main character who got polio as a young child because there weren't any vaccines. That's good world building and I'm so happy to read some good disability rep.
This is also where the book gets a little bit frustrating sometimes. You can tell O'Guilan is a good world builder. I'm willing to bet they've written up a Lore Bible and a many page document about the history of the Sìdhe and how the Irish society and its politics as it's currently functioning within the book. However all this clever world building is mostly hidden within throwaway lines from random characters in favor of showing of the teen drama.
The book has some of the most creative body horror I've seen in a while. However, in a lot cases the scene fades to black to soon. Afterwards the body horror is only described as "terrible" by the other characters without further details. I understand that the author was probably going for "nothing's worse than your own imagination" trope, but I do think O'Guilan missed and excellent opportunity to show just how sadistic and twisted the Sìdhe are.
Both of these issues could've been resolved by making the book 30-50 pages longer. And I would've gladly read it. I'm picking up part 2 soon. 7.8/10 - 4/5⭐
P.S. It's horror, please check the trigger warnings and take care of yourself!
The premise: 25 years ago Ireland got cut off from the rest of the world and now every teenager at one point in their live gets "called" and transported to the Grey Land/the fae realm where they have to survive being hunted for sport by vengeful sadistic Sìdhe/fae is amazing. This premise has also major implications for how society will shape itself around this conundrum. A good example is that we follow a physically disabled main character who got polio as a young child because there weren't any vaccines. That's good world building and I'm so happy to read some good disability rep.
This is also where the book gets a little bit frustrating sometimes. You can tell O'Guilan is a good world builder. I'm willing to bet they've written up a Lore Bible and a many page document about the history of the Sìdhe and how the Irish society and its politics as it's currently functioning within the book. However all this clever world building is mostly hidden within throwaway lines from random characters in favor of showing of the teen drama.
The book has some of the most creative body horror I've seen in a while. However, in a lot cases the scene fades to black to soon. Afterwards the body horror is only described as "terrible" by the other characters without further details. I understand that the author was probably going for "nothing's worse than your own imagination" trope, but I do think O'Guilan missed and excellent opportunity to show just how sadistic and twisted the Sìdhe are.
Both of these issues could've been resolved by making the book 30-50 pages longer. And I would've gladly read it. I'm picking up part 2 soon. 7.8/10 - 4/5⭐
P.S. It's horror, please check the trigger warnings and take care of yourself!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Ableism, Body horror, Violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Death, Confinement, Blood, Alcohol, Addiction, Chronic illness, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Child death, Abandonment, Colonisation, Genocide, Violence, Mass/school shootings, War, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, Confinement, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-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
This review is edited after I sat with the book a little while and read some other litterary analyses of the book. Initially I gave it 5/5 now it's 4/5 stars.
Reading this book was like pulling teeth, i finished it in 1 sitting.
The book is from the perspective of Juniper who steals her deceased friend's manuscript and passes it off as her own. Juniper throughout the book is completely delusional, self centered, and intentionally oblivious to the harm she's doing. She's so dislikable, it often made this book hard to read, which is a good thing. Juniper is unfortunately, a very realistic depiction of a white woman who thinks she can't be racist because she voted for biden.
This book is a great call out to the publishing industry and It's racist practises. It also makes you reflect on your own prejudice when it comes to asian authors and stories and aks a lot of questions about race and story telling.
Edit to add:
My one criticism is with R.F. Kuang herself. It's clear that Athena is a stand in for herself. A lot of the criticism Athena gets is criticism Kuang herself has gotten. Such as Racist/insensitive depictions of Taiwanese people in her work, having a very priveleged upbringing which made it easier to focus on writting and not acknowledging that etc. By having these (often valid) criticisms be voiced by Juniper, they are voiced by a jealous hater, and therefore Kuang sets out to invalidate and deflect the criticism of herself. Just something to keep in mind while reading.
Reading this book was like pulling teeth, i finished it in 1 sitting.
The book is from the perspective of Juniper who steals her deceased friend's manuscript and passes it off as her own. Juniper throughout the book is completely delusional, self centered, and intentionally oblivious to the harm she's doing. She's so dislikable, it often made this book hard to read, which is a good thing. Juniper is unfortunately, a very realistic depiction of a white woman who thinks she can't be racist because she voted for biden.
This book is a great call out to the publishing industry and It's racist practises. It also makes you reflect on your own prejudice when it comes to asian authors and stories and aks a lot of questions about race and story telling.
Edit to add:
My one criticism is with R.F. Kuang herself. It's clear that Athena is a stand in for herself. A lot of the criticism Athena gets is criticism Kuang herself has gotten. Such as Racist/insensitive depictions of Taiwanese people in her work, having a very priveleged upbringing which made it easier to focus on writting and not acknowledging that etc. By having these (often valid) criticisms be voiced by Juniper, they are voiced by a jealous hater, and therefore Kuang sets out to invalidate and deflect the criticism of herself. Just something to keep in mind while reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Stalking, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, and Hate crime
Minor: Sexual assault, Eating disorder, and Suicidal thoughts
You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
What a disappointment! I was looking for a quick read and after seeing a lot of praise for Cinderella isn't dead by the same author I thought I should give this book a chance. I'll never trust Tiktok to tell me which author's are good ever again.
The characters were shallow stereotypes of teens who talk in a way an old person thinks teens talk, with refrences that are already outdated by the time the book was published. Other dialogue was just put there to be blatend exposition to the audience and felt so unnatural.
The summary made it seem like this book was going to be a meta-commentary about horror and slashers, like Scream or Cabin in the woods. However it was anything but, in fact it seemed like the author doesn't have an understanding of how horror works at all. The admittedly creative setting of a slasher-movie recreation camp was underused and might've well not been there, even though it's the selling point of the book. The only reason I kept reading was because of the way it was set up. I was waiting for the book to suddenly become clever, for all of the shitty almost parody like dialogue to suddenly make sense. it never did.
Despite the book being only 220 pages, almost nothing happens in the first 130-150. After that things are happening so quick and badly planned out un-forshadowed "twists" keep being thrown at you, you barely have time to process them. The twists don't work anyway because none of the characters who are "in on" the twist have behaved in line with their true intentions. None of their previous actions make sense in light of this new information, even if their intention was trying to trick the main characters (and by extend the reader.)
In the end it was just a simple slasher story that does nothing new with the genre and falls apart when you think about it too much. I have no interest in reading another book by Kalynn Bayron, maybe she's better in a different genre but I have low hopes. If this is the horror she writes, she should've stuck to fantasy.
The characters were shallow stereotypes of teens who talk in a way an old person thinks teens talk, with refrences that are already outdated by the time the book was published. Other dialogue was just put there to be blatend exposition to the audience and felt so unnatural.
The summary made it seem like this book was going to be a meta-commentary about horror and slashers, like Scream or Cabin in the woods. However it was anything but, in fact it seemed like the author doesn't have an understanding of how horror works at all. The admittedly creative setting of a slasher-movie recreation camp was underused and might've well not been there, even though it's the selling point of the book. The only reason I kept reading was because of the way it was set up. I was waiting for the book to suddenly become clever, for all of the shitty almost parody like dialogue to suddenly make sense. it never did.
Despite the book being only 220 pages, almost nothing happens in the first 130-150. After that things are happening so quick and badly planned out un-forshadowed "twists" keep being thrown at you, you barely have time to process them. The twists don't work anyway because none of the characters who are "in on" the twist have behaved in line with their true intentions. None of their previous actions make sense in light of this new information, even if their intention was trying to trick the main characters (and by extend the reader.)
In the end it was just a simple slasher story that does nothing new with the genre and falls apart when you think about it too much. I have no interest in reading another book by Kalynn Bayron, maybe she's better in a different genre but I have low hopes. If this is the horror she writes, she should've stuck to fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, Body horror, Gore, Murder, and Torture