smalltowncreepy's reviews
73 reviews

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias

dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Violence

Occult Detective, The - A Short Story Collection: A classic short story collection about detectives that hunt criminals of the supernatural and occult variety by Gertrude Minnie Robins, Kate Pritchard Hughes, Rose Champion De Crespigny, Dion Fortune (psevd. for Violet Mary Firth), Allen Upward, Rudyard Kipling, Algernon Blackwood, William Hope Hodgson, Arabella Kenealy, L T Meade

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

adventurous 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

3.0

The Flesh of the Sea by Lor Gislason, Shelley Lavigne

adventurous hopeful fast-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? No

5.0

We Need to Do Something by Max Booth III

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Domestic abuse

You, Human: An Anthology of Dark Science Fiction by Stephen King, Josh Malerman

challenging dark reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism

Come Closer by Sara Gran

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I'm not a huge fan of possession stories because honestly I'm tired of Christian mythology in horror but I was intrigued by this one because its in the POV of the possessed.

I'm glad I read it. 
Recommend for fans of Rosemary's Baby or people who, like me, are tired of the same possession narratives and want something new.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, and Blood

Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Poetic and dark and draining and glorious. 

I am a fan of Sofia Ajram's work since reading Bury Your Gays anthology.
When I saw the book trailer for Coup de Grace, I immediately wanted to read it. Liminal spaces are a favorite trope of mine and this felt like Back Rooms only darker. While it is that, it is so much more. The twists and turns felt like The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper but with a far more claustrophobic and unrelenting story line.
Ajram's poetic language is soporific and lulls the reader into a dream-like state to skim the surface of the main character, Vicken's own depression and existential terror. There were moments I was worried this story would leave me in a fugue state afterwards and wondered if I should stop reading for my own mental health. I kept going though. 
The end, with its choose your own adventure style and fourth-wall breaking point of view was brilliant.
I can tell this book will be sticking with me like cement dust in my pockets for a very long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

The Haunting of Gillespie House by Darcy Coates

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

They don't make plus size spacesuits by Ali Thompson

dark emotional 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

5.0