This is a hard book to rate for a lot of reasons. The writing was well done and Claudia really grew throughout the events of the book, but man it was hard to read. This book is HEAVY and so sad and all I wanted at the end was

for Monday and August to get the help they needed before they died.

Reading the scenes when they were found were horrible. My stomach dropped and I sat there in shock and horror as I continued to read.

A well-written book evokes emotion, and this book absolutely did that but it feels hard and wrong to rate or critique. I feel like a friend told me a story that really happened from their childhood and all I can do is sit in horror and soak it in.

Content Warnings

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

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adventurous challenging dark funny tense fast-paced

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

3.75

This book was interesting, to say the least. As someone who lives in the area, reading about the locales was strange, but not in a bad way. Eerily familiar. Read for my horror book club (and also bc I love Grady Hendrix’s writing). Would read it again.

Content Warnings

Fangs by Sarah Andersen

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

This was cute.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

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mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Last night I went to a murder mystery dinner and on my comment card after, I wrote that it was unhinged and that’s exactly how I felt about this book. It was a wild ride in the second half and a slow burn in the first, and I absolutely do not understand the ending.

Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying

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emotional sad tense fast-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

1.75

Listen okay i really wanted to like this one. The art was lovely but the message was frankly terrible. Im sick of books about abusive parents who “did the best they could.” Hard pass from me.

Content Warnings

Sadie by Courtney Summers

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

This one was heavy, for sure. I listened to it on audio, which was fantastic for the podcast element of the story. It was full cast, which I loved, and I thoroughly recommend the audio if you can listen to it that way.

Content Warnings

A Year in Tokyo by Christy Anne Jones

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hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

4.5

This was a cute little memoir/travel guide to Tokyo, and definitely one that I plan to add to my personal collection. This book made me want to quit my job and move to Japan on a whim just do see if I could make it.

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taylorthebookwitch's reviews 229 reviews

taylorthebookwitch's reviews
229 reviews