twistingsnake's reviews
283 reviews

You'd Look Better as a Ghost by Joanna Wallace

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

When ordinary people unplug themselves from the grid of inauthenticity and speak honestly, they almost become endearing.

In many ways You'd Look Better as a Ghost is a usual suspect of the "women disconnected from society express themselves through brutal killings" genre. It's a fun read, but not necessarily anything groundbreaking from its source. At least that's how I felt until we got to the halfway point of the book and I realized that it does something the genre is adverse too: highlighting the human experience of its protagonist while, very literally, letting her get away with murder.  In many ways, this is a book about grief. It's about seeing yourself in people you don't understand, or necessarily like because you've experienced the same terrible thing. 

Claire is not a good person and she knows this. She is surrounded by people who do see themselves a good people, but she knows better. It's the grief that humanizes her and, by association, the people around her. It doesn't save them all, of course. Claire is able to see the humanity in a person she's set on killing, but she still sees it. I feel like this genre is prone to making killers disconnected from all aspects of the human experience outside the desire for violence. Wallace has a different approach. Claire and the people she kills are two sides of the same coin, and they see themselves in her as much as she sees themselves in then. It's a fun read and if you enjoy reading about female serial killers doing the most, you'll enjoy it. There's just more to it than that though, and I really appreciated that layer. 

Spirit Faces: Truth about the Afterlife by Mark Macy

informative lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

3.0

I can't say I came out of this book believing in spirit photography, but Macy's curation of experiences around the afterlife and how our physical world impacts it was very interesting to me. I found a lot of my beliefs represented and explained, and there were some stand out portions that enriched my own worldview for sure. Again, the weakest part of the book was the spirit photography itself. I could be the result of a new generation who requires a wound to stick my fingers into for proof, but I just did not see the dead within the blurred photographs. I did think that the idea of Walt Disney being trapped between the physical and spiritual world because he was cryogenically frozen to be very, very funny though. I can adapt that into my belief system, easy. 

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 3 by Ryoko Kui

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

I really loved the art in this volume in particular. I think this is the first volume where I preferred the manga to the show if not just because Kui has such a knack for drawing big monsters. There's so much thought and consideration put into the structure of her world. I loved all the dynamics between our main cast and the other characters. She really is a master of showing over telling. This series really is so special. 

Merciless Saviors by H.E. Edgmon

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

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

2.5

As much as I loved the first book, I really struggled with this one. I feel like everything I forgave in the first was something I found tedious and annoying in the second. I fully understand why a pantheon of gods would spend their eternity trying to destroy our protagonist. Still, I was moved by the ending. As a queer person who struggles with dissociation and identity, there is something very real and raw about Edgmon's depiction of that experience. This is a clearly very personal piece and while I didn't like it very much as a whole, I can appreciate and respect that vulnerability. 

Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke

adventurous challenging informative lighthearted reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

A knight does not protect the truth; he lives inside it and the truth protects him. 

A short but significant collection of small wisdoms. 

Deadpool & Death Annual by Joe Kelly, Steve Harris, Reggie Jones

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.5

I think this is the best Deadpool comic I've ever read. He really is best when he's philosophizing about being the universe's full-time luckless wonder. His relationship with Death is one of my favorite aspect of his narrative and their story is so thematic and satisfying in a way that comics don't usually have the heart for. 

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.

well first, she’s SEVENTEEN. The world building is incredible as it is in all of Roberson’s work but the romance is the weakest part of a story that is exclusively romance driven. Also she’s SEVENTEEN. 

The People of the Abyss by Jack London

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

A damning look into the realities of the slums and also an introspective in the ways that poverty and classism haven’t changed. I read this as a research material for writing and I found it applicable and helpful in regards to detail and perspective. 

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 2 by Ryoko Kui

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.0

Nobody can truly understand what a monster is thinking. 

I really appreciate how quickly and effectively Dungeon Meshi endears you to its characters and worlds. The fact that this is only volume two and already everyone and everything feels so lived in. If the first volume was charming if not a little lacking, this volume really has an excellent balance of character work and intriguing story beats. I'm reading this while waiting for new episodes, and it's fun seeing little details I missed in early episodes and seeing how they come up later within the greater story. 

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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? Yes

5.0