twistykris's reviews
186 reviews

William by Mason Coile

dark mysterious 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

3.75

I REALLY wanted to like this based on the creepy cover and the premise. But it just fell flat for me. It feels like it should have been either a short story or a full-length novel. I loved the concept of Smart House + haunted house, but it just couldn't keep me intrigued for a lot of it. Half of the characters (of which there is a small cast) felt underdeveloped and the jumping between POVs and locations within the house was strangely confusing at times.

I normally gravitate towards audiobooks, but for some reason this one just didn't hit the spot for me. I think it may have benefitted from sound effects (something I don't normally advocate for in audiobooks) and multiple narrators to really enhance the creepiness.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Infidelity and Pregnancy

Me (Moth) by Amber McBride

dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Car accident

Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Bullying, Racism, and Abandonment

Here and Gone by Haylen Beck

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Police brutality, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Pedophilia, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

Minor: Animal death, Drug abuse, and Pregnancy

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Blood

Moderate: Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicide, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicide, Blood, Medical trauma, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, and Death of parent

Open Throat by Henry Hoke

adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death, Gore, and Violence

Minor: Sexual content, Grief, and Car accident

Perfect Strangers by J.T. Geissinger

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, and Sexual content

Moderate: Gun violence, Terminal illness, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy

God of Malice by Rina Kent

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Grief, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, and Panic attacks/disorders

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

Lights Out by Navessa Allen

adventurous dark funny 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Medical content, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Cannibalism