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versmonesprit's reviews
216 reviews
Nestlings by Nat Cassidy
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
0.25
I hate that I’m writing this review, because the author seems to be such a sweet person. I loved his afterword, and that made me question why he wasn’t the one narrating this audiobook, because I think half of the fault lies in the narrator.
I found the book boring, and that’s pretty much it. I’m yet to read Rosemary’s Baby so I can’t comment on the comparisons, but I’m currently reading ‘Salem’s Lot and I can say that they’re alike at least in that they’re both books that somehow manage to make vampires completely uninteresting. As someone who has read several True Blood books and the Twilight saga, I would rate Nestlings far below either.
The book fails to create tension, atmosphere, and any bond with the characters to the point I wish they were all killed off on page 2 so we could just move onto a better story. Mentions of Amazon, Covid, and Beyoncé immediately dated this book for me, which could be fun if the setting were retro, but is just annoying when it’s within the last 3 years. If I enjoyed this timeline, I would read less and go live in it more, so no thanks for anything that dates itself in the last 15 or so years.
I’m not sure if this would be my exact experience had I read the book myself, because my God, what a horrendous narrator! I sped up immediately, and even at 3x the book was torturously long! The reading pace was all over the place, and I was profoundly repulsed by the creepy whispery voice she made, which was so unwarranted??? It made me want to throw up.
I found the book boring, and that’s pretty much it. I’m yet to read Rosemary’s Baby so I can’t comment on the comparisons, but I’m currently reading ‘Salem’s Lot and I can say that they’re alike at least in that they’re both books that somehow manage to make vampires completely uninteresting. As someone who has read several True Blood books and the Twilight saga, I would rate Nestlings far below either.
The book fails to create tension, atmosphere, and any bond with the characters to the point I wish they were all killed off on page 2 so we could just move onto a better story. Mentions of Amazon, Covid, and Beyoncé immediately dated this book for me, which could be fun if the setting were retro, but is just annoying when it’s within the last 3 years. If I enjoyed this timeline, I would read less and go live in it more, so no thanks for anything that dates itself in the last 15 or so years.
I’m not sure if this would be my exact experience had I read the book myself, because my God, what a horrendous narrator! I sped up immediately, and even at 3x the book was torturously long! The reading pace was all over the place, and I was profoundly repulsed by the creepy whispery voice she made, which was so unwarranted??? It made me want to throw up.
THE SWIFTS by Beth Lincoln
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
More than anything, what delighted me so much about The Swifts was seeing a children’s book that could have well been written in the 90s or the early 00s! Obviously I mean this as a compliment of the highest rank: at the face of the beige-ification of everything, including the content and illustrations of books intended for kids, a book as vibrant and kooky in its characterisation, setting and plotting as The Swifts was the most welcome unexpected joy. I would have devoured it with glee as a kid, and being able to see that potential as an adult says a lot in itself too! While I felt it dragged a bit at times, kids will surely lose themselves in the intrigue and atmosphere of this unique take on a murder mystery set in the family mansion.
The Swift family’s peculiarities were almost like a mix of Roald Dahl, Addams Family, and A Series of Unfortunate Events, all of which have stood the test of time as brilliant entertainment for children and adults alike. I see no reason why The Swifts would not find itself a place in that pantheon.
Beth Lincoln brings her characters to life, draws her readers in, and creates a world in which words play such a part that no nerd will be able to resist the cosy charm of The Swifts. BIG love to Lincoln for weaving this tale that centres on the discovery of identity, and includes trans and non-binary acceptance as part of that!
You can all bet your behinds I will be reading the second book!!
The Swift family’s peculiarities were almost like a mix of Roald Dahl, Addams Family, and A Series of Unfortunate Events, all of which have stood the test of time as brilliant entertainment for children and adults alike. I see no reason why The Swifts would not find itself a place in that pantheon.
Beth Lincoln brings her characters to life, draws her readers in, and creates a world in which words play such a part that no nerd will be able to resist the cosy charm of The Swifts. BIG love to Lincoln for weaving this tale that centres on the discovery of identity, and includes trans and non-binary acceptance as part of that!
You can all bet your behinds I will be reading the second book!!
Rare Beasts by Charles Ogden
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Rediscovering and trying to reconnect with your childhood’s precious moments can sometimes be a bad idea.
Edgar and Ellen hovered somewhere in my mind through all these years, ever linked to the image of my elementary school’s cosy library where I felt the most at home. I remember flying through Rare Beasts which I fully credit with awakening in me the first embers of the macabre. At a time I was growing increasingly apart from my early childhood’s more saccharine stories and interests, and as such from my classmates, Rare Beasts was a connection, an acceptance, a proof that my changing taste in books (as well as music and aesthetics) was not “weird,” but surely a part of something, something valid in the wider world. Over the years, it has become clear to me that nothing can ever be more important for a child.
So at a time I found myself getting a bit disillusioned with reading, losing my every day joy, feeling somber overall, I thought I’d once again find shelter in Rare Beasts, which I had finally managed to recall and find a few months ago. With its inextricable synonymity to my elementary school’s library, my childhood fortress, an unending source of warm memories, I was sure I would be in for a great time.
What I found couldn’t be farther from what had remained of it in my mind. Of course I, now an adult nearing my 30s, was not expecting anything beyond a children’s book, but that’s exactly why I was as disappointed! I think back then I was so desperate for something to feed the seeds of my ‘emo phase’ which was rising in the horizon, I held onto the imagery of the “evil” twins without caring much for an engrossing reading experience. Children’s books should always provide some sort of entertainment, even if a bittersweet one! Rare Beasts was exhausting to drag through. It was neither fun nor particularly entertaining, and instead relied on the adult characters being unbelievably dumb, such as a zoologist who’s incapable of recognising tinsel and paint on household animals. I do not like it when any book treats its reader as an idiot, and I think it’s even worse when a children’s book hinges on children being gullible. We can treat children as capable of basic intelligence, and give them stories that have a more complex plot or premise that can be supported by logic, and even in a fantasy world setting, I don’t think as many adults would be incapable of recognising Christmas lights when they see said lights on an animal! Everyone would be able to tell inorganic material from organic matter, so maybe go the extra length of making your characters work harder to craft something that could be actually convincing?
Maybe I took it all the harder because this current disappointment retroactively diminished a key moment of my childhood, but expecting something devilish and finding something as low effort as this really ruined October all the more. I will still likely read the other books I can find, and I was happy to at least see that I still love Pet, by far the most fun aspect of the book!
Edgar and Ellen hovered somewhere in my mind through all these years, ever linked to the image of my elementary school’s cosy library where I felt the most at home. I remember flying through Rare Beasts which I fully credit with awakening in me the first embers of the macabre. At a time I was growing increasingly apart from my early childhood’s more saccharine stories and interests, and as such from my classmates, Rare Beasts was a connection, an acceptance, a proof that my changing taste in books (as well as music and aesthetics) was not “weird,” but surely a part of something, something valid in the wider world. Over the years, it has become clear to me that nothing can ever be more important for a child.
So at a time I found myself getting a bit disillusioned with reading, losing my every day joy, feeling somber overall, I thought I’d once again find shelter in Rare Beasts, which I had finally managed to recall and find a few months ago. With its inextricable synonymity to my elementary school’s library, my childhood fortress, an unending source of warm memories, I was sure I would be in for a great time.
What I found couldn’t be farther from what had remained of it in my mind. Of course I, now an adult nearing my 30s, was not expecting anything beyond a children’s book, but that’s exactly why I was as disappointed! I think back then I was so desperate for something to feed the seeds of my ‘emo phase’ which was rising in the horizon, I held onto the imagery of the “evil” twins without caring much for an engrossing reading experience. Children’s books should always provide some sort of entertainment, even if a bittersweet one! Rare Beasts was exhausting to drag through. It was neither fun nor particularly entertaining, and instead relied on the adult characters being unbelievably dumb, such as a zoologist who’s incapable of recognising tinsel and paint on household animals. I do not like it when any book treats its reader as an idiot, and I think it’s even worse when a children’s book hinges on children being gullible. We can treat children as capable of basic intelligence, and give them stories that have a more complex plot or premise that can be supported by logic, and even in a fantasy world setting, I don’t think as many adults would be incapable of recognising Christmas lights when they see said lights on an animal! Everyone would be able to tell inorganic material from organic matter, so maybe go the extra length of making your characters work harder to craft something that could be actually convincing?
Maybe I took it all the harder because this current disappointment retroactively diminished a key moment of my childhood, but expecting something devilish and finding something as low effort as this really ruined October all the more. I will still likely read the other books I can find, and I was happy to at least see that I still love Pet, by far the most fun aspect of the book!
The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
One thing you should know about me is that when I say I love fantasy, I mean probably 3 or 4 book series at most. I love fantasy only when it’s really good, and anything less feels childish to me.
So when you factor in the fact that The Hexologists is nowhere near the sort of fantasy I love (which is heavily political and 100% medieval-inspired) the picture painted should be worth a thousand words: Josiah Bancroft must be a hexologist himself, because I really enjoyed The Hexologists, and already can’t wait for more books to come!
I read this book for work, and the reason it’s not a 5-star read is because I didn’t feel like I had to stop speed-reading it to revert to my usual, personal snail pace. I think that comes down to the book not being the sort of treacherous fantasy full of either political intrigue or deeper philosophy. Not every book has to be that, and if anything, making me love a book that doesn’t fall into these categories is an even harder feat to accomplish!
The Hexologists comes as a unique example in contemporary fantasy, which has unfortunately been bastardised and undeservingly appropriated by the romance and smut genres, the latter of which is, let’s be fucking real for a second, actually just porn. The main characters are a couple who are in love (and the book is very transparent about that) but never once does Bancroft steer into the territory of romance. Thank you for showing that actual fantasy can be written, and romance is never a necessary component of a story, even when it centres a couple in love! What a much needed breath of fresh air!
Another unique factor comes in the setting, which is fully inspired by steampunk aesthetics. Here too I think there was a slight missed opportunity: while Bancroft’s writing makes his vision clear and obvious, I think there could be more details to make it truly atmospheric. I’ve loved steampunk ever since I was a kid, and the setting of The Hexologists reached into my heart to carve a cosy corner for itself. Steampunk fantasy is definitely something the world needs more of!
The final point in which The Hexologists thankfully differs from the mainstream market books is their pathetic attempt to beg for a movie/TV deal, in which authors will write unnecessary descriptions like a child. The Hexologists gives only what is necessary to paint a scene, and yet, if any contemporary fantasy deserves a cinematic deal, it’s hands down this lovely book! I would gratefully gobble up 24 seasons of a different little adventure each episode! I loved the humour and soft world-building, the characters and their dynamics, maybe even more than the plot. That’s why I would never get tired of this book series, because Bancroft forges a relationship between the reader and the essential elements of a book series, which is never the plot that will inevitably grow and change from book to book, but the lore and the setting and characters you end up personally caring about.
I’m not sure if this would be considered “cosy fantasy,” but it surely filled my heart with the warmth of a hug from a close friend. (For all you map addicts, there’s not only a map but also a chart too!) I need Josiah Bancroft to push out a new Hexologists book every 6 months, please and thank you.
So when you factor in the fact that The Hexologists is nowhere near the sort of fantasy I love (which is heavily political and 100% medieval-inspired) the picture painted should be worth a thousand words: Josiah Bancroft must be a hexologist himself, because I really enjoyed The Hexologists, and already can’t wait for more books to come!
I read this book for work, and the reason it’s not a 5-star read is because I didn’t feel like I had to stop speed-reading it to revert to my usual, personal snail pace. I think that comes down to the book not being the sort of treacherous fantasy full of either political intrigue or deeper philosophy. Not every book has to be that, and if anything, making me love a book that doesn’t fall into these categories is an even harder feat to accomplish!
The Hexologists comes as a unique example in contemporary fantasy, which has unfortunately been bastardised and undeservingly appropriated by the romance and smut genres, the latter of which is, let’s be fucking real for a second, actually just porn. The main characters are a couple who are in love (and the book is very transparent about that) but never once does Bancroft steer into the territory of romance. Thank you for showing that actual fantasy can be written, and romance is never a necessary component of a story, even when it centres a couple in love! What a much needed breath of fresh air!
Another unique factor comes in the setting, which is fully inspired by steampunk aesthetics. Here too I think there was a slight missed opportunity: while Bancroft’s writing makes his vision clear and obvious, I think there could be more details to make it truly atmospheric. I’ve loved steampunk ever since I was a kid, and the setting of The Hexologists reached into my heart to carve a cosy corner for itself. Steampunk fantasy is definitely something the world needs more of!
The final point in which The Hexologists thankfully differs from the mainstream market books is their pathetic attempt to beg for a movie/TV deal, in which authors will write unnecessary descriptions like a child. The Hexologists gives only what is necessary to paint a scene, and yet, if any contemporary fantasy deserves a cinematic deal, it’s hands down this lovely book! I would gratefully gobble up 24 seasons of a different little adventure each episode! I loved the humour and soft world-building, the characters and their dynamics, maybe even more than the plot. That’s why I would never get tired of this book series, because Bancroft forges a relationship between the reader and the essential elements of a book series, which is never the plot that will inevitably grow and change from book to book, but the lore and the setting and characters you end up personally caring about.
I’m not sure if this would be considered “cosy fantasy,” but it surely filled my heart with the warmth of a hug from a close friend. (For all you map addicts, there’s not only a map but also a chart too!) I need Josiah Bancroft to push out a new Hexologists book every 6 months, please and thank you.
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
I’d like to insist you think of this book in two parts, one perfect and the other such a letdown, because whatever issues I’ve had with the second part should not deter anyone from enjoying this lovely kitschy 80s’ B-movie inspired novel.
In the beginning, there was kitsch. In the beginning, there was a story so touching, so compelling, so loving, I was annoyed I had a daily life full of responsibilities that interrupted My Best Friend’s Exorcism. I was blown away by how realistically Hendrix nailed the complexity of female friendships. I saw something of me and my childhood friendships in Abby and Gretchen’s, and that something almost broke me apart. I loved Abby and Gretchen with all my heart. I loved My Best Friend’s Exorcism with all my heart.
The atmosphere, the tension, the heartbreak were all amazingly written, I was properly enchanted until after Gretchen’s possession. Then things started going downhill.
I started feeling as if the cover carried the atmosphere from then on, the insistence on the kitschy 80s pop culture felt like it suddenly deflated into something generic, and then everything began relying on Abby acting like an idiot. That was narrative sin number one: dumbing down a character that wasn’t previously a total imbecile, just so the story could hinge on that, instead of giving real structure and a dimension of real danger and high stakes to it.
Nothing actually terrible happens until narrative sin number two: the killing of an animal, when no humans are really harmed, which is simply for the shock factor. It’s the cheapest trick in horror, and I was disappointed an author as capable and talented as Grady Hendrix would resort to it. A friend told me Hendrix listened to the backlash on this, and did not do something similar in his books again, and that made me really really like Hendrix. It wasn’t enough to erase my frustration that the book did not choose to do anything really worthy of a horror book to the humans, but still targeted a dog.
Not having any high stakes in the story made the eventual exorcism nothing but anticlimactic for me, so even the kitsch twist to it did not land for me… and I might well be the number one fan and defender of kitsch…
The final narrative sin came at the end, when Hendrix couldn’t stop himself from writing out the entire lives of the characters. That unbelievably cheapened the book for me. It should’ve ended with the exorcism. Another reason for this is that the book starts with Abby at the present time seeing news that make her remember what happened in the 80s, but then it ends with Abby living out her entire life in the past tense… Am I too dumb to see some sort of deeper reason? Because I do not understand that choice at all.
My frustrations about the “second part” of the book were enough to tarnish my overall experience, but My Best Friend’s Exorcism is the kind of story that never leaves you. I still tear up thinking back to the love and bond between Gretchen and Abby, and I think that says a lot. This is still a novel I recommend, though go into it expecting nothing but low stakes to avoid the disappointment I found myself falling victim to.
In the beginning, there was kitsch. In the beginning, there was a story so touching, so compelling, so loving, I was annoyed I had a daily life full of responsibilities that interrupted My Best Friend’s Exorcism. I was blown away by how realistically Hendrix nailed the complexity of female friendships. I saw something of me and my childhood friendships in Abby and Gretchen’s, and that something almost broke me apart. I loved Abby and Gretchen with all my heart. I loved My Best Friend’s Exorcism with all my heart.
The atmosphere, the tension, the heartbreak were all amazingly written, I was properly enchanted until after Gretchen’s possession. Then things started going downhill.
I started feeling as if the cover carried the atmosphere from then on, the insistence on the kitschy 80s pop culture felt like it suddenly deflated into something generic, and then everything began relying on Abby acting like an idiot. That was narrative sin number one: dumbing down a character that wasn’t previously a total imbecile, just so the story could hinge on that, instead of giving real structure and a dimension of real danger and high stakes to it.
Nothing actually terrible happens until narrative sin number two: the killing of an animal, when no humans are really harmed, which is simply for the shock factor. It’s the cheapest trick in horror, and I was disappointed an author as capable and talented as Grady Hendrix would resort to it. A friend told me Hendrix listened to the backlash on this, and did not do something similar in his books again, and that made me really really like Hendrix. It wasn’t enough to erase my frustration that the book did not choose to do anything really worthy of a horror book to the humans, but still targeted a dog.
Not having any high stakes in the story made the eventual exorcism nothing but anticlimactic for me, so even the kitsch twist to it did not land for me… and I might well be the number one fan and defender of kitsch…
The final narrative sin came at the end, when Hendrix couldn’t stop himself from writing out the entire lives of the characters. That unbelievably cheapened the book for me. It should’ve ended with the exorcism. Another reason for this is that the book starts with Abby at the present time seeing news that make her remember what happened in the 80s, but then it ends with Abby living out her entire life in the past tense… Am I too dumb to see some sort of deeper reason? Because I do not understand that choice at all.
My frustrations about the “second part” of the book were enough to tarnish my overall experience, but My Best Friend’s Exorcism is the kind of story that never leaves you. I still tear up thinking back to the love and bond between Gretchen and Abby, and I think that says a lot. This is still a novel I recommend, though go into it expecting nothing but low stakes to avoid the disappointment I found myself falling victim to.
Tek Şekerli Çınaraltı by Hüseyin Avni Dede
1.0
Hüseyin Avni Dede’nin kalbinin iyiliği, güzelliği su götürmez. O yüzden bu değerlendirmeyi yaptığım için çok üzgünüm. Özellikle şiirde zor beğenen biriyim, belki de o yüzden pek bir şey hissedemedim. Gayet güzel parçaları da vardı elbette, ancak genel olarak beklentilerimi bulamadım.
Can't and Won't by Lydia Davis
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Wow! I debated for a long time whether or not to read Can’t and Won’t, even disliked the excerpt on Google Books. But thankfully when I asked for flash fiction recommendations, Lydia Davis was recommended so highly I had to trust the people whose taste in literature I really admire.
So after all, I think it was a matter of timing: at the right point in time, the stories I previously disliked resonated a completely different way. There are so many brilliant, shining moments in this collection, I can’t wait to reread it! A lot struck a wonderful chord in me, but one stuck with me in the aftermath of Ana Paula Maia’s Of Cattle and Men: The Cows. It brims with so much love, it’s impossible to shake it off — very much like Olga Tokarczuk’s Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead. That wasn’t the only story that resembled DYPotBotD in tone either!
But as expected of any collection so wide and ranging, there were just as many misses as hits. Still I was leaning more towards 4 stars for Davis’s brilliance, but the last stories were all misses after misses that I did not end the book on the best possible of notes.
All this said, Can’t and Won’t is a definite recommendation!
So after all, I think it was a matter of timing: at the right point in time, the stories I previously disliked resonated a completely different way. There are so many brilliant, shining moments in this collection, I can’t wait to reread it! A lot struck a wonderful chord in me, but one stuck with me in the aftermath of Ana Paula Maia’s Of Cattle and Men: The Cows. It brims with so much love, it’s impossible to shake it off — very much like Olga Tokarczuk’s Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead. That wasn’t the only story that resembled DYPotBotD in tone either!
But as expected of any collection so wide and ranging, there were just as many misses as hits. Still I was leaning more towards 4 stars for Davis’s brilliance, but the last stories were all misses after misses that I did not end the book on the best possible of notes.
All this said, Can’t and Won’t is a definite recommendation!
A Cup of Rage by Raduan Nassar
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a shame this book has made its way into the hands of people who think every book is moralistic, and if its contents do not match the reader’s own sentiments, then the author must be a terrible person… Rest assured, the low scores are completely unjustified, and are clearly based on uncritical reading. Raduan Nassar is one hell of a writer.
But then you might ask why this wasn’t a 5-star read for me either, and that’s something I can’t quite justify either. It comes down to there not being enough rage for me. Once you read it, this might sound bollocks, because this book is indeed dominated by very tumultuous emotions. However, the underlying emotion sounded more like hatred to me than rage.
A Cup of Rage is a novelette in several parts, focusing on the toxic dynamic of one couple, and the total passion of their relationship. To the enthusiast of The Human Condition, it will come as no surprise that passion is not a pure sentiment; the higher it gets, the more destructive it becomes. This is true for the fictional relationship at hand. Lovers destroy each other, remake one another in their hateful love’s shape, only to begin all over again with the unstoppable pull before the cathartic push.
Each part is a single sentence, with just one full stop at the very end. I found the criticism of this truly laughable. I’m sorry you live in a hell in which nothing that’s not written like a mass market book can get through to you. It must be a miserable reading time for you guys.
It’s not easy to pull off such a structure, and this is where both Nassar and the translator Stefan Tobler shine: never once does it trip up, never once does it get tiresome. It flows with such a remarkable ease, you would need to be the dimmest bulb in the shed not to see the talent and the prowess. Nassar nailed a brilliant rhythm, and Tobler did him justice. Such a form intensifies the emotions and the tensions in a way no other structure could.
While I was mesmerised by the book, I still wished for the dial to be turned all the way up, to the point of potentially frying the machine. Rage is a boundless emotion, and I found this fictional fight to be a little constrained in contrast, as if there was still something pulling back the characters from fully tuning out and blacking into pure rage.
For a unique voice in literature, and clearly one of the gems of Brazilian literature, do not miss out on A Cup of Rage. It’s spectacular.
But then you might ask why this wasn’t a 5-star read for me either, and that’s something I can’t quite justify either. It comes down to there not being enough rage for me. Once you read it, this might sound bollocks, because this book is indeed dominated by very tumultuous emotions. However, the underlying emotion sounded more like hatred to me than rage.
A Cup of Rage is a novelette in several parts, focusing on the toxic dynamic of one couple, and the total passion of their relationship. To the enthusiast of The Human Condition, it will come as no surprise that passion is not a pure sentiment; the higher it gets, the more destructive it becomes. This is true for the fictional relationship at hand. Lovers destroy each other, remake one another in their hateful love’s shape, only to begin all over again with the unstoppable pull before the cathartic push.
Each part is a single sentence, with just one full stop at the very end. I found the criticism of this truly laughable. I’m sorry you live in a hell in which nothing that’s not written like a mass market book can get through to you. It must be a miserable reading time for you guys.
It’s not easy to pull off such a structure, and this is where both Nassar and the translator Stefan Tobler shine: never once does it trip up, never once does it get tiresome. It flows with such a remarkable ease, you would need to be the dimmest bulb in the shed not to see the talent and the prowess. Nassar nailed a brilliant rhythm, and Tobler did him justice. Such a form intensifies the emotions and the tensions in a way no other structure could.
While I was mesmerised by the book, I still wished for the dial to be turned all the way up, to the point of potentially frying the machine. Rage is a boundless emotion, and I found this fictional fight to be a little constrained in contrast, as if there was still something pulling back the characters from fully tuning out and blacking into pure rage.
For a unique voice in literature, and clearly one of the gems of Brazilian literature, do not miss out on A Cup of Rage. It’s spectacular.
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I am well and truly dumbfounded by the poor reviews which claim everything from faux-feminist takes to boredom, which makes me wonder if all of us read the same book or not. Because the book I read was so well-written (and unexpectedly lovely) I could barely function in my daily life: all I wanted was to get back to The Final Girl Support Group. I didn’t want to get off public transport, I didn’t want to sleep or shower, I didn’t want to have to work. Pretty sure back in my freelance days this would have been a single day’s read!
From the very first page on, this was FUN. Lynette’s voice and unhealthy thought patterns were a delight to read. Equally fun was figuring out which slasher movie each character’s based on! If you love slashers like I do, and appreciate how camp they are, you will love TFGSG. (Honestly, I suspect you might be a bit too cishet if you don’t enjoy this book — it’s that camp!)
But this itself is not a slasher book. There are some gory scenes, but don’t go into it expecting a true slasher. In its self-awareness and comedic approach it was very reminiscent of Scream, though!
Hendrix is a great writer for nailing things that would be completely fumbled up by most authors. We are introduced to the full cast during one of their group therapies, which goes south as the tensions among the women turn the session into a battleground. Their arguments establish not only their characters, but their dynamics too. We are given a whole past without being info-dumped, and it flows oh so naturally. Whereas many writers fail to create high tension action scenes, Hendrix once again does not miss a beat.
Lynette is a whacky person most of the time, and seeing as reading an unhinged woman is one of my favourite activities, there’s little wonder I was engrossed. The twists gave me whiplash, and I loved every moment of it too.
I’ve seen complaints that the writing feels like a man pretending to be a feminist and failing, and I’m baffled. Hendrix incorporates some very interesting analyses of slashers, depicts the various facets of male violence, gives so much power to his female characters without forgoing their humanity (since when are portrayals of strong women who have emotional depths and complexities anti-feminist??) and weaves a beautiful tale of sisterhood.
So what fell short? The ending where it felt a bit like the characters were pretending the aggressor was some sort of victim too. And this is hard to word without going into too much detail, but there was a HUGE missed opportunity to describe a “crime scene” based on A Nightmare on Elm Street, in that it was not described, at all, beyond “it’s worse than the survivor told”. And this clearly isn’t a choice to omit any violent description, because we are indeed told what Lynette survived (though not in a lot of details). By the end of the book, this survivor is out and about, and Lynette proposes perhaps she is hunting the killer. I’ll say this much: we really, really need a “spin off” book on that!
In short, this is a super entertaining meta horror that’s impossible to put down and that would be an easy 5/5 for anyone who isn’t as insufferably particular as I am.
From the very first page on, this was FUN. Lynette’s voice and unhealthy thought patterns were a delight to read. Equally fun was figuring out which slasher movie each character’s based on! If you love slashers like I do, and appreciate how camp they are, you will love TFGSG. (Honestly, I suspect you might be a bit too cishet if you don’t enjoy this book — it’s that camp!)
But this itself is not a slasher book. There are some gory scenes, but don’t go into it expecting a true slasher. In its self-awareness and comedic approach it was very reminiscent of Scream, though!
Hendrix is a great writer for nailing things that would be completely fumbled up by most authors. We are introduced to the full cast during one of their group therapies, which goes south as the tensions among the women turn the session into a battleground. Their arguments establish not only their characters, but their dynamics too. We are given a whole past without being info-dumped, and it flows oh so naturally. Whereas many writers fail to create high tension action scenes, Hendrix once again does not miss a beat.
Lynette is a whacky person most of the time, and seeing as reading an unhinged woman is one of my favourite activities, there’s little wonder I was engrossed. The twists gave me whiplash, and I loved every moment of it too.
I’ve seen complaints that the writing feels like a man pretending to be a feminist and failing, and I’m baffled. Hendrix incorporates some very interesting analyses of slashers, depicts the various facets of male violence, gives so much power to his female characters without forgoing their humanity (since when are portrayals of strong women who have emotional depths and complexities anti-feminist??) and weaves a beautiful tale of sisterhood.
So what fell short? The ending where it felt a bit like the characters were pretending the aggressor was some sort of victim too. And this is hard to word without going into too much detail, but there was a HUGE missed opportunity to describe a “crime scene” based on A Nightmare on Elm Street, in that it was not described, at all, beyond “it’s worse than the survivor told”. And this clearly isn’t a choice to omit any violent description, because we are indeed told what Lynette survived (though not in a lot of details). By the end of the book, this survivor is out and about, and Lynette proposes perhaps she is hunting the killer. I’ll say this much: we really, really need a “spin off” book on that!
In short, this is a super entertaining meta horror that’s impossible to put down and that would be an easy 5/5 for anyone who isn’t as insufferably particular as I am.
Cold Moon Over Babylon by Michael McDowell
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
This was my first McDowell, and it certainly won’t be the last — even though Cold Moon Over Babylon did not reach the heights I so needed it to, because McDowell writes in a way that can best be described as “addictive,” it compels you to read and read and read it and do nothing else.
Part of that, I wager, is due to the compassion with which McDowell writes about the Larkin family. He cares, and that translates as an affection within the reader too.
It is this very compassion and deeply felt care that makes Cold Moon Over Babylon very difficult to get through without that nauseating knot settling in your stomach, the one that lodges itself also in the throat and somehow summons sobs. McDowell creates these heartbreaking scenes with utmost attention to the most horrifying details, and they’re just so completely sad, you feel it on a personal level.
This, of course, renders the reader incredibly invested in the characters and the promised revenge. But it is exactly because the book’s presentation insists on the revenge that I found myself as disappointed by the resolution.
It is more a murder mystery on the banality of evil than anything to do with supernatural forces and revenge. Don’t get me wrong, it works very well as this former genre, but even as someone who’s scared senseless of paranormal accounts, I needed there to be far, far more supernatural occurrences and intervention. And again, don’t get me wrong, everything that happens (that is, until the full moon) so well written that you feel there, and some are even so utterly cinematic, so amazingly beautiful, that you can’t help but crave more, more, more. But things don’t escalate, not really, they don’t culminate either. By all means, the ending is very anticlimactic when viewed in the light of the depravity that merited so, so much worse.
Part of that, I wager, is due to the compassion with which McDowell writes about the Larkin family. He cares, and that translates as an affection within the reader too.
It is this very compassion and deeply felt care that makes Cold Moon Over Babylon very difficult to get through without that nauseating knot settling in your stomach, the one that lodges itself also in the throat and somehow summons sobs. McDowell creates these heartbreaking scenes with utmost attention to the most horrifying details, and they’re just so completely sad, you feel it on a personal level.
This, of course, renders the reader incredibly invested in the characters and the promised revenge. But it is exactly because the book’s presentation insists on the revenge that I found myself as disappointed by the resolution.
It is more a murder mystery on the banality of evil than anything to do with supernatural forces and revenge. Don’t get me wrong, it works very well as this former genre, but even as someone who’s scared senseless of paranormal accounts, I needed there to be far, far more supernatural occurrences and intervention. And again, don’t get me wrong, everything that happens (that is, until the full moon) so well written that you feel there, and some are even so utterly cinematic, so amazingly beautiful, that you can’t help but crave more, more, more. But things don’t escalate, not really, they don’t culminate either. By all means, the ending is very anticlimactic when viewed in the light of the depravity that merited so, so much worse.