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wends_nblw's reviews
97 reviews
I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
Hrmmmmnghhhh.... I'm disappointed.
Once again, I've read a highly recommended book that unfortunately didn't live up to expectations. However, I will pat myself on the back for semi-guessing the twist about 3/4 into the book.i initially thought jake was the fake one, not lucy
I didn't find the writing style to be quite appealing. I've seen others complain about the choppiness, but I found that to be the only thing appealing about it. Towards the end, it really lost me though. I feel like the twist could've been written better, but maybe it was intended to be that way.
Otherwise, I didn't find the story to be all that interesting, nor all that unsettling. But if you enjoy piecing a challenging mystery together and being utterly confused on where to place each piece, I'd say to give this book a try.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Mini Disclaimer : I am both reading and reviewing this while under the influence of marijuana so maybe take my review with a grain of salt?
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Hrmmmmnghhhh.... I'm disappointed.
Once again, I've read a highly recommended book that unfortunately didn't live up to expectations. However, I will pat myself on the back for semi-guessing the twist about 3/4 into the book.
I didn't find the writing style to be quite appealing. I've seen others complain about the choppiness, but I found that to be the only thing appealing about it. Towards the end, it really lost me though. I feel like the twist could've been written better, but maybe it was intended to be that way.
Otherwise, I didn't find the story to be all that interesting, nor all that unsettling. But if you enjoy piecing a challenging mystery together and being utterly confused on where to place each piece, I'd say to give this book a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Animal death and Stalking
Minor: Sexual content
The Immeasurable Depth of You by Maria Ingrande Mora
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
I ended up DNFing around the ~26% mark.
Listen, I picked this up because of the premise. Despite how specific Brynn's situation was; I had a similar experience. After a suicide attempt, I was shipped off to Florida for the Summer for a "change of scenery" when I was 14. So Brynn was incredibly relatable to me in weirdly specific ways, and I adored her as a character. I was surprised that a book in 2023 would reference Tumblr of all social platforms. I still use it, so it was fun to read and some of the writing definitely felt Tumblr-esque with maybe some Homestuck influences.
Despite this, I Cannot get over Skylar. From her being slightly ableist during their second meeting to her being 17. I'm sorry, but at 17, a 15 year old was a baby to me. I know it's only two years, but those two years go a long way for me. And I just found her to be incredibly obnoxious. :P
If it weren't for the romance subplot, I would've finished it. I wish this had been completely focused on Brynn's mental health coming-of-age story, rather than having a romance and mystery subplot.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!!
Listen, I picked this up because of the premise. Despite how specific Brynn's situation was; I had a similar experience. After a suicide attempt, I was shipped off to Florida for the Summer for a "change of scenery" when I was 14. So Brynn was incredibly relatable to me in weirdly specific ways, and I adored her as a character. I was surprised that a book in 2023 would reference Tumblr of all social platforms. I still use it, so it was fun to read and some of the writing definitely felt Tumblr-esque with maybe some Homestuck influences.
Despite this, I Cannot get over Skylar. From her being slightly ableist during their second meeting to her being 17. I'm sorry, but at 17, a 15 year old was a baby to me. I know it's only two years, but those two years go a long way for me. And I just found her to be incredibly obnoxious. :P
If it weren't for the romance subplot, I would've finished it. I wish this had been completely focused on Brynn's mental health coming-of-age story, rather than having a romance and mystery subplot.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Ableism and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Blood and Outing
The Color of Pain by E.G. Rose
I will say, I found some of the commentary to be weird. Like when Ray mentions that the new girl is black, but then corrects himself by saying "person of color" and then goes on a weird tangent about how he thinks everyone is a person of color?
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC <33
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
3.5
I'm so excited since this is my first ever ARC, and I will say : I'm not disappointed!
Although there are quite a bit of spelling, grammar, and sentence structure mistakes, I didn't really mind it. The writing at the beginning was hard to get into, but the way E.G. Rose describes scenes is so beautiful. It really helps with imagining the scenarios. As well, I found the characters to actually be quite compelling. Raymond as a main character is extremely sympathetic and I became attached to his character very quickly. Even some of the side characters became amusing in certain scenes. I even found the ending to be satisfying, which isn't very common in my case.
Aside from the editing it needs, I'm not quite sure I would consider this horror. One review (on Netgalley LOL) mentioned it's all shock value from the idea of the characters being orphaned children, but I found it to be much more of a maybe.. mystery thriller? But I might not be super qualified, as I usually read extreme horror so take that with a grain of salt. All in all, I'm a happy reader and hope to see this author improve with time!
Although there are quite a bit of spelling, grammar, and sentence structure mistakes, I didn't really mind it. The writing at the beginning was hard to get into, but the way E.G. Rose describes scenes is so beautiful. It really helps with imagining the scenarios. As well, I found the characters to actually be quite compelling. Raymond as a main character is extremely sympathetic and I became attached to his character very quickly. Even some of the side characters became amusing in certain scenes. I even found the ending to be satisfying, which isn't very common in my case.
Aside from the editing it needs, I'm not quite sure I would consider this horror. One review (on Netgalley LOL) mentioned it's all shock value from the idea of the characters being orphaned children, but I found it to be much more of a maybe.. mystery thriller? But I might not be super qualified, as I usually read extreme horror so take that with a grain of salt. All in all, I'm a happy reader and hope to see this author improve with time!
I will say, I found some of the commentary to be weird. Like when Ray mentions that the new girl is black, but then corrects himself by saying "person of color" and then goes on a weird tangent about how he thinks everyone is a person of color?
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC <33
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, and Stalking
the homophobia itself isn't really i guess?? it's the use of the f slur .
光が死んだ夏 by Mokumokuren
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.0
It's okay. I think my main problem my last few reads have been expectations. I was expecting a great horror mlm manga. And it might be making its way there, but right now, it's just not.
I love the art style, of course. It's so good. And I'm not sure how they were able to make a monstrous eldritch creature so lovable, but they did. I'm even loving the side characters.
However, I've found that eldritch horror just isn't my genre. (Which is a shame.) And plot wise, I'm just not keeping up. There's a whole mystery and I'm just not into it. Despite that, I'd still recommend this to casual horror enjoyers that like some body horror.
I love the art style, of course. It's so good. And I'm not sure how they were able to make a monstrous eldritch creature so lovable, but they did. I'm even loving the side characters.
However, I've found that eldritch horror just isn't my genre. (Which is a shame.) And plot wise, I'm just not keeping up. There's a whole mystery and I'm just not into it. Despite that, I'd still recommend this to casual horror enjoyers that like some body horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Homophobia and Injury/Injury detail
Children Vol. 1 by Miura Miu
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
2.75
I'm so disappointed!! Admittedly, I went into this manga blind. All I knew was : it had it good art style, there were creepy kids, and they're murderers.
The kids were my favorite thing about this manga. They were cute and so fun to read. Aside from that and the gore, there isn't much else though. It's weird that our 18 y/o MC blushes around the 14 y/o caretaker, and the ending / plot twist wasn't all that.
If you're easing into horror manga, this is a good start. The gore isn't too extreme and it's a easy, quick read.
The kids were my favorite thing about this manga. They were cute and so fun to read. Aside from that and the gore, there isn't much else though. It's weird that our 18 y/o MC blushes around the 14 y/o caretaker, and the ending / plot twist wasn't all that.
If you're easing into horror manga, this is a good start. The gore isn't too extreme and it's a easy, quick read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.25
Super, super cute!! I loved Keltie; she's so funny and sweet. Definitely the best character alongside the brother (I'm not sure why I like him so much, but I do!!)
I didnt quite like the endingi wanted their "true love" happily ever after, dammit!!
I wasn't a fan of Morgan's friends (I really dislike Serena LMAO) and I wish we got to see more of her familial issues, but otherwise this is a cute, cozy sapphic read!!
I didnt quite like the ending
I wasn't a fan of Morgan's friends (I really dislike Serena LMAO) and I wish we got to see more of her familial issues, but otherwise this is a cute, cozy sapphic read!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
Box of Light, Vol. 1 by Seiko Erisawa
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? No
3.25
Super, super cute!! It wasn't what I thought it was going to be at all, but I ended up really enjoying it anyways.
Since it's so short, you're unable to really become attached to characters, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment at all. It's more like getting tiny glimpses into their lives and it's very endearing.
I especially liked the relationship between Kokura and Tahini!! (And, of course, darkness cat.)
Since it's so short, you're unable to really become attached to characters, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment at all. It's more like getting tiny glimpses into their lives and it's very endearing.
I especially liked the relationship between Kokura and Tahini!! (And, of course, darkness cat.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
Measuring Up by Lily Lamotte
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.25
Ahhhhh!!!! This book was so, so cute! I found an ARC of it in a little free library and decided to read it. I'm so glad I did. I loved the main character and her journey. The way she and Miranda learned from each other was heartwarming! I hope to see more from this author <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Bullying
The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
i guess i was just expecting something.. more? i was waiting for the other foot to drop, but it never did. Chistopher was obnoxious, Hannah's character twisted into something I found quite bizarre (really, she was suddenly crazed? i wished they just let her be paranoid without the sudden scribbled writings about the devil and angels; WHICH WAS NEVER ELABORATED ON!!) , Janie was just.. awful and the "twist" (?) was obvious from the start. I think Piper was perhaps the only likeable character despite her unprofessionalism within her work .
No ending, I'm curious as to her experience as a clinical psychologist, it makes a good amount of sense since the medical scenes with Dr. Chandler were good, but Chistopher??? Everything he did with Janie was completely inappropriate, no matter what. He came off as creepy instead of loving.
Overall, despite what other reviews say, I think Berry should've amped up the disturbing content. Maybe not with Janie, but with Christopher. He makes excuses for Janie, but it was so annoying that she should have just said "fuck it" and made him completely under her spell instead of him pretending to care for his wife.
No ending, I'm curious as to her experience as a clinical psychologist, it makes a good amount of sense since the medical scenes with Dr. Chandler were good, but Chistopher??? Everything he did with Janie was completely inappropriate, no matter what. He came off as creepy instead of loving.
Overall, despite what other reviews say, I think Berry should've amped up the disturbing content. Maybe not with Janie, but with Christopher. He makes excuses for Janie, but it was so annoying that she should have just said "fuck it" and made him completely under her spell instead of him pretending to care for his wife.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Infertility, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Vomit
My Wandering Warrior Existence by Nagata Kabi
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
love, love, loved it!!! i cannot express enough how much nagata kabi has changed my views on certain things and touched my heart. i find her writings to be somewhat like im reading a friend's diary. her struggles tug on my heartstrings, as i can heavily relate to a lot of it. i love her manga so much!!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Mental illness