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wyrd_lea's Reviews (45)
dark
informative
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A really good story idea, but it wasn’t satisfying in a novella form. A full-length novel would suit it better.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After reading so much horror throughout my life, it is nearly a guarantee that I will not feel fear while reading horror. That said, after reading Exequial by Hannah Rebekah Graves, I am now afraid of my beloved scarecrows. Hannah is an excellent storyteller. You'll meet some familiar monsters with fresh twists or new creatures risen from their mind. To date, my favorite of this short story collection is the clown. Hannah's twists and turns will make you ask, who is the monster, really?
For fellow novice horror devourers, Exequial is a must-read.
For fellow novice horror devourers, Exequial is a must-read.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book made me say wtf wtf wtf wtf through its major plot points. An excellent book for those who love folk horror and nature vs man horror or shapeshifter sort of stories, but not a recommended read if you enjoy solid answers and harder supernatural magic rules.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Dogs do die and it’s pretty explicit on their deaths.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Do you enjoy having a hand wrench your heart from your ribs, slapping it on the floor, then taking a morning star until its pulverized, and having the culprit saunter off with a wink? Well then, The Witch Who Chases the Sun is the perfect book for you.
The actual story follows Cai-Li (Chely) as she tries to solve the mystery of missing tourists in this town and her ex-Anne with memory loss issues, and who may very well be behind their disappearances. The majority of the plot takes place inside the Castle, within the town, but the characters dance back and forth with the past and present as more of Anne's memories are recovered. Slowly, but surely, the mysteries start to unravel as Cai-Li and Anne reconcile their abrupt break up. However, the powers of the Oracle Anne possesses are getting in the way of Cai-Li's investigation and rekindling. Their relationship entangles deep with the barberries surrounding the Castle, ensnaring others into secret the Oracle is hiding. What follows is a tragic, yet beautiful sapphic love story where truth may be found in lies.
This is a tragedy in the way classic mythology is. ARCANE matches the similar bittersweet endings with absolute devastation. It's still an HEA, but not what you'd expect with Western publishing tropes and narratives.
I wanted to mention for this review that I am white. When I first got wind of this book, it was on socials watching the author, Dawn Chen, go from having this title accepted by a publisher to the publisher completely destroying the acquisition because they didn't think it would be a suitable read for white people. To this publisher: I am white. The arc of Anne within these pages was beautifully written to encapsulate the complex nature of living with and among white relatives who have done great evils and continue to spread colonialist propaganda. It is written in such a way that there's no *right* solution to how Anne should be feeling. Her palpable guilt, even when Cai-Li tells her it's not her guilt to bear, is so apt and true to the complex relationships with relatives you love but have done a whole lot of racism that you, yourself, once believed growing up. I am continually overjoyed with this complexity and hope other readers who are white will find themselves also mulling over the chapters these conversations take place.
After finishing, I truly wished this story would not end. I mean it by no exaggeration when I say this is the book I've been searching for a long while but never could find. (Probably because publishers are refusing to publish them :/ )
I look forward to Dawn Chen's next books where they can render me into a sobbing fist on the floor, again. 5/5 stars.
The actual story follows Cai-Li (Chely) as she tries to solve the mystery of missing tourists in this town and her ex-Anne with memory loss issues, and who may very well be behind their disappearances. The majority of the plot takes place inside the Castle, within the town, but the characters dance back and forth with the past and present as more of Anne's memories are recovered. Slowly, but surely, the mysteries start to unravel as Cai-Li and Anne reconcile their abrupt break up. However, the powers of the Oracle Anne possesses are getting in the way of Cai-Li's investigation and rekindling. Their relationship entangles deep with the barberries surrounding the Castle, ensnaring others into secret the Oracle is hiding. What follows is a tragic, yet beautiful sapphic love story where truth may be found in lies.
This is a tragedy in the way classic mythology is. ARCANE matches the similar bittersweet endings with absolute devastation. It's still an HEA, but not what you'd expect with Western publishing tropes and narratives.
I wanted to mention for this review that I am white. When I first got wind of this book, it was on socials watching the author, Dawn Chen, go from having this title accepted by a publisher to the publisher completely destroying the acquisition because they didn't think it would be a suitable read for white people. To this publisher: I am white. The arc of Anne within these pages was beautifully written to encapsulate the complex nature of living with and among white relatives who have done great evils and continue to spread colonialist propaganda. It is written in such a way that there's no *right* solution to how Anne should be feeling. Her palpable guilt, even when Cai-Li tells her it's not her guilt to bear, is so apt and true to the complex relationships with relatives you love but have done a whole lot of racism that you, yourself, once believed growing up. I am continually overjoyed with this complexity and hope other readers who are white will find themselves also mulling over the chapters these conversations take place.
After finishing, I truly wished this story would not end. I mean it by no exaggeration when I say this is the book I've been searching for a long while but never could find. (Probably because publishers are refusing to publish them :/ )
I look forward to Dawn Chen's next books where they can render me into a sobbing fist on the floor, again. 5/5 stars.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
A required MFA read and fascinating AF if you love folklore, mythology, and botany!
informative
reflective
fast-paced
If you want to learn more about cinema history, then this is really good for focusing on unlikeable female characters in American films. I didn’t learn that much since I already watched video essays on most of these archetypes. It might be a bit outdated in our contemporary era.