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yourspookymom's reviews
216 reviews
The Blood Beast Mutations by Carl John Lee
5.0
This would have absolutely traumatized me further in 2020, but now it was so cathartic and I loved it. Funny, outright ridiculous, and at times…charming?? I love a good romance.
In true CJL fashion, this was filled to the brim with action, gore, and flesh hallways. The pandemic deeply affected us all. The list does not end to how that shaped who we are today. Honestly, what a perfect setting for a horror book? Unsurprisingly, I think Blood Beast Mutations was a read that is probably more relevant now than it was then. Who the hell knows what is going to be thrown at us next.
Remember murder hornets? Yeah, well, you might be surprised to be happy that they’ve stirred up THAT horrible blocked memory. 🐝 Read this!
In true CJL fashion, this was filled to the brim with action, gore, and flesh hallways. The pandemic deeply affected us all. The list does not end to how that shaped who we are today. Honestly, what a perfect setting for a horror book? Unsurprisingly, I think Blood Beast Mutations was a read that is probably more relevant now than it was then. Who the hell knows what is going to be thrown at us next.
Remember murder hornets? Yeah, well, you might be surprised to be happy that they’ve stirred up THAT horrible blocked memory. 🐝 Read this!
Tampa by Alissa Nutting
3.5
As much as Tampa is so awfully disturbing, it’s actually incredibly smart and well written. There’s a reason why this has gained the popularity it has. It’s so upsetting at at times you can’t help but laugh at just how truly atrocious it all is. I think a book of this nature does well because it actually says, well fuck it, I’m going there and I’m exposing the sick cultural truths of our society.
About 60% through this I wanted to tap out, it was no longer about some deeply unwell woman rubbing herself all over her classroom and bringing a bag of wine to bed, it was just flat out disgusting and awful. But? You know what? You shouldn’t enjoy a book like this, so I think the author actually did a great job of making the reader just so wildly uncomfortable and revolted enough to say “maybe I just can’t do this.”
I had trouble with some of the discrepancies on how boys of this age would actually act, particularly later on the book. As the relationship continued, the maturation of the main victim tended to accelerate to an unbelievable maturity which made the relationship seem more consensual than it actually was - which was peculiar given the storyline.
This is provocative because someone had the iron clad ovaries to write a character that has you thinking about the way that we protect beauty over ethics as a society (and much, much more).
Tampa reminds us that the devil does in fact wear Prada.
3.5/5
About 60% through this I wanted to tap out, it was no longer about some deeply unwell woman rubbing herself all over her classroom and bringing a bag of wine to bed, it was just flat out disgusting and awful. But? You know what? You shouldn’t enjoy a book like this, so I think the author actually did a great job of making the reader just so wildly uncomfortable and revolted enough to say “maybe I just can’t do this.”
I had trouble with some of the discrepancies on how boys of this age would actually act, particularly later on the book. As the relationship continued, the maturation of the main victim tended to accelerate to an unbelievable maturity which made the relationship seem more consensual than it actually was - which was peculiar given the storyline.
This is provocative because someone had the iron clad ovaries to write a character that has you thinking about the way that we protect beauty over ethics as a society (and much, much more).
Tampa reminds us that the devil does in fact wear Prada.
3.5/5
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
5.0
The Deep is breathtaking. By the end, I was genuinely sobbing. Rivers Solomon crafts a story that is both heartbreaking and beautiful, following Yetu, a historian who carries the unbearable weight of her community’s past. A community that are decedents of the Black women thrown from slave ships during the Atlantic Slave Trade. Through stunning, lyrical prose, the novel explores historical trauma, genocide, racism, love, and the struggle between remembering the past and surviving the present. The story and prose flowed beautifully.
This story is grief and resilience, pain and healing, history and hope. The Deep explores what it means to carry the past and whether it is possible to let go without losing yourself. It’s truly a masterpiece. I highly recommend the audiobook as well, read by Daveed Diggs.
5/5
This story is grief and resilience, pain and healing, history and hope. The Deep explores what it means to carry the past and whether it is possible to let go without losing yourself. It’s truly a masterpiece. I highly recommend the audiobook as well, read by Daveed Diggs.
5/5
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
5.0
This is just such a beautiful and bizarre story. I will carry this book in my heart forever!
Shy Girl by Mia Ballard
5.0
MIAAAAA!!!!! Mia girl you’re kicking ASS. I loved this book. Shy Girl is now my 3rd book of hers I’ve read and each one is better than the last. What a strange, upsetting, wild read.
It’s clear her growth as an author is happening quickly and her confidence is shining through these pages. This book takes her signature character-driven storytelling and cranks it way the hell up. I loved how absolutely feral this book got. Ballard is on a roll, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Crossroads by Laurel Hightower
3.0
Beautifully written and a wonderfully tragic novella around grief and mental health. This read mire like literary fiction than horror for me and was certainly written to make a statement on processing grief. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. Reminded me a lot of Talk to Me, so if you loved that one, you’ll really love this.
Grey Dog by Elliott Gish
4.25
Wowowowie! I really enjoyed this one! While I am just not a slow burn kind of gal, I did really enjoy how much it picked up in the second half, making the slower beginning worth it in the end. Gish’s prose is stunning and easy to stay engaged in the story because of it. Ohhh looooorddddd, I just fawn over the queer LONGING in this 😮💨 it’s delicious and written in such a way that you really FEEL how badly Ada’s desires eat her alive. The societal pressures and expectations from all around her becomes insurmountable and thrusts her into a wild deep dive into madness. How she handles the mounting stress in the last half kept me saying “yes bitch!!!!!!!!!” Ada, my stinky girl, I love you so!!!!!
Outside of the pacing, I just didn’t find this to be a wildly unique story, but I did REALLY enjoy the execution.
4.25 stars. Cheers to women being absolutely insane because we live in a world that constantly challenges our intelligence, our power, and our strength. This fired me UP. I can’t get enough of it.