zomvi's reviews
88 reviews

People Like Them by Minka Kent

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

1.0

Incredibly shallow; this so-called thriller was a snooze fest.

The Mosquito by B.A. Paris

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

1.5

Annoying and incompetent characters, and an incredibly predictable plot. Could have been a good black comedy, but was ultimately lacking.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I loved the character work that Woolf employs, and the societal commentary and examination of mental health is brilliant! However, I wasn't a fan of the rambling stream-of-consciousness style in which it's written; I'm sure others will disagree, but it's just not a style I generally enjoy altogether. I recommend the Listen With Audrey audiobook edition specifically, as there is substantial extra material giving a lot of historical context and information on the author herself that greatly helped my understanding. There are some unfortunate references to POC, as well, but this is almost inevitable, sadly, given the time period, and in many other ways, this was an extremely progressive book. I was also not super clear on if it was just the characters themselves viewing them in that light, so perhaps I'm misjudging Woolf's perspective on that matter as well? Overall, I'm glad to have finally read such an influential author's work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and War

Murder At The Royal Ruby by Nita Prose

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

1.0

Horrible writing - full of stale prose, clichés, unlikeable/undefined characters, and was extremely predictable to boot. The setting didn't feel authentic at all; read Phantom of the Opera instead.

Big Bad by Chandler Baker

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

I love some of the themes and creatures incorporated in this tale, but the writing is clunky, and the scenes/perspectives are really disjointed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Murder, Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Confinement, and Child death

Best of Luck by Jason Mott

dark emotional tense 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

4.0

This is a thrilling scary story with a pretty original concept as far as I can tell; I really enjoyed it! The author has a real skill for creating tension and developing characters even within such a limited page-count. I wish he expanded on the creature a bit more, but I am interested in reading more of his work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Child death and Chronic illness

In Bloom by Paul Tremblay

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

1.0

This was hard to get through, despite being so short. It was all over the place; the main character is completely forgettable, the character who she's interviewing has an interesting history with the creature, but rambles on and on about baseball, and the Swamp Thing references bring nothing to the table except unfulfilled potential. I love the idea of eco-horror (and Swamp Thing!), but this lacked the scares, and missed the mark entirely.

It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

2.5

For fans of the found-footage horror genre, this short story encapsulates an urban legend of a horrifying creature seemingly tied to a creepy old bridge in a forest. There is some suspense in the beginning, but it begins to drag/become repetitive, and culminates in what I found to be an unsatisfying conclusion.

Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

A more mature take on the monster-under-the-bed trope, Ankle Snatcher was a fun concept, but fell short for me. Primarily, the later half and ending lacked a clear execution. I think a higher page count would have been a good idea, as to add more depth (and more scares) to the latter half of this scary story. Also, not great depictions of women, albeit, in a limited character roster.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, and Death

The Pram by Joe Hill

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Unsettling, traumatic, and imaginative, this was an awesome horror short story. In my mind, some of the best horror comes from complex, grounded characters, who are struggling to adapt to unrealistic, fantastical or supernatural forces; this is well accomplished here. The ending hits you hard and fast, and the suspense and uncertainty plays out with great pacing. My only small nitpick would be to have tied in

the raccoons/animal death

a bit tighter with the plot, as it feels a bit too dependent on shock value.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Grief, Miscarriage, Gore, and Animal death

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic