Howard
Vermis is a book that I'll think about for weeks after reading it. I've been a fan of the artist Plastiboo for a while now so I got their book as soon as I could, assuming it would be basically an art book.
I don't want to give much away because I feel like this book is best experienced going in blind. I'd describe it as a blend of story and artwork presented as a game manual, which is sometimes so immersive you forget the game it's describing doesn't exist.
I'd especially recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Dark Souls, dungeon crawlers, and cryptid horror.
Pros
The artwork. I love Plastiboo's art so I was instantly in love with every page I saw.
The narrative. The writing is such a unique blend of game mechanics and story.
Cons
Some minor punctuation errors can be found throughout the book.
I don't want to blame the book for this but I think it should be mentioned that I experienced issues with receiving emails for my order from Hollow Press (customer service was fairly helpful though!)
When I read the original novel, Hide, I really fell in love with it. As soon as I saw there was a graphic novel edition, I knew I just had to read it.
The first thing I want to say is that I really appreciated the art in this book. I'm picky when it comes to art styles but I loved this. I can tell a lot of care went into making it, especially the environmental shots. A lot of horror media uses desaturated colors, which can make the art dull looking, so it was refreshing to see things look vivid while maintaining the creepy atmosphere.
For those deciding between which copy to read, I think both versions have their own merits. Because I read the original so recently, it was pretty easy for me to spot the tiny differences in the story. A few character details were left out, especially regarding Ian and Brandon's grandma. In the novel version, you get to see more of Mack's internal thoughts and conflicts.
Other than that though, the story remains pretty much the same beat for beat, and I feel like people who just picked up the graphic novel wouldn't feel like the story was missing anything.
Thank you Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
The book has a fascinating premise but fell short in many ways, making it difficult to overlook. I don't want to get too detailed because I'd like to avoid spoilers, so I apologize for being vague.
Some major positives to the book:
- The premise is genuinely really cool!
- I loved the gore descriptions.
- A lot of the scenes felt like something I'd see in some of my favorite slasher movies.
- This is a small thing but I just really love the cover of the book. It really stands out against a lot of modern horror covers you see.
Unfortunately, there were a few things that made it difficult for me to finish this book.
- There were instances where I felt that plot points were being over-explained.
- Some scenes were quite repetitive, especially towards the middle.
- I noticed a few typos and missing words here and there.
- The majority of the characters all share an affinity for alcohol, many to the point of alcoholism. Maybe this was done on purpose but it made it hard for me to differentiate characters.
This book reminded me of an edgier Goosebumps, something I could see young adult readers being into if that's their taste. Most of the stories unfortunately felt rushed to me but I did find a few I liked. My favorite was definitely Backtrack.
Right off the bat, I gotta say, I LOVED this book. Going into it, I was a little worried that some of the stories might blend together or have too similar plots since that's been the case in a few other anthologies I've read. I should have had more faith because all of these were super unique and handled the horror elements in such different ways.
I can't think of a single story in here I didn't like. There were stories in this book that made it hard for me to sleep, some because they stuck in my head and others because I stayed up all night reading. It's hard for me to pick just one favorite so here are the ones I especially enjoyed:
Kushtuka by Mathilda Zeller
Najajos Don't Wear Elk Teeth by Conley Lyons
Wingless by Marcie R. Rendon
Hunger by Pheonix Boudreau
Tick Talk by Cherie Dimaline
Uncle Robert Rides the Lightning by Kate Hart
The Scientist's Horror Story by Darcie Little Badger
Limbs by Waubgeshig Rice
Thank you NetGallery for the ARC review.
When I first picked up Mister Magic, I assumed I'd get a good scary story. Yeah, I'm a bit biased when it comes to this author. I've loved all the other stuff I've read by Kiersten White so I was hyped.
That being said, I didn't expect it to make me feel so... nostalgic and bitter and sad all at once. There's more to this story than meets the eye. It explores what it's like growing up with unresolved childhood trauma that's been left to settle in your mind. It examines how some groups of people put unrealistic expectations on children with no real concern for what is actually good for the child.
As someone who has had to deal with a lot of childhood trauma, this story really clicked into place for me. Even if you don't have that background, though, I think the book would still be enjoyable. It's got a lot of unsettling moments that build up paranoia throughout the whole thing.
Lastly, the acknowledgments at the end of the book explain the inspiration of the story. I suggest reading it once you're done with the book because it's pretty interesting!
The book has a fascinating premise but fell short in many ways, making it difficult to overlook. I don't want to get too detailed because I'd like to avoid spoilers, so I apologize for being vague.
Some major positives to the book:
- The premise is genuinely really cool!
- I loved the gore descriptions.
- A lot of the scenes felt like something I'd see in some of my favorite slasher movies.
- This is a small thing but I just really love the cover of the book. It really stands out against a lot of modern horror covers you see.
Unfortunately, there were a few things that made it difficult for me to finish this book.
- There were instances where I felt that plot points were being over-explained.
- Some scenes were quite repetitive, especially towards the middle.
- I noticed a few typos and missing words here and there.
- The majority of the characters all share an affinity for alcohol, many to the point of alcoholism. Maybe this was done on purpose but it made it hard for me to differentiate characters.
Oh boy. There's a lot to unpack here.
Right off the bat, I just want to say that this cover is so beautiful. It's the main reason I wanted to read the book. I know, don't judge a book by its cover yadda yadda, but I'm a sucker for good packaging. If I could buy an art print of it, I would.
Now onto the actual contents of the book. For the first third of the story, I was on board. The prose is pretty while also being quite unnerving at some points. I enjoyed the eerie atmosphere the writing built up around the town. Some of the main characters definitely faded into the background for me as I didn't particularly care about their stories but I really got attached to two of the girls...
...and then it all kind of fell flat. I was expecting the story to develop more or go beyond the obvious but it never did anything that wowed me. If the story had just been “meh” the whole time I don't think I would have minded so much but towards the ends things definitely got very messy. I know this is a YA book but I think even YA readers would get annoyed at some of the unrealistic choices both the teenage characters and adult characters make.
As for the ending, I won't put spoilers until later but you could say I was flabbergasted by the ending but not in a good way.
Despite all of that. I think that the author has a lot of potential and I hope to see more from them in the future. There was nothing egregious about their writing, just some messy plot, so I'd be willing to try another book of theirs someday. Unfortunately for this one, I don think I'd recommend it.
****Spoilers****
Here are some of the problems I really had with the plot, especially toward the end. (Sorry in advance over how much I ramble here!)
- The moms basically abandoned their children when they knew their daughters might get killed and then in the end we find out that they were just... hanging around outside the city limits? They were so easily forgiven too for all of this, with only one character actually bothering to question why their mothers were so quick to just abandon them. (The answer they are given, btw, is total bs. If I were one of those daughters I'd be furious.)
- Whitney getting a girlfriend was cute and all but where were her parents? her family? She left the city with Whitney but never seemed to have any agency of her own, making her feel like an accessory to Whitney more than anything.
- There were many moments where adults just let the teenagers do things, such as letting some random boys take an injured girl to the “hospital” which is just insane to me. No one would let that happen.
- The implication that the men could just will a woman to fall in love with them honestly weakened a lot of the bad choices some of the characters made. I didn't like how it basically excused all the terrible things one of the girls did because she was “under his spell” or whatever you want to call it.
A House with Good Bones is about an insufferable protagonist who passively floats through the story drinking boxed wine and eating pizza while talking about bugs. Okay, maybe I'm being a little unfair. I really wanted to like this book but this protagonist made me wish she'd disappear and the story would be told from her mother's perspective instead.
For a story that's about generational trauma, the person who experienced most of that trauma is gone from the plot most of the time and instead, we are left with Sam, who spends most of the book trying to pretend nothing supernatural is happening. I get that denial is a normal reaction, but did she really have to be in denial until basically the very end of the book?
There are a lot of things I could tear into this book over but I'm just going to approach Sam's character “arc”. Aka, there is none. Sam never changes throughout the entire story. When she has her final showdown with her grandmother, the way she “defeats” the old hag is basically by saying “you should have bullied me over my thesis, not my weight, cause I don't care I'm fat!” which is great and all but we already knew Sam didn't care about body image. It just made that whole final confrontation so lame. If we'd seen Sam slowly come to appreciate her body over the story, it would have been way more impactful.
Or better yet, make Sam's mother the protagonist, since she actually had a character arc.
Sorry, this book is just not for me. I couldn't stand the quirky attitude. I couldn't stand the humor. I doubt I'll pick up a book from this author ever again.
My Dearest Darkest is a sapphic horror story set in a boarding school surrounded by the coast and ancient woods. I wouldn't call it fully dark academia, which is what I expected at first, but it definitely gives off some of those vibes. The best way I think I can describe it is eldritch horror meets Jennifer's Body.
When it comes to romance and horror, it can be hard to balance both in the plot, but this book does a fantastic job. The relationship dynamic between Selena and Finch was so interesting to watch unfold and develop. I personally think Selena's character arc was my favorite out of the two of them.
I don't want to reveal much about the “horror” part of the story but I will say that I loved the visuals that were described. Some scenes actually made me pause and look around the room because I felt so unnerved. At the end of the book I still had questions about some of the things that happened but I liked that the horror retained some mystery to it. I didn't feel robbed of answers or anything like that.
Overall, I loved this book and I can't wait to read more from this author!
I admit that when I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure if I'd actually finish it. I've never been a huge fan of stories that revolved around mechas for whatever reason. I'm also an adult trans man so I felt like I would be way out of the demographic for the book.
Anyway, I turned out to be totally wrong. I LOVED this book so much.
The relationship dynamic had me enthralled. The fight scenes, which I had worried would bore me, were so beautifully written. I listened to it as an audiobook so I had the benefit of hearing a really awesome narrator as well.
There were so many scenes where I empathized with Zetian or wanted to shake some sense into her or wished I could just strangle someone messing with her. However, I never felt that her mistakes were forced to compel the plot. It felt natural to her character development. If you like a complicated protagonist and emotional character growth, this book provides.
Highly recommend this book and I can't wait for the sequel.
It took me a while to warm up to this book. There were sections, especially in the first half, that I had to reread several times because the writing style was borderline rambling to the point it confused me. I think this was done to reflect the character that the perspective was focused on but it definitely took some time to get used to.
The story itself was quite a fun read. The more visceral descriptions made my stomach churn (in a good way!) Even beyond the horror part of the story, I really enjoyed reading about the different generations of characters and their perspective of each other. Overall I'd recommend the book but just be warned that the beginning might be hard to get through.
A fantastic thriller with a nice side of family trauma. I finished the second half of the book in a day because I didn't want to stop reading. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year!
This is one of those books where I liked the journey as it was happening but looking back on it left me confused. Looking back on it after finishing the mystery, many characters behaved in strange ways that only served to make things mysterious rather than make sense for their personality/what they knew.
All of that being said, the story itself is quite a fun read. The writing has some beautiful moments, especially the descriptions of the house and the characters. There were a few twists I expected and one that I didn't, which left me pleasantly surprised. Overall, I enjoyed the book!
When We Were Orphans is a character study and exploration of childhood trauma. This book made me cry. Absolutely in my top ten favorites of all time.
I've rewritten this review a few times now. I wish I wasn't struggling so much to explain how much I love this book. I think it's because it feels so important to me that nothing I write seems good enough. That's how highly I hold Wolf Winter in my heart.
Wolf Winter is haunting. That's the best word I can think of to describe it. It's one of those books that stick with you, churns in your mind while you're reading it, and makes you feel bitter about people.
As someone who typically struggles with historical fiction, I was surprised by how hooked I got with this book. Each character had to navigate social norms and expectations while investigating the mystery, which added a layer of difficulty for them that I don't often see thrillers explore. On top of that, even the weather is oppressive, a looming threat to their survival. Everyone is struggling so hard to simply just survive that it becomes easy to see why so many crimes back then went unsolved.
All of this culminates into something heartbreaking and distressing because it mirrors the way people handle such situations even today. I know that sounds vague (I'm trying to avoid spoilers) but once you've read the book you'll get it.
Anyway, this review has been all over the place so I'm just going to leave it at this: read the book, it's amazing, especially during the winter months with a nice warm drink to keep you company.
After finishing In the Miso Soup, I was very curious to know how other people reacted to it. I can definitely see why this book would be divisive, especially when it seems the book is advertised to be a thriller. It is a thriller but it's also the author's reflection on Japanese culture at the time it was written and a comparison of that to American culture. I'd argue that aspect becomes much more important than the “thriller” part of the plot, especially after the halfway mark.
All that being said, I genuinely did enjoy this book. So much unnerved me in this story. While a lot of credit for that goes to the American tourist character, Frank, there were quite a few little details that made me physically recoil from the book in my hand. The gore definitely had shock value. Maybe a little too over-the-top but I enjoy that kind of stuff.
The main things I'd warn readers about:
The perspective of the book is very male-oriented and the main character is a bit... judgemental. You don't get to see much of the perspective of women in the sex industry. I assume this is done on purpose for the theme of the book but it's still pretty jarring.
The pacing of the book is strange but I hesitate to say it's “bad” or “wrong”. Don't expect it to follow the pacing of a usual thriller.
The gore is pretty shocking if you aren't used to over-the-top stuff.
As someone who loves experimental writing and flash fiction, I really enjoyed this book. Each section is a vignette that overall paints a picture of the main character's childhood and coming of age. What I especially admire about this book is the way Sandra Cisneros describes things. She has a way of pointing out and expanding on unique details rather than going for the obvious.
Vermis is a book that I'll think about for weeks after reading it. I've been a fan of the artist Plastiboo for a while now so I got their book as soon as I could, assuming it would be basically an art book.
I don't want to give much away because I feel like this book is best experienced going in blind. I'd describe it as a blend of story and artwork presented as a game manual, which is sometimes so immersive you forget the game it's describing doesn't exist.
I'd especially recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Dark Souls, dungeon crawlers, and cryptid horror.
Pros
The artwork. I love Plastiboo's art so I was instantly in love with every page I saw.
The narrative. The writing is such a unique blend of game mechanics and story.
Cons
Some minor punctuation errors can be found throughout the book.
I don't want to blame the book for this but I think it should be mentioned that I experienced issues with receiving emails for my order from Hollow Press (customer service was fairly helpful though!)
I desperately wish this book was longer or perhaps even part of a series cause I really want to see more of it! I loved the art style, especially the creepy full-page panels. The story itself was short but fun, with a few creepy scenes that set me on edge.
However, I do think that the length does detract from the story. I would have liked to know more about our protagonist before he was thrown into this nightmare. Some more scenes in the town would have been nice too, as I felt like there could have been more explored with some of the characters that we were introduced to.
Is it strange that I loved this book more than any of King's other books?
Not that I mean I disliked the others – there are quite a few I really enjoyed! – but I genuinely loved the matter-of-fact way King talked about his life, writing, and publishing back in the day.
As silly as it might be to say, I'd love to see a “sequel” to this. I'm curious how his thoughts have changed, if at all, and how he feels about the publishing industry now.