"If I treat myself like an animal, maybe I won't go to hell either."
A QUEER LITERARY VAMPIRE NOVEL WITH RELIGIOUS DECONSTRUCTION, MOMMY ISSUES, AND A "If I treat myself like an animal, maybe I won't go to hell either."
A QUEER LITERARY VAMPIRE NOVEL WITH RELIGIOUS DECONSTRUCTION, MOMMY ISSUES, AND A MC WHO CONSISTENTLY SELF DESTRUCTS?! What a mood!
Fragile Animals is an excellent little literary fiction set in Scotland about Noelle, a 20 something hotel cleaner who travels to the island of Bute to stay in a B&B for a short time as a reset/getaway.
Right off the bat (LOL) - love the setting. Bute is described as "cold, penetrative to the bones," with "craggy, old stone buildings," and people who are "friendly but in a rude way." It has a charm to it but also just did a great job at setting the bleary tone of the novel.
When Noelle arrives at the bed and breakfast there is only one other guest, a man named Moses who confesses to her that he is a vampire. This is the OPPOSITE of the romanticized sparkling twilight vampire or beautiful charming vampires we see so often in literature. Instead, Moses is portrayed as angular and hungry looking with dirty fingernails and barefeet. I found myself actually feeling some revulsion to him everytime he entered a scene, which was such an interesting contrast to most vampire stories I read.
Noelle and Moses begin to have a relationship built on their confessions, and it is captivating getting to see their regrets and past relationships.
Do not go into this expecting the vampire to be the main character. While Moses is clearly a large part of the story, more than anything else this is about a regular woman coming to terms with her past and her future.
Noelle is an ex-catholic and it was sooooo interesting reading about her transitions out of catholicism, her memories in the church, and how she viewed her religious mother as a child and as an adult.
There are some stylistic choices the author made that were really a cherry on top for me, but I understand others might not love.
Jagger constantly went back and forth from different timelines in Noelle's life, telling a story about her childhood and then connecting it back to present day within a sentence without any sort of transition. This can be confusing at times but it made the story feel very immersive - I felt like I was hopping along following the thought processes' Noelle was experiencing in real time. The author did the same thing with first and third person narration! Some scenes would be in first person, some in third. These shifts really just kept me on edge (in a good way) and held my attention.
Loved!
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
pains me to DNF this because i love so many other ogawa books, but i’ve been reading it for 2 months and have no urge to keep going.
at leastDNF @ 55%
pains me to DNF this because i love so many other ogawa books, but i’ve been reading it for 2 months and have no urge to keep going.
at least so far this is lit fic without much going on plot wise, and the lack of a rising climax paired with a pretty boring MC prevented me from feeling excited about continuing.
Someone in one of my tiktok videos where I mentioned this book said that the description sounded like a Studio Ghibli movieTHIS IS ONE OF MY NEW FAVES
Someone in one of my tiktok videos where I mentioned this book said that the description sounded like a Studio Ghibli movie (vibe wise) and that is so accurate!!
Water Moon is set in Tokyo and also in another world. It's about a woman who owns a pawn shop with her dad, but instead of pawning regular items they pawn choices off of people from our world so we can live without regrets. This shop is magical and otherworldly and only people who are meant to find it are able to step foot inside.
When she discovers that her dad has gone missing at the same time as a customer walked into the shop, the two go on a journey to find her dad together.
This was so WHIMSICAL. We go on journeys where the characters:
- Ride on paper cranes - Travel through music - Go to night markets in the sky - Jump through puddles and so much more.
While going on this journey the main characters are being chased by dark entities and so many secrets are being uncovered.
This has romance, it has horror, it's mysterious and adventurous.
I COULD NOT STOP READING THE LAST 20% PERCENT. I was shook.
My only complaint is that some of the writing felt kinda sappy and cliche? There are lots of lines about following your heart and being your true self and fate and falling in love etc., and I did find myself kinda rolling my eyes at times, but definitely not enough to take me out of the story.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review* ...more
Rivers Solomon can do no wrong!!! They remind me so much of Silvia Moreno Garcia in the sense that they can (and do!) write in literally any genre andRivers Solomon can do no wrong!!! They remind me so much of Silvia Moreno Garcia in the sense that they can (and do!) write in literally any genre and they always kill it.
I was especially excited for Model Home because it is my fave genre (horror!) and it did not disappoint. It is a short little book but left a lasting impact.
Model Home is about Ezri, part of a wealthy Black family that grew up in predominantly white area... in a haunted house. When their parents stop answering their texts, Ezri and their sisters (and Ezri's daughter) return home to check on their parents.
Like all of Rivers Solomons books, this tackled serious issues (view spoiler)[(gender identity, CSA, grooming, racism) (hide spoiler)] in a gentle but incredibly piercing manner.
At NO POINT did I know what was coming next. This kept me on my toes and then broke my heart, in that order.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!...more
The Invisible Hotel is a dark literary fiction set in korea about intergenerational trauma. It has some hi"This wasn’t my pain, but I felt it anyway."
The Invisible Hotel is a dark literary fiction set in korea about intergenerational trauma. It has some historical fiction elements in the form of flashbacks of the korean war and previous generations, but is primarily set in present day.
I think this book was very mismarketed which did it a disservice. I went into this expecting literary horror, and while this book is dark, I would not consider it horror at all. At about 60% I nearly DNF'd just because I had no clue where it was going. I'm glad I didn't because I do think the author crafted a really special piece of work, but I also understand the people who did DNF.
This is about Yeweon, a young woman living in a small village (Dalbit) in Korea with her mother. In this village the people follow a tradition where they keep the bones of their deceased loved ones in their bathtub and continuously wash them over and over every single day.
Yeweon wants to get out of Dalbit and away from the bones which consume her and her mothers lives, but she is plagued by dreams of a hotel.
She also has a brother who is in the army at the North Korean border, and a sister who is struggling with the loss of her baby.
It was definitely interesting seeing the story progress and Yeweon learning how to cope with the pain she was born with through the trauma of her ancestors. I was shocked to find that I almost cried at the end.
However, I can't say that this was a page turner or that I felt a lot of personal enjoyment or satisfaction out of reading this. The first 60% was quite repetitive, and without an indication of where the story was going, I felt lost.
*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!...more
Ok wait I did not expect to love this but it was so fun.
This is a childrens graphic novel about two sisters (Beatrice and Magnolia) that live in the wOk wait I did not expect to love this but it was so fun.
This is a childrens graphic novel about two sisters (Beatrice and Magnolia) that live in the woods. Beatrice is sweet and kind and Magnolia is grumpy and evil. They are very poor and eat rats, but when Beatrice realises her sister Magnolia is cold, she goes on a journey to find yarn to knit her a sweater.
This was a super quick read and touched on labor rights, sustainability, and capitalism, all while being funny and charming. I literally laughed out loud multiple times while reading this.
Obviously the lessons learned are very obvious/spelled out which some older readers may not love, but since it's a childrens book I definitely understand.
*Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. ...more
"Because there is nothing worse than having unexplained symptoms. Feeling like there’s something terribly wrong—but nothing that can be measur⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Because there is nothing worse than having unexplained symptoms. Feeling like there’s something terribly wrong—but nothing that can be measured in exams, and you know the doctor thinks it’s all in your head."
The Night Guest is a thriller/horror novella set in Iceland about a woman who thinks she may be sleepwalking. She keeps waking up each morning feeling exhausted with lots of steps on her watch, but with no memory of what may have happened.
This was a really entertaining and quick read! It didn't blow me away or shock me by any means, but it was gripping and strange.
Major TW for animal deaths!
*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
Grey Dog is a sapphic slow burn historical literary horror about a teacher who moves to a small town in 1901.
It is written in the form of a journal4⭐️
Grey Dog is a sapphic slow burn historical literary horror about a teacher who moves to a small town in 1901.
It is written in the form of a journal, with the main character taking a detailed account of her move to this town.
I loved that the story was written as a journal. Most of the entries were fairly short which is probably one of the only reasons I was able to finish it as quickly as I did - considering it was 400 pages and very slowly paced. At the beginning I was immediately drawn in and excited to see where the story would go, but by 40-60% I was starting to get a little bit impatient. The book is very atmospheric and moody, but most of the book veers more towards literary fiction about female rage than it does horror. If you go into knowing this there is no way you will be disappointed.
"A woman laughing is always a disturbing thing for a man to witness."
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field is a set of short stories that show the broad experience of Angolans through a charming and intrusive narrator.
I Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field is a set of short stories that show the broad experience of Angolans through a charming and intrusive narrator.
I admittedly don't know much about the history of Angola, but this story collection was a really personable little introduction.
Typically I have a really hard time with short story collections, but I actually enjoyed most of these and found myself giggling at the narrator/author intrusion into the stories. The narrator was so snarky and witty which I really was not expecting. It was obvious to me that the author had a very playful outlook on his relationship with his readers which made for a unique and engaging experience.
Even though I read this with my eyes, the stories felt like I was listening to oral stories told around a campfire. Most of them had a clear beginning/middle/end which made it easy to follow along - compared to a lot of other short story collections that drop you in the middle of a story without any context.
I have a lot of great things to say about this collection, but in the end it just didn't grip my attention as much as I would have liked. I also didn't love the portrayal of women in a lot of the stories.
"The contemporary world is not, therefore, a very pleasant place, but it is the place in which we are fated to live."
*Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
Myrrh is a book about a woman who was adopted as a child going on a search to find her biological parents.
It was marketed as horror, but I reall3.25⭐️
Myrrh is a book about a woman who was adopted as a child going on a search to find her biological parents.
It was marketed as horror, but I really did not find this to fit into the horror (or really even thriller) genre. I would categorize Myrrh as slightly unhinged/suspenseful/ speculative litfic, and if it had been marketed that way I think I would've enjoyed the book more. There are some horror adjacent aspects included in the storyline that I enjoyed, but I don't think they were clear enough or substantial enough to place the entire book in the horror genre.
This book is written through the POVs of multiple different women. It is unclear how they are related at the beginning, but by the end we are able to see their connections weave together. The POVs were each distinct and the chapters were short, which I always love. This made the book a really fast paced and short read, and it was easy to quickly become interested in the women and the plot.
I was enjoying the book until I realized my enjoyment was just rising anticipation of a climax that really never came. I kept hoping for something shocking, and I finished the book feeling disappointed.
There were certainly some interesting themes explored here (motherhood, loss, hope, adoption, etc.) but they didn't come together in a way that felt memorable for me.
*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tender is a graphic novel that is perfect for my fellow body horror girlies. I thought this was such a refreshing take on body horror because rather tTender is a graphic novel that is perfect for my fellow body horror girlies. I thought this was such a refreshing take on body horror because rather than being misogynistic and sexualized and written by men, this one is very obviously written by a woman, for women.
Tender is about Carolanne, a woman who cares a lot about how others see her. We see her progression through what she expects to be her dream future (work, boyfriend, marriage, husband, etc.), until something veers her off course and sends her spiraling.
This was a quick read and hard to look away from. I found myself physically cringing at some of the illustrations, but in a the way that we want to be disturbed by this type of story.
Tender was entertaining and explored women's societal expectations, female empowerment, motherhood, and more.
*Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*
The Eyes Are the Best Part was my favorite thriller of 2023.
This story is about Ji-Won, a college age Korean-American girl whose parents separate at tThe Eyes Are the Best Part was my favorite thriller of 2023.
This story is about Ji-Won, a college age Korean-American girl whose parents separate at the beginning of the book. Her mother is a sweet but naive older woman who begins dating a white man that fetishizes asian women.
While these changes are occuring in Ji-Won's life, she forms an obsession with consuming blue eyeballs.
This was so fresh and different from most of the thrillers I read. My favorite thing about a good thriller is when I am just as invested in the characters as I am the plot, and Kim did a GREAT job with this. I loved Ji-Won and reading about her relationship with her sister, watching her make friends, and navigating these new changes in her life. I think this shift she is dealing with is something MANY of us can relate to, and it only made the story more compelling.
The eye horror was incredible. It wasn't overdone, it wasn't masterfully sprinkled in just enough to leave you wanting more.
If you love unhinged women and want to diversify your thriller/horror reads in 2024, you need to add this one to your list.
(Also I loveddd the ending!)
*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
Ok this was honestly so fun - very much in the same vein as They Never Learn or even My Husband. I will always love a woman serial killer MC <3
Bad MeOk this was honestly so fun - very much in the same vein as They Never Learn or even My Husband. I will always love a woman serial killer MC <3
Bad Men is about Saffy, and unhinged but methodical socialite 20 something who is also a serial killer. She targets bad men and only kills if she has a reason she believes is legitimate - she's essentially a vigilante.
We also follow Jon, a true crime podcaster. Saffy becomes obsessed with Jon and decides she wants him to be her boyfriend, and she will go to any lengths to stage the perfect meet cute and jumpstart their relationship.
The story starts FAST and I read the first 50% in one sitting. I was so excited about the book at the beginning because of how quickly I was immersed. I do think the pacing slowed down quite a bit in the middle, but I also loved the last 20%.
I definitely think this will be one of the hot girl thrillers of 2024!! While it wasn't perfect and Saffy and Jon were both kinda insufferable at times, I couldn't put it down.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
Indian Burial Ground is a dual timeline family horror set on a reservation. We follow Noemi in present day, her boyfriend just died and it has been ruIndian Burial Ground is a dual timeline family horror set on a reservation. We follow Noemi in present day, her boyfriend just died and it has been rumoured to be a suicide. In the second timeline we follow Noemi's uncle, Louie, back in the 8os during a horrifying summer.
I really enjoyed this. It was very slow paced and character driven, with main themes surrounding mental health and alcoholism. The pacing, topics, and character focus reminds me a lot of Bad Cree.
The chapters were short which made it really easy to pick up often and never feel lost. There were so many creepy eerie moments and scenes that will stick with me for a long time, and the characters were endlessly memorable.
My only complaints are:
1 - I really preferred Louis' timeline/POV much more than Noemi's. This is just personal preference, but I honestly wish this was just all Louis' POV, a lot of Noemi's chapters felt like filler.
2 - (view spoiler)[I feel icky about the fact that the only fat main character ended up being the bad guy. His weight was brought up often (which isn't a problem in itself), but he was constantly described as being lazy and creepy and having no friends, and I feel like it's just not necessary to perpetuate those stereotypes fat people have to deal with on the daily. (hide spoiler)]
Overall I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to seeing what else Nick Medina comes out with in the future!
*Thank you to Berkley and netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark was SO MUCH FUN.
It's a novel about an undead assassin named Eveen who made a deal with a goddess to becoThe Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark was SO MUCH FUN.
It's a novel about an undead assassin named Eveen who made a deal with a goddess to become an assassin after her death. She is bound to this contract and must "ship" whoever is assigned to her.
One day she is sent on an assignment and as soon as she arrives, decides not to kill her target.
Both Eveen and her target go on a dangerous journey over the course of one night.
P. Djèlí Clark does such a good job making an otherwise dark storyline feel lighthearted and humorous without compromising the high stakes.
I loved the characters, I loved the story, I loved the resolution.
I listened to the audiobook (narrated by Lynnette R. Freeman), and she did a great job with the narration! There seems to be a common thread with this authors audiobooks though (for me), where I sometimes have trouble following the plot and get a little lost in the middle. I experienced this with Ring Shout, and was surprised to feel that way a ~little bit~ during this story. I genuinely don't know why I feel this way because it's not like the book was complex or confusing at all - maybe it is because Clark tends to write shorter novels (with many well written characters - even side characters!) that pack a punch for their number of pages.
This is an excellent addition to Clarks collection of novels and I highly recommend it for any fantasy/thriller readers!
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
The Indian Lake Trilogy is one of my favorite book series ever.
In order, my favorites are:
#1 - Don't Fear the Reaper (book 2) #2 - My Heart is a ChainsThe Indian Lake Trilogy is one of my favorite book series ever.
In order, my favorites are:
#1 - Don't Fear the Reaper (book 2) #2 - My Heart is a Chainsaw (book 1) #3 - The Angel of Indian Lake (book 3)
The Angel of Indian Lake was unfortunately my least favorite of the three, but I still enjoyed it a lot. It was the only book I read with my ears rather than my eyes, so I think for me personally I do prefer to read these physically.
My biggest issue with this one was just that there was SO much going on and so many references to other characters, that I felt the storyline just got a bit lost for me. The middle 60% felt chaotic and I found myself constantly rewinding and pausing to check if I had missed certain important comments. I think it would have benefited my experience to re-read the first two books right before diving into this one.
The ending was SO good though and as always I'm obsessed with the character development we see through Jade and Letha especially. It's so rewarding to get to see the same characters at different phases in their lives and see how they constantly change but also remain the same.
Sad the series is over :(
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!...more
Chrysalis is a short story collection about women of color, queerness, and family.
I am notoriously critical about short story collections and have beChrysalis is a short story collection about women of color, queerness, and family.
I am notoriously critical about short story collections and have been trying really hard this year to find ones that I enjoy, so when I read this description I thought it would be a great choice. While there were surely some stories I enjoyed, the collection as a whole wasn't a big stand out to me.
Some of the stories I loved included one about a trans girl falling in love, a BOGO shoe sale (dark cinderella vibes about the cost of beauty, desirability, etc.) and a neighborhood where families turn into animals at night and eat each other.
The stories I enjoyed I really wanted to be fleshed out more - which is almost always where my frustration lies in short story collections. On the other hand, the stories I didn't connect with felt too short and obscure for me to even get a grasp of what was going on.
Maybe short story collections just aren't for me <3
*Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
If you liked The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois, Pachinko, or any other multigenerational family saga, Coleman Hill is a MUST READ.
This is a story about If you liked The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois, Pachinko, or any other multigenerational family saga, Coleman Hill is a MUST READ.
This is a story about 2 different families that moved from Alabama to New Jersey in 1916. The two mothers of these families begin as friends but after their children engage in some unseemly acts together their friendship abruptly ends. We follow these 2 women, their children, their grand children, and their great grand children through the years.
Coleman Hill reminds me of the above books I also adore, but it is also so unique. I did not realize until the end that this is not fully fiction, it is actually what the author calls a biomythography - and it originated as the author was doing research on her own family history. The author attempted to remain true to history by talking with family members, but had to fill in some blanks and take creative liberties to see the story realized in this way.
I could feel this connection the author had with the story and the text. Even before I knew it was a biomythography I kept thinking how intimate it felt. The author wrote these characters with such dearness and love - but not in a way that felt like rose colored glasses. I could tell the author had respect for these women and men; flaws, mistakes, and struggles included, and it shined through in the writing. These characters were all so real and fleshed out and as a reader I felt love and understanding for them even when they were far from perfect. Part of that I think comes from the authors connection, but I also find myself feeling this way when I read multigenerational stories because we have soooo much context by the end.
This story is a great illustration of two Black American families, intergenerational trauma, and struggles with poverty, domestic violence, friendships, parenthood, alcoholism, and more.
I listened to this on audio and the narration was EXCELLENT. My girl Bahni Turpin is the narrator and she is so talented!!
*Thank you to Zando and Netgalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
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