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drakaina16's reviews
2013 reviews
Discount Dan by James A. Hunter
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy.
I had an absolute blast with Discount Dan. The LitRPG format works so well with the Backrooms horror format. All I had to read in the blurb was Backrooms, and I was already in. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book is literally like reading a horror Dungeons and Dragons campaign. It's also very clever, funny, and unsettling as hell. I'm so pleased this is book 1 of a series - I'm absolutely going to read the rest. 5 stars
I had an absolute blast with Discount Dan. The LitRPG format works so well with the Backrooms horror format. All I had to read in the blurb was Backrooms, and I was already in. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book is literally like reading a horror Dungeons and Dragons campaign. It's also very clever, funny, and unsettling as hell. I'm so pleased this is book 1 of a series - I'm absolutely going to read the rest. 5 stars
Cremated Remains by M. Ennenbach
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.
This is a very solid collection. I enjoyed every one of the stories, sometimes quite a lot. They are all very well-written and unique. I especially enjoyed Within a Withering Eye, and would love to read more from that world. 4.25 stars
Golden Lazarus ⭐⭐⭐.5
Bitter Petals ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Shallow Be Thy Name ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Red Moon Over the Red River Station ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Insatiable ⭐⭐⭐.5
Within a Withering Eye ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Death, and a Donut ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Waiting Room ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Lost in Ephemera ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Death of Creativity ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
This is a very solid collection. I enjoyed every one of the stories, sometimes quite a lot. They are all very well-written and unique. I especially enjoyed Within a Withering Eye, and would love to read more from that world. 4.25 stars
Golden Lazarus ⭐⭐⭐.5
Bitter Petals ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Shallow Be Thy Name ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Red Moon Over the Red River Station ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Insatiable ⭐⭐⭐.5
Within a Withering Eye ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Death, and a Donut ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Waiting Room ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Lost in Ephemera ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Death of Creativity ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Monomania by Elton Skelter
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy.
This is a fun little slasher homage that I read in two sittings. It's well-written, and I thought the inclusion of the police reports was a nice touch. I did feel like things wrapped up a little too quickly in the end, which I didn't love. I still had a great time with the book, though. 3.75 stars
This is a fun little slasher homage that I read in two sittings. It's well-written, and I thought the inclusion of the police reports was a nice touch. I did feel like things wrapped up a little too quickly in the end, which I didn't love. I still had a great time with the book, though. 3.75 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Undead folk by Katherine Silva
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
Katherine Silva is a must-read for me now. Her books are so, so good. Undead Folk hit me where it hurts, but I am hesitant to give too much away, so I'll not say more than that. This is dystopian folk horror at its best, steeped in grief and revenge. My heart aches for Ella and I loved Amos as well. 4.5 stars
Katherine Silva is a must-read for me now. Her books are so, so good. Undead Folk hit me where it hurts, but I am hesitant to give too much away, so I'll not say more than that. This is dystopian folk horror at its best, steeped in grief and revenge. My heart aches for Ella and I loved Amos as well. 4.5 stars
The Atrocity Engine by Tim Waggoner
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Thank you to NetGalley and Aethon Books for providing a review copy.
I had an absolute blast with this book. The world-building is so good, so well thought out, and so unique. I really dig the combination of horror and urban fantasy. The characters are fully realized, with interesting back stories and I came to care about them a great deal. I'm pleased that The Atrocity Engine is part of a planned trilogy - I definitely plan on reading the rest. 4.75 stars
I had an absolute blast with this book. The world-building is so good, so well thought out, and so unique. I really dig the combination of horror and urban fantasy. The characters are fully realized, with interesting back stories and I came to care about them a great deal. I'm pleased that The Atrocity Engine is part of a planned trilogy - I definitely plan on reading the rest. 4.75 stars
A Cold Night for Alligators by Viggy Parr Hampton
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy.
The premise of this book sounded so interesting, and it got off to a really great start. Epidemiology is always something I enjoy reading about, especially combined with a horror novel. I thought the book got bogged down somewhat in the middle and kind of limped along to the ending (which was much less thrilling than anticipated). It's definitely an interesting take on a "virus" book. 3 stars
The premise of this book sounded so interesting, and it got off to a really great start. Epidemiology is always something I enjoy reading about, especially combined with a horror novel. I thought the book got bogged down somewhat in the middle and kind of limped along to the ending (which was much less thrilling than anticipated). It's definitely an interesting take on a "virus" book. 3 stars
Pieties by Marc Ruvolo
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
As short as this novel is, it is fairly slow and the real action doesn't kick off until the last 10%. Up until then, it's more of a slice of life novel involving a gay man with AIDS who moves home to live in a homophobic small town. Truly, this was the most disturbing part of the book for me. I felt so sad for the main character. Ultimately, I enjoyed the book but felt it ended a bit abruptly and took awhile to get going. I loved the writing too. 3.5 stars
As short as this novel is, it is fairly slow and the real action doesn't kick off until the last 10%. Up until then, it's more of a slice of life novel involving a gay man with AIDS who moves home to live in a homophobic small town. Truly, this was the most disturbing part of the book for me. I felt so sad for the main character. Ultimately, I enjoyed the book but felt it ended a bit abruptly and took awhile to get going. I loved the writing too. 3.5 stars
There's Something Wrong with Aunty Beth by Mark Towse
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy.
One thing I have learned about Mark Towse after reading this collection is that he is a master of making the mundane really disturbing. So many of these stories took normal situations and turned them on their heads. I really enjoyed this collection. 4 stars
There's Something Wrong with Aunty Beth ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
The Fruits of Labour ⭐⭐⭐.75
My Name is Mark Kellis ⭐⭐⭐
Mama's Boy ⭐⭐⭐
An Old Romantic ⭐⭐.5
Mother Dearest ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Music Man ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Bucket of Chicken ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cosy Street ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Undertones ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
A Bad Harvest ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Long Distance Call ⭐⭐⭐.5
Retail Therapy ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Time for a Change ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mount Pleasant House ⭐⭐⭐.5
Just a Fly ⭐⭐⭐
Old Times ⭐⭐⭐
Time to Reflect ⭐⭐⭐.25
The Bedroom Window ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Make Me Shine ⭐⭐⭐
The Candle Maker ⭐⭐⭐.75
One thing I have learned about Mark Towse after reading this collection is that he is a master of making the mundane really disturbing. So many of these stories took normal situations and turned them on their heads. I really enjoyed this collection. 4 stars
There's Something Wrong with Aunty Beth ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
The Fruits of Labour ⭐⭐⭐.75
My Name is Mark Kellis ⭐⭐⭐
Mama's Boy ⭐⭐⭐
An Old Romantic ⭐⭐.5
Mother Dearest ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Music Man ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Bucket of Chicken ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cosy Street ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Undertones ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
A Bad Harvest ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Long Distance Call ⭐⭐⭐.5
Retail Therapy ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Time for a Change ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mount Pleasant House ⭐⭐⭐.5
Just a Fly ⭐⭐⭐
Old Times ⭐⭐⭐
Time to Reflect ⭐⭐⭐.25
The Bedroom Window ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Make Me Shine ⭐⭐⭐
The Candle Maker ⭐⭐⭐.75
Junkman by Christopher Bevard
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
This book is a very difficult ones. There are some heavy triggers, so I would suggest checking them before diving in. Junkman is a book that really pulls at your heart. Stories where basically good people who have been through some shit and are about to go through a whole lot more shit really get me. The "cursed object" in the book is severely creepy and it's very well-written, so those scenes were particularly effective. This was my first Christopher Bevard book, but I definitely hope to read more. 4.25 stars
This book is a very difficult ones. There are some heavy triggers, so I would suggest checking them before diving in. Junkman is a book that really pulls at your heart. Stories where basically good people who have been through some shit and are about to go through a whole lot more shit really get me. The "cursed object" in the book is severely creepy and it's very well-written, so those scenes were particularly effective. This was my first Christopher Bevard book, but I definitely hope to read more. 4.25 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Cannibalism