CW: medical content, medical trauma, death, child death, classism, racism, terminal illness, chronic illness, cancer, animal death, transphobia, (mentCW: medical content, medical trauma, death, child death, classism, racism, terminal illness, chronic illness, cancer, animal death, transphobia, (mentions of) mental illness/OCD
As someone who became a hardcore Nerdfighter around the age of 12 or 13, what an absolute privilege it was for me to grow up and have the opportunity to read about John infodumping the equally fascinating and horrifying history of Tuberculosis.
(I also highly recommend you read the note on the typeface at the front of the book. I know I'm usually the only person on the planet who regularly reads about typeface but in this instance, it's worth it for everyone.)...more
CW: vomit, body horror, gore, medical content, death, abandonment, death of a parent, psychosis/hallucinations, paranoia, panic attack
Wow wowwowow. ThCW: vomit, body horror, gore, medical content, death, abandonment, death of a parent, psychosis/hallucinations, paranoia, panic attack
Wow wowwowow. This is a fantastic piece of sci-fi horror, and it would make a SPECTACULAR miniseries.
Deeply character driven and atmospheric, equally heart-wrenching and terrifying. I love the pared down cast - I haven't read many books with just two characters that had such a deep, intense focus and I really enjoyed it. And of course don't forget the spooky glowing mushrooms.
Can't wait to read Caitlin Starling's entire bibliography. ...more
I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not impacted my final rating of the book. Actual rating: 3.5 stars
CW: suicI received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not impacted my final rating of the book. Actual rating: 3.5 stars
CW: suicidal ideation, suicide, mental illness, panic disorder, car accident, description of injuries, blood, (minor) transphobia
A ghost story meets Creepypasta in the modern world of streaming. Teresa hasn't been able to leave her house since the car accident that killed her best friend left her with a debilitating panic disorder. When Teresa turns to streaming for a social outlet, she finds herself falling quickly from a tenuous fame into a much darker world than she could ever imagine.
This book was a very FUN kind of spooky, while also not shying away from some particularly dark subjects. I thought they were handled generally well. The panic disorder was very well done, in my opinion, as someone who also has a panic disorder. I also loved the variety of LGBT+ rep! I am a big Twitch watcher and a lover of Creepypastas and ARGs (Alternate Reality Games) so this was just up my alley. I thought the formatting was excellently done, really highlight the multimedia context of messaging today through multiple apps and on video sites.
I would definitely recommend this to other tech and horror lovers! ...more
CW: [references to] child death, mass death events, drowning, fires/fire death
Anxiety rep! Chicago history! The Chicago History Museum! Positive commuCW: [references to] child death, mass death events, drowning, fires/fire death
Anxiety rep! Chicago history! The Chicago History Museum! Positive communication with your friends! Adorable AND spooky in equal measures. Highly recommend. ...more
CW: blood, body horror, animal (bug) cruelty, animal (bug) death, sexism, homophobia, racism, medical content, sexual content, misogyny, sexism
Ahh, soCW: blood, body horror, animal (bug) cruelty, animal (bug) death, sexism, homophobia, racism, medical content, sexual content, misogyny, sexism
Ahh, so it's going to be one of those series, where every volume is more unhinged than the last. I am so ready. The art is absolutely gorgeous and the text/plot are so bonkers. (Also, I saw in a review for vol 1 that someone things Dracula looks like Michael Jackson and now I can't unsee it. I have no idea if it was intentional or not but.... It's kind of hilarious.)...more
CW: body horror, blood, kidnapping, death, death of a parent, animal death, child death, fire/fire injury
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome rep!!
It's not really lCW: body horror, blood, kidnapping, death, death of a parent, animal death, child death, fire/fire injury
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome rep!!
It's not really like You Must Not Miss, but they would be great companion reads anyway - upper YA horror, with great focus on characters and some surprisingly weird monsters. ...more
CW: blood, violence, body horror (especially involving stomachs and ears), self harm, panic attacks/disorder, mental illness, death, description of inCW: blood, violence, body horror (especially involving stomachs and ears), self harm, panic attacks/disorder, mental illness, death, description of injuries, toxic relationship/friendship, bullying, vomit, (moderate/references to) child abuse, (moderate) homophobia, (references to) outing, (references to) racism, (references to) death of a parent
I received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way impacted my final rating!
Once, Thomas, Andrew, and Dove were an inseparable trio. But something happened last semester to break that trust. Only, Andrew can't seem to remember what that SOMETHING was.
You know I'm loving a book when I'm recommending it at 33% - and that is exactly what happened with Don't Let the Forest In. I had an amazing time reading this! It's weird and creepy with just the right balance of lyrical to concrete description to make it an easy, compulsive read. The characters felt so deeply real in a very specific way - the very specific late teenage, uncomfortably obsessive queer relationship is featured so masterfully in this book, at once realistic and relatable while also being amped up to 11. And the inclusion of an asexual spectrum character is just *mwah* chef's kiss. I really ate this book up, especially in the end.
I made a Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater comparison when I first started this book, and I certainly stand by that. This has a bit more concreteness to it, though, and it's much more of a horror novel than magical realism. But I would certainly recommend this to anyone looking for a darker version of that series. And, really, to any dark academia fan who loves horror. There's some pretty gruesome stuff in this book, while still being just this edge of YA appropriate. I really loved that this book didn't pull any punches horror-wise. It really dug its teeth (pun intended) into the scary weirdness of nature-inspired horror. While I understand and appreciate the market for that, I know there's a strong subset of older teen readers who want a bit more blood and guts, and this book will certainly fill that gap!
This book makes me so incredibly excited to read more from Drews, especially their recently announced upcoming books in a similar horror vein! ...more
Something about this series just makes me go so feral. I started listening to this series while I was working in an archive and for some reason it nevSomething about this series just makes me go so feral. I started listening to this series while I was working in an archive and for some reason it never put me off the work - it actually makes me more excited to work in museums???
Anyway, we stan.
Merged review:
Something about this series just makes me go so feral. I started listening to this series while I was working in an archive and for some reason it never put me off the work - it actually makes me more excited to work in museums???
CW: child death, mental illness, panic attacks, self-harm, body horror, blood, loss of appendages, sexual violence, spiders
This has all the elements oCW: child death, mental illness, panic attacks, self-harm, body horror, blood, loss of appendages, sexual violence, spiders
This has all the elements of a perfect haunted house story. A questionable ghost. Non-Euclidian geometry. The past and the future of a haunting. Weird AF kids. A Sapphic protagonist. I really don't know what else anyone could need.
Merged review:
CW: child death, mental illness, panic attacks, self-harm, body horror, blood, loss of appendages, sexual violence, spiders
This has all the elements of a perfect haunted house story. A questionable ghost. Non-Euclidian geometry. The past and the future of a haunting. Weird AF kids. A Sapphic protagonist. I really don't know what else anyone could need....more
CW: homophobia, pedophilia, sexual abuse, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, adult/minor relationship Actual rating: 4.5 stars
This book really said, CW: homophobia, pedophilia, sexual abuse, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, adult/minor relationship Actual rating: 4.5 stars
This book really said, What if when someone asked you, "do you know X queer person?" you could answer YES AND I'm in a weird gay, pseudo-Grecian cult with them.
(view spoiler)[THE ENDING? I'M SHOOK. What a fucking good ending. What a great circular story. Fucking fantastic holy shit. (hide spoiler)]...more
CW: racism, confinement, kidnapping, blood, description of injuries, corpses, murder, medical content
T. Kingfisher is a genius at crafting immaculatelCW: racism, confinement, kidnapping, blood, description of injuries, corpses, murder, medical content
T. Kingfisher is a genius at crafting immaculately loveable but logic-defyingly stupid men. I cannot wait for the next book and however many come after....more
I received a digital ARC of this novella for free thanks to Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Jaq's lover has betrayed her. She has found the bed ofI received a digital ARC of this novella for free thanks to Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Jaq's lover has betrayed her. She has found the bed of another man. She has done this before, and she may do this again. Together, among many other women, they are awash at sea, worshipping their goddess, Scylla. This is always how it has been. Will it be this way forever? And how long before did it begin?
This book was a ride and a HALF and I absolutely loved it! It's so dark and creepy, wildly compelling. The cast is more of a sketch, than anything, which is not surprising in a less than 150 page novella, but it does work very well for the setting. I think the character work really adds to the emotions and ambience of the story. I love Jaq's narrative voice, and how difficult her emotions are in this novella. It was very enjoyable to read from her voice. I really look forward to getting myself a finished copy so I can share some of my favorite lines! There are some very amazing ones that I highlighted in my ARC on Netgally.
This book fits into the recent "Oh Dear God, but Good for Her I Think?" genre that I have been DEVOURING recently. I would highly recommend this novel, it is eerie and unsettling and utterly delightful.
Content warnings provided by the author are included in the publication....more
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