thatweirdbookgirlie's reviews
761 reviews

dark mysterious medium-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

3.0

A found footage horror novel. It does work in terms of formatting in the audio format, as they've got the full cast telling the story. However for me it was hard to follow and I never really fully engaged with the story. While I liked the overall concept, and there were pieces of the story that were really strong

once they've gone down into the labyrinth was a hit for me

, this one was generally a miss for me. I wouldn't say bad, just not great.

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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? Yes

4.5

As many others have mentioned, TJ Klune has such a warmth about his writing. He creates characters that you can't help but fall in love with. His also does the strange very well

in this case an alien that has inhabited a ten year old girl and two men that in different ways protect her

. In this novel we see the good and bad in humanity. I don't know if I fully loved the epilogue, and could have done with it ending before that. Read this one if you're in the mood for a cozy sci-fi novel!

There is one fairly graphic sex scene, which I ended up skipping but in no way affected my love of this novel.

Thanks so much to Tor and Netgalley for giving me an ARC of the re-release of this novel!

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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

4.75

An amazing start to a series (so be prepared for a cliffhanger). A disease is spreading that is changing the very fabric of who you are. I loved getting to see both sides of the coin in this one, those who saw it as a change for the better and those who wanted desperately for it to stop.
Although coined as young adult, this definitely will appeal to all those who love a good dystopian/disease novel. It doesn't feel young, although the main characters that we follow throughout the story are.
And the pacing is superb. There is a lot of world and characters to build up, but it never felt like a drag to me. In fact, I finished the 528 pages in three days!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

We Do Not Part by Han Kang

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challenging emotional slow-paced

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

3.75

What is a dream and what is reality? It can sometimes be hard to tell. This book takes a fictitious look at a real event, the Jeju massacre, and how it affected different generations of a family. There's definitely some poetic storytelling in this book, but at times it became disjointed and hard to follow (which may be a personal problem). The best part of the book for me was Kyungha's journey through the snowstorm which had such amazing imagery. Overall a book worth reading.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for a copy in advance of the translated copy's publication.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

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emotional reflective 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

A story of race relations in the south in the 1960s as told by a 14 year old white girl.
So much of this story is Lily struggling; to find out what really happened to her mom, to escape her abusive father, to stand up for the African American people in her life when so many people tell her she shouldn't. I also appreciate how smooth and easy the story is to read (or at least it was for me) despite dealing with some really intense topics.

Horns by Joe Hill

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dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

Hill has once again crafted an amazing story and world. An interesting take on the "deal with the devil story". Was it even a deal? And this story will make you feel something, as you learn more about Ig, the power of the horns, what really happened to his deceased girlfriend Merrin, etc. There's so much going on yet you won't be overwhelmed.

My edition came with a short story by Hill at the end: The Devil on the Staircase. In his preface to the story Hill says:

You have just finished a story about a devil who still believes in and fights for humanity (his own and others). The narrative that follows concerns a devil who sees humanity as the punch-line of a very old, dirty joke. Ig roots for us; the devil on the staircase doesn't.

This statement beautifully sums up both works.

Visitations by Corey Egbert

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challenging emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

A beautiful memoir about a period in Corey's life when he must face what he thought he believed and the truth of things. He grew up in a family of the Mormon faith. Now he must deal with the reckoning of what his mom has been teaching him as she has visions that tell her that she must take her children away to protect them.
The story is a quick read despite being such a heavy topic. The art is also very simplistic but in a way that works well to tell the story.

Thanks to the publisher for the physical galley at NYCC.

Content Warnings

Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley

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adventurous dark emotional medium-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? Yes

4.25

Generally not my genre, as I am a romantasy hater. However this was one where I felt like the romance took a backseat to an actually good plot and I appreciated that. Clearly this book is a set up for a series, but also leaves you with a somewhat satisfying end

although I fully predicted Kenna was somehow gonna become part of blood house early on

rather than a cliffhanger. There is so much great world and character build up, and while some pieces are a bit predictable (see previous spoiler note), it doesn't hinder a great story. If fantasy is your genre I definitely recommend giving this one a go!

Thanks to the publisher for providing this galley at NYCC 2024!

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

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challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

This book was absolutely heartbreaking in the best possible way. A look at bullying from the eyes of a fourteen year old boy. In this story we see the why of the bullies as well as the why of why he just "accepts" the bullying. Despite such a heavy topic it was an engaging read.

Content Warnings

Echoes of my Soul by Robert K. Tanenbaum

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challenging hopeful informative fast-paced

4.0

This book reads really well. While it is extremely informative about the (real) case, it also uses lay language. I'd never heard of the case, but it is one of the ones that helped the Miranda rights become law. Overall a good, quick true crime read.

Content Warnings

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thatweirdbookgirlie's reviews 761 reviews

thatweirdbookgirlie's reviews
761 reviews