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otherworlds's reviews
120 reviews
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
DNF'ed this last year. wanted to give it another try. i regret it. a whole lot of build-up to... a really anticlimactic ending.
and, i'll be honest - nothing in this book rings true to me as a survivor of a cultlike group. not like the group in this book, but close enough to feel very put off by the way it's handled here. it's not outright offensive or anything, just... unrealistic in a lot of ways. the ending, especially.being victimized doesn't make you more enlightened or any less brainwashed than the rest of the group! the other women coming to immanuelle's aid made me roll my eyes tbh. also, there is the matter of leah's death. it was NOT handled with the gravity it deserved imo. losing a friend and long-term fellow victim like that, and then having to play nice with her rapist and murderers (absolutely including martha btw), is so, so much more intense than we see here.
i understand it's a YA novel and maybe henderson didn't want to go that dark with it. but if you bring up subjects like this, i think you need to be willing to face them head-on and not shy from the unromantic, unresolvable reality of what it means to be victimized in that way.
and, i'll be honest - nothing in this book rings true to me as a survivor of a cultlike group. not like the group in this book, but close enough to feel very put off by the way it's handled here. it's not outright offensive or anything, just... unrealistic in a lot of ways. the ending, especially.
i understand it's a YA novel and maybe henderson didn't want to go that dark with it. but if you bring up subjects like this, i think you need to be willing to face them head-on and not shy from the unromantic, unresolvable reality of what it means to be victimized in that way.
The Hollow Kind by Andy Davidson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
The writing style didn't flow well for me, I didn't find the dialogue as clever or endearing as I think it was supposed to be, and it also had some very strong "cis white male writer putting his own unchecked biases in the mouths of female characters and characters of color" moments. It was too tiring.
Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was so good! I loved the characters and was super invested in them which made it all the more tense when they were in danger. And the Echo Game is such a cool concept that was executed really well.
Cruel Angels Past Sundown by Hailey Piper
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Really metal religious horror. I read the whole thing from start to finish and had a blast the whole time.
To Be Devoured by Sara Tantlinger
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hmmm this book had some good qualities for sure. i like when stories like this evoke relatable emotions with the most unrelatable of situations. it was really interesting. however it also had a pretty stereotypical depiction of psychosis and had such a weird fetishizing way of describing Black people in a way i couldn't tell was actually supposed to indicate something about the main character, or if it's just the way the author writes about Black characters in general. (even if, giving the author the benefit of the doubt here, it is the former, is it even appropriate then?) when all that combined with some really over-the-top purple prose, it just didn't do it for me
Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
"Nerds of a feather, right?"
"Not today, Satan."
"[...]squick[...]"
"Legalized prostitution is hot like Kīlauea[...]"
"And I even got my Blu-ray of Chainsaw Hobos from Mars autographed without having to wait in line at Comic Con!"
"[...]epically[...]"
"[...]skeet[...]"
In this book, the author called cum "skeet". She called cum "skeet".
Between the 2010s YA-influenced style that was tonally dissonant when paired with the graphic content and serious tone of this book, the really clumsy way social issues were discussed, and the, uh... interesting (read: strongly indicative of a background in fandom culture, regardless of the character's own background or subculture) choices of wording, this isn't one I'm gonna recommend. I loved the gross body horror sex and I liked the worldbuilding, but overall I don't think this book was worth my time.
"[...]skeet[...]"
In this book, the author called cum "skeet". She called cum "skeet".
Between the 2010s YA-influenced style that was tonally dissonant when paired with the graphic content and serious tone of this book, the really clumsy way social issues were discussed, and the, uh... interesting (read: strongly indicative of a background in fandom culture, regardless of the character's own background or subculture) choices of wording, this isn't one I'm gonna recommend. I loved the gross body horror sex and I liked the worldbuilding, but overall I don't think this book was worth my time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Gore, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Infidelity, Vomit, Police brutality, and Trafficking
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
felt more like a YA take on the terror than what i had hoped for... (a more unique story!) also i didn't like the characters.
The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Absolutely incredible. Literally could not be normal for hours after reading this.
Queen of Teeth by Hailey Piper
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I love how it has this wacky premise and then it turns into something so raw and tender and brutal, oh my god. It's like a weird 80s body horror movie but add in anti-capitalism, so many dead cops, oh, and love. So much love went into this one.
It's also maybe the one and only vagina-related horror story I've read that wasn't a dysphoria-inducing, "divine feminine" cringefest. I love how Piper focuses on the vagina as more of a locus of personal experience (of sensation, feeling) than a symbol of arbitrary femininity. Its voice is not the divine essence of womanhood, it is the simple insatiable desire to live and a howl of rage against the oppression she's faced.
It's also maybe the one and only vagina-related horror story I've read that wasn't a dysphoria-inducing, "divine feminine" cringefest. I love how Piper focuses on the vagina as more of a locus of personal experience (of sensation, feeling) than a symbol of arbitrary femininity. Its voice is not the divine essence of womanhood, it is the simple insatiable desire to live and a howl of rage against the oppression she's faced.