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shereadytoread's reviews
806 reviews
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
dark
emotional
slow-paced
3.0
This is not a bad book by any means, but it was not a book I liked. It is incredibly slow paced and a bit off focus.
It is a vampire book in a loose sense, but it is primarily a story of star crossed lovers that happens during the war while also vampires are running around. If you like gothic historical romance, you’ll probably love this. If you are looking for more of a true vampire story, it may not be as great.
I don’t even think we see a vampire after the opening scene for almost 200 pages. I almost DNFd this one.
It is a vampire book in a loose sense, but it is primarily a story of star crossed lovers that happens during the war while also vampires are running around. If you like gothic historical romance, you’ll probably love this. If you are looking for more of a true vampire story, it may not be as great.
I don’t even think we see a vampire after the opening scene for almost 200 pages. I almost DNFd this one.
Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is my second read of this book, so I already knew it was a five-star read for me. I decided to try to audio this time, instead of reading the print again and I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed this story in audio as well.
I wanted to reread the story after I saw (and rewatched) the film recently. It was fun to look at the small changes between the book and the movie. There was a good amount I had forgotten since my first read and between that and the movie details, it was almost like enjoying the story for the first time again.
Eventually I'll reread the other books as well.
I wanted to reread the story after I saw (and rewatched) the film recently. It was fun to look at the small changes between the book and the movie. There was a good amount I had forgotten since my first read and between that and the movie details, it was almost like enjoying the story for the first time again.
Eventually I'll reread the other books as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Racism, Vomit
The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.
I didn't dislike this one but started it on a whim and have no motivation to finish it. Maybe I'll come back to it one day.
Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror by Ashley Cullins
I had such a great time reading this book, and I’m only sad it’s not longer.
Disclosure: I received a gifted ARC from the publisher after I made a video literally begging for a copy haha
emotional
informative
5.0
This book is the deep dive into the Scream films that every fan wants:
- Interesting history tidbits about the making of the films
- Heartfelt homage to Wes Craven
- The thought processes behind who was the killer and why
- Dissection of the impact of the Scream franchise and what sets its apart from other slasher franchises
- Looks toward the future of the franchise
I had such a great time reading this book, and I’m only sad it’s not longer.
Disclosure: I received a gifted ARC from the publisher after I made a video literally begging for a copy haha
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
This was a solid whodunit. You move back and forth between two timelines of two different mysteries that converge in the present. The past timeline was used a bit sparingly but still pretty interesting.
Annie is an interesting main character because she is thrust into the mystery and we watch her develop emotional attachments to family that she never knew. The motivations shift and change throughout the story which helps keep you guessing without obvious red herrings.
One big aspect is that Frances (the deceased) kept files on everyone in town so everyone had motive. I loved that and it seemed underused. We get little bits that tie directly into the mystery, but it would have been great to paint a bigger picture of the town by showing us some of the files that were not relevant to the case.
Disclosure: I received a gifted copy from the publisher.
Annie is an interesting main character because she is thrust into the mystery and we watch her develop emotional attachments to family that she never knew. The motivations shift and change throughout the story which helps keep you guessing without obvious red herrings.
One big aspect is that Frances (the deceased) kept files on everyone in town so everyone had motive. I loved that and it seemed underused. We get little bits that tie directly into the mystery, but it would have been great to paint a bigger picture of the town by showing us some of the files that were not relevant to the case.
Disclosure: I received a gifted copy from the publisher.
Hers to Claim by Coral Alejandra Moore
2.0
The second book felt like a step back from the first. It honestly seemed like all filler and spice to get to book three. Introduced multiple new characters or "aspects" of identity, but didn't actually explain what anything was. In the first book the characters at least felt three-dimensional and lovable. Here everyone feels like a flat trope or just a copy from the last story with no growth or change.
Part of me wants to still read the third book just to complete the story, but I'm not optimistic.
Part of me wants to still read the third book just to complete the story, but I'm not optimistic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry
dark
3.0
I really enjoyed the eerie vibes of this book but the ending felt incredibly rushed. I did think that there were some really interesting final twists there and I really enjoyed the character development.
My biggest gripe is that there is a really interesting character development piece about Harry's childhood and how she came to be where she is that I thought was going to pay off, but does not at all? I guess it was just to illustrate why she was so close with her son but it felt like the author threw out a plotline halfway through the book.
My biggest gripe is that there is a really interesting character development piece about Harry's childhood and how she came to be where she is that I thought was going to pay off, but does not at all? I guess it was just to illustrate why she was so close with her son but it felt like the author threw out a plotline halfway through the book.
What You Are Looking For is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
I wasn't disliking it but it wasn't holding my attention. Book club pick that I didn't get a chance to finish before the meeting so there was no motivation to go back.
The Science of Monsters: The Truth about Zombies, Witches, Werewolves, Vampires, and Other Legendary Creatures by Kelly Florence, Meg Hafdahl
informative
4.0
Audio specific: The narrator of this book was pretty good. I would have preferred they used a second narrator to do the interview portions instead of the narrator just reading off who is talking. Other than that the audio was fine.
This was an interesting take on what’s beneath monsters, fears and other elements of horror film.
Each chapter identifies a significant film (historical, innovative, socially relevant, etc.) and then connects it to a real world science question. It looks at whether certain aspects of movies are possible, what is the closest naturally known occurrence or inspirations for the aspects of horror movies that scare or intrigue us. To discuss the question they interview an “expert” to discuss it.
It’s a quick read and it’s interesting and informative. My only complaint is that there are some questions that seemed tangentially connected at best. It seemed like they wanted to discuss the film and tried to find a grounded question to ask. Also the expert level widely varied. We had everything from elementary school teachers to secure lab facility researchers.
This was an interesting take on what’s beneath monsters, fears and other elements of horror film.
Each chapter identifies a significant film (historical, innovative, socially relevant, etc.) and then connects it to a real world science question. It looks at whether certain aspects of movies are possible, what is the closest naturally known occurrence or inspirations for the aspects of horror movies that scare or intrigue us. To discuss the question they interview an “expert” to discuss it.
It’s a quick read and it’s interesting and informative. My only complaint is that there are some questions that seemed tangentially connected at best. It seemed like they wanted to discuss the film and tried to find a grounded question to ask. Also the expert level widely varied. We had everything from elementary school teachers to secure lab facility researchers.
It's You Every Time by Charlene Thomas
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.0
This time loop YA romance takes you on an emotional ride. It tackles themes of self-discovery, grief, and courage. Each of the main characters deals with their own tragedies in different, complex ways.
I loved that the book takes a good balance between positive, lofty days and hard realizations and difficult emotions. You get both "the best day ever" and the worst parts of their lives.
Sydney and Marcus are both wonderfully written characters, each with full lives and stories. This book balanced both MCs well, with equal complexity to their individual stories as well as pretty equal POV time between them.
Disclosure: I received a gifted finished copy from the publisher.
I loved that the book takes a good balance between positive, lofty days and hard realizations and difficult emotions. You get both "the best day ever" and the worst parts of their lives.
Sydney and Marcus are both wonderfully written characters, each with full lives and stories. This book balanced both MCs well, with equal complexity to their individual stories as well as pretty equal POV time between them.
Disclosure: I received a gifted finished copy from the publisher.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief