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buttondragon's reviews
76 reviews
Born to be Weird: A Short Collection of Demented Fantasy & Horror by Set Sytes
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Enjoyed the first story a bit, the rest were pretty middling.
Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology by Rena Mason, Vince A. Liaguno
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I really wanted to like this anthology, but damn did some of the some of them make it difficult. If you pick this up, the ones I would recommend would be Idjit Girls, The Turning, Kalkriese, The Devil Don’t Come With Horns, The Asylum, Tiddlywinks, and Incident at Bear Creek Lodge. The rest were pretty hit or miss for me.
The only one I would genuinely say just to skip is Night Shopper. As a trans person, whole thing rubbed me the wrong way. Not well written in my opinion, and didn’t seem to actually understand the trans experience in a meaningful way.
The only one I would genuinely say just to skip is Night Shopper. As a trans person, whole thing rubbed me the wrong way. Not well written in my opinion, and didn’t seem to actually understand the trans experience in a meaningful way.
Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Not at all what I expected, but I enjoyed it immensely. Stephan Graham Jones really nails the teenage angst and logic, definitely worth a read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
dark
medium-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
1.5
I read this a while ago so forgive me if I mix up details, but I really did not enjoy this book. Picked it up at random in my library as a new release and it was horror, so I was excited, but this is purple prose at its most obvious. The plot is in theory interesting, but most of it overwhelmingly came off as petty. The characters don’t like each other, and man I sure didn’t either. They all seemed pretty one note in terms in personality, though we are given lots of detail on everyone’s race, sexuality, and income level. Overall, an unenjoyable, but thankfully short, novella.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Dead Man's Hole by Doug Bost
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
A short and pretty spooky audio drama. The story is fairly predictable, but the voice acting and soundscaping more than makes up for it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Suicide