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illtakethenightshiftx's reviews
184 reviews
You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
review forthcoming!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, and Islamophobia
Minor: Genocide, Self harm, Violence, and War
A Small Apocalypse by Laura Chow Reeve
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Rarely had a short story collection been this compelling and cohesive. This collection is full of hauntings, grief, exploration and understanding of identity, tenderness, joy, and - above all else - love. Laura Chow Reeve creates a narrative following recurring characters interspersed with other short stories with similar themes, motifs, and symbols, but wholly original characters. Many of these stories had a gothic/Southern gothic feel similar to works by Shirley Jackson and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.
I loved this collection so much!! None of the stories felt out of place and the recurring characters are deep, developed, compelling, and easy to love. Reeve balances all of the heaviness with moments of joy and unbridled love between characters. So many moments had me misty-eyed, choked up, kicking my feet, with a melting heart.
A Small Apocalypse is one of the best short story collections I’ve ever read!!
Favorite stories: One-Thousand-Year-Old Ghosts, A Small Apocalypse, Migratory Patterns
Favorite stories: One-Thousand-Year-Old Ghosts, A Small Apocalypse, Migratory Patterns
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Child death
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Bury Your Gays has it all - compelling characters, an eerie, foreboding atmosphere, perfectly placed scenes of brutality and body horror juxtaposed with beautiful moments of poignancy and tenderness. Misha is layered and there were aspects of him that I could definitely relate to. The side characters were great and I really wanted to see more of them!
I did NOT see the twist/big reveal coming - my jaw was on the FLOOR!! This is my first Chuck Tingle novel and I am really excited to read Camp Damascus next. Tingle’s writing style is compulsively readable and it feels like you’re sitting next to your friend hearing them tell a story.
Bury Your Gays is a must-read for anybody who likes complex horror stories that may not be horror stories at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Homophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Child abuse, Outing, and Abandonment
Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed, and the Fight for the Future of Meat by Chloe Sorvino
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
auto-returned to the library. might not return to this, feels too surface level for me right now
Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I loved the way the author framed this book through Rita’s paintings (that I wish I could see!!!)
This novella packs many punches in less than 100 pages with an ever-intensifying atmosphere, eerie imagery, explorations of grief, and extreme feelings of isolation that come with a remote setting. This checked a lot of boxes, but it didn’t quite hit for me. I liked the atmosphere, bird imagery, and the feeling of questioning reality, but there were some places I felt a little lost and where some of the horror elements feel a little flat for me.
This novella packs many punches in less than 100 pages with an ever-intensifying atmosphere, eerie imagery, explorations of grief, and extreme feelings of isolation that come with a remote setting. This checked a lot of boxes, but it didn’t quite hit for me. I liked the atmosphere, bird imagery, and the feeling of questioning reality, but there were some places I felt a little lost and where some of the horror elements feel a little flat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Death of parent
Additional CW: suicidal ideation (graphic)
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
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? It's complicated
4.0
Another installment of the Monk and Robot series that picks up where the first book left off. Full to the brim with hope, learning, and seeking to understand each other just a little bit more.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I don’t know what Becky Chambers puts in her books to make me love them, but I really liked this! The novel and its characters are sweet, kind, curious, and willing to explore hard realities about themselves to live fuller lives. Mosscap has my whole heart!
Can’t wait to dive into the next book!!!!
Can’t wait to dive into the next book!!!!
The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America's Food Business by Christopher Leonard
informative
4.5
I thought I knew about factory farming, but gosh was I wrong! An eye-opening read about the monopoly Tyson was able to give themselves over the poultry industry (before moving on to hogs and cattle) and the path of destruction left in its wake. I think the arguments and information presented in this book about antitrust laws are extremely relevant to today, given that the laws are being tested like never before with technology companies. It seems as though there were instances where sweeping reforms of the factory farming industry were possible (as recently as the Obama administration, per the book), but lobbyists and big business were louder than those seeking reform. Overall this was an informative and fascinating read that’s extremely approachable. I didn’t find any parts of this to lag or feel like information overload and the narrator was fantastic.
This book should be required reading for anybody interested in big business (derogatory), animal rights, and workers’ rights.
I’d also like to shout out A Concerned Citizen for mentioning this book on the a recent episode of Swindled about Tyson Foods - that you, ACC for recommending this!
This book should be required reading for anybody interested in big business (derogatory), animal rights, and workers’ rights.
I’d also like to shout out A Concerned Citizen for mentioning this book on the a recent episode of Swindled about Tyson Foods - that you, ACC for recommending this!
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty
It's Lonely At The Centre Of The Earth by Zoe Thorogood
dark
emotional
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I wasn't sure what I was expecting from this graphic novel, and I'm left feeling a bit empty, but fulfilled. I liked the mixed media elements and illustration style in the novel and the asides enriched the story as it progressed. I related to some of what Thorogood discussed about loneliness and it felt comforting to know that I wasn't alone. This graphic novel is heavy (very heavy), but there are glimmers of hope and small pockets of joy sprinkled throughout. Overall, I enjoyed this graphic novel and I'm definitely interested in reading more from this author!
(I had some issues reading this on the NetGalley Shelf app, so if you're a NG reader who wants to request this, be warned it might be difficult to access.)
I wasn't sure what I was expecting from this graphic novel, and I'm left feeling a bit empty, but fulfilled. I liked the mixed media elements and illustration style in the novel and the asides enriched the story as it progressed. I related to some of what Thorogood discussed about loneliness and it felt comforting to know that I wasn't alone. This graphic novel is heavy (very heavy), but there are glimmers of hope and small pockets of joy sprinkled throughout. Overall, I enjoyed this graphic novel and I'm definitely interested in reading more from this author!
(I had some issues reading this on the NetGalley Shelf app, so if you're a NG reader who wants to request this, be warned it might be difficult to access.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Additional CW: depression, loneliness (explicit)
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really wanted to love this but it just didn’t hit for me. The prose is GORGEOUS and I could tell right off the bat the author is a poet. I did enjoy that aspect of the book throughout; the main character, Cyrus, is where it felt flat for me. I wasn’t a huge fan of his character and how he treated everyone else in his world. I loved the side characters of Zee, Orkideh, and his uncle - especially his uncle.
The changing perspectives and dream sequences throughout the novel were cool and added a richness to the narrative, but I did find them a bit distracting by the end, especially because there was so much happening in Cyrus’s story.
Overall, this novel was rich, full of beautiful prose and incredible characters, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. I will be revisiting this in the future because I feel like I “missed” something.
The changing perspectives and dream sequences throughout the novel were cool and added a richness to the narrative, but I did find them a bit distracting by the end, especially because there was so much happening in Cyrus’s story.
Overall, this novel was rich, full of beautiful prose and incredible characters, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. I will be revisiting this in the future because I feel like I “missed” something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and War