minimicropup's reviews
479 reviews

Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories by Amparo Ortiz, Yamile Saied Méndez

Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.

Not bad, but not for me.
Grief and loss of loved ones (physically and mentally) factored heavily into all the stories. Horrific things happen due to real life horrors and histories, so this is heavy on sadness, bittersweet endings, and tragedy. Every story so far was built on grief centred on senseless death and loss of loved ones. (My brain constantly reminds me how my loved ones could die and how out of my control that is so I generally avoid books centered on the emotional experience of loss and grief!).

I think it could be a hit for someone looking for that though. Especially for meaningful symbolism, fairy tale energy, and exploring folklore and culture, but for me it’s too sad and leaving me heavy-hearted. Also the writing styles for most stories are on the younger side of YA, almost middle grade.

Content Heads-Up (so far): Gun violence (hunting). Death (heart attack; off page recall). Loss of parent or primary caregiver (Descriptive; on page, as teen, as child). Vomit. Cancer (terminal, brief mention). Car accident (fatal; brief recall). Grief (descriptive; on page). Decapitation.

Rep (so far): Cuban. El Savadorian-American. North Mexican-American. Argentinian. Haitian-American. Puerto Rican. Cis. Hetero. Lesbian. Tan, brown, and dark skin tones.

Content Warnings

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Started off strong—fast-paced, intriguing, and gripping until Parts 3 and 4. Overall a great concept for a twisty, hard-to-predict plot, but the execution fell short for me.

Energy: Aggrieved. Unsuspecting. Impromptu.

🐺 Growls

Part 3 was tedious and disrupted the fast pace. We’re in the mind of a terrible person, but the way his thoughts were written felt corny and too upfront. It came off as a cartoonish parody of an insufferable character's inner monologue. Part 4 had too much spoon-feeding of the twists.

🐕 Howls

Writing was too simplistic and often juvenile, and it started to grate on me as the story progressed. Character dialogue felt overly formal, yet cheesy. Everyone seemed to have the same inner voice style. The character thoughts, dialogue, and reactions felt stiff and unnatural.

🐩 Tail Wags

The quick perspective shifts. Part 1 set up the story well. Part 2 was intriguing as we saw characters reacting to the mystery. The overall plot. Most of the over-the-top moments.

Scene: 🇺🇸 Set near Madison, Wisconsin and Atlanta, Georgia

Perspectives (10): A bartender in an abusive relationship. The bartender’s co-worker. The bartender’s abusive partner. A news director sent to the conference. The news director’s neighbour/cat-sitter. The assistant news director. The general manager of the news station. The digital manager of the news station. The news director at another news station. The general manager of another news station.

Timeline: Current (2020s).

🔥 Fuel: Twists and turns. Fake-outs. Tangled web of mystery.

📖 Cred: Over-the-top with a touch of thriller-style camp

Mood Reading Match-Up:

Airports. News station. Patchouli perfume. Ambien. Texts. Meetings. Work conference. Networking.

Uncharacteristic texts, missing person mysteries
Rapid multi-POV switching to progress the plot
Short chapters
Fast-paced clues and reveals
Sleuthing and investigating alongside the characters
Secret pasts, not all is as it seems
Mix of caricature-style characters
Sprinkling of shocking true crime energy snowballing into roller coaster of surprises
Getting all the thoughts and all the tea from the characters, knowing more than the characters
Simplistic writing + twisty plot-driven stories

Content Heads-Up: Abusive relationship. Rape (forced, rough sex within relationship). Abortion (brief recall). Parental rejection, emotional abuse. Covid (brief mention). Missing persons. Misogynist, sexist, transphobic, homophobic, racist character. Masturbation (on page). Murder. Jealousy. Theft.

Rep: American. Cis. Gay. Hetero. Ambiguous skin tones.

📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley

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Content Warnings

Missing In Flight by Audrey J. Cole

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Had me hooked from the start – fast-paced and fascinating (grab the popcorn).

Energy: Gripping. Bold. Calamitous.

🐕 Howls:

The reasoning behind the plot was ridiculous in an action-adventure movie type of way…the entire scheme relied too much on everything lining up perfectly and was unnecessarily dangerous and complicated, but I had so much fun reading it I didn't rly mind.

🐩 Tail Wags:

Action scenes that read like an action movie because they unfolded quickly as I imagined them happening. Direct, snappy, cinematic writing style that's easy to visualize. Rapidly shifting POVs giving us hints, reveals, and insights. Well-paced, never dragged, everything is relevant to the story. Short chapters and skipping between the three main scenes. Whenever I had a question, one of the characters would ask it too. Near the end there were moments of suspended disbelief, but I didn’t have to turn off my brain entirely.

Scene: 🇺🇸 ✈️ Set on a flight from Anchorage to LaGuardia, and on the ground the NYC area.

Perspectives (4): The mother of a newborn with a family history. The father of a newborn who works at an investment firm. A co-pilot reconsidering their marriage. An FBI intelligence agent assigned to the case.

Timeline: Current (2010s/before Face ID).

🔥 Fuel: Cliffhangers. Interlocking reveals. Escalating stakes race against time. Did someone take the baby? If so, who and why? How did they manage to undetected? Where is it?

📖 Cred: Suspended disbelief realism

Mood Reading Match-Up:

Seatbelt sign. Airplane ambient noise. Turbulence. Laptop. Lightning. Helicopter blades. Warning alarms.

Psychological action-adventure popcorn thriller
Locked room mysteries
Short chapters
Punchy, cinematic writing
“Go big or go home” Big Bads
What-happened whodunnits
Law & Order style FBI investigation digging up the tea
Potential unreliable narrator
Fly-on-the-wall, reader gets to know more than the characters
Fast-paced action and plot driven stories
Who-took-my-baby parenting horrors

Content Heads-Up: Infertility. Early menopause. Stalking, home invasion (celeb; brief recall off page). Memory loss, confusion (Alzheimers; transient global amnesia). Loss of parent (as child). Abduction. Death. Fraud. Parental abandonment (as child; very brief recall). Migraines. Sexual harassment (workplace; of male). False accusations. Depression, mental illness (brief recall). Plane stuff

severe turbulence, malfunctioning control, loss of cabin pressure, low fuel, death)

Rep: American. Cis. Hetero. Ambiguous skin tones.

📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley

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Content Warnings

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir

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dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

This sounded eerie and unsettling based on the synopsis, but it fell flat for me. It was a quick read, but read more like a melancholic reflection piece without emotional impact—even in moments when it should have been disturbing.

Energy: Passive. Wavering. Dry.

🐺 Growls

The MC’s apathetic and dismissive attitude eventually had me feeling the same way…it killed any potential horror from all the scenes. The whole story felt hollow - maybe something was lost in translation? The narrator’s tone seemed ‘bored’, even when describing strange or scary moments. The balance between mundane and mysterious was off - like there was too much focus on the MC’s dating life, parents’ relationship, doing laundry at the expense of exploring the strange and scary or setting the stage for symbolism.

🐕 Howls

Interesting story but even weird things lacked any sense of unease. The audio narrator overly enunciated and had a robotic voice style. Story managed to be too predictable and too ambiguous.

🐩 Tail Wags

It was short.

Scene: 🇮🇸 Set in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Perspective: Our MC has chronic fatigue and feels generally unwell, but doctors tend to dismiss or medicate in a way that is less than helpful. After finding out they’re sleepwalking and try to put a stop to it.

Timeline: Current.

🔥 Fuel: Tension and foreboding. Weird things happening. What’s with the overnight steps? What affliction does our main character have and how will they navigate it? What’s with the cats?

📖 Cred: Surreal, abstract

Mood Reading Match-Up:

Phone messages. Brine. Iron. Salt. Cold. Streetlights. Rocky beach.

Possession hints
Grimdark bizarro mixed with mundane day-in-the-life
Sprinklings of fever dream and grief horror
Inferring stories: In the main character’s mind with little context first person
Ambiguous unanswered endings

Content Heads-Up: Loss of sibling. Death. Animal cruelty, death (cats; on page). Sexual content (consenting, self; on page). Loss of time/memory. Chronic fatigue, weakness. Infidelity. Insomnia. Disbelief (medical profession). Drugging. Murder.

Rep: Icelandic. Cis. Hetero.

📚 Format: Library Audio

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Content Warnings

Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I am no connoisseur of dystopian fiction, so this is probably more relevant for all the dystopia-avoidant readers like me. Those depressing, dreadful, bleak futures that leave me with sad, dark, hopeless feels. This one was no exception, but it was also interesting. No regrets.

Energy: Assiduous. Macabre. Watchful.

🐕 Howls

The business talk in the “before” chapters initially bored me. Having backstories and tangents inserted in the middle of conversations…by the time a character finally answered a question, I had to flip back to remember what was even asked. A main character that we can root for (and I was) made this even more stressful and anxiety-inducing (that one’s a me-problem!).

🐩 Tail Wags

Had me all thoughtful about what I was reading. How characters don’t fully understand the tech driven world they live in (much like our own) felt believable. Portraying Ai as a normal, ever-present part of society that could be good, bad, or neutral depending on how people use it. The length of the story was just right.

Scene: 🌎🇨🇦🇺🇸🇬🇧 A remote island in a tropical climate. Moments in Toronto Canada; Los Angeles, California; and London, England.

Perspective: A Chief Emotional Manager (part personal assistant to the CEO, part Chief of Staff) for an affective computing start-up who is flying with the team to celebrate the selling of the company.

Timeline: Nearish future. Then (when MC was first hired) and now (after plane crash and company sold).

🔥 Fuel: Inferring as we get more of the story. Tension, high stakes survival in a strange world. Thrown in the story figuring it out as we go. Why did they crash? What is the backstory for the team dynamics? Who built the seemingly abandoned mansion? Why was it programmed to do what it does?

📖 Cred: Tech sci-fi realism

Mood Reading Match-Up:

Synthetic agarwood. Palm trees. Poutine. Fresh coffee. Tanned leather. Sunburnt skin. Opaque glass. Cashmere.

· Imagining dystopian ‘what ifs’ of the future

· Hitchcockian/Twilight Zone/Black Mirror grimdark mystery vibes

· Surreal survival techno thriller

· Show not tell style of worldbuilding

· Sprinkling of body horror and grotesque

· Start-ups, tech bros, men behaving very badly

· Remote island, everyone dropping like flies

· Good for them revenge

· Femme fatale meets homme fatale

· Touch of antihero origin story

· Third person style narration, getting info from the narrator while watching everything unfold

Content Heads-Up: Plane crash. Blood, injury, wounds, first aid/medical (graphic, on page). Death, corpses. Suicide (mention, discovery). Loss of parents (as teen). Fire (building; burns, fatalities). Misogyny, toxic masculinity. Alcohol (stress drinking). Stalking, obsession. Sexual content. Voyeurism, emotional abuse (of child). Domestic abuse. Murder. Dismemberment (brief). Confinement.

Rep: Canadian. American. Persian, Kazakh, Indigenous ancestry. Cis. Hetero. Lesbian. Scars.

📚 Format: Library Hardcover

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Content Warnings

The Astrology House by Carinn Jade

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dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Loved the scandals, drama, all the ominous undertones and that creepy brother-sister bond. This was more grounded than I expected while staying suspenseful. But that ending was meh. Like rapid-fire things happening in a ‘huh. I guess that makes sense’ way 🤷‍♀️

Energy: Dramatic. Optimistic. Temperamental.

🐺 Growls

The house layout wasn’t well-described so it was hard to picture where everyone was and what they could and couldn’t see. Felt like the rooms moved around as the plot required. Confusing character decisions that broke the story’s flow.

🐕 Howls

Writing style was jarring sometimes. Characters’ actions/dialogue often felt abrupt or unnatural. It read a bit like a play where actors forgot their cues and scrambled to catch up.

🐩 Tail Wags

Well-paced twists and suspense that didn’t feel contrived. Clever misdirections. A domestic thriller that didn’t feel cookie-cutter. Astrology having a subtle role and treated more like something respectable than silly (I don’t know much about it but gained an understanding for why it’s meaningful for those who follow it!).

Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in a renovated Victorian house on the North Fork of Long Island.

Perspectives (6): The host astrologer. A lawyer who really (like, really) wants a bio-baby. Their sibling, who is a secretly famous romance writer falling out of love. A social media influencer trying to win back their spouse’s affection. A paediatrician with a conflicting crush. A person from the past.

Timeline: Current (2020s). Over the course of the weekend from arrival to the day of the death.

🔥 Fuel: Withholding and hinting. Layered secrets and scandal. How will each character handle their secrets? What will they choose to do after a weekend of reflection? What don’t we know about each of their pasts?

📖 Cred: Plausible to a little over-the-top

Mood Reading Match-Up:

Victorian house on the coast. Beach views. Decks. Adirondack chairs. Firepit. Cocktails. Birth charts. Vanilla-ginger candle. French doors. Crickets. Mosquitoes. The Weather Channel.

Mum worries
Messy Besties
Sibling dysfunction
Scandals, gossip, tea, behind closed doors, eavesdropping on thoughts
Mini reveals and little twisty turns
Psychological romance drama
Like a Lifetime movie but darker
Mix of unlikeable, whiny, dumb, quirky characters
Fate, destiny, or free will?
Vengeance schemes

Content Heads-Up: Loss of parent (as child). Infertility (on page grief, struggle, discussion). Infidelity. Marriage breakdown (one-sided). Death (discussion, coming to terms with). Parental abandonment. Codependency. Sexual content (consenting; on page not super descriptive). Body shaming (brief; male height). Cannabis (vape). Polyamorous relationship. Anxiety. Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia; very brief mention). Mental illness (off page recall; antidepressants, shame-spirals). Teacher-student relationship. Anaphylactic reaction (brief). Abortion (

forced, non-consenting

). Drugging. Nicotine (cigarettes). Sexual assault/rape by deception (discussion, recall). Natural disasters (tropical storm). Medical content (CPR, drowning).

Rep: American. Cis. Hetero. Bi/lesbian/queer questioning. Milky white and ambiguous skin tones. Child-free by choice. Parent of child with behavioural issues.

📚 Format: Library Digital

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Content Warnings

Someone in the Attic: A Novel by Andrea Mara

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Someone please re-do this without diluting it so terribly. I loved the concept and the writing style, but the choice to overlook a gigantic gaping super obvious plothole (how did no one catch or mention this before pub?!?!) had me turning off an entire section of my brain just to get through this.

Energy: Passive. Dismissive. Hasty.

🐺 Growls

Annoying character contradictions - the main character was blasé about everything even when terrifying…yet we are to believe they are invested in their family and protecting them. To sum this up without spoilers would be “~MC comes face to face with a monster and responds with ‘Darn punk kids and their makeups”~.

🐕 Howls

I love a good fake vid/Ai plot, but in this case, it didn’t even make sense. Missed opportunity to add a camera to their home and have extra spooks because of the complexities of ‘bird nesting’ custody arrangement/internet issues/batteries/typical cam probs (instead of ignoring the existence of cameras while pointing out the existence of cameras).

🐩 Tail Wags

Examining the complicated feelings around a victim who didn’t ‘light up the room’. Expressive, easy to listen audio narration and accents (to my ears). Lisa Jewell-ish writing style with rich backdrop, situations, and characters (if only it didn’t screw up the phrogging and tech).

Scene: 🇮🇪 Set in a gated community near Dublin, Ireland

Perspective: A person with narcissistic tendencies is killed in their home while relaxing. Their friend who has recently moved their entire family back to their hometown in Ireland after selling their American company.

Timeline: Now (2020s). Then (1990s?).

🔥 Fuel: Scary dilemmas. Escalating stakes. Twists and turns. Who is the killer? Who is posting the videos? Why are they doing this?

📖 Cred: Suspend all disbelief

Mood Reading Match-Up:

Airpods. Among Us. Barbeques. Bunk bed. Security gate. Tiktok. Phrogging vids.

· Phrogging plots

· Psychological suspense

· Kid says creepy things

· Knowing more than/having to be smarter than the main character

· Realistic amateur sleuthing friend group

· Rapid conclusions wrap-up

· Letting the wrong person in

· Gated neighbourhood mystery

· Overhearing character thoughts via third person narration/fly on the wall feels

· Immersive and descriptive world building

· Character driven stories and family studies

Content Heads-Up: Infidelity. Alcohol (casual, intoxication). Murder. Divorce (sharing custody, sharing homes). Narcissism. Drugging. Bullying. Sexual assault (accusation). Body shaming (fatphobia, freckles, teeth). Voyeurism, invasion of privacy. Stalking. Lying. Blackmailing. Loss of employment.

Rep: Irish. Persian ancestry. Cis. Hetero. Pale, flush, freckled, tanned, and ambiguous skin tones. Queer.

📚 Format: Library Audio

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Content Warnings

Catch You Later: A Novel by Jessica Strawser

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dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-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? No

4.0

Liked it! Mostly an intriguing and heartwarming story.

Energy: Sentimental. Delicate. Capricious.

🐕 Howls

The wedding family dynamics and twists was a little confusing/boring, but it wasn’t poorly done, I think I just wasn’t feeling rich people drama at the time.

🐩 Tail Wags

Mysterious intriguing storyline. Invested in the mystery and the characters. Stayed away from cartoony Big Bads or villain monologues. Nini’s quips. Using fake outs to drive the plot without it feeling like just trying to trick the reader. Knowing more than any one character and still trying to piece together what happened.

Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in a small Ohio town and a resort on a Florida island.

Perspectives (2): Two best friends working at a truck stop in a small town nearing 30 and still no closer to achieving their dreams. One wants to see the world and experience life but has an ailing grandmother to care for. The other is mourning an unrequited love but as a soon-to-be-parent they need to stay in the town to provide for their child.

Timeline: October 2016. March 2024.

🔥 Fuel: Emotional investment in characters. Character journey. Intriguing mystery. What happened to the friend that took a stranger up on their offer to travel together? Will the friend left behind ever find out?

📖 Cred: Plausible

Mood Reading Match-Up:

BMW convertible. Fluorescent lights. CCTV. Target. Mop water. Post-its. Gas station coffee. Elegant white string lights. Ocean waves.

· Fake dating-ish

· Tagging along, reader knows more than the characters narratives

· Books to read on a road trip

· Character circumstances study

· Money can’t buy happiness

· Complicated characters you can root for

· Immersive settings and vibes

· The Struggle is Real and Can Money Buy Happiness social commentary

· Are-you-still-the-one romantic tension

· Dysfunctional rich family drama

· Light-hearted contemporary fiction friendship study beginnings

· Popcorn thriller-esque endings with fast paced twists and turns

Content Heads-Up: Mild cognitive impairment, dementia. Pregnancy (single parent). Infidelity (brief). Loss of parent (as adult). Natural disaster (forest fire; off page). Opioid addiction (off page). Pills, alcoholism. Violence (physical fighting). Drunk driving (very brief; off page). Parental rejection, abandonment. Missing parent. Financial insecurity. Suicide (implied). Murder. Blackmail, threats. Victim blaming/dismissal by authorities. Classism.

Rep: American. Cis. Hetero. Ambiguous skin tones.

📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley

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Content Warnings

Amelia by A.W. Rene

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dark mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I was hooked thinking this would be a dark exploration of an elderly narc mom cracking or something, but it was just super sad. I’m not saying it definitely misused what happened in an Ick way for shock value, but that was my initial reaction.

Energy: Macabre. Petulant. Affected.

🐕 Howls
The beginning was giving creepy mom energy, and it just felt jarring (in the wrong way) given the ‘truth’ of what was really happening.

🐩 Tail Wags
Being epistolary only. The gradual unhinged lines within the letters. The pretentious tone of the letter writer. Using the police reports to find out the truth.

Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in Meyne, Virginia.

Perspective: Letters from mother to daughter. Police 911 transcripts. Incident reports.

Timeline: October - April 1981-1982. October 1986.

🔥 Fuel: Foreshadowing. Ominous tone. Unreliable ‘narrator’. Why are these letters being written? What do they mean?

📖 Cred: Plausible with horrific hyper-realism

Mood Reading Match-Up:

Leaves crunching. Gristle. Frost on grass. Obituary clippings. Rotting fruit. Painted stairs.

Mundane day to day becoming gradually unhinged
Epistolary twists and reveals
Horrific dark irl stuff
Reading someone’s letters and collected documents

Content Heads-Up: Bug stuff (larvae, maggots, squishing). Animal murder (dog; brief). Hallucinations, paranoia, delusions. Body shaming (clothes, promiscuity). Child abuse (descriptive). Child sexually explicit abuse materials, pedophilia, incest (discovery; evidence; explicit). Kidnapping, confinement. Serial murders. Corpses. Mental illness, psychosis.

Rep: American. Cis. Hetero.

📚 Format: Kindle Unlimited

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Content Warnings

One House Left by Vincent Ralph

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.

Not connecting to the story or characters. They feel so flat even though I wanna know more about them. Was scary for a bit but then back to repetitive reminders of how his life isn’t normal and never will be, but it’s interrupting the story flow and not going anywhere. Getting too frustrated and procrastinating picking it up.

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minimicropup's reviews 479 reviews

minimicropup's reviews
479 reviews