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effingunicorns's reviews
376 reviews
The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
If vaccines actually caused autism, the people who think the stories in this collection qualify as horror wouldn't last a week. Like, even reading The Lottery itself for me is just, "Ah, yes, an arcane set of rules which seems horrific and arbitrary to the observer but perfectly natural to the people taking part. Must be a day ending in Y!" Which isn't to say it's a bad collection! Jackson still has all those sharp little details and only ever seems to linger on things if it's to really drive home how bad the awkwardness and confusion can get, so I'm probably going to recommend it to people on that basis if it ever comes up, but I genuinely feel like this is just some basic-ass literary fiction rather than horror.
The Husky & His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (Novel) Vol. 3 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou
2.5
Somewhere along the line I seem to have gotten it into my head that this series would be more serious than Scum Villain. Somehow that delusion survived past last volume's spontaneous de-aging arc! I think I've finally come to terms with that idea, but the reality feels more like the kind of gratuitous, overwrought angst fic where every choice and plot development is written for the suffering it causes the characters rather than because it makes sense on any level. The tone is uneven at best, and if there weren't only one volume left I'd probably look up spoilers to confirm my suspicions about the real villain and then bounce. I was an optimistic dumbass and assumed the series was shorter than it actually is based on translation publishing dates!!! Argh!!!
There is a good story in here about how monsters are made and redeemed and who deserves those second chances, but good god does it need polishing.
There is a good story in here about how monsters are made and redeemed and who deserves those second chances, but good god does it need polishing.
Sleep No More by Seanan McGuire
3.5
Honestly it was refreshing to have story circumstances necessitate skipping the recap. The bonus novella at the end killed my momentum, though, or I would have posted this sooner.
Welcome to Dead House by R.L. Stine
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Decided to go for a nostalgic reread since I'm apparently so invested in horror and horror-adjacent stories this year, and the first thing that struck me was how short it is??? I guess it suddenly makes sense that R.L. Stine was able to churn these out so fast. The actual story is still pretty solid, hitting classic horror beats softly enough that I can see how it must've been perfect for a recovering scaredy-cat like I was when I read the series as a kid. I've got the next couple books in the original series order queued up, so we'll see if that quality persists.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
A part of me is gnashing my teeth over certain deliberate uncertainties that persist through to the end, but the core answers are solid enough, and I enjoyed the way some of the smaller ones proved pretty banal in the moment, only made tragic or poignant through time or the reader's perspective.
Also there's giant, horrifying abominations, so that's cool.
Authority by Jeff VanderMeer
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Honestly, if I'd known I was going to be this engrossed, I would've skipped straight to the omnibus.
Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I didn't find this book scary so much as three parts fun to one part bullshit--sort of like how sometimes Stephen King adds an unnecessary secondary twist to whatever evil thing is menacing the protagonist of a given book. If you've ever watched cable ghost-hunting shows with any dedication, it's easy to settle in right from the start, because DiLouie's got the personality types down pat, and that stays true even as things veer more and more into "it's three in the morning and I'm listening to LSD-fueled occult conspiracy theories on AM radio" territory. I think I would've enjoyed it more if the premise had been played a little straighter, but ultimately it was still weird and enjoyable, which is all I can really ask.
Cackle by Rachel Harrison
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Honestly, since watching the first season of Mayfair Witches I've been jonesing for witches whose powers actually do something while belonging wholly to them, and this book scratched that itch admirably. I've been conditioned by horror to feel leery about the context around Annie ultimately embracing her power, but really, when in the course of the book did she or Sophie do anything irreversibly horrible? When did they do anything unreasonable? The circumstances Lynn decides to dislike Annie over feel really specifically like writing off a neurodiverse person because they're being a little Too Weird, too, which kills my sympathy for her. I'd pick Ralph any day.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol