fleurhoplof's reviews
76 reviews

The Talisman by Peter Straub, Stephen King

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted 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

4.5

Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

A fascinating first part, which plunges us into the loss of bearings of a woman about to go through menopause, between hallucinations, obsessions and self-loathing. Cassidy's writing is very precise and credible, and hats off to the author for his plunge into a woman's psyche. The second part, with the discovery of what's going on in the desert town, is rather dull, with the exception of a few scenes of body horror (which are sincerely not as graphic as some readers would have us believe). The novel's ending, which is a typical

revenge porn

ending, is frankly disappointing. Mary deserved better than that cliché wrap-up!

Content Warnings

Woom by Duncan Ralston

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

Some parts of the book were nicely creepy and the original idea was promising, but it mostly felt like chapters on top of chapters without continuity. Most of the time, the main character's reactions are unbelievable :

still sleeping next to your fiancée when she's just licked your face in a monstery way ?!

, so is the reason of the

haunting : a still-born baby brother

. The book drags on for too long and would have been more disturbing as a short story instead of a novel. I do recommand flicking through the pages, because some parts with the

impersonator

are chilly, but don't get your hopes too high...
I found the author's addendum at the end - reflecting on natives' depiction in popular culture - necessary and important but feels it was kinda ironic, judging by how flat these characters are in the book (the traditional believer vs the sceptic).

La Jeunesse de Mickey by Tébo, Tébo

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adventurous funny medium-paced