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moonyreadsbystarlight's reviews
545 reviews
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
This was so creepy, especially in the last half, I was so jumpy reading it. It was atmospheric, suspenseful, and grotesque. I also really enjoyed the MC and thought some of the secondary characters were quite quirky and charming
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Suicide, War, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Misogyny
The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.75
The main character, Leslie, is an invert traveling through Kentucky in the 1920s on duty as a nurse, to give vaccines and provide care around childbirth. This begins as more of a historical novel. Leslie is assigned to provide care and vaccines in a small town Appalachian. He receives unprecedented religious pushback in the town, which complicates his job and potentially his livelihood. But there are people he is determined to help before he leaves.
The horror element slowly builds as the woods are clearly more than they seem. So much of the story culminates towards the end, making this a bit of a slower burn, but trust that it ends with a bang.
The blurb promises "historical horror, trans romance, and bloodsoaked revenge" and most certainly delivers on all in more ways than I was anticipating (it gets gruesome and spicy, but also I can see where Madelo's writing style was impacted by the time in which he is writing.).
The horror element slowly builds as the woods are clearly more than they seem. So much of the story culminates towards the end, making this a bit of a slower burn, but trust that it ends with a bang.
The blurb promises "historical horror, trans romance, and bloodsoaked revenge" and most certainly delivers on all in more ways than I was anticipating (it gets gruesome and spicy, but also I can see where Madelo's writing style was impacted by the time in which he is writing.).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Homophobia, Violence, War, Gore, Abortion, Animal death, and Blood
Moderate: Ableism, Rape, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury
The Tea Dragon Society by K. O'Neill
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This is a short story that is so soft. It's about caring and loving and it has adorable art. This was like a warm, comforting cup of tea - but with little floral dragons
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was a sweeping family saga full of twists. There were heavy meditations on personal identity, memory, legacy, and so much more. While the cast of characters was kind of big, it wasn't confusing or overwhelming. While there were parts I'd wanted more from, most of it was really great. It was also interesting to hear about her research process in the author's notes. I listened to this on audiobook and I quite enjoyed it. Sometimes multi-POV can be difficult for me on audio, but this one didn't give me any trouble!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Biphobia, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Murder, Death of parent, Rape, Medical content, Alcoholism, Cancer, Police brutality, Xenophobia, Car accident, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Colonisation
Gambling addiction, being forced to give a child up for adoption, and discussion of impending climate disaster are also CWs I would add.
With A Vengeance by Freydís Moon
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I did read this but I no longer feel comfortable recommending anything by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Drug use, and Deportation
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Obviously, lots of details that aged poorly (it's about the south in the 1940s or 50s), plus none of the characters are really supposed to be likable. But this was a really interesting character study and look into family and really the impact of having to live within lies (and how much space lies can take up in certain dynamics)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Racism, Fatphobia, Sexism, Rape, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Pregnancy
Garlic & the Witch by Bree Paulsen
adventurous
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
Garlic & the Vampire by Bree Paulsen
adventurous
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death of parent
I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina
emotional
reflective
sad
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, and Child death
Minor: Pregnancy
What's Your Pronoun?: Beyond He and She by Dennis Baron
informative
3.75
Star ratings are hard. This has a lot of neat information, but it's not a book for everyone. And the more I think about it, the more critiques I have tbh.
This history of the gender neutral pronoun was interesting. I did learn a lot - the majority of it focused on the 1800s and early-mid 1900s (though it does touch on times before and after as well). I didn't know that there was so much pronoun discourse in these early days - nor how similarly it was used politically by people (largely white men) to degrade and deflect from more tangible issues*.
This history of the gender neutral pronoun was interesting. I did learn a lot - the majority of it focused on the 1800s and early-mid 1900s (though it does touch on times before and after as well). I didn't know that there was so much pronoun discourse in these early days - nor how similarly it was used politically by people (largely white men) to degrade and deflect from more tangible issues*.
This was, however, quite repetative. I didnt mind so much in the beginning because it was a lot that I didnt know, but by the time the last chapters of the book came around, it was a little cumbersome. I think since they included the chronogy chapter, they could have cut or integrated some examples earlier in the book.
While the discussion about the past was very strong, I don't think the discussion of contemporary neopronoun usage was. That is actually what I came into the book knowing more about, so it was a little dissapointing to see how little it was engaged with when he was making his case for singular they at the very end of the book. I don't even really disagree that "they" makes the most sense as a singular gender neutral term more broadly (considering how the language has evolved organically... though I do take issue with some of his reasoning - but this review is already too long without all of that). But I don't think he engaged with current neopronoun usage enough. I don't expect it to be handled with the same rigor as the rest of the book (because his research is clearly more historical - a current look into it all would be quite different) but I think it could have been improved.
All that is to say, it has a lot of information. I found it very interesting and would recommend it to people already interested in the topic of historical pronoun usage with the caviat about repetition. However, if you're on the fence about reading a book that's about grammar and grammar seems a bit dry to you, this might not be the best one to start with (intro and first chapter are interesting if you want the main points, but the rest does get a but in the weeds).
--
*not that pronouns are unimportant. But when "but the integrity of the English language!" is the focus when women or trans people are facing, like, violence... it's pedantic at best and an accessory to violence at worst.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Deadnaming