Reviews and Comments

Kat

koosli@outside.ofa.dog

Joined 11 months, 3 weeks ago

aka @koosli@aus.social. I'm almost exclusively reading horror fiction, truly the greatest of genres.

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The Reformatory (2023, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers) 4 stars

Gracetown, Florida - June 1950

Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at …

Inside, it's too tense to read

4 stars

My main worry when I started this book was that it wouldn't do much but cover the well-trodden ground of US race politics. That worry was founded, but at the same time this is such a we'll-executed book it doesn't really matter. It was evident early on what was going to happen, save a few minor plot twists. So it was a bit predictable, but also meant that the book was very tense all the way through - I was terrified of reading the climax. At the time I was going through a difficult period in real life so I avoided reading more than a little bit at a time. The scares in this book aren't supernatural. They're real and they're pretty sadistic too. I know I'm not selling this book but it was good - the characters, even, especially the minor ones, were well-written and the world fully realised.

Horrorstör (Paperback, 2015, Knaur HC) 4 stars

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees …

Splatta packmöbler

4 stars

I was completely taken by the Ikea catalogue parody design of Horrorstör and that counted for a lot. I enjoyed this a lot although once the shit hit the fan it seemed a bit rushed. Grady Hendrix can be very scary but in this case didn't quite make it. The ending however did not cop out. I recommend this if you're looking for something light and fun in between horror reads.

Interview With the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles) (Paperback, 2004, Ballantine Books) 4 stars

This is the story of Louis, as told in his own words, of his journey …

Haemostly whined about being a vampire

4 stars

So I did enjoy this - it made me happy. Even though it was overly long, kind of boring and whiny. Oh Louis, get over yourself. Like re-reading Pride and Prejudice, or Dracula, in that it's the kind of book that makes me want to tell the characters off. But not as well-written as either. Anne Rice farts around too much, and obviously had her own tortured relationship with good, evil, sin, etc to process via this book. Anyway. It was better than I expected.

The Angel of Indian Lake (Paperback, 2024, Titan Books) 4 stars

Book 3 of the Indian Lake trilogy

Final final girl

4 stars

It's finished! I adored this trilogy, especially the first book because it was such a revelation. I will definitely be re-reading them all not least because there are so many characters and waiting for the next book to come out meant forgetting some.

I find my interest in slasher movies is even greater than it was, now having read these.

Can't wait for whatever SGJ does next.

Bureaucrarboreal surpassment, fur and fuzz it

4 stars

I am trying to tittle each review this year with a book-related pun but I can't think of one for The Snail on the Slope. So instead I've gone with something as baffling as the book itself.

Snail is such a funny book while also being a bit of a slog. It goes off on tangents all over the place and not a whole lot happens. That is the point, though, so don't be put off if you are partial to Soviet satire. I think of it as Kafka with a sense of humour.