books!

📖 come closer: 4.5. A solid possession story that's well paced for its length. I loved the bits of misogyny in the medical settings that messed with her getting proper help, it felt so real

📖 time and tide: 2.75. cute premise and good prose and a sweet love interest, but the fmc's decisions will make you scratch your head or annoy you or both. this needed a lot more editing imo, lots of typos and too long

📖 deadly animals: 4.5. predictable but in a great way? makes you feel smart for picking up the clues the author is putting down. excellent prose and characters and this story is very warm and loving at its core despite the upsetting content

📖 the unworthy: 4.75. I loved this. very fever dream while remaining grounded with really lovely prose. unexpectedly sapphic which ofc made me enjoy it all the more. cult stuff can be so fun to explore, I'm excited to read more from this author

📖 windlass: 3.5. I'll read anything anna burke writes but I wasn't super invested in either of the fmcs so this is my least favourite of the series. still looking forward to the final installment!

📖 we used to live here: 3.25. this one was overhyped for me, the ending really disappointed, but I did enjoy the prose and feeling disoriented in what was reality vs not (also I read half of this in one sitting at the hospital lol)

📖 august reeaddss #kristenreads

📖 diavola: 3.5. more gothic than horror, I would've liked more horror and more of a climax. I liked the last 75% less but I enjoyed the toxic family dynamics

📖 the galaxy and the ground within: 4.5 stars. becky chamber never misses. I would die for roveg. made me feel warm and gooey inside

📖 fantasticland: 2.5 stars. love the premise, thought the execution was boring and it was impossible to buy into the events. I would've enjoyed this a lot more if it hadn't all been in interview form, but even then the hows just make zero sense

📖 servant mage: 2.25 stars, from my physical tbr. really cool worldbuilding but everything else fell a bit flat. what I thought was the climax was more like the middle of the book followed by what felt like a bunch of side quests

📖 when the wolf comes home: 4.25 stars. very intense and bananas in the best way, just a bit longer than I think it needed to be. but I love the commitment to its themes and how prevalent they are throughout

📖 the reformatory: 5 stars. this is 500+ pages and it didn't feel like it, the pacing is phenomenal. it's the kind of book you forget you're reading b/c it grabs you so well, I would love to experience it for the first time again

📖 the starving saints: 3.25. I thought I'd like this one more cuz I love the luminous dead, but this one felt super disjointed and like a pinboard of ideas and characters rather than a coherent story with a functioning magic system. I do always like her prose though

📖 heads will roll: 4.5 stars, debating higher. I really loved this one, always couldn't wait to pick it up again. a great summer read

📖 books I finished in july, which was a lot b/c it's mostly all I could do with a head injury. very wide spread of ratings here #kristenreads

📖 the salt grows heavy: 1.25-1.5 stars. unfortunately this felt like an experiment for the author to use every big word they know which takes you out of what little plot there is every other sentence. some cool ideas but very bland execution

📖 tell me what you did: 4.25 stars as well. I'm bad at rating thrillers cuz I almost always enjoy them but the premise for this one is super fun.

📖 the haar: 4.25 stars. objectively probably higher b/c I can only think of good things to say, but it was VERY gross in spots in a 'you can't look away' kind of way. but selectively so to great effect. it's rare to find a horror novel w a satisfying ending nevermind a great one, & this one nails it

📖 the narrow: 3.75 stars. a curious mystery with an american version of the strid coupled with a sapphic romance. k.a.m is usually a p safe read for me, never mindblowing but enjoyable and easy to get through, I enjoy her prose

📖 everything is tuberculosis: 4.75-5 stars. I loved the anthropocene reviewed and I loved this! john's foray into nonfiction feels so natural, makes me feel very tender about humanity

📖 may reads: technically finished the second one june 1st but spent most of may reading it so adding it here! #kristenreads

📖 bunny: 5 stars b/c it hit me right where it was supposed to, but that was just my personal experience with it! great prose and a fever dream quality that I liked without feeling confused like I did with all's well

📖 sunrise on the reaping: 4.75 stars. this felt like reading the hunger games for the first time all over, I finished it in like a day. I love pain