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How To Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann

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4/5  Trigger Warnings: Mentions of Sexual Assault, grooming, murder, guilt, descriptions of gore  Genre: Thriller, Horror, Mystery, Fairytale Retelling Published: May 2022 Another spoiler-free review. For a debut novel, Maria Adelmann has done an incredible job.  How to Be Eaten takes the lives of five woman who have lived through modern adaptations of fairytales. These fairytales get a new face with a modern twist.  Some things that people should keep in mind if they wish to read this novel, is that the chapters are pretty long. Each woman has her own chapter about her trauma. A tasteful writing technique was using multiple point of views throughout this book. It isn't the easiest thing to do, but Adelmann was able to execute this beautifully. Each chapter is in third person, however when the character is explaining her trauma, she speaks in first-person. Adelmann speaks well with using fairytales to have a deeper message. One that resonates with many---in terms of re
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The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan

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Rating: 4/5  Trigger Warnings: Mentions of rape, child pregnancy, mentions of suicide,  Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary literature, Adult literature, Mystery, Translated Literature (French) "There are attachments so strong that they survive in our memories as if they were physically imprinted in each cell of our bodies..." (Bonidan 174). Inspired by a true story, The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan is a poetic journey of reading letters between many individuals who all have the same common goal: Read and wonder, who wrote this manuscript.  I felt as if I was reading the secret letters between a mystery of infatuation. They prove that average life can be just as exciting as an action film, just given the circumstances. The Lost Manuscript gives readers these intimate letters to read about the journey this manuscript took. Bonidan did an incredible job writing as well as Emma Ramadan did with the translation.  If you love books that have a poetic message and quotes imbe
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The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

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4.5/5  Trigger Warnings: what you would expect in a slasher horror movie. Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery This review will be a rare spoiler-free one.  I had the privilege of doing a book challenge with my best friend with this book. The challenge is: Each person reads and annotates a book they desire, exchange them to read and annotate, and eventually exchange them back.  The Final Girl Support Group has been on my tbr (to be read) shelf for so long, and this challenge was the perfect excuse to break my book buying ban. This is my first book I've read from Grady Hendrix, and I can honestly say he is a true prince of horror and thriller (besides Stephen King being the literal King).  Hendrix creates a sense of uneasiness and suspense as you read this first person novel. I was a bit skeptical about reading a female first person novel written by a man, however, Hendrix executed this in such a beautiful way. Lynette's experiences and life is not overlooked as she liv
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Heartless by Marissa Meyer

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4.5/5 rating Genre: Fantasy Fiction Trigger Warnings: Forced marriage, decapitation, murder, suicide references,  fat shaming "'As it so happens, Mr. Jest, I've sometimes come to believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast" (Meyer 59). I love this adaptation of the Red Queen. She already has a strong female presence, but with Meyer's take, she stands out more.  It is quite hard to not compare this to the novel by Lewis Carroll. Despite the struggle, I will do my best to refrain from that. Cath only wishes to own the best bakery in Hearts and find true love. With the elegant description of these pastries, readers can't help but have their mouths water and a longing to try them. It was an excellent incorporation of the famous Wonderland tarts that the Red Queen was fond of. I also loved how Meyer's wrote a relationship between a young skinny man and a plus-sized woman.  Apart from the fatphobic relationship Cath has with her parents
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No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

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4.5/5 rating Genre: Novella, Adult Literary Fiction Trigger Warnings: Grooming, Incest, Rape, Suicide, Suicide Ideation, Depression, Death, Addiction, Abuse, Classism "People talk of 'social outcasts.' The words apparently denote the miserable losers of the world the vicious ones, but I feel as though I have been a 'social outcast' from the moment I was born. If ever I meet someone society has designated as an outcast, I invariably feel affection for him and emotion which carries me away in melting tenderness" (Dazai 67).  Have you ever read a book where you felt the author was writing your thoughts? A moment when you sit and ask how the author could understand you so well?  Have you ever felt your heart sink for the author? Wished to grab them, and pull them into a hug. Reminding them they are not alone, but wondering if those words would even effect them.  No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai is a novella of a young boy named Oba Yozo. This young man
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Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

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4.5/5 rating Genre: Psychological Fiction, Satire Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Humor Trigger Warnings: Attempted Suicide, Blood, Death of spouse, Grief, Domestic abuse, suicide ideation, substance abuse, hostage situation, gun violence, depression, dementia " Nothing must happen to you          No, what am I saying  Everything must happen to you  And it must be wonderful " (Backman 313). From the character development to all the twist and turns this book took, I loved every moment of it.  While this is my first time reading any of his works, Backman knows exactly what he is doing when writing suspense, mystery, and something so heart warming-words could not even comprehend to explain it.   One technique he uses that I fell in love with was commentary. When reading, the narrator comments on things that the characters are doing, unlike other books, and things that the reader should know for the story. These things are normally seen through foreshadow and unforeseen t
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Circe by Madeline Miller

3.5/5 rating Genre: Greek mythology, historical fiction, novel, fantasy  Trigger Warnings: Mentions of rape, murder, subtle gore As one reads books required by the school, it's not expected to like the book. So, it was to my surprise that I enjoyed reading Circe by Madeline Miller.  This review will be a little different than some of my other reviews. Below is an essay that I wrote for Circe. Spoilers ahead.  Shipping Mythological Characters in Circe (2018) By: Milana Smith Whether it be Greek, Roman, or Norse, mythology is something that is incorporated within every culture. It is something that fascinates people, so seeing it become adapted is a draw to many. In Circe by Madeline Miller, Greek mythology became adapted with the incorporation of her own personal and mythological ships, to create a beautiful story. This is the story of the Goddess of Witchcraft, also known as the Witch of Aiaia named Circe. The character Miller created is engrossed in development and references to
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