Tag: horror

Reviews

Bury Your Gays Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Bury Your Gays Review

Bury Your Gays follows Misha, a Hollywood writer who’s pressured by producers to kill off a queer character in the name of ratings. What unfolds is a mix of horror and satire as the villains from his own scripts step off the page and begin stalking him, blurring the line between art and reality.

I found this book original and bold, especially in how it critiques Hollywood’s treatment of queer stories and the wider issue of corporate greed in media. It tackles erasure, tokenism, AI ethics, and trauma, all while highlighting the power of friendship and love in all forms. Some of the monsters, particularly Mrs. Why, were genuinely creepy and surprisingly sad, while the flashbacks to Misha’s childhood gave depth and context to their creation.

That said, I did have mixed feelings. The pacing dragged in places and the chapter transitions sometimes left me feeling lost. The audiobook added to this with extra voices and sound effects that felt unnecessary. The Black Mirror-style AI angle also felt a little tired, and while the ending had some campy horror flair, it fizzled out and leaned heavy-handed.

Overall, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. It’s clever, confronting, and very readable, and even if it doesn’t quite stick the landing, it adds something valuable to the conversation about queer representation in media.

⭐️3/5 stars In the end, it’s a bit messy but still worth the read.

Reviews

A Sorceress Comes to Call Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on A Sorceress Comes to Call Review

I went into this one with high hopes because I usually love T. Kingfisher’s fairy tale retellings and low-romance fantasy, but this didn’t quite land the same way.

The premise is strong. Cordelia is a sympathetic character, trapped under the control of her cruel sorceress mother, Evangeline. Her inner thoughts feel real and painful, while on the outside she’s forced into obedience. When they move on to their next victim, a kind squire, Cordelia meets his sister Hester who sees through Evangeline’s schemes and tries to help. The dynamic between the three women had a lot of promise and there are some really powerful darker moments that worked well.

But once the story shifts to the squire’s estate, the pace slows right down. The middle section drags with endless conversations, house parties and glares across the room. Some of the tension is there but it lingers too long and the action stalls. The fairytale angle also felt pretty thin.. apart from the horse Falada and Hester looking after geese, it didn’t really tie back to The Goose Girl in a meaningful way. I think it stands better as its own story.

Hester herself is likeable, but her subplot with Lord Evermore didn’t fully make sense to me. She refuses to marry him because of appearances, yet later on suggests he should be engaged to Cordelia despite it being just as scandalous. It felt a bit inconsistent. I also thought Cordelia’s voice blurred into Hester’s at times, losing some of the unique character work from the start.

The last part of the book picks up with more creepy and horror-leaning elements, and the climax is exciting if a bit convenient. By then though, it felt like a long wait to get there.

Overall, compared to other fantasy books out there this is still solid, but against Kingfisher’s usual work it fell short for me. I missed her trademark humour and sharper pacing. It’s not a bad book by any means, but not one of my favourites from her.

⭐️3/5 stars Strong characters and a dark edge but it drags a bit too much!

Reviews

Bat Eater Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Bat Eater Review

*A LITTLE SPOILERY*

After witnessing her sister’s tragic death, Cora Zeng works as a crime scene cleaner in New York’s Chinatown. Grieving, anxious and navigating the racism aimed at East Asian communities during the early days of COVID, she also finds herself haunted by ghosts as the Hungry Ghost Festival approaches. When a series of murders targeting East Asian women begins, strange bat carcasses appear at the scenes, drawing Cora into a chilling mystery.

The novel weaves together grief, cultural tradition, systemic injustice and elements of horror. Its examination of anti-Asian hate, institutional failings and the significance of the Hungry Ghost Festival is both engaging and thought-provoking. Cora is a layered, well-developed protagonist whose struggles with loss, fear of illness and cultural identity are deeply relatable. The insight into Chinese traditions adds richness to the story, grounding the supernatural elements in real-world beliefs and history.

However, the pacing is slow, with long stretches where nothing seems to happen and the serial killer subplot often feels secondary to the cultural and personal themes. While there are moments of unease and some graphic imagery, the horror leans more towards the grotesque than the frightening. The lack of a strong sense of place in New York can make the setting feel flat and the ending may frustrate readers as it leaves justice unresolved.

It’s an atmospheric and meaningful read that shines in its cultural depth and social commentary, even if its structure and pacing stop it from reaching its full potential.

⭐️2/5 Haunting and heartfelt, but not quite the killer read it could have been.

Reviews

The Knight and the Butcherbird Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on The Knight and the Butcherbird Review

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The Knight and the Butcherbird is a short, moody read that mixes fairytale vibes with a gritty dystopian setting. The world has clearly fallen apart and what’s left feels like some kind of medieval society where oral storytellers and knights still have a place. It’s a really cool concept and I was hooked from the beginning just trying to figure it all out.

The story is told by Shrike, a seventeen-year-old who acts as the town’s historian. A knight rocks up to kill a demon, but it turns out the demon is actually Shrike’s wife, May. From there, things get complicated. You start to realise there’s more going on beneath the surface and Shrike’s not just telling the story, she’s in it. The twist hits hard, but I couldn’t help feeling like I wanted more time to sit with it all.

That’s kind of the main thing for me. The ideas and themes are solid (grief, love, transformation, letting go) but there just wasn’t enough space to really dig into them. It’s one of those stories that makes you wish it was a full novel. The world building is interesting, with little hints about sickness, poverty and something deeper going wrong in society, but we don’t get much more than a glimpse.

I also found Shrike’s age a bit jarring. She reads much older than seventeen and her relationship and choices felt more believable for someone in their twenties. The knight, though, was a great character and brought a lot of tension and mystery.

The writing itself is beautiful, lyrical, sharp and easy to fall into. Harrow’s style definitely carried the story and made me want to keep reading. Even with the rushed pacing and lack of detail, it still had an impact.

⭐️3/5 stars If you’ve got an hour to spare and want something different, this one’s worth a look. Just go in knowing it might leave you wanting a bit more.