My SPOILER ALERT Book Reviews!

  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Butcher & Blackbird — The Gold Standard of Dark Romance (5 ⭐) Author: Brynne Weaver Genre: Dark Romance / Romantic Suspense / Serial Killer Romance Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 out of 5 ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Child abuse • Child sexual abuse • Sexual violence • Torture • Murder • Cannibalism • Gore • Violence • Emotional abuse ( Yes, it’s dark. Yes, it’s still adorable somehow. ) 😈 Initial Thoughts: I Had a Silly Grin the Entire Time This. This right here. This is the dark romance. I loved every single second of Butcher & Blackbird . It’s funny, it’s cute, it’s sweet, it’s romantic, and somehow — despite being about serial killers — it’s downright joyful . I genuinely kept catching myself with a stupid little grin on my face while reading. 😏🖤 Is it a little childish at times? Absolutely. Does that bother me? Not even a little. In fact, that playful tone is part of the charm. It knows exactly what kind of book it is and fully commits. Yes, it’s predictable — but honestly? I ...

  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Katabasis — Brilliant, Baffling, and Possibly a Future Classic (4 ⭐) Author: R.F. Kuang Genre: Fantasy / Dark Academia / Mythological Fiction Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 out of 5 ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Sexual harassment & sexual violence • Emotional abuse • Ableism • Disordered eating • Mental illness • Suicide & suicidal ideation • Substance use • Graphic violence • Academic exploitation • Power imbalance • Death 🤯 Initial Thoughts: Masterpiece or DNF? Yes. I genuinely do not know how to feel about Katabasis — and I mean that in the most complimentary, confused way possible. At various points, I was convinced this book was a work of genius … and at other points, I was flirting hard with the idea of a DNF. It’s beautifully written. It’s deeply unsettling. It’s intellectually aggressive. And it absolutely does not read like a “normal” fantasy novel. This book is weird. Capital W. And yet — I keep thinking about it. I even want to reread it someday, which is frankly unhinged b...

  ⭐⭐⭐ The Staircase in the Woods — Creepy Concept, Unexpected Depth, Very Slow Stairs (3 ⭐) Author: Chuck Wendig Genre: Horror / Urban Fantasy / Supernatural Fiction Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3 out of 5 ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Graphic violence • Child abuse (sexual, physical, emotional) • Suicide & suicidal ideation • Death (including child death) • Mental illness • Substance use • Trauma • Bullying • Domestic abuse • Cancer • Self-harm • Body horror • Strong language 😱 Initial Thoughts: Why Is a Staircase Scarier Than a Ghost? Let’s talk about the real horror here: A random staircase in the middle of the woods . 🌲🪜 I don’t know why this freaks me out so much. We see abandoned chimneys all the time in ghost towns and shrug it off. But a staircase? Leading nowhere? Nope. Immediate dread. Instant discomfort. Absolutely not. So naturally, I picked this book up knowing nothing about it except the title and cover, fully expecting some kind of eerie mystery explaining why the staircase is the...

  ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ Say Nothing — A Haunting, Masterfully Told History of The Troubles (4.5 ⭐) Author: Patrick Radden Keefe Genre: Nonfiction / True Crime / History / Investigative Journalism Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ 4.5 out of 5 ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Political violence • Terrorism • Murder • Disappearances • Torture • War trauma • Child abuse (institutional) • Hunger strikes • Bombings • Death • Grief 🤯 Initial Thoughts: Nonfiction That Reads Like a Thriller Every once in a while, you read a nonfiction book that completely absorbs you , even though you know it’s going to be heavy. Say Nothing is that kind of book. This is a long , dense , and extremely detailed account of The Troubles in Northern Ireland — and yet, I was never bored. If anything, I was constantly thinking, Wait… what?? 😳 Patrick Radden Keefe somehow turns decades of political violence, secrecy, and moral ambiguity into a gripping narrative that reads like a true crime mystery while still being deeply respectful of real lives and...

  ⭐⭐ The Fourth Turning Is Here — Fascinating, Frustrating, and Honestly… Annoying (2/5 ⭐) Author: Neil Howe Genre: History / Sociology / Political Theory Rating: ⭐⭐ 2 out of 5 ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Political polarization • War • Civil conflict • Economic collapse • Societal crisis • Authorial overconfidence • Repeated use of the phrase “this always happens” 🤔 Initial Thoughts: When a Book Makes You Want to Argue Back This is one of those books that starts out making you think, Wow, this is fascinating , and slowly transitions into, Okay… I hear you… but do you have to explain literally everything this way? Neil Howe presents a sweeping, ambitious theory about history and generational cycles, and at first, it’s genuinely captivating. I found myself nodding along, highlighting passages, and feeling impressed by the scope of it all. But as the book goes on, Howe’s absolute confidence in his framework starts to feel a little heavy-handed. Every major historical event seems to circl...

⭐ Julie Chan Is Dead — 4.5/5 Stars | Dark, Hilarious, Influencer Chaos at Its Best ⚠️ Trigger Warnings illness • death • pregnancy loss • animal cruelty • suicide • racism • substance use • sexual content • psychological abuse • cult-like behavior 😄 My Spoiler-Filled, Chaos-Loving Review “I even forgot the PLU code for bananas.” THE WAY I HOWLED. If you've ever worked as a cashier, you felt this in your soul. Banana 4011 is forever burned into my brain (along with carpal-tunnel nightmares and the smell of old conveyor belts). This book gets it . Anyway — I really loved this one. It’s sharp, funny, slightly unhinged, and a perfect takedown of influencer culture. But I do have questions: 👉 Why did the police immediately assume the body was Julie? It’s literally found in Chloe’s home. And they know the twins are identical! Wouldn’t… you know… someone double-check? A driver’s license? A fingerprint? A pulse? ANYTHING? 😂 But aside from that logic wobble, this book is suc...