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Classic Literature from the United States
Platinum: Finished 20 Main Quest books.
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Classic Literature from the United States
Platinum: Finished 20 Main Quest books.
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Classic Literature from the United States
Platinum: Finished 20 Main Quest books.
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Japanese Gothic
Kylie Lee Baker
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Canon
Paige Lewis
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Know My Name: A Memoir
Chanel Miller
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emiliemartine commented on SkywardStrange's review of We Used to Live Here
While this was interesting and definitely showcases Kliewer's potential, I have to admit that I'm glad it's over.
We Used To Live Here starts off strong - an interesting premise, touches of weirdness that ramp up into a creepy aura, and extra ARG-style details that make me understand why it originally exploded on Reddit. Kliewer is good at making the family just a smidge off putting, making you scrutinize them, wondering what's real and what might just be a coincidence. Like Eve, you're always questioning what's real, which details are important.
However, the book's origin as a serialized Reddit story hurts it greatly when it comes to pacing - there are long periods of exposition that drag and moments that could have been terrifying but blow past too quickly to have any impact. Many of the "docs" are infuriatingly tangential to the plot.
At around the halfway point Kliewer seems to have gotten lost in worldbuilding and starts throwing out too many concepts, many of which have no real purpose within the narrative. We get tastes of the big picture, but we're so bogged down that it's hard to feel satisfied with the novel as a whole. It was almost like playing peekaboo - getting flashes and glimpses but never quite getting a cohesive whole. I found Eve's behavior maddening - she never seems to actually think about what's going on or what she should do next, instead lurching through the narrative on instinct.
Overall, a promising but underwhelming debut. I have picked up Kliewer's new release, The Caretaker - I'm curious to see what he can do without the limitations and pitfalls of Reddit storytelling.
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Horror Starter Pack Vol I
Champion: Finished 5 Side Quest books.
emiliemartine completed their yearly reading goal of 36 books!







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We Used to Live Here
Marcus Kliewer
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Through the Eyes of Animals 🐦⬛🐾🐢
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Oh to see the world how animals see it! These books feature one or more animal main characters and show us the world through their eyes.
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The Monstrous Feminine 🫀🪞🔪
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Embracing the body and reclaiming otherness, these books use horror to redefine notions of womanhood and monstrosity.
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Woodworm
Layla Martínez