Hi! I'm Dayla F.M. I'm an avid reader, writer, and reviewer. My blog is a collection of upcoming books, my own bookish photography, reblogged photography, book reviews, relatable book posts, and opinions. You can find links to past interviews, reviews, and my FAQ on my links page! Never be afraid to ask me anything!
Happy reading/writing! Disclaimer: Most of the pictures that I post are mine (usually via Instagram). If a picture is not mine, it's because I've reblogged it. Please feel free to tell me if I have sourced your picture incorrectly and I will quickly change it.
DIFFERENT SEASONS is the first short story/novella collection by Stephen King that Iâve ever finished reading. Iâll admit, this was a bit of a ride and had a lot of highs and lows. Iâm so torn on what to rate this, so Iâll not rate the overall collection, but each individual novella.
My library doesnât have DIFFERENT SEASONS in its entirety as an audiobook, but it had three of the four novellas in individual audiobooks, so that was fun and kind of weirdâespecially since that meant that the last story was a physical read for me (it was a really interesting contrast to doing audiobooks for the other three.
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption: 5 Stars
To be fair, I absolutely adore the film adaptation. I loved seeing the little details left out of the film and the despair that can only come fr0m reading about an experience, rather than watching actors acting it out. One of my favourite things about this novella is how I was hooked from the beginning. Definitely a favourite from this collection! If you loved the film, I highly recommend this novella because it gives you a different experience that you might end up loving.
Apt Pupil: 2.5 Stars
One of the things Iâve always loved about King is how he has this power to make you incredibly uncomfortable through his provocative and dangerously line-crossing writing. But Iâll be honest that this novella made me squirm in my seat. Maybe that alone should raise the rating, but whatâs also stopping me from raising the rating is the fact that I was eventually starting to zone out. I was NOT feeling this story and I think itâs definitely my least favourite from the collection.
The Body: 3.5 Stars
Iâll admit that this took a while to grip me. I donât know if having had watched the movie first so many years back was a detriment to reading this novella because I wasnât expecting this book to be so heavy with stories and reminiscing. I know this is the point of this book, since itâs a journey (both literal and metaphorical) for four best friends who are about to have their lives changed. I will say that once I was finally into the story, there was no going back. The characters were vivid, the friendship a reminder of childhood adventuring and endless hope for what might come the next day. I ended up really enjoying this one in the end, but it took a while to get there!
The Breathing Method: 5 Stars
Hot take but, this is my favourite of the four novellas. I enjoyed the main character and his naive way of navigating this new world that has just opened up to him. I loved the concept of a menâs club sharing stories of all kinds during Thursday nights. And that ending, as my friend said, is very much a Stephen King thing to do. I think this carried some really good scares (traditionally speaking) and an ending only King could write. I felt that the story flowed a lot better than two of the other novellas, and that in itself makes it a winner. I also enjoyed the story so much because it felt so unique, even thought there are a lot of people who get together on occasion to share stories, this grabbed my attention immediately since it was written in such a compulsive way. I love thinking that somewhere in the bowels of New York City there is a group of older white men telling each other horror stories.
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109. Aliveby Piers Paul Readââď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸
Iâve read horror books that have tackled some of the topics explored in this nonfiction recounting of the survivors of the Andes plane crash. I thought I would be super ready because truly, what story with cannibalism could be as jarring as TENDER IS THE FLESH? But I was so wrong, especially because this one was a true story.
Before I get to the meat of this nonfiction survival book, I want to mention how amazingly it is written. The pacing is great, the chapters being split on occasion between the survivors and their forever hunting and searching parents was amazing. While it was definitely important to see the perspectives of the parents, I loved that the main focus was on the survivors and their tale. I think a lot of books mess this up, so props to the author for getting this balance between the two just right.
Also, the events were told in such a way that it literally felt like a fictional story. Itâs hard to believe that these young men went through such horrors and somehow survived by the end of it all.
Now, for the raw aspects of the story: I think most people, when they talk of this plain crash, they speak of the cannibalism that occurred. The way it was explained by the survivors was both genius and terrifying. By the point where eating the bodies of the deceased became the norm, the dehumanization that occurred was what grossed me out the most. Referring to it as âmeatâ and just casually mentioning the body parts and spoiled âmeatâ tasting like cheese made me want to pause the audiobook and take a deep breath. One truly doesnât know what their brain is capable of until they are in that situation.
The survival aspect of this book is absolutely incredible. I highly recommend itâbut please, for the love of all that is meaty, strengthen your stomach before you take a bite out of this one.
Pretty much everyone knows about this book by now. The hype has risen this book to bookish stardom and itâs gotten to the point where we get at least one phone call per day (at the bookstore I work at) asking if we have it in stock.
Before I went into this, I was preparing myself. I was worried that the hype would set my expectations for this book at ridiculous levels. I avoided reviews and tried my best to avoid spoilers. When I finally picked this up, I tried my very best to have low expectations. If it sucked, it sucked. If the characters were meh, they were meh. If I was bored, it was fine. I could DNF it.
Ha.
FOURTH WING was incredible. It was the wildest ride Iâve had with fantasy in a long time and I enjoyed every single minute of it. I devoured the 20 hour audiobook in a day and a bit and my only regret is that it is done. With the sequel safely pre-ordered, I can say that I absolutely need it. Like, tomorrow.
The characters were amazing (even if a few of them should dive into a tub of acidâscrew you and your creepiness dude I wonât name, but if youâve read this book you know who it isâheâs a freaking PREDATOR.) and the MCâs internal dialogue was *chefâs kiss*. I loved the relationships and how they formed and how you couldnât get too attached to them because the Yarros is ruthless. You think you can bond with some characters? Nah, you canât because theyâll be dead in the next chapter. Itâs wild, but I honestly loved it. Especially with how some of the deaths were dealt because dang, some were too funny and Iâm probably going to hell.
The plot was addicting and so quickly paced. There was always something going on and I couldnât wait to see what came next. Iâm also a massive sucker for the âprove everyone wrongâ trope, which Yarros maneuvered masterfully with her novel. Plus, seeing as the MC has chronic pain, or her body is a lot more fragile than the other riders, made this book so much better. I loved that aspect, especially when others acknowledged how hard she worked.
The romance was GREAT. It was predictable, but so delicious. And I donât feel weird saying that because they were in their 20s. I loved how open the MC was about her sexuality and horniness, and how the love interest absolutely devoured her when given the chance. Those spicy scenes be spicy, especially the one near the endâŚ.I also loved the fluidity of sexuality in the academy because itâs realistic af.
I loved the dragons and their sass (and the occasional adorableness of one of them). It makes me want to read more dragon stories!
One of my favourite things, however, was how I could see the MC growing through the writing style. When the book first started, it felt very YA. The MC was naive and she definitely needed to learn the keys to surviving her new and dangerous world. But as she grew into her experiences and as a character, the writing grew with her. Of course, more people died and that also helped mature the writing. But by the end of the book, the YA writing style felt like a thing in the distant past.
I loved this book and I know that it might not be for everyone and that some people may think itâs over hyped, but itâs justâŚpure fun? The tension, the adventure, the constant threat of death, the cunning, and the characters who never stopped striving to succeed made Fourth Wing a force to be reckoned with and Iâm so glad I finally read it!
Super unpopular opinion here: While the message of the book and topic are extremely important, the storytelling wasâŚokay? I donât know. I think it started of beautifully, especially the descriptions of how the world was and who the monsters were, but somewhere along the way, the writing lost its hold on me.
I almost DNFed this because I wasnât into it. I kept going because thereâs so much love for this book and given the topics it explores and the themes it shines a light on, I can totally understand why. I think it just felt like this weird in between of middle grade and young adult, but with swearing thrown in. And I donât mind either of those things because I love MGLit books and I will swear until Iâm blue, but the the combination was just odd and off-putting.
Also, the MC was kind ofâŚ.annoying near the end. I understood what she was doing, but maybe itâs the Taurus in me that was so annoyed by her actions. It read, to me, as an adult putting their morals onto a teenager who might not act in the same way if they were real. Itâs always been a thing that irks me with certain YA books, because it doesnât feel like a thing teenagers would do.
I donât know. Like I said, the messages were super, SUPER important. I loved the idea of calling these awful human beings monsters (because they are) and how by thinking that theyâve all been eradicated and/or rehabilitated, a town could live in peace even though some monsters hide in plain sight. I enjoyed the heart of the story because truly, if you ever watch true crime, itâll usually feature a town that thought it was safe from such evil. I really liked the concepts and the main idea, but the writing felt lacking for me. And that MC just felt too unrealistic.
If you DO decide to pick this up, though, trigger warning for CA and CSA.
LOST IN THE MOMENT & FOUND is heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time (especially when the MC sees both a new future and the potential for a second chance at a future. Heartbreaking because, TW, of the horrors living in her home and the threat of CSA (but like the author says in the preface, she runs away).
From the authorâs heartfelt TW page, to the reveal of what was really happening in the MCâs new life, this book was magic. McGuireâs ability to take words and create a narrative both so naive and oddly mature at the same time is masterful and while the other books dealt with the whimsical, bullying, lost dreams, and other forms of childhood formative experiences, this one hit different. I felt so ill reading the first half of the book, but I knew the MC, even at such a young age, was someone incredibly powerful in her own rightâeven as this monster was attempting to steal her strength.
Highly recommend this seriesâeach book offers so much magic.
While this one, in my opinion, wasnât as good as the first book, I still found it to be entertaining and full of stomach-churning moments. This was likeâŚreading the sequel to SCREAM and knowing that it will probably not live up to the first movie.
The story for this started just as slowly as the first book did, but it definitely played with the idea and concept of the victim being blamed to the point where they look like the villain. I think that was pretty well done, especially because there were instances where I got pretty pissed off with the people victim blaming.
I loved seeing the continuation of a couple that was revealed in the first book, but it hurt to see the issues between themâespecially when I just want to see them succeed together. I found that their issues werenât really resolved and just kind ofâŚswept to the side? But I think this is also par for the course, especially since these books are written in a way youâd expect to see for a potential film adaptation.
The horror was gruesome, the deaths were just as gory as the first book, and the ridiculousness of the whole thing was so much fun. I highly recommend these books, especially for October!
Donât go in expecting a masterpiece, but just go in to have a bloody good time.
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114. Horror Hotelby Victoria Fulton & Faith McClarenââď¸âď¸âď¸
While HORROR HOTEL isnât perfect, itâs such a fun readâespecially if youâre a fan of the Cecil Hotel.
When I first heard about this book, I was instantly hooked on the idea of it. A group of teenagers who are paranormal investigators going into a hotel that is hella haunted and has a dark af history? Sign me up. The central case and character that is often referenced at the beginning of the book is a mirror of a famous death that happened there a few years ago and while some might find it questionable, I think it was an interesting.
When the Elisa Lam case first appeared on the internet, I was so curious and terrified by the footage. The idea that this poor woman could have experienced who knew what and ended up where she did was such a heartbreaking mystery. Obviously, there are only a couple of similarities in this book to the real-life case, nothing too macabre, but it was enough to pull me in.
The character relationships were interesting and had some layers that could have benefitted from a bit more exploration. This story really felt like we jumped into it in the middle of these friendships, kind of like an episode of their show where we only know what they show us and nothing more. In a way, this really did feel like I was watching an edgy episode of a ghost hunting showâthis one just included a serial killer and a lovestruck teen boy.
Like a lot of young adult horror, donât go in expecting perfection. If you want a pretty straightforward ghost story with a real killer, some questionable side characters, and a group of teens making less than great life choices, then this is a book to add to your TBR. Iâm always wary of the star rating on Goodreads for horror novels because honestly, the genre can be incredibly divisive.
I remember seeing this book at work and being so curious about it. One of the things I love doing is browsing the middle grade shelves because sometimes I find gems like this one. WHAT HAPPENED TO RACHEL RILEY? is such an important read. And listen, I know I say this a lot about middle grade novels, but oftentimes, books like this one have such important messages and undertones.
Swinarski tackles bullying in this one and I really appreciated it. Yes, thereâs a mystery and a teenager who is an aspiring journalist/podcaster, but the heart of this book is about a girl who fell from the pedestal she was put on and was taken down quickly and harshly. Rachel, the bullied subject of the MCâs âprojectâ handles the bullying so well and so maturely. Whatâs messed up, though, is that she has to do this at such a young age.
As a person who suffered HEAVY bullying in middle grade, I can say that middle school is hell. Kids are cruel and will do anything to avoid being the next target. One of the topics explored in this book was also that of sexual assault and the many forms it may take. Itâs also important to note that these kids show how society has essentially groomed girls to laugh SA off if it doesnât fit the âtypicalâ SA behaviour. If a young reader reads this and sees a situation they might have witnessed while in school, they may now have a tool to speak up against the behaviour. This is why literature like this matters. This book attempts to break that cycle and although it shows how difficult that can be, it also shows that there is hope that one day the cycle will be easier to break.
I highly recommend this, not just for middle grade kids, but also for adults who might have been kids like the ones in this book who thought laughing discomfort off was the only way to survive the jungles of middle grade.
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Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts!
