Litsy

willelax

Needful Things | Stephen King

2025 reading so far

wanderinglynn Awesome! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 1mo

4 likes1 comment

Robotswithpersonality

Gwendy's Magic Feather | Richard Chizmar

so-so

I had a decent time with this book, but I'm finding it impossible to categorize for the sake of recommending it to the right audience.
A bunch of cozy moments, even set around Christmas/New Years holidays, but also worrying about political situations, social issues, parent's health, husband's well-being, the doom that the button box might unleash, and missing girls. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Less out and out horror moments now that King's not co-writing, a bit more focus on missing, possibly murderered people, wouldn't say it's full on fantasy considering that there are fantastical premises but not much in the way of fantastical moments. There is the theme continued from the first book of the box's potential influence and destructive power as well as it's rewards, but it too felt like an element that was downplayed this time. 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? Somewhere between jarring and unexpectedly pleasant that these books contain formatting I'm more used to associating with middle grade novels: Larger, more spaced out text, short chapters, illustrations dividing some chapters.
Paranormal suspense? And yet, not kept in suspense about anything for very long. 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? Were it not for a few key details I'd consider this cozy speculative, but there's definitely some not for kids stuff here. I think Chizmar's writing shines in cozy mystery-adjacent with speculative elements. Hopefully that doesn't lead prospective readers too far wrong! 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 5/6 Going back to my qualifier of 'decent', there's a lot that almost happens and doesn't, and then there's an element that pops out of nowhere to save the day, and those two things in the same narrative make it feel less about the plot and more about the characters. 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/6 I'm happy to finish out the trilogy, though having experienced Chizmar's writing alone, I'm a little concerned what having King re-join the co-writing team for the third book will do for Gwendy. Hoping for the best!

⚠️child death 2mo

14 likes5 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Gwendy's Magic Feather | Richard Chizmar

Who knows what the tone the second book in a series written by only one of the original co-authors, prefaced by a first book I might term horror-fantasy, might be, but what I do know is this is a very cute owl. ☺️

12 likes1 stack add

Robotswithpersonality

Gwendy's Magic Feather | Richard Chizmar

Vibrant colourway vibe from TBR pile. High contrast makes sense for what I'm willing to bet are intense narratives! 💛💙

13 likes

CoffeeNBooks

Needful Things | Stephen King

#HauntedShelf Book Scavenger Hunt #Dark
Team #DeadSerious @OriginalCyn620

OriginalCyn620 🖤🖤🖤 4mo

33 likes1 comment

Robotswithpersonality

Gwendy's Button Box | Stephen King

pick

Bit of a Faustian deal, bit Lord of the Rings (my precious), the idea of gaining power/rewards but at a cost, the idea of an item prized but also a burden that could cause evil. And a handy stand in for concerns about weapons of mass destruction/powerful nations' decision to war. I appreciate the novella treatment, it didn't feel too repetitive in teaching the protagonist and the reader what the box could offer, versus the threat it represents.1/

Robotswithpersonality 2/2 I don\'t know how much the message is undercut versus the protagonist/reader is reassured by Farris\' concluding visit. I\'m glad it\'s a series, because I do want to see Gwendy in action when she\'s not struggling through her formative years haunted by the box. ⚠️ Fatphobia, focus on diet, SA 5mo

5 likes1 comment