If you know me well, you know that I love to research true crime stories, and also have a special fascination with the paranormal. So when I stumbled upon Buzzfeed Unsolved on YouTube, I was ecstatic. Not only were the hosts funny, but they also took widely different stances that made the show interesting.

Being able to combine two of my favorite things in this tag is what made me so excited to do it.

I hope y’all enjoy this post!

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I saw Chelsea @ Rom Weasley post this tag a little bit ago, and I knew I just had to do it. From what I could tell, Sarah @ The YA Room is the creator of this tag, but Lauren @ Wonderless Review, which is where Chelsea found the tag, added on some questions that Sarah didn’t include, and Chelsea answered these questions–So I intend to answer these new questions as well.

So without further ado, here are the questions!

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SHANIAC: A Book You Don’t Think is Deserving of It’s Hype

I know some people might get mad at me for this, but I honestly cannot stand Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy. I read the first book and a section of the second one, and not only found it to be ridiculously boring, but just terribly written. It’s why I haven’t read any of Bardugo’s other novels, like Six of Crows. I’ve had plenty of people tell me Six of Crows is much better, but knowing that I don’t like a book that takes place in the same universe, I just don’t see the point in reading it.

Either way, the hype that surrounds Bardugo and her Grisha universe is nearly stifling. I normally just keep quiet about it, but this book is definitely perfect for this question.

BOOGARA: A Book That Chilled You to the Core

I don’t talk about this one much either, but I used to be obsessed with Dean Koontz’s stories. A long while ago, I read one of his novels, False Memory. This book scared me so much, and overwhelmed me so much, that I put the book aside and tried to forget about it. I refused to read another Koontz novel for the longest time, until I was a few years older and decided to finish this one. It’s definitely a heavy read, dealing with sexual assault, suicide, and betrayal. It was a hard read, and the pieces that I remember always make me look over my shoulder.

SHITFISH: A Book You’re Not Sure Where You Stand On

I don’t know if this question is for books you’ve read or haven’t read, but my answer for this one is one I haven’t read. And I know I might get shit for this one as well, but I really don’t know what to think about Becky Albertalli’s Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. I know a lot of people love this book, but I really struggle with the fact that a lot of people pitch it as a really fluffy and cute novel. I began reading this, only to get hit in the face with blackmail and homophobia, so I put it aside. While I want to follow the hype on this one, I just don’t know if I can.

HEY THERE DEMONS, IT’S ME, YA BOI: A Book That Kept You Up at Night

These aren’t isn’t exactly scary, but they did keep me up at night–meaning that I just couldn’t stop myself from reading them. Reign of the Fallen by Sara Glenn Marsh was such an intense book, and I loved the world building and the characters. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. That one was an intense read, but also really interesting in it’s presentation. I still haven’t read Gemina, mainly because I just don’t know how it would compare to Illuminae.

(WHEEZE): A Book that Made You Laugh Out Loud

I always have a go-to answer for these types of questions. I remember when I began reading F.T. Luken’s The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths and Magic and could not get enough of it. It was an amazing combination of comedy and fantasy, romance and horror, and I just fell in love with it. The characters were complex and engaging, and I found myself falling for multiple characters rather than attaching myself to one like usual.

MOTHMAN: A Hyped Fave

I was trying to think of a book that I really liked that I’d heard a lot about, and a few came to mind, despite me saying that “I don’t like many popular books”. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee was definitely a hyped book that I ended up loving, and so was Timekeeper by Tara Sim. Another that comes to mind that I’d heard a lot about before reading is Not Your Sidekick by C.B.Lee, which was a joy to read. I also remember seeing a lot about Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco which I dove into recently, and ended up enjoying a lot. (I am, however, procrastinating on starting Escaping from Houdini, SJTR #3, because I’ve heard a lot of iffy things about it.)

HOLY WATER: A Book You’d Protect With Your Life

I think we all know the answer(s) to this one. I will defend Linsey Miller’s Mask of Shadows and Ruin of Stars with my life. 

DEMONS: A Book You’re Too Scared to Read

It’s not that I’m afraid of the book because it’s horror–I’m afraid of this book because I don’t want to not like it. I really enjoyed Kerri Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack the Ripper, as well as the sequel Hunting Prince Dracula. So when I started hearing iffy things about the third novel, Escaping from Houdini, you can be sure that I placed the book on my shelf when my preorder came in, and never picked it up again. I’m just too afraid that I won’t like it, so I’ll just never read it.

BUT FOR NOW, THIS MYSTERY WILL REMAIN … UNSOLVED: A Book You Needed More From / Didn’t Want to End

This book was intended to be a series, but considering it came out in 2013, I’m not sure if it will ever be continued. Either way, whenever I see Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi mentioned or even just sitting on my shelves, I get a little sad. The book was a joy to read, and I loved the characters, but I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to read more from them. Similar to that one, it’s been a long while since Scott Lynch’s The Republic of Thieves was released, which was the third book to one of my favorite series. I want to reread the books soon, but I just wish these two series would be continued in all of their glory.

BUZZFEED UNSOLVED POSTMORTEM: A Book You Still Have Questions About

The questions I have about this book aren’t really about the book itself, but the topic the book was discussing. The Case of the Zodiac Killer brought the entire Zodiac case to the forefront of my mind, and I find myself wondering who he really was. Were the detectives on the right track, and one of the suspects they had was actually the Zodiac but they just didn’t have the evidence, or were they completely off. Who was he really? How many people did he really kill? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS AND ALL THIS BOOK DID WAS GIVE ME MORE QUESTIONS.

HOT DAGA: A Trashy Fave

I honestly can’t think of one?? The only thing that comes to mind is an author, Hunter Shea. I love his novels, but they’re so outlandish and about cryptozoological creatures like the Jersey Devil and the Lochness Monster that I can’t really take them seriously. I don’t mean to trash Shea–I just enjoy these books based on how hilariously bad they are.

HOLLY HORSLEY: A Favorite Crime/Thriller Book

I’m currently reading this one at the time that I’m typing this up, but so far I’m loving it, so I just had to throw it in here. Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi is a wild ride of brutal murder and plain shitty police work. It’s a fascinating read, but also extremely vicious, so I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone.

RICKY GOLDSWORTH: A Character You Love with Your Entire Being But They Could Potentially Want to Kill You

The only characters that come to mind for some reason are The Left Hand from Mask of Shadows (Specifically MoS, not RoS.) Emerald, Amythyst, and Ruby could very well kill me, but I would thank them for it. Same goes for Sal, also from MoS, where they would probably kill me. Basically every character from that series would kill me and I would thank them for the opportunity. Sal, Maud, Elise–when I say everyone, I mean everyone.

THE GHOUL BOYS: Your Favorite Buzzfeed Unsolved Episode

Having watched every single episode, this is hard. I have a distinct preference for the True Crime episodes, but I still love certain paranormal episodes. How about top five for each?

True Crime (in no particular order):
– The Bizarre Disappearance of Bobby Dunbar
– The Mysterious Disappearance of the Sodder Children
– The Terrifying Axeman of New Orleans
– The Disturbing Murders at Keddie Cabin
– The Ghastly Cleveland Torso Murders

Supernatural (in no particular order):
– The Search for the Mysterious Mothman
– 3 Horrifying Cases of Ghosts and Demons
– The Spontaneous Human Combustion of Mary Reeser
– The Demonic Goatman’s Bridge
– The Demonic Bellaire House

That was a lot harder than I was expecting, limiting it to five for each. Either way, one that I love that doesn’t fit into either series is Unsolved: The Legend of Krampus. I love the animation and story that I just had to include it.

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