Pleasure Unbound

Branded by Fire

Nalini Singh2009

A leopard changeling and a wolf changeling must cooperate to find a kidnapped researcher. Their physical attraction complicates the investigation.

pace0·prose0·bleak0

Gormenghast

Mervyn Peake1950

A young heir and a social climber navigate the rigid rituals of a decaying, labyrinthine castle. The prose is dense and descriptive.

propulsive → dark

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

James Hogg1824

A religious fanatic becomes convinced he is predestined for salvation and commits crimes at the behest of a mysterious stranger.

propulsive → cold

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

Ghost Stories

Henry James2001

A collection of Victorian tales where the existence of ghosts is often left to the reader's interpretation.

propulsive → meditative

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire

Kerrelyn Sparks2005

A vampire who broke a fang kidnaps a dentist who is afraid of blood. She is hiding from the mafia while he needs his smile repaired.

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Undead and Unwed

MaryJanice Davidson2004

After dying in a car crash, a fashion-obsessed woman wakes up as a vampire. She resists the local undead community's claim that she is their queen.

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Big bad beast

Shelly Laurenston2011

A wolf-shifter Marine investigates a hybrid fighting ring while dealing with her persistent boss. It is a paranormal romance set in an urban world.

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Ill Wind

Rachel Caine2003

A weather warden on the run from the law uses her ability to control storms to protect people from rogue elemental forces.

Same propulsive register, still paranormal romance

pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Tempt the Stars

Karen Chance2013

A supernatural seer manages a possessive vampire lover and rogue acolytes while attempting to rescue a friend from a magical fate.

Same propulsive register, still paranormal romance

pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Wicked All Night

Jeaniene Frost2021

A vampire and a siren enter a marriage of convenience to protect her from a supernatural threat. They hunt a dark god across the globe.

Same propulsive register, still paranormal romance

pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Ulysses

James Joyce1914

Three characters wander through Dublin on a single day in 1904. Each chapter uses a different literary style to mimic thoughts and sensations.

propulsive → playful

pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Absalom, Absalom!

William Faulkner1936

The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

propulsive → elegiac

pace-2·prose+2·bleak+2

Either/Or

Søren Kierkegaard1992

A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

propulsive → meditative

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Flowers in the Attic

V.C. Andrews1979

Four children are hidden in an attic for years by their mother and grandmother to secure an inheritance. They face gradual poisoning and abuse.

propulsive → elegiac

pace0·prose0·bleak+2

Hamlet

William Shakespeare

A prince of Denmark is told by a ghost that his uncle killed his father. He feigns madness while deciding whether to take revenge.

propulsive → meditative

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

The Terror

Dan Simmons2007

Two British ships searching for the Northwest Passage in 1845 become trapped in ice and are hunted by a creature.

propulsive → bleak

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