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charleswritenow's review
4.0
*I was given an ARC for an honest review and I'm late as heck*
Supernatural stories such as these rarely grab me and, though I don't love them all, Hannah was put together a very intriguing collection of stories (and creatures) here.
Apologies for the cliche, but she has a way with words. Not every analogy landed for me, but her artful prose made the settings and descriptions come off the page in a way poetry typically elicits.
I've only read a handful of short story collections and the variety of lengths in Starlight threw me for a loop. By the time I was done, I was in love with the format. Flash fiction. Microfiction. I appreciate that she gave herself the freedom to write all these ways and share them with us. To paint a beautiful picture with so few words is an art in itself.
I'd read a whole book of Swamp Witch short tales but I'm truly excited to see what Hannah does with a novel or novella length, singular story.
Favorite Story(s): Passing Ghosts & The Swamp Witch
Supernatural stories such as these rarely grab me and, though I don't love them all, Hannah was put together a very intriguing collection of stories (and creatures) here.
Apologies for the cliche, but she has a way with words. Not every analogy landed for me, but her artful prose made the settings and descriptions come off the page in a way poetry typically elicits.
I've only read a handful of short story collections and the variety of lengths in Starlight threw me for a loop. By the time I was done, I was in love with the format. Flash fiction. Microfiction. I appreciate that she gave herself the freedom to write all these ways and share them with us. To paint a beautiful picture with so few words is an art in itself.
I'd read a whole book of Swamp Witch short tales but I'm truly excited to see what Hannah does with a novel or novella length, singular story.
Favorite Story(s): Passing Ghosts & The Swamp Witch
hyleore's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
favourite stories:
- Mother
- Passing ghosts
- White Rabbit
wellduhiread's review against another edition
5.0
I usually don’t like books by Youtubers. I usually don’t love short story anthologies. This book exceeded all expectations. There were quite a few stories that moved me emotionally A LOT.
My favorite was a story about two sisters that are pretending (or are they?) to summon the ghost of their grandmother. Still can’t get how much I liked it out of my head.
There was a general theme of complicated familial relationships (TW for abuse) throughout the anthology.
All in all an excellent read!
My favorite was a story about two sisters that are pretending (or are they?) to summon the ghost of their grandmother. Still can’t get how much I liked it out of my head.
There was a general theme of complicated familial relationships (TW for abuse) throughout the anthology.
All in all an excellent read!
enbyglitch's review
5.0
Despite leaning more towards horror, this collection gives a few more happy endings and is warmer than 'Little Birds'. I really enjoyed looking for the metaphors in these stories, and will certainly return to those I couldn't quite parse this time around (mainly
gumleet's review
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual violence
mayavd's review
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I really liked this book even though it’s not my typical genre. I liked the varied length of stories and the unwavering focus on macabre relationships. Great YA
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
teaquinn_writes's review against another edition
4.0
The stories in this collection that hit, really hit - Passing, Ghosts, Mother, Starlit Shadows, Swamp Witch (funnily enough, those are also the "happiest," or at least most cathartic stories), and if the collection was only them, it would no doubt be five stars, but there were also several stories that didn't resonate for me emotionally in the way I was hoping.
It was still a fun read and I would still recommend this collection to anyone looking for some spooky vibes though. :)
It was still a fun read and I would still recommend this collection to anyone looking for some spooky vibes though. :)
thecatastrophehour's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jamieclark's review
4.0
Wow. This was incredible. I read this a few weeks after reading Kidder's previous collection [b:Little Birds|41216866|Little Birds a collection of short stories|Hannah Lee Kidder|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534621245l/41216866._SY75_.jpg|64414801] and was blown away at the growth Kidder displayed between these two collections. Starlight really feels like the fully realized version of what Kidder was trying to accomplish in Little Birds, to me. The continual dipping in and out of fantasy/horror elements really added to the atmosphere of these tense tragic stories in a big way. The reader is never really sure of whether the story is one of fantasy or not -- and sometimes the more 'real' stories were that much more chilling than the fantasy ones. We fear both what we do not understand and what we do. Beautiful collection, highly recommended, but certainly not for the faint of heart. Again, check the trigger warnings on this one if need be, as there are plenty.
4.5.
4.5.
catherynreads's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
The first story slapped, the swamp witch one was stellar, white rabbit was amazing. A few fell flat for me, but overall I really liked it.