Reviews
This Wicked Darkness by Jen Davenport, Laura Hazan, K.J. Harrowick, Melody Caraballo, Megan Van Dyke
literaryhomeland's review
4.0
I received an ARC of This Wicked Darkness in exchange for an honest review.
So I found the anthology really interesting. The only time I’ve read anthologies before is for academic reasons and it’s always been poetry, which meant it was great to get the chance to read an anthology by personal choice and with short stories instead. There are five short stories, all containing a festive event within their theme and I think that the idea of the anthology is such a clever one.
All of the writers are a part of Portal World Publishing (which is an author collective rather than a publishing house) and the anthology is an absolutely fantastic way of introducing you to the authors and seeing their individual writing styles and the genres that they write in. For four of the writers, the short stories relate to works in the worlds that they have published or are being published in the future, so it’s a fantastic opportunity to dip into the world, get a sense of it and if it intrigues you, you can then go to pre-order to order the book that it’s connected to. I think the anthology is such a smart idea and I’m surprised that I’ve not really seen anything like this before!
I really think that there is something for everyone in the anthology. Each of the short stories are in a completely different ‘realm’ — one is in contemporary modern day, one is in the low fantasy based in the past, one is high fantasy, one drabbles in both low fantasy and high fantasy where it is a completely different world, but there a human world within it, and another is science fiction. Therefore, there’s a fantastic range which means you’re bound to love at least one of the short stories. For romance enthusiasts, there is romance in every story, with spice drabbling in a majority of them. It’s also important to mention that although they are a part of a bigger series, they can all be read and understood as a standalone. They all also have ambiguous endings; none of them end on a cliffhanger, but you do have the chance to have your own interpretation of what you think happens next.
Personally, my favourite was A Gift for a Fae Warrior by Megan Van Dyke, I just adored Megan’s writing style and the concept and it held so many tropes that reel me in whenever I hear that they’re in a novel, so I cannot wait for the release of A Bargain with the Fae King next year. I enjoyed all of the short stories and you can’t compare them as they’re all so different, but that was my favourite one.
I would recommend giving this a try! Like I said, there is something for everyone in it, they are all easy reads and with the celebrations in each one, it gets you in the mood for the festive system.
So I found the anthology really interesting. The only time I’ve read anthologies before is for academic reasons and it’s always been poetry, which meant it was great to get the chance to read an anthology by personal choice and with short stories instead. There are five short stories, all containing a festive event within their theme and I think that the idea of the anthology is such a clever one.
All of the writers are a part of Portal World Publishing (which is an author collective rather than a publishing house) and the anthology is an absolutely fantastic way of introducing you to the authors and seeing their individual writing styles and the genres that they write in. For four of the writers, the short stories relate to works in the worlds that they have published or are being published in the future, so it’s a fantastic opportunity to dip into the world, get a sense of it and if it intrigues you, you can then go to pre-order to order the book that it’s connected to. I think the anthology is such a smart idea and I’m surprised that I’ve not really seen anything like this before!
I really think that there is something for everyone in the anthology. Each of the short stories are in a completely different ‘realm’ — one is in contemporary modern day, one is in the low fantasy based in the past, one is high fantasy, one drabbles in both low fantasy and high fantasy where it is a completely different world, but there a human world within it, and another is science fiction. Therefore, there’s a fantastic range which means you’re bound to love at least one of the short stories. For romance enthusiasts, there is romance in every story, with spice drabbling in a majority of them. It’s also important to mention that although they are a part of a bigger series, they can all be read and understood as a standalone. They all also have ambiguous endings; none of them end on a cliffhanger, but you do have the chance to have your own interpretation of what you think happens next.
Personally, my favourite was A Gift for a Fae Warrior by Megan Van Dyke, I just adored Megan’s writing style and the concept and it held so many tropes that reel me in whenever I hear that they’re in a novel, so I cannot wait for the release of A Bargain with the Fae King next year. I enjoyed all of the short stories and you can’t compare them as they’re all so different, but that was my favourite one.
I would recommend giving this a try! Like I said, there is something for everyone in it, they are all easy reads and with the celebrations in each one, it gets you in the mood for the festive system.
itsabookthing2021's review
3.0
Thanks to Book Sirens for the eARC of This Wicked Darkness
This book has short novellas from 5 different authors. Each story has its own unique telling.
I enjoyed most of the stories featured, however i felt like Secrets and Sacrifices by Jen Davenport had real potential but it frustrated me as it felt like there was a beginning and just as we were getting to the middle, bam the ending. I felt like I had missed a lot.
I did enjoy A gift for a Fae Warrior by Megan Van Dyke, her writing is very descriptive and her characters are well written that bring her stories to life.
All in all I feel this collection is an OK read and would have been better if the stories were a little longer, that's nothing personal to the authors, just a preference as a reader
This book has short novellas from 5 different authors. Each story has its own unique telling.
I enjoyed most of the stories featured, however i felt like Secrets and Sacrifices by Jen Davenport had real potential but it frustrated me as it felt like there was a beginning and just as we were getting to the middle, bam the ending. I felt like I had missed a lot.
I did enjoy A gift for a Fae Warrior by Megan Van Dyke, her writing is very descriptive and her characters are well written that bring her stories to life.
All in all I feel this collection is an OK read and would have been better if the stories were a little longer, that's nothing personal to the authors, just a preference as a reader
bickleyhouse's review
3.0
I received an ARC of this book from Book Sirens, in return for a review.
The book contains five short stories/novellas, most of which had tie-ins to other books/stories
"Winter Performance," by Laura Hazan was a bit on the steamy side. While it involved what appeared to be a murder mystery in a symphony hall, it also delved into the kinkier side of a relationship. This is what led to the conductor being the main suspect in the investigation. The story had an interesting twist at the end. While the story involved a solstice concert, there wasn't really much in the way of supernatural material. However, considering the topic of the collection seems to be "darkness," there was definitely that.
"Secrets and Sacrifices," by Jen Davenport ties in to a series called "Witches of Evanoir." This was one of the better stories in the anthology, involving a witch married to a mortal. She is part of a coven, and, just before one of their celebrations, she confesses everything to her husband, who had no knowledge of what was going on. He was accepting of all of this. She is pregnant with their first child. Unfortunately, she has a bonding to a book of magic and needs to find some way to escape that.
"Unloved Witch," by Melody Caraballo, was kind of scattered, to me. It involves a group of trainees who are about to undergo a test of some kind to become part of "The Order." She had a thing for one of the other trainees' brother, Liam, who, apparently, also had a thing for her. The story didn't seem to flow very well, to me, and the steamy sex scene between the two of them was pretty unrealistic to me. It also really didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the story. The story apparently continues in another book.
"A Gift for A Fae Warrior," by Megan Van Dyke has tie-ins to a series called "Courts of Faery." The story was entertaining and engaging, but it was tough to follow, as I'm not at all familiar with the series.
The final story, "Light Beyond the Glass," by K.J. Harrowick seems to be a science fiction piece, which really doesn't fit with the others. It has some elements of fantasy, but doesn't involve any fae or witches. In this story, Jaden, the main character has some kind of bonding of energy to the heart of a dying moon. She had become the enemy of the "Guild Command," and they wanted her dead. In my opinion, this is the weakest story of the bunch, and seems quite disjunct. It just didn't flow, to me, and I'm honestly not sure what happened. Characters seemed to be angry for no reason, so maybe there's something I'm missing. It also seems to continue in a subsequent book, which, I guess, is good, because it doesn't really end.
I question the wisdom of having an anthology like this, where most of the stories have tie-ins to other series. It's difficult to engage with stories if you have no clue about any of the characters, especially if the story/novella occurs in the middle of the series somewhere. It would be kind of like reading The Wind in the Keyhole without having read any other Dark Tower stories. This had a big effect on my enjoyment of the stories.
The book contains five short stories/novellas, most of which had tie-ins to other books/stories
"Winter Performance," by Laura Hazan was a bit on the steamy side. While it involved what appeared to be a murder mystery in a symphony hall, it also delved into the kinkier side of a relationship. This is what led to the conductor being the main suspect in the investigation. The story had an interesting twist at the end. While the story involved a solstice concert, there wasn't really much in the way of supernatural material. However, considering the topic of the collection seems to be "darkness," there was definitely that.
"Secrets and Sacrifices," by Jen Davenport ties in to a series called "Witches of Evanoir." This was one of the better stories in the anthology, involving a witch married to a mortal. She is part of a coven, and, just before one of their celebrations, she confesses everything to her husband, who had no knowledge of what was going on. He was accepting of all of this. She is pregnant with their first child. Unfortunately, she has a bonding to a book of magic and needs to find some way to escape that.
"Unloved Witch," by Melody Caraballo, was kind of scattered, to me. It involves a group of trainees who are about to undergo a test of some kind to become part of "The Order." She had a thing for one of the other trainees' brother, Liam, who, apparently, also had a thing for her. The story didn't seem to flow very well, to me, and the steamy sex scene between the two of them was pretty unrealistic to me. It also really didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the story. The story apparently continues in another book.
"A Gift for A Fae Warrior," by Megan Van Dyke has tie-ins to a series called "Courts of Faery." The story was entertaining and engaging, but it was tough to follow, as I'm not at all familiar with the series.
The final story, "Light Beyond the Glass," by K.J. Harrowick seems to be a science fiction piece, which really doesn't fit with the others. It has some elements of fantasy, but doesn't involve any fae or witches. In this story, Jaden, the main character has some kind of bonding of energy to the heart of a dying moon. She had become the enemy of the "Guild Command," and they wanted her dead. In my opinion, this is the weakest story of the bunch, and seems quite disjunct. It just didn't flow, to me, and I'm honestly not sure what happened. Characters seemed to be angry for no reason, so maybe there's something I'm missing. It also seems to continue in a subsequent book, which, I guess, is good, because it doesn't really end.
I question the wisdom of having an anthology like this, where most of the stories have tie-ins to other series. It's difficult to engage with stories if you have no clue about any of the characters, especially if the story/novella occurs in the middle of the series somewhere. It would be kind of like reading The Wind in the Keyhole without having read any other Dark Tower stories. This had a big effect on my enjoyment of the stories.
lattes_lipstick_literature's review
adventurous
dark
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? No
4.0
geno's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Las antologías pueden ser complicadas y esta queda a medio camino en muchos sentidos. Dos historias me gustaron muchísimo, pero las otras tres fueron de malas a olvidables.
El hilo conductor de la antología es "días festivos" y aunque da para la libre interpretación, no queda claro el peso de la temática, algunas historias apenas lo nombran, otras transcurren en ese día y otras extienden el paso del tiempo años después perdiendo por completo la idea.
Para ser más justa, voy a poner una breve reseña de cada historia y su puntaje ideal:
- Winter Performance de Laura Hazan | 1★
Comenzó con un buen planteo, un misterio de asesinato con un leve giro BDSM.
Mi problema principal es el ritmo, es uno de los cuentos que transcurre en un par de días y sin embargo la manera en que está narrado hace que se arrastre. Adicionalmente, para el final, es una historia basada en nada: no hay consecuencias, no había nada para investigar, era una seguidilla de casualidades.
- SECRETS AND SACRIFICES de Jen Davenport | 4★
La mejor historia por lejos.
Inlcuso siendo una precuela de la serie "Witches of Evanoir", se mantiene sola. El sistema mágico es claro, se entiende lo que está en juego, nos pone en tema ensegudia y los personajes son queribles aunque moralmente grises.
Es un cuento con un ambiente interesante, y deja abiertas las puertas suficientes para querer ir a la serie principal.
- UNLOVED WITCH de Melody Caraballo | 2★
Ya no soy el target de la fantasía YA y esta historia lo demuestra.
Los personajes masculinos -tal vez porque no eran el foco- me resultaron interesantes como para querer saber más, pero la MC no me generó ni un poco de empatía.
Nuevamente es una precuela y en este caso, se nota, se mencionan nombres, lugares, elementos, situaciones que no aportan nada a la trama y solo hacen ruido. Lamentablemente en lugar de darme curiosidad me jugaron en contra.
Por destacar algo positivo, el sistema mágico sonaba interesante.
- A GIFT FOR A FAE WARRIOR por Megan Van Dyke | 3.5★
Es una novela corta dentro de la saga This was a Courts of Faery y... muero por conocer más de este universo. Esta historia sí hizo bien el trabajo de presentarme un sistema mágico interesante y personajes queribles en poco tiempo.
Hay muchos personajes dando vuelta, pero todos los que tienen nombre, hacen algo que afecta la historia, no están mencionados al pasar para ser "guiños".
Galen y Sylvie, los MC, son adorables, su dinámica de rivales a amigos (y posiblemente amantes) me pareció increíble.
Y para cerrar, el estilo de escritura es hermoso para fantasía, sin duda otra autora para tener en cuenta.
- LIGHT BEYOND THE GLASS por K. J. Harrowick | 2★
El libro cierra con sci-fi. Y para esta altura, había tanto de fantasía involucrado que me costó hacer el cambio mental de ambientación.
El cuento arranca con un escape, así que imaginé que iba a ser de ritmo rápido, lamentablemente, no fue el caso. Para peor, el ritmo es muy desparejo y hay momentos que se arrastra.
Sin embargo, mi problema principal es con la protagonista que no tiene motivación para nada, hay páginas que literalmente se queda esperando la muerte -que podría ser un planteo interesante pero no lo es-.
Para ser un sci-fi espacial con rangos militares, terminos tecnológicos y una cantidad de nombres para memorizar, se vuelve complejo, me encontré muchas veces deseando tener un mejor entendimiento de ese mundo para poder disfrutarlo.
En general, comprendo las intenciones del libro, me presentó una variedad de autores de Portal World Publishing y es una buena manera de conocer su catálogo, pero en mi caso, terminó siendo contraproducente. Cinco novelas cortas o cuentos por separado habrían subido la calificación de algunos en lugar de bajarla.
ARC proporcionado por BookSirens a cambio de una review honesta.
---
Anthologies can be hit-or-miss for me and this one falls exactly in the middle.
I really -really- loved two stories, but the other fell flat to me.
I should start by saying that I didn't feel there was a clear reason for this collection (I know it's "holidays" but it wasn't clear in the stories themselves, some of them used the holiday as a setup but in others, it was an afterthought).
There is romance in every story but, the style and topic of each one were such a mixed bag. I guess it's nice to have a glimpse of all the authors of Portal World Publishing but it didn't work for me.
To be fair, I will do a quick comment on each one and their individual rating:
- Winter Performance by Laura Hazan | 1★
The setup was interesting, this short story tries to be a murder mystery with a BDSM twist.
My main problem was the pacing. Technically only a few days pass from the beginning till the end but I felt like a lot of things were happening and, at the same time, nothing at all.
The MC wasn't nice either and the end was so disappointing. This story gave nothing.
- SECRETS AND SACRIFICES by Jen Davenport | 4★
My favorite!
This is a prequel for a series called "Witches of Evanoir".
I really liked the writing style and how the universe and magic system was clear even if I didn't know the series.
Lorna was a great character with her own personality and motivations.
This short story was very immersive, and I could feel the danger looming on the horizon.
Also... the book as a character worked perfectly. I want to know more about this universe.
- UNLOVED WITCH by Melody Caraballo | 2★
It reads too YA for my taste (and that's a "me" thing and not the author's fault).
I liked the male characters (Liam and his brother), but the main girl sounded a little bitchy most of the time.
This is a prequel to a series and I think that's why I couldn't connect correctly. There was a lot of name-dropping, a lot of characters that were just there and probably are important in the overall plot but here added nothing.
I liked the magic system but I felt the story itself was a little convoluted: the kingdom, the date, the exam, the enemies of the coven, the MC "secret power". Too much going on and too little time.
- A GIFT FOR A FAE WARRIOR by Megan Van Dyke | 3.5★
This was a Courts of Faery novelette and I'm dying to read more of this universe.
The magic system is good and clear. The setting was interesting enough to keep me reading. Yes, there were too many names at some point but everyone was doing something so it didn't feel like just an easter egg for the main book.
Galen and Sylvie are precious, I like their dynamic and I definitely buy the rivals to friends (and hopefully to lovers) situation.
And the writing is so good. Once I finished this story, I wanted to keep reading more.
- LIGHT BEYOND THE GLASS by K. J. Harrowick | 2★
This one is sci-fi.
It started in action so I was expecting it to be a fast-paced story. Unfortunately, it's not the case, the pacing it's weird and it drags near the end.
My main issue was that the MC has no personal agenda, she just waits and things happen around her.
I felt that there were too many characters, ranks, elements, and science things that I didn't understand. I needed explanations for worldbuilding and it slowed the story considerably.
Overall, I see the potential for this book because it will allow readers access to a bunch of authors and learn the type of stories they write.
ARC kindly provided by BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
El hilo conductor de la antología es "días festivos" y aunque da para la libre interpretación, no queda claro el peso de la temática, algunas historias apenas lo nombran, otras transcurren en ese día y otras extienden el paso del tiempo años después perdiendo por completo la idea.
Para ser más justa, voy a poner una breve reseña de cada historia y su puntaje ideal:
- Winter Performance de Laura Hazan | 1★
Comenzó con un buen planteo, un misterio de asesinato con un leve giro BDSM.
Mi problema principal es el ritmo, es uno de los cuentos que transcurre en un par de días y sin embargo la manera en que está narrado hace que se arrastre. Adicionalmente, para el final, es una historia basada en nada: no hay consecuencias, no había nada para investigar, era una seguidilla de casualidades.
- SECRETS AND SACRIFICES de Jen Davenport | 4★
La mejor historia por lejos.
Inlcuso siendo una precuela de la serie "Witches of Evanoir", se mantiene sola. El sistema mágico es claro, se entiende lo que está en juego, nos pone en tema ensegudia y los personajes son queribles aunque moralmente grises.
Es un cuento con un ambiente interesante, y deja abiertas las puertas suficientes para querer ir a la serie principal.
- UNLOVED WITCH de Melody Caraballo | 2★
Ya no soy el target de la fantasía YA y esta historia lo demuestra.
Los personajes masculinos -tal vez porque no eran el foco- me resultaron interesantes como para querer saber más, pero la MC no me generó ni un poco de empatía.
Nuevamente es una precuela y en este caso, se nota, se mencionan nombres, lugares, elementos, situaciones que no aportan nada a la trama y solo hacen ruido. Lamentablemente en lugar de darme curiosidad me jugaron en contra.
Por destacar algo positivo, el sistema mágico sonaba interesante.
- A GIFT FOR A FAE WARRIOR por Megan Van Dyke | 3.5★
Es una novela corta dentro de la saga This was a Courts of Faery y... muero por conocer más de este universo. Esta historia sí hizo bien el trabajo de presentarme un sistema mágico interesante y personajes queribles en poco tiempo.
Hay muchos personajes dando vuelta, pero todos los que tienen nombre, hacen algo que afecta la historia, no están mencionados al pasar para ser "guiños".
Galen y Sylvie, los MC, son adorables, su dinámica de rivales a amigos (y posiblemente amantes) me pareció increíble.
Y para cerrar, el estilo de escritura es hermoso para fantasía, sin duda otra autora para tener en cuenta.
- LIGHT BEYOND THE GLASS por K. J. Harrowick | 2★
El libro cierra con sci-fi. Y para esta altura, había tanto de fantasía involucrado que me costó hacer el cambio mental de ambientación.
El cuento arranca con un escape, así que imaginé que iba a ser de ritmo rápido, lamentablemente, no fue el caso. Para peor, el ritmo es muy desparejo y hay momentos que se arrastra.
Sin embargo, mi problema principal es con la protagonista que no tiene motivación para nada, hay páginas que literalmente se queda esperando la muerte -que podría ser un planteo interesante pero no lo es-.
Para ser un sci-fi espacial con rangos militares, terminos tecnológicos y una cantidad de nombres para memorizar, se vuelve complejo, me encontré muchas veces deseando tener un mejor entendimiento de ese mundo para poder disfrutarlo.
En general, comprendo las intenciones del libro, me presentó una variedad de autores de Portal World Publishing y es una buena manera de conocer su catálogo, pero en mi caso, terminó siendo contraproducente. Cinco novelas cortas o cuentos por separado habrían subido la calificación de algunos en lugar de bajarla.
ARC proporcionado por BookSirens a cambio de una review honesta.
---
Anthologies can be hit-or-miss for me and this one falls exactly in the middle.
I really -really- loved two stories, but the other fell flat to me.
I should start by saying that I didn't feel there was a clear reason for this collection (I know it's "holidays" but it wasn't clear in the stories themselves, some of them used the holiday as a setup but in others, it was an afterthought).
There is romance in every story but, the style and topic of each one were such a mixed bag. I guess it's nice to have a glimpse of all the authors of Portal World Publishing but it didn't work for me.
To be fair, I will do a quick comment on each one and their individual rating:
- Winter Performance by Laura Hazan | 1★
The setup was interesting, this short story tries to be a murder mystery with a BDSM twist.
My main problem was the pacing. Technically only a few days pass from the beginning till the end but I felt like a lot of things were happening and, at the same time, nothing at all.
The MC wasn't nice either and the end was so disappointing. This story gave nothing.
- SECRETS AND SACRIFICES by Jen Davenport | 4★
My favorite!
This is a prequel for a series called "Witches of Evanoir".
I really liked the writing style and how the universe and magic system was clear even if I didn't know the series.
Lorna was a great character with her own personality and motivations.
This short story was very immersive, and I could feel the danger looming on the horizon.
Also... the book as a character worked perfectly. I want to know more about this universe.
- UNLOVED WITCH by Melody Caraballo | 2★
It reads too YA for my taste (and that's a "me" thing and not the author's fault).
I liked the male characters (Liam and his brother), but the main girl sounded a little bitchy most of the time.
This is a prequel to a series and I think that's why I couldn't connect correctly. There was a lot of name-dropping, a lot of characters that were just there and probably are important in the overall plot but here added nothing.
I liked the magic system but I felt the story itself was a little convoluted: the kingdom, the date, the exam, the enemies of the coven, the MC "secret power". Too much going on and too little time.
- A GIFT FOR A FAE WARRIOR by Megan Van Dyke | 3.5★
This was a Courts of Faery novelette and I'm dying to read more of this universe.
The magic system is good and clear. The setting was interesting enough to keep me reading. Yes, there were too many names at some point but everyone was doing something so it didn't feel like just an easter egg for the main book.
Galen and Sylvie are precious, I like their dynamic and I definitely buy the rivals to friends (and hopefully to lovers) situation.
And the writing is so good. Once I finished this story, I wanted to keep reading more.
- LIGHT BEYOND THE GLASS by K. J. Harrowick | 2★
This one is sci-fi.
It started in action so I was expecting it to be a fast-paced story. Unfortunately, it's not the case, the pacing it's weird and it drags near the end.
My main issue was that the MC has no personal agenda, she just waits and things happen around her.
I felt that there were too many characters, ranks, elements, and science things that I didn't understand. I needed explanations for worldbuilding and it slowed the story considerably.
Overall, I see the potential for this book because it will allow readers access to a bunch of authors and learn the type of stories they write.
ARC kindly provided by BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
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