Reviews

Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories by GennaRose Nethercott

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magicsandprose's review against another edition

medium-paced

2.75

Some stories I loved some I’ve already forgotten so this collection as a whole files low for me but in general I enjoyed seeing a bunch of different fantasy conceits. The brother of the drowning girl and never ending staircase will stay with me and the titular story is fun for shear comedy and imagination

kezemu's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

5.0

si_hoss's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

naideraid's review against another edition

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3.0

*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review*

It's always difficult to review short story collections because it seems like I always end up hovering somewhere around the middle, in terms of rating. For the most part, I'd say this collection was just fine. There were a few stories I liked, a few I didn't really vibe with, but mostly I just felt ambivalent. The stories I tended to like were the ones with a bit of darker humor laced throughout (ex: Sundown at the Eternal Staircase, Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart, A Haunted Calendar). The ones I didn't quite like as much were the ones that seemed a bit heavy-handed with what they were trying to convey and stretched on for longer than I would've liked (Homebody, The Thread Boy). What I appreciated about the stories is that they varied in terms of tone shifting from haunting and eerie to slightly wistful and sad sometimes with an undertone of humor. They were definitely on the weird end, occasionally dipping into surrealist territory.

If you like weird, creepy, slightly humorous stories, maybe give this collection a try. It wasn't entirely to my tastes, but there were a few good things I got out of it.

raistlyn_reads's review against another edition

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5.0

If you like monstrous things and poetry and cool phrases you wish you had come up with yourself, this book would be perfect for you. It sure was perfect for me.

My favorite story is the one the collection is named after; I thought the story told through bestiary entries was so clever! The only story I had a problem with was A Haunted Calendar; I didn’t understand the point it was trying to get across. But this short story is redeemed by all the others that made me go “what the f$&@ am I reading!”

Will be recommending to my friends who have a poetic flair!

Thank you NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for the ARC.

angelasunshine's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious 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

3.5

This collection of short stories was just as strange and quirky as I expected it to be! There were some stories that I enjoyed more than others, like "Drowning Lessons" and "Dear Henrietta", but isn't that always the case in a collection? Oddly enough, one of the bits I liked least was the title story "Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart."

If you are a fan of the dark side of folklore and fairy tales, I'd recommend you check this book out. It's creepy but just funny enough to let you read it at night.