cocchan's review
3.0
On my last trip to Edinburgh, I stumbled across the City's book festival. Browsing aimlessly through the shelves, I spotted this collection of spooky short stories, all based on the Scottish oral tradition (and some newer additions), and I thought this could have been the ideal reading for the scary October.
Put devotedly on paper thanks to a Kickstarter project, the creators' intent is remarkable, tributing the country's practice of telling ghost stories that became, nowadays, one of the main attractions to visit Scotland.
Besides the written text, each tale is introduced by spot-on dark illustrations that add extra value to this small collection.
As usual, it isn't easy to find all the tales equally engaging, especially when it comes to concise ones, from a few pages long to a single paragraph. Still, the overall reading was pleasing, creepy and, at times comic: a shout-out to my favourite story, The Cravin by D. A. Watson, which both plays with the Scottish language and the dark humor about human nature, tore between craving (the title "Cravin") for vice and fear (the "Fear" embodied by a ghoulish entity) for the consequences.
In parallel, the audiobook is available. I need to check it out to enrich the reading further and turn it into a proper spooky listening experience!
Put devotedly on paper thanks to a Kickstarter project, the creators' intent is remarkable, tributing the country's practice of telling ghost stories that became, nowadays, one of the main attractions to visit Scotland.
Besides the written text, each tale is introduced by spot-on dark illustrations that add extra value to this small collection.
As usual, it isn't easy to find all the tales equally engaging, especially when it comes to concise ones, from a few pages long to a single paragraph. Still, the overall reading was pleasing, creepy and, at times comic: a shout-out to my favourite story, The Cravin by D. A. Watson, which both plays with the Scottish language and the dark humor about human nature, tore between craving (the title "Cravin") for vice and fear (the "Fear" embodied by a ghoulish entity) for the consequences.
In parallel, the audiobook is available. I need to check it out to enrich the reading further and turn it into a proper spooky listening experience!
ruthgottardi's review
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
poisoned_icecream's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
_of_books_and_bookshelves_'s review
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
roguemedvsa's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
kirsty_reads_books's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
kaz_309's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this collection. A real range with some unsettling and scary stories, a couple I found funny, and a few that really moved me. The illustrations are good and add an extra gothic layer to the the experience.