maria_elisabeth's review
3.0
3,5⭐ - it was good
Concidering I don't usually like anthologies and didn't have expectations, this was actually good!
Some boring, some good, like always in short story collections.
Concidering I don't usually like anthologies and didn't have expectations, this was actually good!
Some boring, some good, like always in short story collections.
helterskelliter's review
3.0
“The Devil is in her room tonight.” (177)
In this collection of haunting and chilling tales, we explore the monsters that live at the heart of not only our deepest fears and desires but also at the core of our lives.
Ostensibly, these stories are about ghosts and ghouls and sinister things that go bump in the night. But, if you pull back the upper layers of these tales, you see more familiar faces. Through reimagining, these stories capture how regret and grief and anger are not always the big, bad monsters we fear.
Rather, they look like missing your crush so much that you long for ghosts in lakes. They look like walking through a dark tunnel, no end in sight. They feel like wanting to burn your town down to the ground, just so people can see you. They are those things we wish we could cut out of ourselves and face as foes.
All that said, while I think parts of this story were certainly compelling, I do think there were some missed opportunities to push some of these stories further. I mean, I don’t know if I would classify all of these stores as strictly horror. I would say we’re more psychological thrillers or fiction?
I do appreciate that these stories feature queer characters throughout and explore different kinds of identity expression but I still wish the characters had more depth. So many of the characters seemed just defined as “queer” as their main character trait. I wish I had more information on their motivations, even though this is a short story collection.
Anyway, I do think this would still be an enjoyable read for anyone who likes scary stories and/or may just be tipping their toes into horror~
In this collection of haunting and chilling tales, we explore the monsters that live at the heart of not only our deepest fears and desires but also at the core of our lives.
Ostensibly, these stories are about ghosts and ghouls and sinister things that go bump in the night. But, if you pull back the upper layers of these tales, you see more familiar faces. Through reimagining, these stories capture how regret and grief and anger are not always the big, bad monsters we fear.
Rather, they look like missing your crush so much that you long for ghosts in lakes. They look like walking through a dark tunnel, no end in sight. They feel like wanting to burn your town down to the ground, just so people can see you. They are those things we wish we could cut out of ourselves and face as foes.
All that said, while I think parts of this story were certainly compelling, I do think there were some missed opportunities to push some of these stories further. I mean, I don’t know if I would classify all of these stores as strictly horror. I would say we’re more psychological thrillers or fiction?
I do appreciate that these stories feature queer characters throughout and explore different kinds of identity expression but I still wish the characters had more depth. So many of the characters seemed just defined as “queer” as their main character trait. I wish I had more information on their motivations, even though this is a short story collection.
Anyway, I do think this would still be an enjoyable read for anyone who likes scary stories and/or may just be tipping their toes into horror~
eileengoodrich's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.25
slut_for_lexapro's review
4.0
Folk horror is my favorite type of horror.
Idk if it’s because I grew up isolated in a yeehaw shit town where all the druggies thought to settle down and have kids, but it HITS different.
Also the theme of loneliness and mental illness in all of these stories in general tied in perfectly with the plots and had me really connecting with all the characters even when it was only short stories of each.
I was totally surprised by all the lgtbq and poc rep but it was a very wonderful surprise.
Great suspenseful stories perfect for a summer night read.
My two favorites were “Stay” by Erica Waters and “Third Burn” by Courtney Gould.
Idk if it’s because I grew up isolated in a yeehaw shit town where all the druggies thought to settle down and have kids, but it HITS different.
Also the theme of loneliness and mental illness in all of these stories in general tied in perfectly with the plots and had me really connecting with all the characters even when it was only short stories of each.
I was totally surprised by all the lgtbq and poc rep but it was a very wonderful surprise.
Great suspenseful stories perfect for a summer night read.
My two favorites were “Stay” by Erica Waters and “Third Burn” by Courtney Gould.
gicb38's review
3.0
This was very underwhelming. The stories had some good writing but most of them seemed like variations of the same narrative and voice. Overall I would say this is fine, no big stand outs and all of the stories are YA perspective and I felt that this restricted a lot of the storylines. I particularly like Third Burn that was and The Tallest Poppy, but agin felt like they all took place in the same general area but not linked enough to build a world since they were all from different authors I was also surprised by the similarities in writing style. I wonder if these were commissioned for this anthology but I doubt it.
Its a fine anthology if you like YA horror and don’t have a lot experience in the genre. For more avid horror readers like myself I would skip this one if you have other books in the genre you are more eager to read.
Its a fine anthology if you like YA horror and don’t have a lot experience in the genre. For more avid horror readers like myself I would skip this one if you have other books in the genre you are more eager to read.
businessmanson's review
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
glassworld's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
blonohorror's review
dark
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.25
for an anthology marketed as FOLK horror to only have two stories that are explicitly so and one that teeters on the edge...i don't know. it's like the authors only saw 'horror' and ran with it while also conflating folk horror with 'dead small towns' and 'urban legends' :/ interesting stories to be sure but almost none of them fit the subgenre
exlibriscass's review
4.0
This is an absolutely beautiful collection of folk horror. And perfectly encapsulate the kinds of folk tales you would hear in the more rural south. I could even imagine telling some of them or hearing some of them on the playground. Tales of the tunnel or of the Bridge. While none of them quite scared me a few did chill me. I will say my favorites were “One-Lane Bridge”, “Ghost on the Shore” and “Third Burn”.