theresaramp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
sarahsthoughtsonbooks's review against another edition
dark
Only read the Sarah MacLean and Carrie Ann Ryan story. It was dark - there was no HEA. 😢
andimontgomery's review
2.0
Meh. I read probably half of these in their entirety; the other half didn't catch my interest enough to finish. My absolute favorite was Trip Trap (the first one).
13burkhart's review against another edition
5.0
wasn't too keen on the last story, but most of them were really good.
shogins's review against another edition
2.0
This collection of horror short stories was not for me. Horror's not my favorite genre in the first place, but none of these stories stuck with me, even the ones by authors I like.
beammey's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. It was entertaining and some stories were better than others (which is always going to happen with an anthology), but I just couldn't connect with any of the stories as much as I would have liked. I would recommend this book to those that like horror stories though. 3 out of 5 stars.
hazmatz's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable collection!
Personal favourites were:
Replacing Max by Stuart MacBride & Allan Guthrie - by far the most disturbing of the bunch, almost to the point where it seems silly. Definitely memorable.
Hollow Choices by Robert Jackson Bennett & David Liss - an interesting take on the business of selling souls
Amuse-Bouche by Amber Benson & Jeffrey J. Mariotte - another of the more...unsettling ones. Alternating POV with a truly twisted villain
Blind Love by Kasey Lansdale & Joe R. Lansdale - I really enjoyed this concept but the protagonist's characterization was off putting at times. It was completely unnecessary for her to say she was shallow or noticed shoes on times of distress.
Calculating Route by Michael Koryta & Jeffrey David Greene - really loved how characters we were following died mid story. The ending/reasoning wasn't where I wanted the story to go but hey.
Sins Like Scarlet by Mark Morris & Rio Youers - I figured out the "twist" a little early on, but this still felt like the perfect story to wrap up the collection.
Personal favourites were:
Replacing Max by Stuart MacBride & Allan Guthrie - by far the most disturbing of the bunch, almost to the point where it seems silly. Definitely memorable.
Hollow Choices by Robert Jackson Bennett & David Liss - an interesting take on the business of selling souls
Amuse-Bouche by Amber Benson & Jeffrey J. Mariotte - another of the more...unsettling ones. Alternating POV with a truly twisted villain
Blind Love by Kasey Lansdale & Joe R. Lansdale - I really enjoyed this concept but the protagonist's characterization was off putting at times. It was completely unnecessary for her to say she was shallow or noticed shoes on times of distress.
Calculating Route by Michael Koryta & Jeffrey David Greene - really loved how characters we were following died mid story. The ending/reasoning wasn't where I wanted the story to go but hey.
Sins Like Scarlet by Mark Morris & Rio Youers - I figured out the "twist" a little early on, but this still felt like the perfect story to wrap up the collection.
rainsage's review against another edition
2.0
It took me four years to finish this book because every time I read a story, I was honestly discouraged from continuing to the next one. There some interesting ideas presented by some of the authors, but a lot of the problems happen in the execution of the plot . . . or the fact there really isn't a plot to a particular story. I know there's a finite amount of time in a short story, but that should encourage the writers to be extra methodical when constructing the story they want to tell and if a short form is the appropriate medium.
twylghast's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75