Reviews

Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked by Christa Carmen

chhowat's review against another edition

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2.0

Thirsty creatures - 2 stars
Red room - 3 stars
Something borrowed, something blood soaked - 2 stars
Souls, dark and deep - 3.75 stars
All souls of Eve - 3.5 stars
Liquid handcuff - 4 stars (one extra star for the ending)
Lady of the flies - 1.5 stars
The girl who loved Bruce Campbell - DNFed
A fairy plant in grief - 1.5 stars Wolves at the door and Bears in the forest - 3.5 stars(This wasn't even scary. Just really fucking sad.)
This our angry train - DNF-ed
The one who answers the door - 2 stars
Flower from Amaryllis - 4 stars (one extra star because there was a doggy involved ❤️)

etakloknok's review against another edition

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dark fast-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

3.0

mlivings8's review against another edition

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4.0

I listened to this one but didn't see that as an option, anyway I enjoyed these stories, some intrigued me more than others of course, but the only complaint I would have is the abrupt ending to some of the stories. Other than that I really enjoyed these stories and highly recommend it to any fan of good writing.

georgesreads's review against another edition

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2.0

A feminist horror short story collection. This sounded so intriguing and some of the stories were so great (the second was really good actually) but overall they just didn’t scare me and a lot of them just missed entirely for me. The title and cover are both great- but the story that the entire collection revolves around.. was not great in my opinion. ALSO.. the first story? Maybe I’m just not smart enough, because I could read the words they just didn’t seem to make a sentence.. idk
Some of the collections contents could be expanded and turned into a brilliant novel, but overall this wasn’t great in my opinion.

seed193reads's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was everything I look to read around Halloween and more. Each story hooked me right away and was the perfect length to read on lunch breaks or before bed. What makes this collection stand out was the way each story stuck with me. I thought of Audrey as I buckled my children in one cold morning. Olive's plight was tangible and I was cheering for Molly to make it. I felt like I reached with Lauren for her phone and rode the train. The author's use of imagery was awesome (wet fingers on an ice cube...yes!) and each scene was painted in my mind. I look forward to more compelling stories from this author.

P.S. "Madame Pig" still makes me chuckle.

drakaina16's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This collection of short stories honestly blew me away. I will be eagerly looking forward to reading more from Christa Carmen!

Thirsty Creatures ⭐⭐⭐
Red Room ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Something Borrowed Something Blood-Soaked ⭐⭐⭐
Souls, Dark and Deep ⭐⭐⭐
All Souls of Eve ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Liquid Handcuffs ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lady of the Flies ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Girl Who Loved Bruce Campbell ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Fairy Plant In Grief ⭐⭐⭐
Wolves At the Door and Bears In the Forest ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This Is Our Angry Train ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The One Who Answers the Door ⭐⭐⭐
Flowers From Amaryllis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

raincorbyn's review against another edition

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5.0

A great collection of eerie, stressful, and imaginative stories. Carmen clearly shines in the more realistic stories focused on addiction, recovery, and treatment, and weaves that horror and feeling of "can I trust anyone or anything?" in well with the supernatural horror stories.

It was great not knowing if a story would turn supernatural, or, even more horrifically, stay in the realm of plausible, flawed people in pain who could turn dark because real life addiction / mental health can be dreadful for everyone around. I look forward to more! Also props for portraying kids' POVs in horror in a way that felt genuine and vulnerable, while mistrustful of know-it-all adults.

blood_read_books666's review

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challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

stefanicox's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow! I read this book in less than 48 hours. It gripped me from almost the very first pages and didn't let go until the end. I loved that this collection was so entwined with issues of addiction and gender. So many of the pieces explore these topics with care, without losing the thread of a good plot. The stories here feel empowering, and like a love song to the genre of horror itself. Compulsively readable. Can't wait to see Christa's next book!

saffronbunny's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

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