Miss Cherokee Princess 1996 by Jessica Doe was the perfect opener for this collection and it definitely grabbed my attention. My note for this story simply reads, "Whoa." That's it, that's what I made a note of and I can still remember the detail of this story this many days later while writing this review. The ideas behind what someone thinks will make them more of anything, especially to win a pageant, and what they will do to get those things made my stomach turn in the best way. I'll be looking into more writing from Doe just because of this story.
Animal Dumb by P.C. Verrone made me feel a little heartbroken for the characters. The lead's struggle and then the way it ended made me wish I could have spent more time with these characters.
Civilized by A.J. Eversole was unsettling, the ideas behind it and the maybe reveal are still in my head and I'm left wondering about the ending. At the same time, it speaks volumes about what was hidden away when no one cared about the victims of violent crimes.
Footprints by Sonia Maria Barry was a another devastating and heartbreaking bit of horror. The fact that this could happen and did happen just makes my stomach turn and my heart twist. This story will live in my head for probably the rest of time.
My last favorite was Toothjar by Ramona Emerson, an unsettling look at what happens to the world when a virus starts killing people off. I'm not sure when it was meant to be set but the idea felt familiar and it was that fact that made it resonate for me as I read this story. I could understand why things went the way that they did and I know this story will stay in my head. I have questions but I think this was left at just where it needed to be, without all the answers placed on the page.
I will be following each of these authors to their other works. These are the stories that will stay with me and I really loved these tales.
Some of the other stories were interesting but I feel like a lot of them could have benefited from being expanded on just a bit more. Some of the stories also felt like too much like the "creature of the week" vibe, building up to a monster reveal only for the story to end a page or so later and I wasn't really unsettled by the monsters that were seen for the little page time that they had in each story. Also, there were a few stories that just felt too out there for me, leaving me confused about what a few of the stories were even about, and one or two even left me confused about who was even talking.
In the end, I respect what was chosen for this installment but, for me, I wasn't scared by these stories so the overall effect of the book is lost on me. I still plan on reading the first book, as I'm sure I will find a few gems that will lead me to more writers to follow. Again, I am fairly certain this is all on me as a reader and that this book will be adored by many, many readers who will love the monsters and the horror and the unsettling images placed on these pages.
Rating on my Scale: 6.5 Stars. I think the sad truth is that I'm not a fan of short story anthologies. I might need to continue to try them to see if I can start to appreciate them more but for now, I'll leave this book to the readers I'm sure will love and adore it the way it should be loved.
My thanks to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. for the eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment