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agavemonster's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
2.5
Unfortunately SCP-flavored horror story collection. Some of the stories are wonderful, and most have a kernel of intrigue or interest, but overall quite uneven. In addition, all authors were done the disservice of poor editing, both developmental and copy, and really deserved several more passes for craft and prose control. The sloppy, overwritten foreword is a sad bellwether of the issues that plague the rest of the collection.
Favorites were "These Small Violences", "An Inherited Taste" (fab!), "The World of Iniquity Among Our Members Is the Tongue" (haunting and the best in the collection, but badly fumbled the ending). Less-than-favorites are "The Dust Collectors", "Acid Skin", "As The Silence Burns", and "Anger Management" (yeesh).
Favorites were "These Small Violences", "An Inherited Taste" (fab!), "The World of Iniquity Among Our Members Is the Tongue" (haunting and the best in the collection, but badly fumbled the ending). Less-than-favorites are "The Dust Collectors", "Acid Skin", "As The Silence Burns", and "Anger Management" (yeesh).
poisoned_icecream's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
All of the stories in this anthology focus on the theme of politeness, specifically how it can be weaponized against marginalized people. For instance, the way women are expected to be polite when dealing with entitled men such as in The Man Outside by Simone le Roux and An Inherited Taste by Nadine Aurora Tabing, or how families can be the source of anger and frustration, like in Anger Management by J. Rohr and The Guest Room by R.L. Meza.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Child abuse, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Body horror, Death of parent, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Sexual assault
angethology's review
3.5
"Whatever burns in my veins is all I am. I need it out. I need me out."
Absolutely love the concept of addressing trivial and harmful niceties through horror. This anthology paints a big picture about maintaining the status quo by utilizing a mask of civility, and what happens when that mask is taken off or you force yourself to continue wearing it.
I enjoy the multifaceted nature the different stories bring for the most part; some characters are at the receiving end of such passive aggressive politeness and some of them break free, whereas others enforce it because it personally benefits them — especially when it comes to silencing marginalized communities and ignoring systemic issues pervasive in society. Not every single story exemplifies the themes equally, some of them stick to me more than others. My favorite stories are "The Dust Collectors," "As the Silence Burns, " "An Inherited Taste," and "Acid Skin." Overall a solid anthology I'd recommend to kick off the spooky season.
Thank you BookSirens and Cursed Morsels Press for the advance copy, I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
Absolutely love the concept of addressing trivial and harmful niceties through horror. This anthology paints a big picture about maintaining the status quo by utilizing a mask of civility, and what happens when that mask is taken off or you force yourself to continue wearing it.
I enjoy the multifaceted nature the different stories bring for the most part; some characters are at the receiving end of such passive aggressive politeness and some of them break free, whereas others enforce it because it personally benefits them — especially when it comes to silencing marginalized communities and ignoring systemic issues pervasive in society. Not every single story exemplifies the themes equally, some of them stick to me more than others. My favorite stories are "The Dust Collectors," "As the Silence Burns, " "An Inherited Taste," and "Acid Skin." Overall a solid anthology I'd recommend to kick off the spooky season.
Thank you BookSirens and Cursed Morsels Press for the advance copy, I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
howlinglibraries's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
"Mind your tongue."
"Where are your manners?"
"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
As a Southerner, I've heard all the sayings, and I grew up witnessing firsthand the repercussions of impoliteness. "Southern hospitality" runs deep in the blood of most of the people I've spent my life around, and people even crack jokes about how we're courteous to a fault, turning niceties into passive-aggressive barbs.
But what happens when that politeness goes too far and gets us into situations we aren't safe in?
Ask any woman and she'll tell you that being "too nice" has landed her in hot water a time or two (what other choice does she have?). On the other hand, ask anyone from a marginalized group (especially people of color) and they'll have stories about the times they've been tone policed, told that people would listen to them "if you'd just word it nicer". So many of us live our lives constantly trying to straddle the line between politeness and not being a doormat, but No Trouble at All's stories show us what happens when courtesy is used against us.
While a couple of stories missed the mark for me in this anthology, for the most part, it was a slam dunk. I loved most of the stories in this collection and was blown away by how well these authors captured relatable (and painful) life experiences, especially those surrounding objectification of girls and women, and how far it can go when adults don't protect the children in our society from it, such as my favorite story in here, 'The Man Outside' by Simone le Roux.
A few other stand-out gems were 'An Inherited Taste' by Nadine Aurora Tabing (in which women literally eat their loved ones' sorrows), 'Acid Skin' by Marisca Pichette (a brilliant, angry commentary on rape culture), 'The Guest Room' by R.L. Meza (a harrowing look at how powerless children are when adults don't listen), and 'Welcome to the New You' by Gwendolyn Kiste (a delightfully fresh take on doppelgangers).
All in all, I highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys horror short stories, and I'm so happy I had the chance to read it. There are so many new authors on my TBR and I can't wait to read more work by them, just like I can't wait for the next anthology I pick up from Cursed Morsels Press!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
✨ Representation: BIPOC characters, queer characters, ace rep in 'Acid Skin'
"Where are your manners?"
"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
As a Southerner, I've heard all the sayings, and I grew up witnessing firsthand the repercussions of impoliteness. "Southern hospitality" runs deep in the blood of most of the people I've spent my life around, and people even crack jokes about how we're courteous to a fault, turning niceties into passive-aggressive barbs.
But what happens when that politeness goes too far and gets us into situations we aren't safe in?
Ask any woman and she'll tell you that being "too nice" has landed her in hot water a time or two (what other choice does she have?). On the other hand, ask anyone from a marginalized group (especially people of color) and they'll have stories about the times they've been tone policed, told that people would listen to them "if you'd just word it nicer". So many of us live our lives constantly trying to straddle the line between politeness and not being a doormat, but No Trouble at All's stories show us what happens when courtesy is used against us.
While a couple of stories missed the mark for me in this anthology, for the most part, it was a slam dunk. I loved most of the stories in this collection and was blown away by how well these authors captured relatable (and painful) life experiences, especially those surrounding objectification of girls and women, and how far it can go when adults don't protect the children in our society from it, such as my favorite story in here, 'The Man Outside' by Simone le Roux.
A few other stand-out gems were 'An Inherited Taste' by Nadine Aurora Tabing (in which women literally eat their loved ones' sorrows), 'Acid Skin' by Marisca Pichette (a brilliant, angry commentary on rape culture), 'The Guest Room' by R.L. Meza (a harrowing look at how powerless children are when adults don't listen), and 'Welcome to the New You' by Gwendolyn Kiste (a delightfully fresh take on doppelgangers).
All in all, I highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys horror short stories, and I'm so happy I had the chance to read it. There are so many new authors on my TBR and I can't wait to read more work by them, just like I can't wait for the next anthology I pick up from Cursed Morsels Press!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
✨ Representation: BIPOC characters, queer characters, ace rep in 'Acid Skin'
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault, Murder, Gore, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Body horror
Minor: Rape
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