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Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'
The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror by Tori Bovalino
5 reviews
thewordapothecary's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I come from a lineage where folk stories are passed down as the main form of teaching and entertainment. I’m finding it hard to establish how this anthology is considered “folk” and not just scary campfire stories? Is the setting the main part of what classifies them as “folk”? I’m just not sure. I appreciate the queer representation and I think it’s important we see that in our folk stories. I just wasn’t impressed by the majority of these. The cover is dope though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Drug use, Body horror, Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Murder, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Dementia, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
ceilisbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness
spookily's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Violence, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Classism, Pedophilia, Grief, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Torture, Vomit, Car accident, Alcoholism, and Bullying
Minor: Cursing, Dementia, Cannibalism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, and Rape
library_goth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This was a mixed bag for me. I was expecting more folk horror, but a lot of these were small town teen horror based on urban legends. Some of the stories were really interesting and engaging, and some were disappointing.
Stay ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I wanted to like this more than I did, but the story felt rushed. Really enjoyed the concept though.
The Tallest Poppy ⭐️⭐️
Would’ve been brilliant if it had stayed focused on the character’s anxiety about the ocean, but it went in too many directions and introduced too many elements for me.
Loved by All, Save One ⭐️⭐️
Kind of forgettable and didn’t really have an impact.
One-Lane Bridge ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this one and found it empowering.
Ghost on the Shore ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Predictable, but still well written.
Petrified ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love a good revenge plot. Also really liked the way the author slowly introduces the plot.
Third Burn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Definitely not the most original, but I really related to Charlie and liked the story regardless.
It Stays with You ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A little cliche, but the characters are likable.
Truth or Dare ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Interesting story, relatable characters, the pacing was tense and engaging.
The Burning One ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is my favorite. Really liked the writing style, the character’s perspective is top-notch.
Stay ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I wanted to like this more than I did, but the story felt rushed. Really enjoyed the concept though.
The Tallest Poppy ⭐️⭐️
Would’ve been brilliant if it had stayed focused on the character’s anxiety about the ocean, but it went in too many directions and introduced too many elements for me.
Loved by All, Save One ⭐️⭐️
Kind of forgettable and didn’t really have an impact.
One-Lane Bridge ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this one and found it empowering.
Ghost on the Shore ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Predictable, but still well written.
Petrified ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love a good revenge plot. Also really liked the way the author slowly introduces the plot.
Third Burn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Definitely not the most original, but I really related to Charlie and liked the story regardless.
It Stays with You ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A little cliche, but the characters are likable.
Truth or Dare ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Interesting story, relatable characters, the pacing was tense and engaging.
The Burning One ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is my favorite. Really liked the writing style, the character’s perspective is top-notch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Kidnapping, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child abuse
novelstorian's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is an anthology (noun. a published collection of poems or other pieces of writing) of folk horror themed stories written by numerous authors some familiar to me and others not so much. I was not really sure how I should review an anthology– whether I should review this book in it's entirety or individually review each story.
At the end, I decided to review every single story just because there's only about 11 stories in this anthology. Keep in mind, my reviews won't be too long since the story themselves are pretty short and I worry I'd spoil too much. In the end, I will base my star rating as the average of all the individual rating for each story.
Stay by Erica Waters | 4 star | - I thought this first story started the anthology quite strongly. I feel like it really set the tone– really eerie and unsettling. The twist towards the end was a bit predictable, but that did not waver my positive thoughts about this story.
The Tallest Poppy by Chloe Gong | 4 star | - Gothic galore. This one was incredibly atmospheric and left goosebumps on my arms by the end. I had heard of Chloe Gong before (If you are on Instagram or TikTok book community, who has not heard of Chloe Gong and her books?), but now that I've been given a taste of her writing, I will definitely check out her own published books.
Loved by All, Save One by Tori Bovalino | 3 stars | - This one was one of the shortest stories in this anthology, and it was surprisingly one of the creepiest ones. I really admire how much plot and horror the author was able to provide in such a short piece. Ghosts aren't generally my thing, but I really enjoyed this one.
One-Lane Bridge by Hannah Whitten | 3 stars | - The beginning of the story started off a little too slow for my liking, but the second half was worth it. The whole premise surrounds the idea of "being careful of what you wish for", but with a twist that I was definitely not expecting.
Ghost on the Shore by Allison Saft | 3 stars | - Another Ghost story, and this one I did not like as much. I did really enjoy Allison Saft's writing, and I was really impressed by all the vivid descriptions and details. I also really enjoyed the characters in this short story, I found them the most interesting, not to mention the sapphic representation– it was very cute (minus the horror/creepy part).
Petrified by Olivia Chadha | 4 stars | - This story had one of ht more unique premises– a really creepy, strange forest. I felt this one was the more realistic one and less supernatural. Plus, it was fairly short, yet still impactful.
Third Burn by Courtney Gould | 3 stars | - A small town and it's secrets– who doesn't love this trope. I liked that this one focused on only one character– ish (can't spoil too much lol). I really love the concept and the writing of this story. And that ending made me literally gasp aloud.
It Stays With You by Aden Polydoros | 1 stars | - I didn't really enjoy this one– the premise or the writing. I ended up skimming this one quite heavily.
Truth or Dare by Alex Brown | 1 star | - This one was pretty boring as well. I ended up skimming a lot of this story just because I wasn't feeling it at all.
The Burning One by Shakira Toussaint | 2 star | - I ended up skimming this one too, which is a shame considering it is the last story in this collection. I found the premise a little boring and the writing did not really appeal to me.
Final Average Rating: 2.8
-> 3 stars
-> 3 stars
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore, Drug abuse, Violence, Body horror, Terminal illness, Child death, and Sexual assault
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