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mehsi's review against another edition
2.0
A hit/miss collection of stories. 3 good/OK stories, but the rest just wasn't my thing. Sometimes something just missed or it was just a bit messy (like with Hanging of the Greens which I am still confused about), something the MCs were just horrendous (Monster with an egotistical dude who just rapes his wife or Lily Wilt with both the ghost and the photographer being eh), sometimes it was just boring (I am sorry, I am just not THAT invested in chess).
1. A Study in Black and White: 1.5 stars
2. Thwaite's Tenant: 3 stars
3: The Eel Singers: 4 stars
4: Lily Wilt: 1.5 stars
5: The Chillingham Chair: 2.5 stars
6: The Hanging of the Greens: 2 stars
7: Confinement: 3 stars
8: Monster: 1 star
1. A Study in Black and White: 1.5 stars
2. Thwaite's Tenant: 3 stars
3: The Eel Singers: 4 stars
4: Lily Wilt: 1.5 stars
5: The Chillingham Chair: 2.5 stars
6: The Hanging of the Greens: 2 stars
7: Confinement: 3 stars
8: Monster: 1 star
ritajlwang's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kirareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
twicomb's review against another edition
3.0
Lives up to its promise of dark stories for dark winter nights
I loved the premise of this collection - spooky stories themed around the darkest time of the year - and it did not disappoint. Some stories hewed more directly to this theme, and some took it more as a general direction for the “feel” of the story and environment, but both interpretations worked well.
Some very good stories (4 stars) but largely 3-star stories and even a 2-star story, so in the end it averages out to 3 stars for the book overall.
A Study in Black and White–Bridget Collins
4/5 stars. A strange old house for rent with huge topiaries shaped like chess pieces. A man with a passion for chess who feels a strange pull to rent the place. Cleverly evocative of classic ghost stories.
Thwaite’s Tenant–Imogen Hermes Gowar
3/5 stars. A woman flees with her child to a house owned by her father. Strange events ensue. Mid-1800s, perhaps? A good setup with promise but ultimately felt like it was cut very short. Should probably have been longer to allow for more plot and character development.
The Eel Singers–Natasha Pulley
2/5 stars. A clairvoyant and his companion, with the young orphan who has chosen to live with them, take a brief winter trip. Set in the present day. I found this one both twee and plodding. The author’s writing style struck me as self-aware of being clever (to wit: “humorous” footnotes), which can quickly become tiresome. “Humorous” footnotes are one of my favorites when executed well, but it is exceedingly difficult to do. This is not how to do it. Plus, nothing much happens in the story - there’s not much of a plot line, more of a meandering character study that never goes anywhere meaningful. Honestly, I almost gave this 1/5 stars but I do think the author is probably a decent writer and that my dislike is related more to personal taste than it being an actually poorly-written story. (I save my 1-star ratings for things where the writing is sloppy, unedited, or just plain bad.)
Lily Wilt–Jess Kidd
3/5 stars. A young photographer is summoned to take the death portrait of a young woman of unearthly beauty. Mid-1800s or so. Appropriately creepy and well-done.
The Chillingham Chair–Laura Purcell
3/5 stars. A young lady injures herself in a riding accident at the house of her sister’s husband-to-be, and must make use of a “chair with wheels” (early wheelchair) to get around. Probably set in the early 1800s but I didn’t find any specifics to help narrow it down (which was fine - it was set in that ambiguous timeframe of “wealthy people living in manor houses with servants by the light of candles and fireplaces, with arranged marriages” that crops up often and I have no issue with as I’m not picky for historical accuracy when reading fanciful ghost stories.) A novel concept that also felt cut a bit short.
The Hanging of the Greens–Andrew Michael Hurley
4/5 stars. “Good intentions gone wrong” is the theme of a story about a young man of the cloth who finds himself to help seek forgiveness for a stranger. Well-plotted and well-paced, with a full story arc that left me satisfied. In the spirit of Dickens’ classic ghost story of “A Christmas Carol” - dark but ultimately redemptive. (Much darker than A Christmas Carol, though.)
Confinement–Kiran Millwood Hargrave
4/5 stars. Possibly my favorite in the book. 1898: a first-time mother becomes convinced that a “witch” (who may or may not exist) is after her newborn baby. Overtones of Rosemary’s Baby (nobody believes her when she is desperate to fight back against the evil coming for her baby). Author’s note about real events and postpartum depression casts the story in an even more interesting light.
Monster–Elizabeth Macneal
4/5 stars. My other favorite. 1838: a self-absorbed man drags his new bride to a small coastal town on a mad hunt for fame in the form of a fossil discovery. Madness descends on a twisty-turny path, and the main character is so odious that you take nothing but pleasure in watching him slowly come undone at the seams. I enjoyed imagining what would happen next, after the story ended.
How I rate books:
1: awful, terribly written, and/or inexcusable story issues
2: dull, unenjoyable, and/or poorly written
3: decent, possibly a good “airplane read” but I won’t be recommending it, an average book experience
4: quite good, engaging, and/or well-written
5: top-notch, fascinating story/content, wonderful writing
I loved the premise of this collection - spooky stories themed around the darkest time of the year - and it did not disappoint. Some stories hewed more directly to this theme, and some took it more as a general direction for the “feel” of the story and environment, but both interpretations worked well.
Some very good stories (4 stars) but largely 3-star stories and even a 2-star story, so in the end it averages out to 3 stars for the book overall.
A Study in Black and White–Bridget Collins
4/5 stars. A strange old house for rent with huge topiaries shaped like chess pieces. A man with a passion for chess who feels a strange pull to rent the place. Cleverly evocative of classic ghost stories.
Thwaite’s Tenant–Imogen Hermes Gowar
3/5 stars. A woman flees with her child to a house owned by her father. Strange events ensue. Mid-1800s, perhaps? A good setup with promise but ultimately felt like it was cut very short. Should probably have been longer to allow for more plot and character development.
The Eel Singers–Natasha Pulley
2/5 stars. A clairvoyant and his companion, with the young orphan who has chosen to live with them, take a brief winter trip. Set in the present day. I found this one both twee and plodding. The author’s writing style struck me as self-aware of being clever (to wit: “humorous” footnotes), which can quickly become tiresome. “Humorous” footnotes are one of my favorites when executed well, but it is exceedingly difficult to do. This is not how to do it. Plus, nothing much happens in the story - there’s not much of a plot line, more of a meandering character study that never goes anywhere meaningful. Honestly, I almost gave this 1/5 stars but I do think the author is probably a decent writer and that my dislike is related more to personal taste than it being an actually poorly-written story. (I save my 1-star ratings for things where the writing is sloppy, unedited, or just plain bad.)
Lily Wilt–Jess Kidd
3/5 stars. A young photographer is summoned to take the death portrait of a young woman of unearthly beauty. Mid-1800s or so. Appropriately creepy and well-done.
The Chillingham Chair–Laura Purcell
3/5 stars. A young lady injures herself in a riding accident at the house of her sister’s husband-to-be, and must make use of a “chair with wheels” (early wheelchair) to get around. Probably set in the early 1800s but I didn’t find any specifics to help narrow it down (which was fine - it was set in that ambiguous timeframe of “wealthy people living in manor houses with servants by the light of candles and fireplaces, with arranged marriages” that crops up often and I have no issue with as I’m not picky for historical accuracy when reading fanciful ghost stories.) A novel concept that also felt cut a bit short.
The Hanging of the Greens–Andrew Michael Hurley
4/5 stars. “Good intentions gone wrong” is the theme of a story about a young man of the cloth who finds himself to help seek forgiveness for a stranger. Well-plotted and well-paced, with a full story arc that left me satisfied. In the spirit of Dickens’ classic ghost story of “A Christmas Carol” - dark but ultimately redemptive. (Much darker than A Christmas Carol, though.)
Confinement–Kiran Millwood Hargrave
4/5 stars. Possibly my favorite in the book. 1898: a first-time mother becomes convinced that a “witch” (who may or may not exist) is after her newborn baby. Overtones of Rosemary’s Baby (nobody believes her when she is desperate to fight back against the evil coming for her baby). Author’s note about real events and postpartum depression casts the story in an even more interesting light.
Monster–Elizabeth Macneal
4/5 stars. My other favorite. 1838: a self-absorbed man drags his new bride to a small coastal town on a mad hunt for fame in the form of a fossil discovery. Madness descends on a twisty-turny path, and the main character is so odious that you take nothing but pleasure in watching him slowly come undone at the seams. I enjoyed imagining what would happen next, after the story ended.
How I rate books:
1: awful, terribly written, and/or inexcusable story issues
2: dull, unenjoyable, and/or poorly written
3: decent, possibly a good “airplane read” but I won’t be recommending it, an average book experience
4: quite good, engaging, and/or well-written
5: top-notch, fascinating story/content, wonderful writing
bookswithjosie's review against another edition
3.0
Verhalenbundel om iedere kerst naar terug te keren. Vooral The Eel Singers (slow build up maar écht creepy geschetst) & Confinement (rosemary’s baby vibes) echt heel erg de moeite waard!
lc200's review against another edition
4.0
Not a poor story among these, but I particularly enjoyed Thwaite's Tenant. The stories were pleasingly old-fashioned and just the right length. Looking forward to reading the festive version soon.
jodiesbookishposts's review against another edition
2.25
This broke the main rule I go into a spooky story for - I was so bored. I didn’t click with 80% of the stories included
The vibes were too sameu
The vibes were too sameu
marria_1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0