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cbroderick226's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
jcaceres88's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.0
I've been a fan of Tananarive Due since I read The Good House for the first time last year. She is so great at weaving stories and building suspense. These stories definitely did not disappointed. I don't usually read short stories so it was hard for me to move on each time one ended. I kept wanting to know more haha. My faves from the bunch are Haint in the Window, Incident at Bear Creek Lodge, Last Stop on Route 9, Rumpus Room, Migration, Caretaker, and The Biographer.
poisoned_icecream's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Gun violence
bookishtrina's review against another edition
5.0
The Wishing Pool and Other Stories is a brilliant collection of short stories! There is a reason Tananarive Due is lauded as one of the best at writing horror and that is clear in this installment. The Wishing Poll and Other Stories by Tananarive Due is easy 5 stars from me. The audiobook had a great narrator and clear quality. I will be purchasing a physical copy of this book after reading the ARC.
I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
lit_vibrations's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve been reading this book on and off for about a month now and I’m happy to say I finally finished!!!! This is the first book I’ve read by Tananarive Due and it will not be my last because I’ve definitely been missing out. This was the perfect combination of horror, sci-fi, suspense, mystery, and creepiness.
The novel is a collection of black horror short stories that all share a sense of dread and fear balanced with heart and hope. It’s so well-written and the author truly gives a different feel to what is scary. Every story was told in a way that made them all seem so realistic. We’re given characters living ordinary lives yet they all have encounters with some sort of supernatural entity or force. The vivid descriptions of the different settings where things took place meshed so well really bringing the stories to life.
What I liked most was that all of them were sufficiently creepy or eerie in someway but nothing was to frightening to read. The author gave just enough to satisfy the reader. I will say the first half of the book contained the best stories but my favorites were:
* The Wishing Pool
* Haint in the Window
* Last Stop on Route 9
* Rumpus Room
* Shopping Day
These were the few that had me hooked from the start and made me want more. I loved the cleverness, all the eerie moments, and details throughout. This book will make you appreciate the work it took the author to weave together 14 amazingly cohesive stories.
Overall I really enjoyed this book the reader has a chance to dive into a world crossed between Get Out and Lovecraft Country. This collection of terrifying horror tales is centered around themes of racism, trauma, mental health, death, abuse, and family. I definitely recommend if you’re into short stories or looking to try something new to give this book a read. Special thanks to the author & akashicbooks for my gifted copy!!!
The novel is a collection of black horror short stories that all share a sense of dread and fear balanced with heart and hope. It’s so well-written and the author truly gives a different feel to what is scary. Every story was told in a way that made them all seem so realistic. We’re given characters living ordinary lives yet they all have encounters with some sort of supernatural entity or force. The vivid descriptions of the different settings where things took place meshed so well really bringing the stories to life.
What I liked most was that all of them were sufficiently creepy or eerie in someway but nothing was to frightening to read. The author gave just enough to satisfy the reader. I will say the first half of the book contained the best stories but my favorites were:
* The Wishing Pool
* Haint in the Window
* Last Stop on Route 9
* Rumpus Room
* Shopping Day
These were the few that had me hooked from the start and made me want more. I loved the cleverness, all the eerie moments, and details throughout. This book will make you appreciate the work it took the author to weave together 14 amazingly cohesive stories.
Overall I really enjoyed this book the reader has a chance to dive into a world crossed between Get Out and Lovecraft Country. This collection of terrifying horror tales is centered around themes of racism, trauma, mental health, death, abuse, and family. I definitely recommend if you’re into short stories or looking to try something new to give this book a read. Special thanks to the author & akashicbooks for my gifted copy!!!
camilleisreading24's review against another edition
5.0
Another fantastic reading experience from Tananarive Due! I love this author's writing so much. This was an absolute pleasure -- yep, I love being scared. The stories are loosely organized by subject and setting. The Gracetown stories were especially gripping and have me even MORE excited to read The Reformatory, which is coming out later this year.
It's always hard to talk about short stories but just know that this is a fabulous collection full of amazing characters and nightmare fodder. As a heads-up there are several pandemic stories in here, most of which were written prior to the current pandemic. If you like horror and you've never read this author, please let this be the recommendation that makes you try out one of her books. I also adored Ghost Summer: Stories and The Good House is one of my all-time favorite haunted house stories.
It's always hard to talk about short stories but just know that this is a fabulous collection full of amazing characters and nightmare fodder. As a heads-up there are several pandemic stories in here, most of which were written prior to the current pandemic. If you like horror and you've never read this author, please let this be the recommendation that makes you try out one of her books. I also adored Ghost Summer: Stories and The Good House is one of my all-time favorite haunted house stories.
awishman's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
cthulhussy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
4.75
acarolinabelle's review against another edition
4.0
Quite sad, very moving. Listened via Lavar Burton Reads.
Merged review:
Quite sad, very moving. Listened via Lavar Burton Reads.
Merged review:
Quite sad, very moving. Listened via Lavar Burton Reads.
flyle's review against another edition
3.0
This is my first read by this author. I saw both the author and her book spoken of highly in social media. Things were going good until the last third of the book in all the pandemic + climate change themed stories where all the bad guys were people wearing masks and taking precautions. One line that stuck out to me was when one main character said only zealots still wore masks. I double checked the publication date and sure enough it was in 2023, so all this felt icky. I went back and read a previous short story by the author called "Herd Immunity" from 2014 because it was related to a story in this book. That previous short story only confirmed for me that the main character is a total self centered monster. The author doesn't seem to align with that politically in real life based on her social media so I am confused on what the message is here? I suppose making me hate a character is a hallmark of a great author, and I get there are allusions to historical prejudices around medicine and public health, but it still feels wrong. I don't know if the author has addressed her intentions around this anywhere in an interview or something, but frankly it doesn't sit right with me, especially given the outcry from the disability community around the lack of support and safety measures in 2023.
Editing this review because I found out these stories I disliked were actually all written pre-CoViD and not published in this book until 2023. That makes it slightly better so I moved it up to 3 stars. I would still have liked to seen them re-worked and updated for the context of what the world went through.
Editing this review because I found out these stories I disliked were actually all written pre-CoViD and not published in this book until 2023. That makes it slightly better so I moved it up to 3 stars. I would still have liked to seen them re-worked and updated for the context of what the world went through.