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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.
victorycheers's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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? N/A
5.0
alohanea's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.75
grifjo06's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
christopherwilson13's review against another edition
4.0
Quite good, very creepy, some of the endings felt very abrupt but still very positive experience.
Favorites were Haint in the Window, Last Stop on Route 9, Suppertime and both Nayima stories.
Possession came in many forms in Gracetown. On the swamp side of town, among the shotgun houses and shacks still standing after a hundred years, it was no more remarkable to hear reports of possession than a child’s bout of pneumonia. Swamp leeches sneaking inside children’s beds while they slept were the most common cause, or so Nana had taught, but by the time Jaz left Gracetown, she’d heard at least a dozen origins afflicting residents of all ages: snakebite, a wasp’s sting, tainted swamp water, hexes, unclean soil, heartbreak, even bad memories.
Favorites were Haint in the Window, Last Stop on Route 9, Suppertime and both Nayima stories.
Possession came in many forms in Gracetown. On the swamp side of town, among the shotgun houses and shacks still standing after a hundred years, it was no more remarkable to hear reports of possession than a child’s bout of pneumonia. Swamp leeches sneaking inside children’s beds while they slept were the most common cause, or so Nana had taught, but by the time Jaz left Gracetown, she’d heard at least a dozen origins afflicting residents of all ages: snakebite, a wasp’s sting, tainted swamp water, hexes, unclean soil, heartbreak, even bad memories.
boytrouts's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
4.75
A really amazing collection of short stories. My favorites are all in the Graceland section. Due has such an amazing ability to delight and frustrate you by presenting you with the evil immediately and make you think you know where things are going, then she rips the satisfaction of a conclusion out from under you so things just build and build and build and then you drop. I did feel like the last section of stories didn’t grip me as hard as the others but it wasn’t enough to really detract from the overall enjoyment of the book it just falls off a little at the end.
celticraven's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ktxx22's review against another edition
4.0
My first read of anything this author has published and I really enjoyed it! A lot of really delightful short stories and it’s got me excited to dabble in her longer novels this spooky season. Very unique voice overall too. I think my favorite stories overall were the futuristic ones with the dystopian lenses. There was a giant leech one as well that made my skin crawl.