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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Karen Russell has an amazing way of setting a scene and making you feel deep inside of a story in a only a few pages. However, at the end of every single story I felt empty because, there were, well, never really endings to any of the stories. For some, I can see the appeal - it's up to you to create the endings in your own head, and of course, many other will say that not all stories need to have endings. But in my own personal literary world, I need my short stories to have conclusions -- again, that's just me.
I really don't like short stories but this book surprised me! Some of them were weird and I didn't get them but the writing was good and kept me interested. I would read another book by this author.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
huge fan of the author's writing style, it really worked for me. some beautiful sentences and word choices. i liked the variety here. sometimes short story collections are lacking for me because i feel like the stories are too similar to each other and don't stand out, but that definitely isn't the case here. my favourite was the title story, i can't escape my love for vampires. my other favourite is reeling for the empire, because it's intriguing and i feel like it's an extremely original story. my issue is that these stories feel quite unfinished, the endings just didn't work for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Most of these stories left me with a sense of 'huh?' I get that short stories aren't typically as structured as novels but a lot of these stories seemed to cut off abruptly and I wasn't sure what the take-away was supposed to be so it left me feeling unsatisfied.
That being said. The story 'Reeling for the Empire' is the best short story I've ever read. It's perfect. A bunch of girls in a silk factory slowly morphing into silkworm hybrid monsters and plotting a rebellion? Um, yes. It's like feminist body horror. You should pick up this book for that story alone.
That being said. The story 'Reeling for the Empire' is the best short story I've ever read. It's perfect. A bunch of girls in a silk factory slowly morphing into silkworm hybrid monsters and plotting a rebellion? Um, yes. It's like feminist body horror. You should pick up this book for that story alone.
Every story was written beautifully.
There is a large stigma about supernatural themed writing; there is a slew of poorly written, pulpy supernatural fiction, with predictable plot lines that don't vary much between authors. But Karen Russell brings a wonderful approach to the supernatural/paranormal genre. Each story is unique, well thought out, with outstanding prose.
There is a large stigma about supernatural themed writing; there is a slew of poorly written, pulpy supernatural fiction, with predictable plot lines that don't vary much between authors. But Karen Russell brings a wonderful approach to the supernatural/paranormal genre. Each story is unique, well thought out, with outstanding prose.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
really enjoyed these stories!!!
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
Dark, strange stories. I liked some more than others, but overall wasn't super impressed.