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trbartly's review against another edition
4.0
I received a review copy of this anthology in exchange for an honest review.
Also, note that this review is broken into two chunks. In the first, I will rate and review the anthology as a whole, then mention a few of my favorite stories. In the second, I will briefly review each story and give them an individual rating.
Okay, let’s get started.
From the moment this anthology was pitched to me, I was excited to get my hands on it. Stories about mythological creatures, and the people who encounter them? Sign me the heck up.
I soon found that my excitement was warranted. The first story reeled me in immediately, and the second (both of which I read a break between classes) nearly made me late for my English 102 class. From there, I was hooked and I read little bits and pieces every chance I got, whether I was waiting for class to start, in line at the store, or even at night before bed. Now, that’s not say I connected with every story. As with any anthology, there were stories I loved, some I liked and some that just weren’t for me.
A few standouts from this collection for me were, “Black Dog”, “Kestrel and the Cryptonites”, “In the Garden of Earthly Sorrows” and “Chimera 1922”, because of their superb writing, interesting plots, and beautifully handled deeper meanings. I can see myself revisiting these stories in the future.
Overall, I think this was a well-organized, well-written collection of stories, and I hope to pick up some of this group’s other anthologies soon.
So, if you are interested in fantasy or mythological creatures, I suggest you give this a try. Anthologies are a great way to get to know new authors, and there are so many great ones featured in this collection that are worth knowing. You’ll never know when you may find a new favorite, after all.
“My Sister’s Shadow” by L. Wilson || 3.5 stars
This was the perfect story to kick off the anthology. It was fast-paced, creepy and mysterious. Though the blog-style writing took me a little bit to get into, I think it fit the story well. Especially since the author did a good job including the setting and dialogue into the story through Akiko’s narration. I was somewhat familiar with the mythological creature in this one, because of my previous experience with the show Teen Wolf, so I predicted a few of the plot points. However, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story any. In fact, if you are a fan of season 3 Teen Wolf (both the tone and the creatures), then I think you’ll like “My Sister’s Shadow”!
“In the Garden of Earthly Sorrows” by J.A. Ironside || 3.5 stars
I loved the writing so much, it was poetic and full of color. The plot was interesting and engaging from start to finish, though the pacing could be a tad slow at times. Perhaps my favorite part of the story (besides the unicorn, course), was the main character. She was strong-willed and independent, which I loved. Also, thought this may be me reading into the story too deeply, I felt Anne was asexual and or aromantic? Not because of her aversion to touch, but her self-fulfillment and lack of attraction or need for a relationship. Ace/Aro characters are so hard to come by, so it was refreshing to read a character, especially a protagonist, who might be.
“The Child of Ghilie Dhu” by Gail Jack || 4 stars
This story was a little slow to start, but once it picked up, it did so with a bang. I enjoyed the fairy-tale like writing, the relationships between Hob, his sister, Brock and the other townspeople throughout. The plot kept me guessing and the ending was kickass, which is always a plus!
“Chimera 1922” by Martin J. Gilbert || 4 stars
This story was one of my favorites. The plot constantly took me by surprise and the writing was a perfect mix between action and poetic prose. There was also a healthy dose of gallows humor throughout, which I appreciated, since it balanced out some of the heavier themes. Gilbert did a wonderful job of writing an entertaining story on the surface, while addressing the consequences of war and violence through the beast and protagonist. I can see myself revisiting this story again in the future.
“Kestrel and the Cryptonites” by M.E. Vaughan || 4.5 stars
After a few heavier, somewhat melancholy stories, this was such a joy to read! Kestrel and Galahad’s adventure was light, humorous, and action-packed. From the first line, Kestrel was a great protagonist, and I loved to see how she interacted with all of the other side characters (and Galahad, course). I could be wrong, but I think Vaughan is going to expand this into a book or series? I hope she is, anyway, because this was just so much fun to read, and I’d love to go on more adventures with Kestrel!
“The Pitcher Plant” by William Angelo || 2.5 stars
After so many amazing stories, I hate to give this one only 2.5 stars, but I just didn’t connect with it. The prose was mysterious and captivating, and I liked the setting. However, those aspects couldn’t outweigh the convoluted and anticlimactic plot, or slightly irritating main character. I could feel the potential bubbling over in every word, so it was disappointing that the execution didn’t quite reach the same level for me.
“Keep My Name Among the Dead” by J.A. Ironside || 3 stars
Even days later, I’m not 100% sure how to feel about this story. While I liked Sparrow as a narrator and the story was a page-turner for sure, the language could be a little too cryptic at times. I never quite understood Sparrow’s culture or the creature featured in the story. Sparrow certainly knew who/what she was, but that information was never really shared with audience. Also, although most of these stories contain sensitive themes and violence, I felt that the grandfather’s brutality toward the Christian man went a little too far for me. Sparrow had enough motivation to leave with the cruelty that was already heaped on him, so I didn’t see that scene’s purpose (maybe it just went over my head). So, while, overall this was an interesting story, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked to have.
“Keelhauled” by James Bisheno || 3.5 stars
Pirates and Badass girls and Sea monsters, oh my!
Antonia reminded me a lot of Lila from ADSoM, and though it definitely had its darkness (evil captains, murderous sea monsters, etc), there was so much humor and downright silliness at times that it felt balanced. However, I had three problems with this story that caused me to give it only 3.5 stars. One, the captain’s personality completely changed about halfway through the story, and there was really no explanation for it. Two, while the ending was funny, it was a little predictable, and three, there was a few plot jumps that seemed confusing and needed more explanation. As I said, though, overall this was a very entertaining story!
“Black Dog” by Shell Bromley || 5 stars
To be honest, I think this was my favorite story in the entire collection. Bromley covered themes like depression, grief and recovery with such finesse, while still delivering a suspenseful and engaging story about a woman who takes in a lost dog (that may be more than just a dog). Mary was such a relatable character, and it left me with such a hopeful feeling that I just couldn’t help but fall in love with this story. Seriously, I just want to frame it and put it on my wall, it was that good.
“The Bone Children and the Darkness” by L.Wilson || 4 stars
I loved this story. It was twisted and dark, but in all the best ways. The plot kept me engaged the entire time, I felt truly invested in Aline and Theos’ safety, and the world was both complex and intriguing. Wilson was able to fit a lot into such a short story in a way that made sense without being either too wordy or too choppy. Authors who can do that should get a standing ovation.
“One Letter” by Mathew Willis || 1.5 stars
I’m so sorry to say that this story wasn’t for me. There was probably a deeper meaning or something, but I was unable to find it through the clunky language and stream of consciousness style writing. A few times, I felt that the writing was trying too hard to be mysterious, but ended up just being vague and confusing. The frustrating part is that I knew there was a good story here, but I had to wade through so many vague analogies and wordy prose that I got lost looking for it.
“The Hounds of God” by Karen Ginnane || 3.5 stars
This was a great story to end the anthology with, filled with awesome writing that walked the line between description and action without any trouble, and transitioned between the two even more masterfully. It was a quick read, maybe a little too much so at times, but that speed and plot jumps didn’t hinder my understanding or enjoyment of the story any.
Also, note that this review is broken into two chunks. In the first, I will rate and review the anthology as a whole, then mention a few of my favorite stories. In the second, I will briefly review each story and give them an individual rating.
Okay, let’s get started.
From the moment this anthology was pitched to me, I was excited to get my hands on it. Stories about mythological creatures, and the people who encounter them? Sign me the heck up.
I soon found that my excitement was warranted. The first story reeled me in immediately, and the second (both of which I read a break between classes) nearly made me late for my English 102 class. From there, I was hooked and I read little bits and pieces every chance I got, whether I was waiting for class to start, in line at the store, or even at night before bed. Now, that’s not say I connected with every story. As with any anthology, there were stories I loved, some I liked and some that just weren’t for me.
A few standouts from this collection for me were, “Black Dog”, “Kestrel and the Cryptonites”, “In the Garden of Earthly Sorrows” and “Chimera 1922”, because of their superb writing, interesting plots, and beautifully handled deeper meanings. I can see myself revisiting these stories in the future.
Overall, I think this was a well-organized, well-written collection of stories, and I hope to pick up some of this group’s other anthologies soon.
So, if you are interested in fantasy or mythological creatures, I suggest you give this a try. Anthologies are a great way to get to know new authors, and there are so many great ones featured in this collection that are worth knowing. You’ll never know when you may find a new favorite, after all.
“My Sister’s Shadow” by L. Wilson || 3.5 stars
This was the perfect story to kick off the anthology. It was fast-paced, creepy and mysterious. Though the blog-style writing took me a little bit to get into, I think it fit the story well. Especially since the author did a good job including the setting and dialogue into the story through Akiko’s narration. I was somewhat familiar with the mythological creature in this one, because of my previous experience with the show Teen Wolf, so I predicted a few of the plot points. However, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story any. In fact, if you are a fan of season 3 Teen Wolf (both the tone and the creatures), then I think you’ll like “My Sister’s Shadow”!
“In the Garden of Earthly Sorrows” by J.A. Ironside || 3.5 stars
I loved the writing so much, it was poetic and full of color. The plot was interesting and engaging from start to finish, though the pacing could be a tad slow at times. Perhaps my favorite part of the story (besides the unicorn, course), was the main character. She was strong-willed and independent, which I loved. Also, thought this may be me reading into the story too deeply, I felt Anne was asexual and or aromantic? Not because of her aversion to touch, but her self-fulfillment and lack of attraction or need for a relationship. Ace/Aro characters are so hard to come by, so it was refreshing to read a character, especially a protagonist, who might be.
“The Child of Ghilie Dhu” by Gail Jack || 4 stars
This story was a little slow to start, but once it picked up, it did so with a bang. I enjoyed the fairy-tale like writing, the relationships between Hob, his sister, Brock and the other townspeople throughout. The plot kept me guessing and the ending was kickass, which is always a plus!
“Chimera 1922” by Martin J. Gilbert || 4 stars
This story was one of my favorites. The plot constantly took me by surprise and the writing was a perfect mix between action and poetic prose. There was also a healthy dose of gallows humor throughout, which I appreciated, since it balanced out some of the heavier themes. Gilbert did a wonderful job of writing an entertaining story on the surface, while addressing the consequences of war and violence through the beast and protagonist. I can see myself revisiting this story again in the future.
“Kestrel and the Cryptonites” by M.E. Vaughan || 4.5 stars
After a few heavier, somewhat melancholy stories, this was such a joy to read! Kestrel and Galahad’s adventure was light, humorous, and action-packed. From the first line, Kestrel was a great protagonist, and I loved to see how she interacted with all of the other side characters (and Galahad, course). I could be wrong, but I think Vaughan is going to expand this into a book or series? I hope she is, anyway, because this was just so much fun to read, and I’d love to go on more adventures with Kestrel!
“The Pitcher Plant” by William Angelo || 2.5 stars
After so many amazing stories, I hate to give this one only 2.5 stars, but I just didn’t connect with it. The prose was mysterious and captivating, and I liked the setting. However, those aspects couldn’t outweigh the convoluted and anticlimactic plot, or slightly irritating main character. I could feel the potential bubbling over in every word, so it was disappointing that the execution didn’t quite reach the same level for me.
“Keep My Name Among the Dead” by J.A. Ironside || 3 stars
Even days later, I’m not 100% sure how to feel about this story. While I liked Sparrow as a narrator and the story was a page-turner for sure, the language could be a little too cryptic at times. I never quite understood Sparrow’s culture or the creature featured in the story. Sparrow certainly knew who/what she was, but that information was never really shared with audience. Also, although most of these stories contain sensitive themes and violence, I felt that the grandfather’s brutality toward the Christian man went a little too far for me. Sparrow had enough motivation to leave with the cruelty that was already heaped on him, so I didn’t see that scene’s purpose (maybe it just went over my head). So, while, overall this was an interesting story, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked to have.
“Keelhauled” by James Bisheno || 3.5 stars
Pirates and Badass girls and Sea monsters, oh my!
Antonia reminded me a lot of Lila from ADSoM, and though it definitely had its darkness (evil captains, murderous sea monsters, etc), there was so much humor and downright silliness at times that it felt balanced. However, I had three problems with this story that caused me to give it only 3.5 stars. One, the captain’s personality completely changed about halfway through the story, and there was really no explanation for it. Two, while the ending was funny, it was a little predictable, and three, there was a few plot jumps that seemed confusing and needed more explanation. As I said, though, overall this was a very entertaining story!
“Black Dog” by Shell Bromley || 5 stars
To be honest, I think this was my favorite story in the entire collection. Bromley covered themes like depression, grief and recovery with such finesse, while still delivering a suspenseful and engaging story about a woman who takes in a lost dog (that may be more than just a dog). Mary was such a relatable character, and it left me with such a hopeful feeling that I just couldn’t help but fall in love with this story. Seriously, I just want to frame it and put it on my wall, it was that good.
“The Bone Children and the Darkness” by L.Wilson || 4 stars
I loved this story. It was twisted and dark, but in all the best ways. The plot kept me engaged the entire time, I felt truly invested in Aline and Theos’ safety, and the world was both complex and intriguing. Wilson was able to fit a lot into such a short story in a way that made sense without being either too wordy or too choppy. Authors who can do that should get a standing ovation.
“One Letter” by Mathew Willis || 1.5 stars
I’m so sorry to say that this story wasn’t for me. There was probably a deeper meaning or something, but I was unable to find it through the clunky language and stream of consciousness style writing. A few times, I felt that the writing was trying too hard to be mysterious, but ended up just being vague and confusing. The frustrating part is that I knew there was a good story here, but I had to wade through so many vague analogies and wordy prose that I got lost looking for it.
“The Hounds of God” by Karen Ginnane || 3.5 stars
This was a great story to end the anthology with, filled with awesome writing that walked the line between description and action without any trouble, and transitioned between the two even more masterfully. It was a quick read, maybe a little too much so at times, but that speed and plot jumps didn’t hinder my understanding or enjoyment of the story any.
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