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dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Finished reading: October 13th 2024
“That was the problem with scared people. Ultimately, they became more dangerous than the thing they were afraid of.”
It's true that I hardly ever read anthologies, because I usually prefer longer and more detailed stories. I needed an anthology to help complete the Beat The Backlist Bingo challenge though, and I immediately thought of A Sliver Of Darkness. I've enjoyed C.J. Tudor's writing in the past, and I thought this short story collection would be perfect for Halloween month as well. And I definitely ended up having a great time reading this collection! Sure, some stories were stronger and more memorable than others, but I appreciated the variety and the way the stories kept me on my toes. I especially appreciated the little introductions with every short story where the author explained what inspired her to write it. You will find a lot of references to the pandemic and a lot of the stories have that dystopian feel to it. This is 100% a horror collection; some more psychological horror, while others offer a supernatural angle. Things can get pretty dark, so it's definitely not a bundle for those who scare easily! My personal favorites are End Of The Liner and Dust; the first is actually the longest and most detailed story, and the second both because of its Gran Canaria setting and the haunted house vibe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC!
~ ~ ~
This book was sitting in my queue on NetGalley for months, and now I wish I had read it sooner! There were a handful of really good stories in here that definitely gave me the spine-tingles. They covered a wide variety of topics from apocalyptic scenarios to eldritch abominations to the monstrous aspects of human nature. While there were a few stories that fell flat for me, I wouldn't say that there was a bad story in this collection. Additionally, because of the variety, I think there's something in here for everyone.
If I had a complaint, it's that each story has an introduction where Tudor talks about her inspiration for the upcoming story. While I found it all interesting, I really wished that they hadn't put them at the beginning of each story as it spoiled the suspenseful aspects of the story for me a few times. I'm one of those readers who likes to go in blind and piece together what's happening. After a point, I finally started reading the story first then going back to the introduction. Would definitely recommend doing this if you're like me in your reading habits.
My favorite stories were
- Runaway Blues
- The Completion
- Final Course
- The Lion at the Gate
~ ~ ~
This book was sitting in my queue on NetGalley for months, and now I wish I had read it sooner! There were a handful of really good stories in here that definitely gave me the spine-tingles. They covered a wide variety of topics from apocalyptic scenarios to eldritch abominations to the monstrous aspects of human nature. While there were a few stories that fell flat for me, I wouldn't say that there was a bad story in this collection. Additionally, because of the variety, I think there's something in here for everyone.
If I had a complaint, it's that each story has an introduction where Tudor talks about her inspiration for the upcoming story. While I found it all interesting, I really wished that they hadn't put them at the beginning of each story as it spoiled the suspenseful aspects of the story for me a few times. I'm one of those readers who likes to go in blind and piece together what's happening. After a point, I finally started reading the story first then going back to the introduction. Would definitely recommend doing this if you're like me in your reading habits.
My favorite stories were
- Runaway Blues
- The Completion
- Final Course
- The Lion at the Gate
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Murder