Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror by Tori Bovalino

17 reviews

wardenred's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.0

In hypothetical lunchtime conversations, rehashing movies and true crime documentaries, we always say we’ll fight back. That it’s weak and foolish to let yourself be bested, to let yourself be killed. As if it’s the victim’s idea to become a victim.

Like pretty much any anthology, this one is varied: there were stories that left a lasting impressions on me, there were ones that were more forgettable. Still, on the whole, I really, really liked this read. The lowest I’d rate any given story would be 3.5, and there were quite a few clearly 5-star ones.

My absolute favorite story here is Loved by All, Save One by Tori Bovalino. It starts as a ghost story, then goes into a far more realistic and terrifying direction, and when the ghost does appear, it definitely doesn’t happen in a predictable ghost story way. This was the one tale that actually genuinely scared me, to the point that I very much regretted reading it after dark with everyone around me asleep. I also just genuinely loved the heartbreaking idea behind the whole thing (staying vague here because I don’t want to spoil anything).

Another one I enjoyed a lot was One-Lane Bridge by Hannah Whitten. Despite the small size of the tale, I felt like I connected with the MC very well. I liked the small twists along the road and absolutely adored the ending. Also, the vibes early on kind of reminded me of one of my favorite early episodes of Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural. The one with the bridge, you know the one.

To round off the top-3, I think I’m choosing Truth or Dare by Alex Brown. An absolute trip, dreamlike and sad, beautifully written. It gave me some Orpheus and Euridica vibes, except kind of upside down / the other way round. So strange and delicious.

For a couple of honorable mentions, there’ Stay by Erica Waters—a little rushed, I felt, but ultimately super atmospheric and evocative. And also Ghost on the Shore by Allison Saft that focuses so hard on the pain of letting go and builds up to a more hopeful ending than I expected. 

I perhaps found it a little repetitive how many stories were set during the characters’ last summer holiday or last summer in their hometowns, but at the same time I understand why the authors must have gravitated toward the same decisions. It’s a bit of a liminal time when the old weighs you down harder than usual, everything is possible, and everything is about to change. Makes it promising for YA horror in many ways.

All in all, I liked this way more than I expected to like it and definitely recommend it to those who are into folk horror and YA horror in general!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit

thewordapothecary's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

2.5

I come from a lineage where folk stories are passed down as the main form of teaching and entertainment. I’m finding it hard to establish how this anthology is considered “folk” and not just scary campfire stories? Is the setting the main part of what classifies them as “folk”? I’m just not sure. I appreciate the queer representation and I think it’s important we see that in our folk stories. I just wasn’t impressed by the majority of these. The cover is dope though. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Drug use, Body horror, Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Murder, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Dementia, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

naomidanae's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

I like quite a few of these stories. Some of them I’m not sure I would consider folk horror, but they’re still a nice collection. There’s one story that was difficult to read as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, so be careful of that if needed. 
There were a few stories that were kind of forgettable, and a few felt like they were episodes from a modern horror TV series (derogatory). Overall, worth the read for the good ones, though! 

A few quotes:
“Don’t you owe more to the living than to the dead?”
“There’re worse things than not being part of a family.”
“I didn’t know why it hurt so much, why I was still so angry. It could have been worse, it could’ve been far worse, it’d been nothing I hadn’t done to myself, so why was it so hard to just let it go?”

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Blood, Child death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Violence

bex47's review

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? It's complicated

2.25

Yeaahhhh this one didn't really do it for me. It was a fun enough quick read, but none of the stories really stuck with me; I read the book in one sitting and couldn't remember half of the stories by the end. None were completely awful, but none were bringing anything new to the genre, and the collection didn't really feel like the folk horror that it was advertised as. There wasn't nearly enough focus on classic folk elements, and most of the stories felt more like urban legends at best. "Petrified" had some of the focus on nature that I would've liked, had the writing and pacing caused it to be my least favorite. My favorites were probably "It stays with you", "One Lane Bridge", and "Truth or Dare", but even those didn't do anything revolutionary. Unfortunately, a letdown overall, and left me wanting a lot more.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Genocide, Murder, Pedophilia, Blood, Colonisation, Alcohol, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Grief

Minor: Toxic friendship, Dementia, and Toxic relationship

caidyn's review

dark 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? Yes

3.0

Ugh, I was so disappointed by this book. I've been looking forward to it and saving it for the right time, but all the stories were meh for me. The only stand-out one was by Aden Polydorous.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault

spookily's review

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Violence, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Classism, Pedophilia, Grief, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Torture, Vomit, Car accident, Alcoholism, and Bullying

Minor: Cursing, Dementia, Cannibalism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, and Rape

shadowspinner's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Alcohol, and Blood

Moderate: Sexual assault and Child abuse

readingwithkaitlyn's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Grief, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Bullying and Cancer

Minor: Homophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Racism, Rape, Infidelity, Car accident, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Fire/Fire injury

Medical issues, abuse, overdose, illness, drowning, missing child, neglect.

kaetheluise_nckl's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Stay - Erica Waters: 1/5 -> i read this one so long ago that i barely remember the plot. eh.

The Tallest Poppy - Chloe Gong -> 4.5/5 
-> Ms Chloe is the queen of vibes, but the ending was confusing so ???

Loved By All, Save One - Tori Bovalino: 5/5 -> i will eat up anything Tori writes and this whole book could have just been. an anthology of Tori’s mini-horror stories

One-Lane Bridge - Hannah Whitten: 4/5 
-> yes. strong horror vibes. loved to read it. but it’s not Tori Bovalino.

Ghost on the Shore - Allison Shaft: 4.5/5 
-> LET’S GO LESBIANS, LET’S GO!!!

Petrified - Olivia Chadha: 3.5/5 -> i could see what she was trying to do, but the amount of unexplained lore kinda backfired. but yeah, we love sacrificing annoying men in this house. 

Third Burn - Courtney Ghould: 5/5 -> WHERE IS THE REST OF THIS I NEED MORE!?!?!?!

It Stays With You - Aden Polydoros: 2.5/5 
-> listen. the horror vibes are so strong, but i just don’t vibe with suicidal thoughts and kids having cancer anymore. it hits too close to home. 

Truth or Dare - Alex Brown: 5/5 -> i could relate to this on a spiritual level. i’m glad homegirl got rid of him.

The Burning One - Shakira Toussaint: 0/5 -> someone explain to me what was going on here because i genuinely don’t know what i just read. 0% scary, 100% confusing.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Body horror, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, and Cancer

Minor: Rape and Suicidal thoughts

ash_hernick's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cancer, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Car accident, Death, Drug use, and Toxic friendship

This book is an anthology, so content warnings vary from story to story. Most only apply to one or two stories, and are shown at varying degrees of severity on a case-by-case basis. The book includes its own content warning in the front cover, mentioning warnings for "implied sexual abuse and trauma, body horror, gore, violence, death of a child/teenager, mentions of drug/substance abuse, terminal illness" but does not detail which stories these warnings apply to specifically.