Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

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

6 reviews

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

bgibs122's review

adventurous dark emotional 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

There are some real high highs in this collection (“Stay,” “Ghost on the Shore,” “Petrified”), but there’s also like, one too many that didn’t quite sing for me the way I wanted them to. First delve into horror, though, so that’s neat and fun.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Slavery, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Pedophilia

library_goth's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

This was a mixed bag for me. I was expecting more folk horror, but a lot of these were small town teen horror based on urban legends. Some of the stories were really interesting and engaging, and some were disappointing.

Stay ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I wanted to like this more than I did, but the story felt rushed. Really enjoyed the concept though.

The Tallest Poppy ⭐️⭐️
Would’ve been brilliant if it had stayed focused on the character’s anxiety about the ocean, but it went in too many directions and introduced too many elements for me.

Loved by All, Save One ⭐️⭐️
Kind of forgettable and didn’t really have an impact.

One-Lane Bridge ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this one and found it empowering.

Ghost on the Shore ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Predictable, but still well written.

Petrified ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love a good revenge plot. Also really liked the way the author slowly introduces the plot.

Third Burn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Definitely not the most original, but I really related to Charlie and liked the story regardless.

It Stays with You ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A little cliche, but the characters are likable.

Truth or Dare ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Interesting story, relatable characters, the pacing was tense and engaging.

The Burning One ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is my favorite. Really liked the writing style, the character’s perspective is top-notch.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Kidnapping, and Slavery

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child abuse

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.

catapocalypse's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Enjoyable horror collection! Though it is YA, it was one of my most anticipated reads for the year, and I had a good time with it. It's generally pretty solid, though I wonder at what limitations were placed on entries, since a couple felt like they either struggled to fit into the brief length or even stretched a bit with repetition.

My personal favorite stories from the collection were "One-Lane Bridge" by Hannah Whitten, "The Burning One" by Shakira Toussaint, and "Petrified" by Olivia Chadha. I'd be interested in a longer work in the setting of the latter, especially!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Body horror

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Bullying

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Slavery

mals_reads's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

This was a gorgeous collection of modern YA horror with something for everyone. A diverse cast of authors lends itself to unique stories and ideas, many of which involving queer characters and characters of color, and a few of them actually contributed to some nightmares!

I really enjoyed this anthology and its introduction to new authors for me as well. Atmospheric, a nice pace for each of them, and strong, sometimes monstrous, women to boot. Support women’s wrongs 🗣

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol and Body horror

Minor: Cancer, Sexual assault, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, and Suicidal thoughts