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kaitlynk33's review
3.0
Fav stories: “Huddles masses, yearning to breathe,” “Buyer’s Remorse,” “through the looking glass straight into hell,” “solid black lighthouse on a pier in the cryptic”
sheska_meroba's review against another edition
3.5
I received a copy of this ebook in in a Goodreads giveaway.
You Wait for It, Like it waits for You: 4 ⭐️ I liked the disorientation of this and how the reader was unsure of what is real just like the main character.
One Last Blast: 3.5 ⭐️ Gross but impactful.
What We Name Our Dead: 3.5 ⭐️ I liked the perspective of this and how it shows that addiction can effect family members even from beyond the grave.
Huddled Masses, Yearning to Breathe Free: 4 ⭐️ I liked the escalation in this this one.
Through the Looking Glass and Straight into Hell: 4.5 ⭐️ I liked the usage of dual timeline and how it all came together. This one fucked me up.
Holding On: 3 ⭐️ This one was rough for me to read, and I felt like the world was hard to get into in such a short story.
Buyer’s Remorse3 3.5 ⭐️ I liked how twisty this was despite the length.
A Solid Black Lighthouse On a Pier in the Cryptic: 4 ⭐️ As a writer I really appreciated the message of this story.
Singularity: 2 ⭐️ I don’t think I really got this one.
My Soul’s Bliss: 3.5 ⭐️ I liked the pórtela of how addiction can pass on from one person to another.
You Wait for It, Like it waits for You: 4 ⭐️ I liked the disorientation of this and how the reader was unsure of what is real just like the main character.
One Last Blast: 3.5 ⭐️ Gross but impactful.
What We Name Our Dead: 3.5 ⭐️ I liked the perspective of this and how it shows that addiction can effect family members even from beyond the grave.
Huddled Masses, Yearning to Breathe Free: 4 ⭐️ I liked the escalation in this this one.
Through the Looking Glass and Straight into Hell: 4.5 ⭐️ I liked the usage of dual timeline and how it all came together. This one fucked me up.
Holding On: 3 ⭐️ This one was rough for me to read, and I felt like the world was hard to get into in such a short story.
Buyer’s Remorse3 3.5 ⭐️ I liked how twisty this was despite the length.
A Solid Black Lighthouse On a Pier in the Cryptic: 4 ⭐️ As a writer I really appreciated the message of this story.
Singularity: 2 ⭐️ I don’t think I really got this one.
My Soul’s Bliss: 3.5 ⭐️ I liked the pórtela of how addiction can pass on from one person to another.
raforall's review
5.0
Star review in the April issue of Library Journal.
Three Words That Describe This Book: stunning, visceral, timely issues
DRAFT REVIEW:
With his third addiction horror anthology, Matthews offers 10 original stories, with a breadth of terror as wide and as personal as the monster of addiction which seethes at the center of each tale. The invited authors utilize different dark speculative elements, employ their unique narrative voice, and come at these tales from different perspectives. Cassandra Khaw writes a haunting tale of the isolation experienced by the child of an addict, while S.A. Cosby takes a more literal approach bringing meth addicts back from the dead, looking for one more hit, and John FD Taff uses a strong narration from an unhinged hoarder to draw readers into a nightmare. But it is Christa Carmen’s heartbreakingly honest look at “recovery” that is the star here, a story that is sure to end up on many speculative fiction year-end award lists. All ten are compelling Horror stories on their own, but gathered together, they hold a power, one that will break readers, opening their eyes to a truth we are all facing, something that only the very best Horror is capable of.
Verdict: A visceral depiction of the havoc, pain, and anguish of addiction, this triumphant conclusion to Matthews’ trilogy is a must add to all collections as anyone who has even been even tangentially touched by the monster of addiction will need access to these groundbreaking volumes and the lifeline they may just provide to the hopeless.
Three Words That Describe This Book: stunning, visceral, timely issues
DRAFT REVIEW:
With his third addiction horror anthology, Matthews offers 10 original stories, with a breadth of terror as wide and as personal as the monster of addiction which seethes at the center of each tale. The invited authors utilize different dark speculative elements, employ their unique narrative voice, and come at these tales from different perspectives. Cassandra Khaw writes a haunting tale of the isolation experienced by the child of an addict, while S.A. Cosby takes a more literal approach bringing meth addicts back from the dead, looking for one more hit, and John FD Taff uses a strong narration from an unhinged hoarder to draw readers into a nightmare. But it is Christa Carmen’s heartbreakingly honest look at “recovery” that is the star here, a story that is sure to end up on many speculative fiction year-end award lists. All ten are compelling Horror stories on their own, but gathered together, they hold a power, one that will break readers, opening their eyes to a truth we are all facing, something that only the very best Horror is capable of.
Verdict: A visceral depiction of the havoc, pain, and anguish of addiction, this triumphant conclusion to Matthews’ trilogy is a must add to all collections as anyone who has even been even tangentially touched by the monster of addiction will need access to these groundbreaking volumes and the lifeline they may just provide to the hopeless.
spooky_librarian's review
5.0
"Addiction is horror, and the history of horror is incomplete without addiction."
Never have I picked up a horror anthology and finished it in one sitting. Never. But there’s a first time for everything and I absolutely loved and devoured this book. 10 tales of horror, 10 amazing writers, 10 great reasons to pick up this third and final addition to Mark Matthew’s addiction-horror trilogy.
What makes this anthology an unforgettable read is the relatability, the varying perspectives, the diversity of experiences with struggle and pain and the gnawing hunger for escape. One does not need to have struggled with substance abuse to relate to what’s on these pages. These stories are about fighting our monsters, about living with our demons, about how terrifying it is to face our own fallibility. It’s about winning some battles and losing others. From alcoholism to obsessive hoarding to an inability to put away the credit card, each story will suck you in as it sucked me in. Author Mark Matthews mentioned in the book's introduction (which you should absolutely read ) that the title of this collection was partly inspired by the words of the orphan Heathcliff from Emily Bronte’s famous gothic romance, Wuthering Heights. “My soul’s bliss kills my body, but does not satisfy itself.” Just brilliant.
While I loved every story in this collection, my favorites were:
One Last Blast by S.A. Cosby
Huddled Masses, Yearning to Breathe Free by John F.D. Taff
Through the Looking Glass and Straight Into Hell by Christa Carmen
A Solid Black Lighthouse on a Pier in the Cryptic by Josh Malerman
My Soul’s Bliss by Mark Matthews
Haunting, powerful, and chilling. I can not stress enough how much you need this book on your shelves. And no you do not need to have read the other two anthologies (Lullabies for Suffering + Garden of Fiends) in the trilogy before starting this one, but by all means grab them all!
(Thank you so much to author Mark Matthews and Wicked Run Press for this beautiful review copy!)
Never have I picked up a horror anthology and finished it in one sitting. Never. But there’s a first time for everything and I absolutely loved and devoured this book. 10 tales of horror, 10 amazing writers, 10 great reasons to pick up this third and final addition to Mark Matthew’s addiction-horror trilogy.
What makes this anthology an unforgettable read is the relatability, the varying perspectives, the diversity of experiences with struggle and pain and the gnawing hunger for escape. One does not need to have struggled with substance abuse to relate to what’s on these pages. These stories are about fighting our monsters, about living with our demons, about how terrifying it is to face our own fallibility. It’s about winning some battles and losing others. From alcoholism to obsessive hoarding to an inability to put away the credit card, each story will suck you in as it sucked me in. Author Mark Matthews mentioned in the book's introduction (which you should absolutely read ) that the title of this collection was partly inspired by the words of the orphan Heathcliff from Emily Bronte’s famous gothic romance, Wuthering Heights. “My soul’s bliss kills my body, but does not satisfy itself.” Just brilliant.
While I loved every story in this collection, my favorites were:
One Last Blast by S.A. Cosby
Huddled Masses, Yearning to Breathe Free by John F.D. Taff
Through the Looking Glass and Straight Into Hell by Christa Carmen
A Solid Black Lighthouse on a Pier in the Cryptic by Josh Malerman
My Soul’s Bliss by Mark Matthews
Haunting, powerful, and chilling. I can not stress enough how much you need this book on your shelves. And no you do not need to have read the other two anthologies (Lullabies for Suffering + Garden of Fiends) in the trilogy before starting this one, but by all means grab them all!
(Thank you so much to author Mark Matthews and Wicked Run Press for this beautiful review copy!)
monakabbani's review
4.0
“Take my blood and drink it, for my soul’s bliss has killed my body, but has not satisfied itself.”
Orphans of Bliss, Tales of Addiction Horror edited by Mark Matthews is a third installment of a three part anthology series. This book contains short stories focused around addiction and the dark places addiction will drag one under. It was… quite the intense read. Although it was difficult to relate to stories such as these since I’ve never experienced addiction to this level, I could still empathize and feel the dread in being trapped in these habits. It’s awful and it left my skin crawling. I don’t know, I just feel kinda depressed now. Like there’s no hope.
Orphans of Bliss, Tales of Addiction Horror edited by Mark Matthews is a third installment of a three part anthology series. This book contains short stories focused around addiction and the dark places addiction will drag one under. It was… quite the intense read. Although it was difficult to relate to stories such as these since I’ve never experienced addiction to this level, I could still empathize and feel the dread in being trapped in these habits. It’s awful and it left my skin crawling. I don’t know, I just feel kinda depressed now. Like there’s no hope.
indiepauli47's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Hoooo, this was one good short story collection !
With favourites, like KPB, but also amazing new-to-me authors, like Samantha Kolesnik and Mark Matthews.
Out of the 10 stories, only a couple left me cold, but the rest was very strong.
Favourites : "Huddled masses, yearning to breathe free" by John FD Taff, "Buyer's remorse" by Samantha Kolesnik, "A solid black lighthouse on a pier in the cryptic" by Josh Malerman and "My soul's bliss" by Mark Matthews.
Amazing stories !
With favourites, like KPB, but also amazing new-to-me authors, like Samantha Kolesnik and Mark Matthews.
Out of the 10 stories, only a couple left me cold, but the rest was very strong.
Favourites : "Huddled masses, yearning to breathe free" by John FD Taff, "Buyer's remorse" by Samantha Kolesnik, "A solid black lighthouse on a pier in the cryptic" by Josh Malerman and "My soul's bliss" by Mark Matthews.
Amazing stories !
bisexualwentworth's review
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
I’m not a big horror reader, but the title and cover art of this anthology drew me in, and then the actual stories kept me engaged.
Every story is written by a different author and has a different take on both the subject of addiction and the horror genre. Some have supernatural elements while some take a more grounded approach to horror. Most deal with substance use and abuse, but a couple talk about other forms of addiction.
I didn’t love all of the stories, but I did have some definite favorites that I’m still thinking about.
The story “Huddled Masses, Yearning to Breathe Free” was truly chilling, and the author did a masterful job of putting the readers into the head of a character who did horrible things and making us almost understand his mindset. Definitely terrifying!
My other favorite, “Buyer’s Remorse,” is a delightfully queer story with a kind of awful sapphic main character who gets what’s coming to her without it feeling like a punishment for her sexuality or even her addiction. Just her actions. This story was also just generally enjoyable to read, even while it kept me on edge.
I think the last story was my least favorite. It was a little too long and a little too religious for my personal taste, and I didn’t like the way it treated women. I understand why it was chosen as the closer, though.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this anthology to a horror fan looking for something short to read or to someone who is, like me, interested in exploring the genre for the first time.
Please note that every story in this collection is about addiction, most contain substance use, and many also contain other potentially triggering content including death, murder, body horror, blood, and confinement. Please take care of yourself if any of these are likely to be an issue for you.
I’m not a big horror reader, but the title and cover art of this anthology drew me in, and then the actual stories kept me engaged.
Every story is written by a different author and has a different take on both the subject of addiction and the horror genre. Some have supernatural elements while some take a more grounded approach to horror. Most deal with substance use and abuse, but a couple talk about other forms of addiction.
I didn’t love all of the stories, but I did have some definite favorites that I’m still thinking about.
The story “Huddled Masses, Yearning to Breathe Free” was truly chilling, and the author did a masterful job of putting the readers into the head of a character who did horrible things and making us almost understand his mindset. Definitely terrifying!
My other favorite, “Buyer’s Remorse,” is a delightfully queer story with a kind of awful sapphic main character who gets what’s coming to her without it feeling like a punishment for her sexuality or even her addiction. Just her actions. This story was also just generally enjoyable to read, even while it kept me on edge.
I think the last story was my least favorite. It was a little too long and a little too religious for my personal taste, and I didn’t like the way it treated women. I understand why it was chosen as the closer, though.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this anthology to a horror fan looking for something short to read or to someone who is, like me, interested in exploring the genre for the first time.
Please note that every story in this collection is about addiction, most contain substance use, and many also contain other potentially triggering content including death, murder, body horror, blood, and confinement. Please take care of yourself if any of these are likely to be an issue for you.
freezeme's review
4.0
This book was .. something else. Each one of this stories is unique, horrifying and ultimately.. sad. The really nightmare-ish but truly vivid portrayals of orphans of bliss. My personal favorite is 'Through the Looking Glass and Straight Into Hell' by Christa Carmen , i was shocked at the ending . I loved all the other stories but that one personally left a mark on me. Overall, this was an enjoyable, truly interesting and well-written book. The only thing that i didn't like is that the text on my kindle appeared on the left side of the screen so half of the right side was empty but i'm sure it's just some formatting error ( and if it's not and the book is just formatted that way, i'm sorry but i just think it's frustrating ).
Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.