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northerngypsyblog's review
4.0
"Delve into the Unsettling World of Horror"
This book offers a journey that's best taken at your own pace. Comprising thirteen paranormal and horror short stories, it provides a mixed bag of experiences. Some tales you'll breeze through effortlessly, while others will captivate your attention, and a few might creep by more slowly.
What sets this collection apart is the author's ability to conjure tales that are both compelling and unconventional. Her stories take you on a journey outside the typical bounds of horror, engaging your mind in unique ways. Each narrative is a new twist on the genre, reminiscent of the likes of Stephen King and Stephan Gram Jones.
Overall, this book is an enjoyable read, especially for those who relish the darker corners of literature. It's a relatively quick read, and you'll find yourself immersed in a series of twisted, spine-tingling stories that are sure to pique your interest.
My sincere appreciation goes to Gorgon Blood Press for providing this horrific and thrilling adventure. I'd also like to extend my thanks to Netgalley for granting me the opportunity to read and review this book, which has been an intriguing journey into the realm of the macabre.
This book offers a journey that's best taken at your own pace. Comprising thirteen paranormal and horror short stories, it provides a mixed bag of experiences. Some tales you'll breeze through effortlessly, while others will captivate your attention, and a few might creep by more slowly.
What sets this collection apart is the author's ability to conjure tales that are both compelling and unconventional. Her stories take you on a journey outside the typical bounds of horror, engaging your mind in unique ways. Each narrative is a new twist on the genre, reminiscent of the likes of Stephen King and Stephan Gram Jones.
Overall, this book is an enjoyable read, especially for those who relish the darker corners of literature. It's a relatively quick read, and you'll find yourself immersed in a series of twisted, spine-tingling stories that are sure to pique your interest.
My sincere appreciation goes to Gorgon Blood Press for providing this horrific and thrilling adventure. I'd also like to extend my thanks to Netgalley for granting me the opportunity to read and review this book, which has been an intriguing journey into the realm of the macabre.
retrogirlreads's review
5.0
“The Broken Darkness” was my first venture into the horror/paranormal genres, and while I don’t know what I was expecting when I started it, I’m happy to say that it was actually amazing! Each of these stories was really gripping despite their shorter lengths, and I kept going back and forth between being intrigued, getting chills, or both! Theresa Braun is a new-to-me author, but I’m very happy I’ve discovered them. I would definitely recommend to any horror/paranormal fan!
mehsi's review
3.0
I received this book from the author in exchange of an honest review~
When I got the mail from the author if I was interested in reviewing her newest anthology because I read and reviewed an earlier shorter story? I was like HECK YEAH! I love a good anthology, and I do love horror. So I had had to say yes! And here we are~
Dead over Heels; 4.5 stars See review here.
Collecting Empties: 4 stars HOLY FUCK, did she just do all that and have no remorse or whatever? GIRLLLLLLL! This was a pretty good story, though I wasn’t happy about what she did to a certain character.
The Celestial Assignment: 2 stars. While I love the premise, guy turned guardian angel in some kind of boot camp for angels and then having to watch a girl and see if he can understand life and maybe remember why he was killed in the first place, it just got WAY too long, and Celeste was just so depressing. Sorry Celeste, but seriously, a dickhead will be a dickhead, stop giving him chances. I just noticed that in the end I just wasn’t present, I read the text, but I had to re-read. I just wanted to go to the next story.
Guilty as Cell: 2 stars? 3 stars? I mean, it was at points good and the MC was a good one, but why the fuck would Jorge do all this to his friend? Yes, your friend made a mistake. Yes, you are dead. Yes, that is bad. But WTF, it wasn’t all his fault. He is clearly feeling guilty, he already wonders how to go through his life. He already is feeling shit. He already tries to just step through life step by step. No need to go that far, and no need to haunt him like that. I was so pissed at the end. I would have rather have Jorge learn our MC a lesson about his phone, and then just leave. Not this shit. And, not entirely OK, because someone tried to commit suicide and it was pretty graphic and um, my mental health just went bye.
Lost Time: Um? I am not even sure what happened? So the guy is dead? Driving without brakes was a shit idea, but how did his girlfriend see him and what happens after??? It was good at points, yes, I wanted to smack the MC on his head, but it was an exciting ride.
Heathen: A good 3 star until that last part, HOLY HELL! 4 stars. That I did not expect. I mean, I had some expectations but seeing THAT and THAT happening in full disgusting ICK? NO. I did like Delvin, though unsure about the whole satanism thing. But I guess he was just interested and curious about what else there was, I can imagine if your mom is super-Christian and now your new school is that as well. For most it was calm, but I could just feel the tension rising as Cassie picked Delvin up.
Stillborn: 4 stars, a bit confusing at the end, but HOLY wow, this was good. Yes. Babies, stillborn, missing babies, and a nurse who is curious about it all. On the one hand she was like, should I do it? Which, girl, I get. But I was happy that she decided to go for it. And the things she found out. I already had half a suspicion about things, but wow. That is just messed up and creepy and OMG, welp. I felt for the woman who lost her babies, and I could understand that she would go this far. Would go totally over the top, I would do the same. I don’t have kids, but I can understand that if you felt them being alive, if you knew they were alive, that you want to know what the heck happened after the delivery.
Legend Trippers: 5 stars. EXCUSE ME, but this was just excellent! About a scary legend and the kids/teens/adults who go, as they say, legend tripping. It isn’t without danger, more than once peeps had to be pulled from the rails… or cleaned up from the train and all that is around it. What it is? Oh yes, it is scary as heck! There is a goatman and he is more than happy to murder and do other things. And he can enter your mind, so fuckity fuck. This was such a fantastic scary story and I was on the edge of my seat reading it. DANG. And I also love the narrator of the parts before and after. OH yes.
Dying for an invitation: 3-4 stars. A tad long for me, it felt just a few pages too long. But I still enjoyed it and it was a good story. The lore, the suspicion, the strange events, what happened to grandmother and what is happening to her family, the strange man that was there when she was younger and that may be still around now, her mom and her constant blessings and calls for vigilance. I loved reading about Vlad, about the little town. Are there really vampires? Is it really Vlad/Dracula? Or is something darker going on? Dacie was such an interesting person, and while her decision made me shake my head… I could also understand. She has lost quite a bit, she is lonely, and she is curious. The ending though? I had expected something wholly different and I was just so sad. I don’t want to give away too much so there.
Homecoming: 2? 3? 1.5? I mean, the idea was fun, what if the girl you love, the girl you want to propose to, may just not be the girl you think she is. What if during a fun vacation to Scotland you find that out. But I am still confused what Melanie was/is, did she eat that neighbour?, and several other parts. It just got a bit too weird for me. The MC was a bit of a dick in my eyes, how he acted around Melanie felt a bit too possessive to me and how he just dragged whatever Melanie was back to his home and said that it was his turf so his rules icked me out. And then there was a sex scene that just pukes.
Stay Tune: 3 stars. I just can say that this was fucked up. Holy crap.
While my Guitar Gently Weeps: 3 stars. Oh, this was a pretty interesting one, the MC a bit of a dick, but then given certain things, I could kind of understand it. The dude he met at the bar was spooky and I knew that something was off at one point. it was just all way too sus. I had fun reading this one, and I am curious about if our MC took that deal? Or not?
Heirloom: 1 star. It had some good points, but a bit too long for me, and the dreams/past lives were just WAY too disturbing and graphic for me and I just felt ick. I mean rape? Forced blow-jobs? Kidnappings? Babies being ripped apart and being eaten? FUCK no. I just skimmed parts because I just was not feeling comfortable. And it just didn’t seem to end, and I am still confused about the actual end. I am sorry, this was not my story.
All in all, I am still happy I read this one, there were some good stories in there and a lot of good potential as well. Thanks to the author for allowing me to read your book~
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
When I got the mail from the author if I was interested in reviewing her newest anthology because I read and reviewed an earlier shorter story? I was like HECK YEAH! I love a good anthology, and I do love horror. So I had had to say yes! And here we are~
Dead over Heels; 4.5 stars See review here.
Collecting Empties: 4 stars HOLY FUCK, did she just do all that and have no remorse or whatever? GIRLLLLLLL! This was a pretty good story, though I wasn’t happy about what she did to a certain character.
The Celestial Assignment: 2 stars. While I love the premise, guy turned guardian angel in some kind of boot camp for angels and then having to watch a girl and see if he can understand life and maybe remember why he was killed in the first place, it just got WAY too long, and Celeste was just so depressing. Sorry Celeste, but seriously, a dickhead will be a dickhead, stop giving him chances. I just noticed that in the end I just wasn’t present, I read the text, but I had to re-read. I just wanted to go to the next story.
Guilty as Cell: 2 stars? 3 stars? I mean, it was at points good and the MC was a good one, but why the fuck would Jorge do all this to his friend? Yes, your friend made a mistake. Yes, you are dead. Yes, that is bad. But WTF, it wasn’t all his fault. He is clearly feeling guilty, he already wonders how to go through his life. He already is feeling shit. He already tries to just step through life step by step. No need to go that far, and no need to haunt him like that. I was so pissed at the end. I would have rather have Jorge learn our MC a lesson about his phone, and then just leave. Not this shit. And, not entirely OK, because someone tried to commit suicide and it was pretty graphic and um, my mental health just went bye.
Lost Time: Um? I am not even sure what happened? So the guy is dead? Driving without brakes was a shit idea, but how did his girlfriend see him and what happens after??? It was good at points, yes, I wanted to smack the MC on his head, but it was an exciting ride.
Heathen: A good 3 star until that last part, HOLY HELL! 4 stars. That I did not expect. I mean, I had some expectations but seeing THAT and THAT happening in full disgusting ICK? NO. I did like Delvin, though unsure about the whole satanism thing. But I guess he was just interested and curious about what else there was, I can imagine if your mom is super-Christian and now your new school is that as well. For most it was calm, but I could just feel the tension rising as Cassie picked Delvin up.
Stillborn: 4 stars, a bit confusing at the end, but HOLY wow, this was good. Yes. Babies, stillborn, missing babies, and a nurse who is curious about it all. On the one hand she was like, should I do it? Which, girl, I get. But I was happy that she decided to go for it. And the things she found out. I already had half a suspicion about things, but wow. That is just messed up and creepy and OMG, welp. I felt for the woman who lost her babies, and I could understand that she would go this far. Would go totally over the top, I would do the same. I don’t have kids, but I can understand that if you felt them being alive, if you knew they were alive, that you want to know what the heck happened after the delivery.
Legend Trippers: 5 stars. EXCUSE ME, but this was just excellent! About a scary legend and the kids/teens/adults who go, as they say, legend tripping. It isn’t without danger, more than once peeps had to be pulled from the rails… or cleaned up from the train and all that is around it. What it is? Oh yes, it is scary as heck! There is a goatman and he is more than happy to murder and do other things. And he can enter your mind, so fuckity fuck. This was such a fantastic scary story and I was on the edge of my seat reading it. DANG. And I also love the narrator of the parts before and after. OH yes.
Dying for an invitation: 3-4 stars. A tad long for me, it felt just a few pages too long. But I still enjoyed it and it was a good story. The lore, the suspicion, the strange events, what happened to grandmother and what is happening to her family, the strange man that was there when she was younger and that may be still around now, her mom and her constant blessings and calls for vigilance. I loved reading about Vlad, about the little town. Are there really vampires? Is it really Vlad/Dracula? Or is something darker going on? Dacie was such an interesting person, and while her decision made me shake my head… I could also understand. She has lost quite a bit, she is lonely, and she is curious. The ending though? I had expected something wholly different and I was just so sad. I don’t want to give away too much so there.
Homecoming: 2? 3? 1.5? I mean, the idea was fun, what if the girl you love, the girl you want to propose to, may just not be the girl you think she is. What if during a fun vacation to Scotland you find that out. But I am still confused what Melanie was/is, did she eat that neighbour?, and several other parts. It just got a bit too weird for me. The MC was a bit of a dick in my eyes, how he acted around Melanie felt a bit too possessive to me and how he just dragged whatever Melanie was back to his home and said that it was his turf so his rules icked me out. And then there was a sex scene that just pukes.
Stay Tune: 3 stars. I just can say that this was fucked up. Holy crap.
While my Guitar Gently Weeps: 3 stars. Oh, this was a pretty interesting one, the MC a bit of a dick, but then given certain things, I could kind of understand it. The dude he met at the bar was spooky and I knew that something was off at one point. it was just all way too sus. I had fun reading this one, and I am curious about if our MC took that deal? Or not?
Heirloom: 1 star. It had some good points, but a bit too long for me, and the dreams/past lives were just WAY too disturbing and graphic for me and I just felt ick. I mean rape? Forced blow-jobs? Kidnappings? Babies being ripped apart and being eaten? FUCK no. I just skimmed parts because I just was not feeling comfortable. And it just didn’t seem to end, and I am still confused about the actual end. I am sorry, this was not my story.
All in all, I am still happy I read this one, there were some good stories in there and a lot of good potential as well. Thanks to the author for allowing me to read your book~
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
darkfantasyreviews's review
5.0
Creepy stories with interesting twists
This book has a beautiful cover photo and I was attracted to read this book because of it. It has an anthology of horror stories written so beautifully that they will surely give you goosebumps. All the stories are so engaging and gripping that it will keep you glued to the book till the end.
The author has flawless writing skills and with her skills she has definitely impressed me. Do not read this book at night if you are weak as some of the stories are really creepy. Grab your copy today guys. It is available on Kindle Unlimited too and get ready for a haunted rollercoaster ride.
This book has a beautiful cover photo and I was attracted to read this book because of it. It has an anthology of horror stories written so beautifully that they will surely give you goosebumps. All the stories are so engaging and gripping that it will keep you glued to the book till the end.
The author has flawless writing skills and with her skills she has definitely impressed me. Do not read this book at night if you are weak as some of the stories are really creepy. Grab your copy today guys. It is available on Kindle Unlimited too and get ready for a haunted rollercoaster ride.
rosebudthom's review against another edition
2.0
DNFed at 55% (8 stories in) - was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review, so here are my thoughts.
This is a collection of 13 short stories all based around occult themes and practitioners.
Not particularly great but not awful either - no one story really jumped out at me as being great and none stayed with me after finishing. The writing in each was average, but there were many slurs including "lame"and "demented" (insultingly), as well as calling people "lunatic", "nutcase", etc. (all extremely outdated words and imply mental illness with violent tendencies which is inaccurate in each of the cases they were used). Mostly just very average and was a slog to get through what I did.
This is a collection of 13 short stories all based around occult themes and practitioners.
Not particularly great but not awful either - no one story really jumped out at me as being great and none stayed with me after finishing. The writing in each was average, but there were many slurs including "lame"and "demented" (insultingly), as well as calling people "lunatic", "nutcase", etc. (all extremely outdated words and imply mental illness with violent tendencies which is inaccurate in each of the cases they were used). Mostly just very average and was a slog to get through what I did.
nannersreads's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Hidden Hollow Book Tours and Theresa Anne Braun for providing me with an audiobook copy of this book. This is my honest review.
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I’ll never say no to a horror anthology! We can thank the decrepit copy of Ghost Stories of Old Texas that I checked out repeatedly from the library as a kid for that one
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I’ll never say no to a horror anthology! We can thank the decrepit copy of Ghost Stories of Old Texas that I checked out repeatedly from the library as a kid for that one
liadanblue's review
4.0
As an anthology of horror/thriller-ish stories some of them no doubt are better than others but the vast majority are top notch. There are all unique stories that left me excited for the next one.
cmangles_'s review
4.0
This was a great anthology of collected short horror and paranormal stories.
Some stories were stronger than others, which is to be expected in a collection, but even the stories that felt weren't as strong as others still held my attention and had me on edge.
Theresa Braun writes suspense very well and the stories always had me in shock and waiting with bated breath for the plot twists that I never saw coming.
Out of the collection, my favourite stories were:
- Dead over heals (I really enjoyed the Pun of this title considering the plot and ending)
- Guilty as Cell
- Stillborn
- Dying for an Invitation
I loved how these stories aren't just your typical horror stories, but a reflection of your own inner fears and terrors.
Overall, the reason it is not 5 stars is because there were some stories I didn't like and felt weren't as strong as the others.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Some stories were stronger than others, which is to be expected in a collection, but even the stories that felt weren't as strong as others still held my attention and had me on edge.
Theresa Braun writes suspense very well and the stories always had me in shock and waiting with bated breath for the plot twists that I never saw coming.
Out of the collection, my favourite stories were:
- Dead over heals (I really enjoyed the Pun of this title considering the plot and ending)
- Guilty as Cell
- Stillborn
- Dying for an Invitation
I loved how these stories aren't just your typical horror stories, but a reflection of your own inner fears and terrors.
Overall, the reason it is not 5 stars is because there were some stories I didn't like and felt weren't as strong as the others.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
hunterham's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this collection of scary stories!! The perspective of all of us facing our own darkness is fascinating to me and I really enjoyed it. Some stories were scarier than others and some I really had to think about to understand what the message was supposed to be. But I love a book that sticks with you and you continue to think about well after you’ve finished it!
blankpagepanic's review against another edition
3.0
I've been trying to get more into short stories for those times when I just need a quick, short read, a one-and-done, and this was great for that. The first was my favorite because I had no idea what was going on (in a good way) for most of it, and the ending really took me by surprise. Dying For An Invitation was also right up my alley. I would say these two are 4 stars, the rest were all around 3/3.5 stars. Very solid overall and really recommend if you like short stories.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Theresa Braun for the review copy. Thoughts are my own, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Theresa Braun for the review copy. Thoughts are my own, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.