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exorcismemily's review against another edition
4.0
"It was only about Christmas-time that the worst and most deadly things happened." - Eliza Lynn Linton
In all honesty, I went into The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories Vol. 2 expecting to not enjoy it & probably end up abandoning it. In an unexpected turn of events, I am happy to say that I was wrong & I actually ended up really enjoying this book.
These 15 stories were published in Victorian periodicals, so there is very little information on some of the authors and stories. Most have not been republished until now, and I really appreciate the work that Valancourt Books does to get these stories out into the world again.
Quite a few of the stories were published anonymously, and if a lot of the anonymous ones were by women. There were more stories by women in this book than I expected, which was pretty cool.
I didn't love everything in this book, but I did enjoy most of the stories. My top 3 favorites were Number Two, Melrose Square by Theo Gift ( pseudonym for Dora Havers), Wolverden Tower by Grant Allan, Christmas Eve in Beach House by Eliza Lynn Linton. I had so much fun reading these ones.
Some of the other stories were a bit too slow and detailed for my taste, but they all appeared to be well-written. There was a lot to love in this anthology. There was also an impressive amount of fainting and weeping, and I really think we should work on bringing that back. There was a little less of a Christmas theme than I anticipated, but everything still wove together nicely.
I'm really glad that the Nightworms put this book in their first subscription box because I may not have picked it up otherwise, and I would have been missing out.
In all honesty, I went into The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories Vol. 2 expecting to not enjoy it & probably end up abandoning it. In an unexpected turn of events, I am happy to say that I was wrong & I actually ended up really enjoying this book.
These 15 stories were published in Victorian periodicals, so there is very little information on some of the authors and stories. Most have not been republished until now, and I really appreciate the work that Valancourt Books does to get these stories out into the world again.
Quite a few of the stories were published anonymously, and if a lot of the anonymous ones were by women. There were more stories by women in this book than I expected, which was pretty cool.
I didn't love everything in this book, but I did enjoy most of the stories. My top 3 favorites were Number Two, Melrose Square by Theo Gift ( pseudonym for Dora Havers), Wolverden Tower by Grant Allan, Christmas Eve in Beach House by Eliza Lynn Linton. I had so much fun reading these ones.
Some of the other stories were a bit too slow and detailed for my taste, but they all appeared to be well-written. There was a lot to love in this anthology. There was also an impressive amount of fainting and weeping, and I really think we should work on bringing that back. There was a little less of a Christmas theme than I anticipated, but everything still wove together nicely.
I'm really glad that the Nightworms put this book in their first subscription box because I may not have picked it up otherwise, and I would have been missing out.
fruitbatwoman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Similar to volume one, this spooky collection of Victorian Ghost Stories features a variety of ghostly stories set in winter and around Christmas. The stories here were a bit more hit and miss for me than in the previous book, as some didn't resonate with me at all. I also found them less scary than volume one but enjoyed my annual Victorian Christmas Ghost Story read nonetheless.
nuriti's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
5.0
ristretto's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lanternsjourney's review against another edition
4.0
It usually takes me a bit to get into the mindset and flow of classic writing styles, but most of these stories were so enthralling they sucked me in immediately.
I liked the short intro and background to each story and author, even if there was not much known. I also liked that there was a wide variety of ghost tales, some with rational explanations to the ghosts. Some of my favorite stories (each given 5 stars) were Number 2, Melrose Square, The Steel Mirror, White Satin, Wolverden Tower, Christmas Eve in the Beach House, the Necromancer, and the final story: A Terrible Retribution.
I liked the short intro and background to each story and author, even if there was not much known. I also liked that there was a wide variety of ghost tales, some with rational explanations to the ghosts. Some of my favorite stories (each given 5 stars) were Number 2, Melrose Square, The Steel Mirror, White Satin, Wolverden Tower, Christmas Eve in the Beach House, the Necromancer, and the final story: A Terrible Retribution.
originaljbone's review against another edition
3.0
Another (mostly) fantastic collection of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories from Valancourt Books.
My favourites of the bunch:
Number Two Melrose Sq. with scary ghosts with good descriptions of gruesome characters and dread.
Christmas Eve in Beach House had solid terrors, mood, and ghosts. (A typo on page 169 bead in place of head).
The Necromancer was long-winded, but a very satisfying ghost (p.191)
The book ends on the very enjoyable tale of foolish love and murder, A Terrible Retribution, or Squire Orton's Ghost.
My favourites of the bunch:
Number Two Melrose Sq. with scary ghosts with good descriptions of gruesome characters and dread.
Christmas Eve in Beach House had solid terrors, mood, and ghosts. (A typo on page 169 bead in place of head).
The Necromancer was long-winded, but a very satisfying ghost (p.191)
The book ends on the very enjoyable tale of foolish love and murder, A Terrible Retribution, or Squire Orton's Ghost.
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