Reviews

Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris

centesimal's review

dark reflective medium-paced

2.0

I really enjoyed the framing of this piece and the description of the art pieces, but I didn't find much substance beyond that. The story deals with grief and suicidial ideation in way that, to me, leans too heavily on tropes like weird villagers who might be "cazy," and maybe this is a supernatural event but also maybe the the MC is "crazy." I guess I'm just very tired of the "maybe this happened but maybe it was just mental illness" in so many horror stories. And because this piece is so short, there are many other threads, but none of them developed into a complete story/arc.

I think the ending also deserves its own content warning as it heavily reads as glorifying death and the

purification she found in her suicide attempt (or assisted attempted suicide attempt, if the supernatural events happened as the MC described?)

sharmanbigler's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

3.5

booktribe's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.5

I loved the idea of this and a lot of the imagery, but I would’ve enjoyed it more if the writing was more atmospheric and had more emotion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Suicidal thoughts

kymayhew's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

tamtasticbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

alisonburnis's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

3.75

Mi’kmaw artist Rita Francis is struggling. Her father died, her relationship is rocky, and she can’t make art right now. However, her girlfriend Molly applied for a grant on her behalf, and off Rita goes to a residency to try and create again. But strange things keep happening, and Rita is uneasy on her cabin in the woods. 

Framed by descriptions of the collection she created during this residency, and an oblique note that these paintings were found in her cabin after a mysterious disappearance, this is a tense novella, steeped in natural horror. My true quibble with it is that it felt too short - I think Morris could have built a fuller story here. This is her debut, however, and I’ll be looking for her next work. Also we love horror from Halifax-based writers. 

gatonolivro's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

changleywritesitall's review against another edition

3.0

“But death, like nature, loves even what it destroys.” 

 

Well, this was a weird ride. For the majority of this novella, I found myself thinking, "Is this chick aware of some mental health concerns?" Yet, I was also curious if what was going on was REALLY going on, especially knowing the genre was horror. 

I enjoyed the creepy, descriptive atmosphere the author laid out throughout the book, which made it an okay read overall. 

rat_fairy's review against another edition

3.5

i’d moreso call this speculative than horror apart from maybe one scene

megamillions's review

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0