Reviews

Yeaahhhh this one didn't really do it for me. It was a fun enough quick read, but none of the stories really stuck with me; I read the book in one sitting and couldn't remember half of the stories by the end. None were completely awful, but none were bringing anything new to the genre, and the collection didn't really feel like the folk horror that it was advertised as. There wasn't nearly enough focus on classic folk elements, and most of the stories felt more like urban legends at best. "Petrified" had some of the focus on nature that I would've liked, had the writing and pacing caused it to be my least favorite. My favorites were probably "It stays with you", "One Lane Bridge", and "Truth or Dare", but even those didn't do anything revolutionary. Unfortunately, a letdown overall, and left me wanting a lot more.

Content Warnings

sarahmvp's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

gggina13's review against another edition

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4.0

I ranked each short story in this book and my average rating was basically a 4.0! I'm very impressed by that because short stories are very hit or miss typically I think. This was a nice selection of odd stories and I actually found myself sad when the collection was over.

Stay by Erica Waters - 3.5 stars
This didn't really do anything new or fresh but it was still a juicy story. A girl feels trapped in her small town, by her family specifically.

The Tallest Poppy by Chloe Gong - 3.5 stars
I like Chloe's writing but I feel like the things that happened in this story were a little all over the place. The main character gets a summer job at a creepy house.

Loved by All, Save One by Tori Bovalino - 5 stars
Close friends go through a home invasion in their haunted home.

One Lane Bridge by Hannah Whitten - 5 stars
I genuinely felt a little creeped out reading this one. A once-close group of friends had a weird experience on a spooky bridge and then there are consequences.

The Ghost on the Short by Allison Saft - 4 stars
Someone the main character was close to died, and the main character would do anything to get to talk to her one more time.

Petrified by Olivia Chadha - 4 stars
A revenge story in a creepy forest, simply put

Third Burn by Courtney Gould - 3 stars
Cool concept, not the most engaging execution. The MC finds out that her town has burned down twice and it's been prophesized that the third time will be the last.

It Stays With You by Aden Polydoros - 5 stars
Extremely cinematic, delved well into character motivations and backstories in 30 pages while still having major and minor action arcs. I was the most excited for Aden's story and it totally delivered. A group of 4 friends play Bloody Mary one night with major consequences.

Truth or Dare by Alex Brown - 3.5 stars
A weird set of tunnels appears any time people in the MC's area have a decision to make. Our MC has a decision to make...

Winter Has Come by Shakira Toussaint - 2.5 stars
Unfortunately my least favorite of the group - our MC meets someone from a new group of people even though they aren't supposed to go down the mountain from where they live. The writing is in a primitive dialect and it made it sort of difficult to connect, personally

Reading this gave me the same vibes as watching a few episodes of Who's Afraid of the Dark, just short spooky stories with generally contemporary settings, mostly in small sleepy towns. Totally think it's worth picking up, and Aden Polydoros is a total standout, as expected.

burdasnest's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

2.75

As a way to get me back into fiction, I appreciate this short story anthology. I think folk horror might be a stretch- and some of it feels more like short stories in a creative writing class. Some stories are cringey, like Truth or Dare, but others are quite good, and so I'm ranking this as 3 stars, a good way to pass the time, but I'll probably never think about it again.

mothmania's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

nabu1701's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

kaithroars's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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