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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
I was pleasantly surprised by this collection of micro stories. I knew Jeremy Ray was a talented author after reading the short stories The House Plant and Petrified Women, but it turns out, he can do just as much with even fewer words. This collection has a little bit of everything: horror, sci-fi, drama, and I wasn’t expecting the emotions these small stories could create.
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I didn’t love every story, but I do think there’s something for every reader here. What I did enjoy about every entry, was Jeremy’s explanation of where the story idea came from and applicable trigger warnings. My personal favorites from the collection were: The Bookmark, Mrs. Pembleton Murders, Cleaning Duties, and Limited Options.
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Thanks to the author for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review. “Little Book of Tiny Tales is now available on Amazon! Link available in @jeremyraystories bio.”
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I didn’t love every story, but I do think there’s something for every reader here. What I did enjoy about every entry, was Jeremy’s explanation of where the story idea came from and applicable trigger warnings. My personal favorites from the collection were: The Bookmark, Mrs. Pembleton Murders, Cleaning Duties, and Limited Options.
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Thanks to the author for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review. “Little Book of Tiny Tales is now available on Amazon! Link available in @jeremyraystories bio.”
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Little Book of Tiny Tales by Jeremy Ray is a collection of 56 tales that cover various genres from comedy to horror and everything in-between! Similar to what Forrest Gump’s momma said, this collection is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get!
I loved all of the author notes places before the short. And I especially love the little content warning notes! These were such a lovely touch.
There were a ton of shorts in this collection! The following were the shorts that really stood out to me. I’ve also added some quick reaction notes.
The Stepdad – A beautiful short but a heartbreaking one.
The Bookmark - Gut-wrenching.
Belle of the Ball – Wonderfully haunting!
Little Hero in the Woods – Spooky!
Zedan Women – This one RULES!
Murder Room – Yikes! This one gave me goosebumps.
Love at First Sight – Ha! What a fun twist.
Song of the Maze – Beautiful and heartbreaking. I loved that the author recommended readers skip his note to read the story first and then come back to see if you can get the meaning of the tale before reading the note.
Mrs. Pendleton Murders – I need a full book about this woman! Wonderfully done!
The Head Witch of Witch Manor – A wonderful short about problematic authors and their characters even despising them.
High School Reunion – Good for this woman! What a killer final line.
Old Auntie May’s Groceries – What a lovely tale! This will give you faith in humans again.
Heads or Tails – What a role model! And a child at that. Good for her!
The Power of Belief – Oh no, this boy… this one started out so lovely, but phew did things turn.
Sluggish – Oh no! This poor little guy.
My Favorite Passage from Little Book of Tiny Tales
When he died of food poisoning
(the food was fine, the poisoning wasn’t)
The kingdom celebrated.
(the food was fine, the poisoning wasn’t)
The kingdom celebrated.
My Final Thoughts on Little Book of Tiny Tales
This collection of shorts are wonderful. They cover such a broad range of emotion and you’ll never know if you’re going to get one that makes you smile or feel crumby after reading.
While this is a very short read, it is a great one to pick up to read just one story in order to sit with it for a time before moving on to the next.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
⚠️ TW: murder, death ⚠️ This quick read is the first volume in Jeremy Ray's Little Books of Tiny Tales which are filled with micro stories and the explanations and inspirations behind them. I love Jeremy Ray as an author and when I've read his other books he has been the master of short horror stories but unfortunately this one didn't hit the mark for me and I just didn't feel like the micro stories had any flow. However this is the first time I've read a book solely based on micro stories as when I've read them in the past they have been included in the backs of books that they link to so maybe this publishing format of this type of book just simply isn't for me and that's okay. Despite not enjoying this book I still highly recommend checking out this indie authors work because I've loved his other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder