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savvylit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The strongest stories in A Nest of Nightmares reminded me of Shirley Jackson in the best ways: dysfunctional sisters, overwhelmed mothers, old houses, everything slightly off-kilter to the point of menace... Delightful. If you know me, I love weird stories like that. And I particularly love weird stories that feature non-male protagonists, as all of the stories in this collection did.
Perhaps it was the inconsistency of the "nightmares," though, that led me to enjoy this collection less than I had anticipated. A Nest of Nightmares begins immediately with a truly grotesque and disturbing story, "Bug House." (Definitely check content warnings before reading that one). However, for every truly terrifying story like that first one, several others were much less scary and left me feeling like they'd ended simply too early. Lastly - and this is purely a byproduct of the era in which this book was published - but there were also many troubling outdated tropes and stereotypes put forth in this collection.
I'd say this collection is worth a read for folks exploring the horror canon but probably ought to be a miss for anyone who is into more modern horror fiction.
Perhaps it was the inconsistency of the "nightmares," though, that led me to enjoy this collection less than I had anticipated. A Nest of Nightmares begins immediately with a truly grotesque and disturbing story, "Bug House." (Definitely check content warnings before reading that one). However, for every truly terrifying story like that first one, several others were much less scary and left me feeling like they'd ended simply too early. Lastly - and this is purely a byproduct of the era in which this book was published - but there were also many troubling outdated tropes and stereotypes put forth in this collection.
I'd say this collection is worth a read for folks exploring the horror canon but probably ought to be a miss for anyone who is into more modern horror fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Body horror, Violence, and Sexual assault
etwasinspired's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
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