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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First half and the last story carried the whole book. The rest felt very anticlimactic and not scary whatsoever. Wouldn’t really put some of the stories in the horror category. I loved that every main character was black and the multiple LGBT relationships. I read multiple books by authors who contributed to this anthology which is what drew me to the book to begin with. Definitely a good read though, would recommend!!
I feel like these stories are very American-centric. So much media is, of course, but I'm sure there are things here that I'm missing. If not, then many of these stories just don't make sense.
It's a shame, because the writing itself is really good and I was eager to read each story and see what was going to happen. I just didn't understand all of them. Once or twice it seemed like we'd come in in the middle. However there's a great range of characters and horror subgenres represented here, so whatever your favorite is, it's probably here.
I enjoyed this and I'll be recommending it, but I wish I'd understood it better.
It's a shame, because the writing itself is really good and I was eager to read each story and see what was going to happen. I just didn't understand all of them. Once or twice it seemed like we'd come in in the middle. However there's a great range of characters and horror subgenres represented here, so whatever your favorite is, it's probably here.
I enjoyed this and I'll be recommending it, but I wish I'd understood it better.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i never know how to rate anthologies. i loved the concept, overall liked the stories and the writing but some were definitely misses for me. still would recommend!
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This anthology starts and ends strong. The first three stories and the last four all would've gotten ratings above 4.5 had I the luxury of giving them independent ratings. The middle three stories were 3-3.5 stars for me as there was a key element that felt rushed or cut out. These ratings averaged together netted the anthology a healthy 4.25, though it should've been 4.3 mathematically speaking.
Several of these stories suffer from their short length as they could have benefited from six or more pages to really develop into something.
The stories that most desperately needed something more were I Love Your Eyes, The Consumption of Vienna Montrose, and The Teeth Come Out At Night. The first of these three was so rushed that the big reveal at the end felt comical rather than scary. The second one was vague in a way that you can almost feel the details that should've been there. The last one had so much world just outside the plot that it was like looking at the world through a bus window as it speeds down the road.
Even though several of the stories use very popular flavors of horror there is just enough uniqueness to them that they feel fresh.
Several of these stories suffer from their short length as they could have benefited from six or more pages to really develop into something.
The stories that most desperately needed something more were I Love Your Eyes, The Consumption of Vienna Montrose, and The Teeth Come Out At Night. The first of these three was so rushed that the big reveal at the end felt comical rather than scary. The second one was vague in a way that you can almost feel the details that should've been there. The last one had so much world just outside the plot that it was like looking at the world through a bus window as it speeds down the road.
Even though several of the stories use very popular flavors of horror there is just enough uniqueness to them that they feel fresh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement
Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Slavery
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
There were some definite highlights for me in this collection. All My Best Friend's Are Dead by Liselle Sambury puts the reader in the perspective of a Bloody Mary-esque lonely spirit. Mother, Daughter, and the Devil by Donyae Coles was beautiful and stark, a story about curses and generational trauma and the real devils amongst us. And then No Harm Done by the collection editor, Circe Moskowitz, was my absolute fave. It did several things with the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse that I've never read before, but I don't want to spoil. A very solid anthology and a great way to get introduced to some new YA authors.
12.24.23
12.24.23
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced