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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to NetGalley, Independent Publishers Group and Amberjack Publishing for the advanced copy.
I love a good horror anthology - and All These Sunken Souls is good. The stories cover a large range of different types of horror, from the typical monsters, to slashers, to gothic curses. Many are rooted in urban legend and mythology, but from the distinct perspective of those stories in black history (particularly that of African Americans). As the title indicates, all of the authors and their characters are black; this is an own voices collection.
Now, I swear I'm being honest when I say I don't think there was a dud in the bunch. I actually read through this pretty briskly because I enjoyed each story that much.
Lights by Kalynn Bayron - A slasher story with a fun twist. It felt tropey but in a nostalgic way, and Bayron wrote it in a way that feels like a friend telling you a story. Love the twist, even though it's easy to spot it coming. 3/5
Be Not Afraid by Ashia Monet - I don't even want to name the specific horror genre for this story because it'll give it away... but this was one of my favorite stories in the collection. Oh my gosh, I would love a full-length novel of this. Monet, as a writer, reminds me a lot of [a:Alix E. Harrow|9823112|Alix E. Harrow|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1685987092p2/9823112.jpg], where it almost feels like reading a fairy tale. I love it and will definitely be keeping an eye out for more by her. 5/5
All My Best Friends Are Dead by Liselle Sambury - a fun twist on a popular urban legend. It's very Are You Afraid of the Dark but Rated R. I can see this being made into a movie. That ending! Oh my gosh! 4/5
The Teeth Come Out at Night by Sami Ellis - a spooky take on southern myth, this one was another of my favorites and probably one of the scariest entries. It also features a unique spin on a well-known story, with a sympathetic protagonist who winds up surprising the reader. Ellis does a great job on sharing just enough with the reader to keep you on edge. 5/5
I Love Your Eyes by Joel Rochester - a gothic tale set in the UK, giving Crimson Peak vibes and I love it. I think this is another story that is a bit trope-y but again - it's an homage in the best way, like a warm hug. Very enjoyable and reminiscent of turn-of-the-century horror (though it is set in present day). 4/5
The Consumption of Vienna Montrose by Joelle Wellington - I don't even know how to describe this one aside from... gothic. lol. Wellington has managed to write one of the most uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing horror stories I've ever read. Another favorite, and another one I'd happily read as a full-length novel. I need to know more about this family. 5/5
The Landscape of Broken Things by Brent Lambert - Sci-fi/cosmic horror with an interesting and horrifying take on time travel and premonitions. Seriously spooky. Reminded me a bit of John Carpenter's In The Mouth of Madness? Well-done Lambert, for creating a monster that will be haunting my dreams for the rest of my life. 5/5
Mother, Daughter, and the Devil by Donyae Coles - Very interesting and I'm not sure how to explain it. It feels like unreliable narrator, though it's in 3rd-person, because Coles writes it like a modern fable, and it feels like all of the fantasy elements are metaphors for what's actually happening/what actually happened. How much was real? All of it? None of it? Kind of Lovecraftian as well. It feels like the sort of story Jordan Peele would produce as a film. 4/5
Papa Pearlie by Ryan Douglas - This is a story of evil magic, but all about the cycle of generational abuse. It's sad and it's tragic, and I definitely read this at the wrong time, having recently read Grady Hendrix's [b:How to Sell a Haunted House|59414094|How to Sell a Haunted House|Grady Hendrix|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1650818993l/59414094._SY75_.jpg|93583028], because this is very similar and all I'm seeing are similarities... though Douglas certainly puts his own, exceedingly creepy spin on it and, in my opinion, did it better than Hendrix. Sorry not sorry. 4/5
No Harm Done by Circe Moskowitz - Zombies! I don't think that's a spoiler because it happens quickly. But it's also more than zombies, and that took me by surprise, honestly. An interesting short with an interesting protagonist. 3/5
Overall, I loved it and am glad to have been introduced to so many new and talented writers!
I love a good horror anthology - and All These Sunken Souls is good. The stories cover a large range of different types of horror, from the typical monsters, to slashers, to gothic curses. Many are rooted in urban legend and mythology, but from the distinct perspective of those stories in black history (particularly that of African Americans). As the title indicates, all of the authors and their characters are black; this is an own voices collection.
Now, I swear I'm being honest when I say I don't think there was a dud in the bunch. I actually read through this pretty briskly because I enjoyed each story that much.
Lights by Kalynn Bayron - A slasher story with a fun twist. It felt tropey but in a nostalgic way, and Bayron wrote it in a way that feels like a friend telling you a story. Love the twist, even though it's easy to spot it coming. 3/5
Be Not Afraid by Ashia Monet - I don't even want to name the specific horror genre for this story because it'll give it away... but this was one of my favorite stories in the collection. Oh my gosh, I would love a full-length novel of this. Monet, as a writer, reminds me a lot of [a:Alix E. Harrow|9823112|Alix E. Harrow|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1685987092p2/9823112.jpg], where it almost feels like reading a fairy tale. I love it and will definitely be keeping an eye out for more by her. 5/5
All My Best Friends Are Dead by Liselle Sambury - a fun twist on a popular urban legend. It's very Are You Afraid of the Dark but Rated R. I can see this being made into a movie. That ending! Oh my gosh! 4/5
The Teeth Come Out at Night by Sami Ellis - a spooky take on southern myth, this one was another of my favorites and probably one of the scariest entries. It also features a unique spin on a well-known story, with a sympathetic protagonist who winds up surprising the reader. Ellis does a great job on sharing just enough with the reader to keep you on edge. 5/5
I Love Your Eyes by Joel Rochester - a gothic tale set in the UK, giving Crimson Peak vibes and I love it. I think this is another story that is a bit trope-y but again - it's an homage in the best way, like a warm hug. Very enjoyable and reminiscent of turn-of-the-century horror (though it is set in present day). 4/5
The Consumption of Vienna Montrose by Joelle Wellington - I don't even know how to describe this one aside from... gothic. lol. Wellington has managed to write one of the most uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing horror stories I've ever read. Another favorite, and another one I'd happily read as a full-length novel. I need to know more about this family. 5/5
The Landscape of Broken Things by Brent Lambert - Sci-fi/cosmic horror with an interesting and horrifying take on time travel and premonitions. Seriously spooky. Reminded me a bit of John Carpenter's In The Mouth of Madness? Well-done Lambert, for creating a monster that will be haunting my dreams for the rest of my life. 5/5
Mother, Daughter, and the Devil by Donyae Coles - Very interesting and I'm not sure how to explain it. It feels like unreliable narrator, though it's in 3rd-person, because Coles writes it like a modern fable, and it feels like all of the fantasy elements are metaphors for what's actually happening/what actually happened. How much was real? All of it? None of it? Kind of Lovecraftian as well. It feels like the sort of story Jordan Peele would produce as a film. 4/5
Papa Pearlie by Ryan Douglas - This is a story of evil magic, but all about the cycle of generational abuse. It's sad and it's tragic, and I definitely read this at the wrong time, having recently read Grady Hendrix's [b:How to Sell a Haunted House|59414094|How to Sell a Haunted House|Grady Hendrix|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1650818993l/59414094._SY75_.jpg|93583028], because this is very similar and all I'm seeing are similarities... though Douglas certainly puts his own, exceedingly creepy spin on it and, in my opinion, did it better than Hendrix. Sorry not sorry. 4/5
No Harm Done by Circe Moskowitz - Zombies! I don't think that's a spoiler because it happens quickly. But it's also more than zombies, and that took me by surprise, honestly. An interesting short with an interesting protagonist. 3/5
Overall, I loved it and am glad to have been introduced to so many new and talented writers!
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I liked some of the short stories more than the others
medium-paced
challenging
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:
N/A
This was very enjoyable!!!! Here are my favorites:
Lights by Kalynn Bayron
Be Not Afraid by Ashia Monet
All My Best Friends Are Dead by Liselle Sambury
The Teeth Come Out At Night by Sami Ellis
No Harm Done by Circe Moskowitz
Lights by Kalynn Bayron
Be Not Afraid by Ashia Monet
All My Best Friends Are Dead by Liselle Sambury
The Teeth Come Out At Night by Sami Ellis
No Harm Done by Circe Moskowitz
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
