A review by rieriereads
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝙱𝚎𝚍 is a compilation of short stories. Many reviewed the short stories as dark, subtle horror, weird, and melancholic. And as I read through the short stories, I couldn't help but agree.

Each story was different; the only similarity you could see between them was the feeling you get while reading. I was intrigued and weirded out at the same time. The letdown of the book for me was the ending of each story. Although the stories were beautifully written, as they reach their climax, they fall flat, and to me, they feel anticlimactic instead. A part of me is convinced that it's part of the book's charm. But a part of me also says it makes the stories forgettable.

There are a total of twelve short stories; there were hits and misses, which is normal for a compilation of short stories. Some of my favorites were 𝐍𝐨 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐬, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐨𝐮𝐭, and 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐭. 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐭 was about two young teenagers, Julieta and Mariela. They're devoted followers of a rock star named Santiago Espina and his second album, Meat. The fandom broke down the moment Espina died, and the next scenes turned into a gruesome story.
 
Overall, I would recommend this book to those looking for a very different but still good read. I also recommend checking out the trigger warning first.

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My Rating System

5 🌟 - Life changing, a new favorite read
4 ⭐ - I loved it
3 ⭐ - I liked it 
2 ⭐ - It was okay
1 ⭐ - I hated it but decided to  not dnf