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A review by virgo_reader
Into The Woods: A Monster Anthology by Salem Sinclair
1.0
1 A Step Between Realms
Kind of just jumped right in with the story and the steam, huh? I’m wondering if all the stories will be like this one - with very minimal story and more just… immediately meet and banging.
1⭐
2 Between Heaven and Earth
Immediately I’m thrown by the species. Her has the head of an elephant, body of a lion; heroine is top half human, bottom half swan. I had a really hard time with this one, maybe because there were SO many characters? A king, advisor, the heroine is one of seven sisters, the many guards… I just found it to be confusing.
1⭐
3 Captured by the Wolven
I’ve never heard of a Wolven before. Again, I’m super underwhelmed by the insta love. I don’t find the smut good enough for this to be “just smut”.
1⭐
4 Caught by the Werewolf
The grip on my hips tightens as his eyes meet mine. “And you’re a fan of monsters, aren’t you?”
I rock my hips and grind against the cording of his stomach. “I seem to have a soft spot for them.”
Jack smiles and the number of sharp teeth revealed startles me, but his mirth is tangible. “In your heart?”
My nose scrunches. “Well yes, but also somewhere lower.”
5⭐ - FINALLY
5 Foxing
Really fun but kind of unsatisfying only because I wish it was longer! I have no idea what the actual story was - the hero wanting to be a samurai, the starvation / lack of food for his village, if people know there’s some kinds of magic in their world… but it was fun.
3⭐
6 From the Depths
A really interesting concept, and I liked the inclusion of what I’m pretty sure if Russian folklore. This one actually felt like the perfect length for the story.
4⭐
7 Gods May Cry
This wound up being a piece of a full story - the ending is “to be continued” and it tells you to pre-order the full story. I… hate that. It’s like putting a sales pitch in what’s supposed to be contained stories within an anthology. It gives me an ick, for sure.
1⭐
8 Hookah Smoking Caterpillar
Despite the fact that I hate insects and don’t understand formicophilia… I kind of loved this twisted Alice in Wonderland story. This is another one where I wish there was more because Cheshire is so PSYCHO.
4⭐
9 Incubus Dreams
Another story that ends with a “pre-order the full book now!” … Is this a thing, in anthologies? Granted I haven’t read many but every one I have read never had short stories like this, where it was basically a prologue/chapters from the full story. I don’t like it. BTW: extremely dubious consent.
3⭐
10 Into the Thick of It
Eh
1⭐
11 Poison Games
Interesting concept and loved the powerful, villainous heroine.
3⭐
12 Rooting for Love
Kind of weird?
1⭐
13 Sap, Snow and Spile
I’m getting kind of tired of these micro stories but I’m so close to finishing I don’t want to pause. Each one is formulaic in that you rush to introduce the monster and world and go straight to boinking bc it’s a limited amount of time. Maybe this type of short smut story just isn’t my jam? A few have worked but most were like this, leaving me wanting.
1⭐
14 The Ogre’s Pet
Can you really get freaky with someone who eats humans? Not someone who kills humans or drinks their blood or whatever - but someone who actually eats humans like a chicken wing? No thank you
1⭐
15 What Big Teeth
ANOTHER ONE WITH A FUCKING “TO BE CONTINUED IN A LONGER FULL STORY”. ARE YOU JOKING. STOP DOING THIS.
1⭐
16 Where Darkness Wanders
The hero was the president of a company with “more money than Google, Microsoft, and Amazon combined.” Also he’s 28 at the time of this book, so you’re saying he built a company that profitable in his early 20s? I’m all for monster fucking but lets not be completely unrealistic here. AAAAAAND AGAIN, it ends with no resolution. WHY. WHYYYY.
1⭐
Kind of just jumped right in with the story and the steam, huh? I’m wondering if all the stories will be like this one - with very minimal story and more just… immediately meet and banging.
1⭐
2 Between Heaven and Earth
Immediately I’m thrown by the species. Her has the head of an elephant, body of a lion; heroine is top half human, bottom half swan. I had a really hard time with this one, maybe because there were SO many characters? A king, advisor, the heroine is one of seven sisters, the many guards… I just found it to be confusing.
1⭐
3 Captured by the Wolven
I’ve never heard of a Wolven before. Again, I’m super underwhelmed by the insta love. I don’t find the smut good enough for this to be “just smut”.
1⭐
4 Caught by the Werewolf
The grip on my hips tightens as his eyes meet mine. “And you’re a fan of monsters, aren’t you?”
I rock my hips and grind against the cording of his stomach. “I seem to have a soft spot for them.”
Jack smiles and the number of sharp teeth revealed startles me, but his mirth is tangible. “In your heart?”
My nose scrunches. “Well yes, but also somewhere lower.”
5⭐ - FINALLY
5 Foxing
Really fun but kind of unsatisfying only because I wish it was longer! I have no idea what the actual story was - the hero wanting to be a samurai, the starvation / lack of food for his village, if people know there’s some kinds of magic in their world… but it was fun.
3⭐
6 From the Depths
A really interesting concept, and I liked the inclusion of what I’m pretty sure if Russian folklore. This one actually felt like the perfect length for the story.
4⭐
7 Gods May Cry
This wound up being a piece of a full story - the ending is “to be continued” and it tells you to pre-order the full story. I… hate that. It’s like putting a sales pitch in what’s supposed to be contained stories within an anthology. It gives me an ick, for sure.
1⭐
8 Hookah Smoking Caterpillar
Despite the fact that I hate insects and don’t understand formicophilia… I kind of loved this twisted Alice in Wonderland story. This is another one where I wish there was more because Cheshire is so PSYCHO.
4⭐
9 Incubus Dreams
Another story that ends with a “pre-order the full book now!” … Is this a thing, in anthologies? Granted I haven’t read many but every one I have read never had short stories like this, where it was basically a prologue/chapters from the full story. I don’t like it. BTW: extremely dubious consent.
3⭐
10 Into the Thick of It
Eh
1⭐
11 Poison Games
Interesting concept and loved the powerful, villainous heroine.
3⭐
12 Rooting for Love
Kind of weird?
1⭐
13 Sap, Snow and Spile
I’m getting kind of tired of these micro stories but I’m so close to finishing I don’t want to pause. Each one is formulaic in that you rush to introduce the monster and world and go straight to boinking bc it’s a limited amount of time. Maybe this type of short smut story just isn’t my jam? A few have worked but most were like this, leaving me wanting.
1⭐
14 The Ogre’s Pet
Can you really get freaky with someone who eats humans? Not someone who kills humans or drinks their blood or whatever - but someone who actually eats humans like a chicken wing? No thank you
1⭐
15 What Big Teeth
ANOTHER ONE WITH A FUCKING “TO BE CONTINUED IN A LONGER FULL STORY”. ARE YOU JOKING. STOP DOING THIS.
1⭐
16 Where Darkness Wanders
The hero was the president of a company with “more money than Google, Microsoft, and Amazon combined.” Also he’s 28 at the time of this book, so you’re saying he built a company that profitable in his early 20s? I’m all for monster fucking but lets not be completely unrealistic here. AAAAAAND AGAIN, it ends with no resolution. WHY. WHYYYY.
1⭐