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chirptripwrites 's review for:
2.75 rounded up.
I really wanted to like this book. Desperately so.
Not that I want to, but some blame has to go to some of the bookstores I went to that put this in their "Horror" section. Though with the short story collection touting "Ghost Stories" on it, I can't blame them for thinking what I was thinking.
Also, "Ghost Stories" is really stretching it when the idea of a ghost or that general haunting feeling is really vague. Like it's only a brief mention of ghosts in each story, and it's a really big stretch at that :/
Needless to say my expectations weren't met when I 1st started reading, but I am not one to DNF a book, especially a short story collection since you can just easily read a story to get to a better one.
My god, did I have to wade through to get to stories I actually enjoyed in this.
Highlights of this book (in my opinion, the best short stories in this collection) are Sleepy Things, Immanuel, Wren & Riley, Ransoms, and The Prize. These ones were really enjoyable and if you can find them on a literary magazine or lit. website (as some of the stories from the collection were published online), please do so.
As for everything else...
Well...
The descriptions are good.
But the actual structure of some of the stories and such were a pain to get through. Like I wanted to like the titular short story but it was annoying that the character you meet at the beginning isn't actually the main character you're following, because then it bounces to her father, and then it bounces to his client who is the actual person you were to follow, maybe just start with the client's perspective so that way we can be invested in him instead of introducing him HALF-WAY through the story.
TL;DR:
2.75 stars.
If you're expecting actual ghost stories from this short story collection, then you are sorely mistaken.
There are some good short stories in here, but in the end, is it worth it for 5 short stories that are really good? In my opinion, go to a library and read the short stories I mentioned above if they have this book. The rest of them are either forgettable or not well paced/structured.
I really wanted to like this book. Desperately so.
Not that I want to, but some blame has to go to some of the bookstores I went to that put this in their "Horror" section. Though with the short story collection touting "Ghost Stories" on it, I can't blame them for thinking what I was thinking.
Also, "Ghost Stories" is really stretching it when the idea of a ghost or that general haunting feeling is really vague. Like it's only a brief mention of ghosts in each story, and it's a really big stretch at that :/
Needless to say my expectations weren't met when I 1st started reading, but I am not one to DNF a book, especially a short story collection since you can just easily read a story to get to a better one.
My god, did I have to wade through to get to stories I actually enjoyed in this.
Highlights of this book (in my opinion, the best short stories in this collection) are Sleepy Things, Immanuel, Wren & Riley, Ransoms, and The Prize. These ones were really enjoyable and if you can find them on a literary magazine or lit. website (as some of the stories from the collection were published online), please do so.
As for everything else...
Well...
The descriptions are good.
But the actual structure of some of the stories and such were a pain to get through. Like I wanted to like the titular short story but it was annoying that the character you meet at the beginning isn't actually the main character you're following, because then it bounces to her father, and then it bounces to his client who is the actual person you were to follow, maybe just start with the client's perspective so that way we can be invested in him instead of introducing him HALF-WAY through the story.
TL;DR:
2.75 stars.
If you're expecting actual ghost stories from this short story collection, then you are sorely mistaken.
There are some good short stories in here, but in the end, is it worth it for 5 short stories that are really good? In my opinion, go to a library and read the short stories I mentioned above if they have this book. The rest of them are either forgettable or not well paced/structured.