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A review by mea_91
Haunted: A Crow Showcase by JayLynn Watkins, Damon Barret Roe, Ayshen Irfan, Sheena Shah, Erin Quill, Lucas Mann, Jordan Alyssa Duncan, Tiffany Putenis, J.S. Larmore, William Bartlett, David Middleham, Rebecca Jones-Howe, Mary Rajotte, Brad Acevedo, Spyder Collins, Ginger Lee, Melanie Whitlock, Cassandra L. Thompson, Marie Casey, Fizzy Twizler, PS Conway, Stephen Black, Brandy, Marvin Lee, A.L. Garcia, Sophie Brookes, K.R. Wieland
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this anthology. To start with what I loved: how each included author interpreted the theme of being haunted. Each piece moved beyond the expected ghost or haunted house story to show the myriad meanings behind someone—or something—being haunted. The layout of the anthology I also loved. The book includes fifteen short stories with a poem in between each, and each poem connects back to the previous story either with a shared theme or similar style. Breaking up the stories this way was effective and clever, as it allowed time to digest the piece that came before.
However, I found myself wanting more from each story. I love and consume both horror and the gothic; I understand and appreciate how much time and effort the writers and publishers put into their work. I also look forward to new publications from this press. My favorite horror or horror-adjacent stories are ones that leave me unsettled—that linger in the corners of my mind and creep under my skin after I’ve set the book down. The pieces included in this anthology didn’t linger with me after completing them or leave me with the sense of dread I crave from horror/gothic literature. The stories contained lush descriptions and explored the darkness surrounding what it means to be haunted, but left me feeling unsatisfied. I still look forward to new material from Quill & Crow and will read more from them, but this particular collection didn’t resonate with me.
I received an advance review copy of Haunted: A Crow Showcase for free, and I'm leaving this honest review voluntarily.
However, I found myself wanting more from each story. I love and consume both horror and the gothic; I understand and appreciate how much time and effort the writers and publishers put into their work. I also look forward to new publications from this press. My favorite horror or horror-adjacent stories are ones that leave me unsettled—that linger in the corners of my mind and creep under my skin after I’ve set the book down. The pieces included in this anthology didn’t linger with me after completing them or leave me with the sense of dread I crave from horror/gothic literature. The stories contained lush descriptions and explored the darkness surrounding what it means to be haunted, but left me feeling unsatisfied. I still look forward to new material from Quill & Crow and will read more from them, but this particular collection didn’t resonate with me.
I received an advance review copy of Haunted: A Crow Showcase for free, and I'm leaving this honest review voluntarily.