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A review by marlireads
Strange Girls: Women in Horror Anthology by Azzurra Nox
3.0
24 Hour Diner by Charlotte Platt - 2 stars
Pretty basic story, didn’t bring anything new or interesting or particularly scary to the table.
Sideshow by Jude Reid - 5 stars
Original, loved the ‘message’ and how it played out
The Doll’s House by Alyson Faye - 3 stars
Yep, pretty creepy. Way too easy/cheesy of an ending though.
Blood by Claire Hamilton Russell - 2 stars
Yes, female-centered and positive, but too short to make anything of it. Not quite spoopy either
Self-Portrait with Pears by Rachel Bolton - 2,5 stars
Stalker story a la ‘you’. Not particularly scary, but it showcased the thought process of the MC (and some men and what they think they’re entitled to) really well. Don’t know about the ending though
Personal Demons by Angelique Fawns - 2 stars
About a non-binary character, but the first time a pronoun appears, the author uses ‘she’ before announcing the character wants to be referred to as ‘they’. This one felt a bit iffy. Even though I’m not at all well-versed in what life is like for a non-binary person, I’m not entirely confident to say that this is good representation... It’s about the power of choice, and our MC actually mentioned that this is their choice. However, I’m not sure if they referred to the fact that their preferred pronouns are a choice, or if the author meant that being non-binary is a choice. And while it could be called a choice whether or not you decide to live your life as your authentic self, I don’t believe feeling some type of way and being the way you are can, in fact, be called a choice.
Friends with Benefits by E. F. Schraeder - 3 stars
Wut? Did her mom take her over or sumthin’?
Night Terrors by Angela Sylvaine - 4 stars
Creepy! First thought that this was about waking up during a procedure on the operating table, which is one of my big fears. It wasn’t but it was still creepy. A fun little horror story!
The Girl Who Never Stopped Bleeding by Sam Lauren - 1 stars
This might be going way over my head. I don’t know if this is supposed to be a powerful story, but to me it’s the opposite. Apparently you have to stay away from girls with periods... Yeah. I don’t know.
Leda and the Fly by Marnie Azzarelli - 5 stars
Loved the writing!
Jenny’s Bobo by Hillary Lyon - 2 stars
That was it?
Extinguishing Fireflies by Rebecca Rowland - 3,5 stars
Great writing and definitely a good story. A little less satisfied by the ending.
The Eyes of the Dead by Danielle R. Bailey - 5 stars
Chills!
My Mirror Wife by Ash Tudor - 4 stars
Oooookaaayy. I couldn’t fully grasp everything, right away, but it was definitely creepy! Just wish the ending didn’t drag out this much. I wish the author would have left it at the moment I found out what was happening.
Patterns of Faerytales by Azzurra Nox - 1 star
Pretty meh. Not my kind of writing.
Campfire Tales: The Bloody Rings by Emma Johnson-Rivardy - 2 stars
Liked the writing. But I feel a lot of these stories either lack a message, or lack the horror aspect. This one was the latter.
Cracked by Regan Moore - 2 stars
Cliché, predictable
Angel of Death by Phoebe Jane Johnson - 2 stars
Am I just not in the loop of what ‘horror’ is, or do I not like horror? But honestly, this was more fantasy than horror.
Her Garden Grows by Maxine Kollar - 3 stars
I’m not sure what happened, but if what I think happened, this is pretty sick.
Revival by Madison Estes - 4 stars
The dead coming alive. That’s what I’m here for.
A Song Only She Can Hear by Wondra Vanian - 3,5 stars
Pretty freaky, liked the plot (the ending was a little abrupt though), but liked the writing style a little less.
Tribal Influence by Erica Ruhe - 2,5 stars
More sci-fi than anything. Don’t think it’s that original (the girl with all the gifts/the darkest minds)
All-in-all, a very mixed bag. I failed to see the point in some and failed to see the horror in others. I also detected some typos in multiple stories, (don’t know if that was just my ARC or not) which got me out of my reading a little. A 2,9 star-rating on average.
Pretty basic story, didn’t bring anything new or interesting or particularly scary to the table.
Sideshow by Jude Reid - 5 stars
Original, loved the ‘message’ and how it played out
The Doll’s House by Alyson Faye - 3 stars
Yep, pretty creepy. Way too easy/cheesy of an ending though.
Blood by Claire Hamilton Russell - 2 stars
Yes, female-centered and positive, but too short to make anything of it. Not quite spoopy either
Self-Portrait with Pears by Rachel Bolton - 2,5 stars
Stalker story a la ‘you’. Not particularly scary, but it showcased the thought process of the MC (and some men and what they think they’re entitled to) really well. Don’t know about the ending though
Personal Demons by Angelique Fawns - 2 stars
About a non-binary character, but the first time a pronoun appears, the author uses ‘she’ before announcing the character wants to be referred to as ‘they’. This one felt a bit iffy. Even though I’m not at all well-versed in what life is like for a non-binary person, I’m not entirely confident to say that this is good representation... It’s about the power of choice, and our MC actually mentioned that this is their choice. However, I’m not sure if they referred to the fact that their preferred pronouns are a choice, or if the author meant that being non-binary is a choice. And while it could be called a choice whether or not you decide to live your life as your authentic self, I don’t believe feeling some type of way and being the way you are can, in fact, be called a choice.
Friends with Benefits by E. F. Schraeder - 3 stars
Wut? Did her mom take her over or sumthin’?
Night Terrors by Angela Sylvaine - 4 stars
Creepy! First thought that this was about waking up during a procedure on the operating table, which is one of my big fears. It wasn’t but it was still creepy. A fun little horror story!
The Girl Who Never Stopped Bleeding by Sam Lauren - 1 stars
This might be going way over my head. I don’t know if this is supposed to be a powerful story, but to me it’s the opposite. Apparently you have to stay away from girls with periods... Yeah. I don’t know.
Leda and the Fly by Marnie Azzarelli - 5 stars
Loved the writing!
Jenny’s Bobo by Hillary Lyon - 2 stars
That was it?
Extinguishing Fireflies by Rebecca Rowland - 3,5 stars
Great writing and definitely a good story. A little less satisfied by the ending.
The Eyes of the Dead by Danielle R. Bailey - 5 stars
Chills!
My Mirror Wife by Ash Tudor - 4 stars
Oooookaaayy. I couldn’t fully grasp everything, right away, but it was definitely creepy! Just wish the ending didn’t drag out this much. I wish the author would have left it at the moment I found out what was happening.
Patterns of Faerytales by Azzurra Nox - 1 star
Pretty meh. Not my kind of writing.
Campfire Tales: The Bloody Rings by Emma Johnson-Rivardy - 2 stars
Liked the writing. But I feel a lot of these stories either lack a message, or lack the horror aspect. This one was the latter.
Cracked by Regan Moore - 2 stars
Cliché, predictable
Angel of Death by Phoebe Jane Johnson - 2 stars
Am I just not in the loop of what ‘horror’ is, or do I not like horror? But honestly, this was more fantasy than horror.
Her Garden Grows by Maxine Kollar - 3 stars
I’m not sure what happened, but if what I think happened, this is pretty sick.
Revival by Madison Estes - 4 stars
The dead coming alive. That’s what I’m here for.
A Song Only She Can Hear by Wondra Vanian - 3,5 stars
Pretty freaky, liked the plot (the ending was a little abrupt though), but liked the writing style a little less.
Tribal Influence by Erica Ruhe - 2,5 stars
More sci-fi than anything. Don’t think it’s that original (the girl with all the gifts/the darkest minds)
All-in-all, a very mixed bag. I failed to see the point in some and failed to see the horror in others. I also detected some typos in multiple stories, (don’t know if that was just my ARC or not) which got me out of my reading a little. A 2,9 star-rating on average.