Scan barcode
A review by isaac_c
The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror by Tori Bovalino
2.5
An alright YA horror anthology unfortunately held back by multiple authors who seem to lack experience in short stories (or sometimes writing in general), not great but also not bad taken as a whole. That said, don't expect much from this collection as folk horror, as many of the stories feel like they just skirt the edge of the genre.
Stay by Erica Waters ⭐⭐⭐
I like the concept here, but it didn't really stand out. I think if it were a little longer/more developed it could be really interesting.
The Tallest Poppy by Chloe Gong ⭐⭐⭐
I wish I could give this one a higher rating! There was a lot of potential in its horror elements, but I couldn't really get into the writing itself. At multiple points I was lost and confused, and not in a way that enhanced the horror.
Loved by All, Save One by Tori Bovalino ⭐⭐
They had me at ghosts, but lost me at parents' supplement business. I didn't love the characters or the writing, and a lot of things just needed more fleshing out than the pacing allowed for. (Side note: I have no idea why it's titled that.)
One-Lane Bridge by Hannah Whitten ⭐⭐
Similar issues to Loved by All, Save One in weak pacing and characters (though rather than being bland, these characters were just kind of unlikable). Despite that, it had potential with its premise, but I hated the ending.
Ghost on the Shore by Allison Saft ⭐⭐(⭐)
I'm a sucker for ghost stories and lake stories... but it was honestly pretty flat.
Petrified by Olivia Chadha ⭐⭐
Credit where credit is due, this at least had some more elements of folk horror, and some very interesting concepts. But the execution just felt clunky and disjointed, and I didn't care for it.
Third Burn by Courtney Gould ⭐⭐
Felt a bit underdeveloped, mostly it just wasn't my cup of tea for one reason or another.
It Stays with You by Aden Polydoros ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not perfect, but I really liked this one. The characters felt like people for once, the writing was overall good and it had better pacing than most of the anthology. The ending was the weakest point, but it didn't take away from the story overall.
Truth or Dare by Alex Brown ⭐
Oof, this one was not for me at all. The repetitious writing and the characters really grated on me. The tunnels plus truth or dare plus the everything else—it didn't feel cohesive to me, like it was trying to be too many things at once and not really succeeding.
The Burning One by Shakira Toussaint ⭐⭐(⭐)
I'm conflicted—this could either be a two or three star for me. Very interesting, very different from the rest of the anthology, but it all came across so clumsy. As far as I can tell, this is Shakira Toussaint's only published work, and, well, it kind of shows. Her storytelling here was compelling despite some confusing moments, but the voice of the narrator was inconsistent and I got tripped up on multiple occasions.
It was also a bit weird that only the last story in the book took such a sharp deviation from the rest—I wish there had been more variety overall, instead of just right at the end.
The Tallest Poppy by Chloe Gong ⭐⭐⭐
I wish I could give this one a higher rating! There was a lot of potential in its horror elements, but I couldn't really get into the writing itself. At multiple points I was lost and confused, and not in a way that enhanced the horror.
Loved by All, Save One by Tori Bovalino ⭐⭐
They had me at ghosts, but lost me at parents' supplement business. I didn't love the characters or the writing, and a lot of things just needed more fleshing out than the pacing allowed for. (Side note: I have no idea why it's titled that.)
One-Lane Bridge by Hannah Whitten ⭐⭐
Similar issues to Loved by All, Save One in weak pacing and characters (though rather than being bland, these characters were just kind of unlikable). Despite that, it had potential with its premise, but I hated the ending.
Ghost on the Shore by Allison Saft ⭐⭐(⭐)
I'm a sucker for ghost stories and lake stories... but it was honestly pretty flat.
Petrified by Olivia Chadha ⭐⭐
Credit where credit is due, this at least had some more elements of folk horror, and some very interesting concepts. But the execution just felt clunky and disjointed, and I didn't care for it.
Third Burn by Courtney Gould ⭐⭐
Felt a bit underdeveloped, mostly it just wasn't my cup of tea for one reason or another.
It Stays with You by Aden Polydoros ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not perfect, but I really liked this one. The characters felt like people for once, the writing was overall good and it had better pacing than most of the anthology. The ending was the weakest point, but it didn't take away from the story overall.
Truth or Dare by Alex Brown ⭐
Oof, this one was not for me at all. The repetitious writing and the characters really grated on me. The tunnels plus truth or dare plus the everything else—it didn't feel cohesive to me, like it was trying to be too many things at once and not really succeeding.
The Burning One by Shakira Toussaint ⭐⭐(⭐)
I'm conflicted—this could either be a two or three star for me. Very interesting, very different from the rest of the anthology, but it all came across so clumsy. As far as I can tell, this is Shakira Toussaint's only published work, and, well, it kind of shows. Her storytelling here was compelling despite some confusing moments, but the voice of the narrator was inconsistent and I got tripped up on multiple occasions.
It was also a bit weird that only the last story in the book took such a sharp deviation from the rest—I wish there had been more variety overall, instead of just right at the end.