unnervinggothautumn's reviews
2 reviews

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James

5.0

I love a classic ghost story, I love folk horror, and I have an interest in anthropology. So it honestly felt like this book was written for me. The highlights of this collection for me were The Ash Tree, Count Magnus, and The Mezzotint. These three stories were the ones that stuck with me the most after putting down the book. The Mezzotint is about a painting that seems to mysteriously change whenever the owner looks away. The build up is amazing, creating such an ominous feeling even when the narrator isn’t in any direct danger.

 The Ash Tree kicks off with a bang, as it introduces us to a house with an ash tree outside, and reveals that the owner of the house testified at a witch trial, which led to a woman being hanged. Then it gets into how the owners of the house mysteriously seem to die when they sleep in the room by the ash tree. The reveal of what is ultimately in the ash tree is a fantastic payoff. With Count Magnus, I don’t even want to give a synopsis to it, it’s good to just go in blind. 

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

3.0

A story about the origins of Dracula's brides. The writing style reminded me more of interview with the vampire than the original dracula; it has that classic gothic feel, which isn’t a complaint for me. The writing feels elegant and classy. There were plenty of beautiful quotes that I definitely highlighted in my copy. There’s good emotional nuance with the portrayal of abusive relationships and the power dynamics that lead people to enter them. 

My complaints were mainly about the characterization and story structure.The payoff for all the build up to Dracula's murder is really lackluster. His death doesn’t have the gravity that it should, the moment feels like it comes and goes. The relationship development of Magdalena and Constanta was also disappointing for me, I wished there was more build up to Constanta falling in love with her. I feel like the author didn’t know what to do once Alexi entered the story. It was like the author didn’t know whether to make Constanta a motherly figure or a romantic partner, and it left me feeling confused and uncomfortable. The epilogue was also completely superfluous and more than anything made me wish this book had multiple povs. But, ultimately the writing style is what made me want to give this book three stars.