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labunnywtf's review against another edition
3.0
Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Urgh.
The one thing I will say about the short stories in this collection is they are unexpected. There's a lot of horror tropes, Frankenstein-esque monsters, aliens, demons, dolls, serial killers. All things you kind of come to expect when discussing horror stories.
And a lot of these short stories revisit those themes. But just because you're familiar with the theme doesn't mean you know what you're about to get with the stories. Oh, yeah, just another Frankenstein monster.
Nope. It's Frankenstein with an entirely new twist that I didn't see coming at all, and loved so hard. Jack the Ripper, from the perspective of a very different kind of police officer. Alien invasion starting with a girl who is attacked by a serial killer. Mermaids. Dolls. Creepy water demon god (don't ask me to explain that one, but the ending is fantastic).
Sadly, not all of these stories are attention grabbing. I started this well before the publish date, but it's taken nearly a month to slog through the stories that just weren't interesting, period. Thankfully, there are more than enough stories to catch your interest, and make you want to read more by the authors.
But truth be told, don't pick this up expecting horror. There was only one story that truly gave me the heebie jeebies, another story about dolls, and a sincerely creepy little brother. It took a very strange twist at the end, though.
I give it three stars, and the stories that got the book to three stars REALLY earned their stars. The Jack the Ripper story alone deserved five stars.
Urgh.
The one thing I will say about the short stories in this collection is they are unexpected. There's a lot of horror tropes, Frankenstein-esque monsters, aliens, demons, dolls, serial killers. All things you kind of come to expect when discussing horror stories.
And a lot of these short stories revisit those themes. But just because you're familiar with the theme doesn't mean you know what you're about to get with the stories. Oh, yeah, just another Frankenstein monster.
Nope. It's Frankenstein with an entirely new twist that I didn't see coming at all, and loved so hard. Jack the Ripper, from the perspective of a very different kind of police officer. Alien invasion starting with a girl who is attacked by a serial killer. Mermaids. Dolls. Creepy water demon god (don't ask me to explain that one, but the ending is fantastic).
Sadly, not all of these stories are attention grabbing. I started this well before the publish date, but it's taken nearly a month to slog through the stories that just weren't interesting, period. Thankfully, there are more than enough stories to catch your interest, and make you want to read more by the authors.
But truth be told, don't pick this up expecting horror. There was only one story that truly gave me the heebie jeebies, another story about dolls, and a sincerely creepy little brother. It took a very strange twist at the end, though.
I give it three stars, and the stories that got the book to three stars REALLY earned their stars. The Jack the Ripper story alone deserved five stars.
daynpitseleh's review against another edition
4.0
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A great collection of dark fantasy/science fiction/horror stories - I especially enjoyed the stories by Catherine Valente and Ken Liu
A great collection of dark fantasy/science fiction/horror stories - I especially enjoyed the stories by Catherine Valente and Ken Liu
tashaw's review against another edition
4.0
It is a very good anthology overall, but these were my favorites:
"Sing Me Your Scars"- Walters
"Black Dog"- Gaiman
"Ripper"- Slatter
"The Deepwater Bride"- Muir
"Fabulous Beasts"- Sharma
"Cassandra"- Liu
"Sing Me Your Scars"- Walters
"Black Dog"- Gaiman
"Ripper"- Slatter
"The Deepwater Bride"- Muir
"Fabulous Beasts"- Sharma
"Cassandra"- Liu
urlphantomhive's review against another edition
3.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
While I think this was a strong anthology which contained some really good short stories, there were also some stories that disappointed. I always find it difficult to rate an anthology, especially when the quality, or at least my enjoyment of the stories, differed quite a lot.
I finished this one some time ago, but because of the above mentioned reason I've put off the actual writing of the review. It would seem that many of the stories, while entertaining at the time of reading have already slipped my mind, being not very memorable. Two stories however, stand out until today. One features dolls (this is said to be a horror collection after all) and the other Jack the Ripper.
The Dolls aside, do not expect just plain old horror stories. Many of them are more subtle and I indeed think that the term Dark Fantasy suits best.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
While I think this was a strong anthology which contained some really good short stories, there were also some stories that disappointed. I always find it difficult to rate an anthology, especially when the quality, or at least my enjoyment of the stories, differed quite a lot.
I finished this one some time ago, but because of the above mentioned reason I've put off the actual writing of the review. It would seem that many of the stories, while entertaining at the time of reading have already slipped my mind, being not very memorable. Two stories however, stand out until today. One features dolls (this is said to be a horror collection after all) and the other Jack the Ripper.
The Dolls aside, do not expect just plain old horror stories. Many of them are more subtle and I indeed think that the term Dark Fantasy suits best.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
hurricaneemily's review against another edition
5.0
Some really stunning stories with great endings. The story by Tamsyn Muir knocked me on my ass.
benedward's review
2.0
It's tough to rate an anthology. There were some truly excellent stories in this collection. There are also some shockingly bad stories. Most were just mediocre and forgettable, though.
anushanarasimhan's review
4.0
It is always great to read an anthology of stories belonging to a specific genre. These stories were interesting, different and truly one of the best I've read so far.
Note - I received a free copy of the book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review in any way.
Note - I received a free copy of the book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review in any way.
apolasky's review
3.0
There is something for everyone because of the diversity. There are some great retellings here, as well as originally innovative plots. Full review on my blog.
Hay algo para todos gracias a los diferentes estilos, temas, extensión, etc. Encontré muy buenas reversiones, como así también historias innovadoras y originales. Reseña completa en mi blog.
Hay algo para todos gracias a los diferentes estilos, temas, extensión, etc. Encontré muy buenas reversiones, como así también historias innovadoras y originales. Reseña completa en mi blog.
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