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calebstephensauthor's review
5.0
Look, plain and simple, I just had a lot of fun reading this one.
In A Piasa for Chrismas, Brave experiments with a fresh narrative style and a story you have to read to believe. This one had me cracking up...and hit me in the feels by the end. Oh, and Brave writes with a ton of voice that instantly pulled me in. This story was fantastic.
EYEOFMOTH.EXE by P.L. McMillan brings the sci-fi, space-opera heat with plenty of gore and a few troubling questions about technical progress that, in many ways, mirrors the current discussions about the rising dangers of A.I. progress. Plus, you know, it's a cryptic story set in space. How can you beat that?
Forget focusing on a single cryptid with Once Upon a Time in Turu. Ryan Marie Ketterer dumps you into a city full of them (Turu), primarily as seen through the eyes of her Bigfoot investigator, Orli, hot on the trail of a notorious Turu killer. This one was a blast, and I'd honestly love to read a full novel with these characters.
In short, I say pick up a copy and enjoy the ride.
In A Piasa for Chrismas, Brave experiments with a fresh narrative style and a story you have to read to believe. This one had me cracking up...and hit me in the feels by the end. Oh, and Brave writes with a ton of voice that instantly pulled me in. This story was fantastic.
EYEOFMOTH.EXE by P.L. McMillan brings the sci-fi, space-opera heat with plenty of gore and a few troubling questions about technical progress that, in many ways, mirrors the current discussions about the rising dangers of A.I. progress. Plus, you know, it's a cryptic story set in space. How can you beat that?
Forget focusing on a single cryptid with Once Upon a Time in Turu. Ryan Marie Ketterer dumps you into a city full of them (Turu), primarily as seen through the eyes of her Bigfoot investigator, Orli, hot on the trail of a notorious Turu killer. This one was a blast, and I'd honestly love to read a full novel with these characters.
In short, I say pick up a copy and enjoy the ride.
mfrisk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
I absolutely loved the first story - it was a cryptid hallmark romance gone terribly wrong with commentary on abusive relationships done in a writing style that balanced comedy with horror.
The second story wasn’t for me I think I just am not a fan of larger casts and space theme stories for the most part and the first few pages felt really slow so I skipped ahead to our last story.
The last story had a lot of interesting elements going for it - discussion on classism and friendships amongst a world filled with cryptids and hidden secrets. I really enjoyed the characters but didn’t find the actual mystery that interesting. The ending was ok but not great. Wish I’d had more time in the world and the mystery would have taken a different turn.
The second story wasn’t for me I think I just am not a fan of larger casts and space theme stories for the most part and the first few pages felt really slow so I skipped ahead to our last story.
The last story had a lot of interesting elements going for it - discussion on classism and friendships amongst a world filled with cryptids and hidden secrets. I really enjoyed the characters but didn’t find the actual mystery that interesting. The ending was ok but not great. Wish I’d had more time in the world and the mystery would have taken a different turn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Murder, Blood, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
emilyyjjean's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed reading all three of these stories. When I read the synopsis of each story I was intrigued by all three, and they definitely didn’t disappoint. I’ve written down my thoughts about each story below:
A Piasa for Christmas by Bridget D. Brave:
I liked how the story was told through Kaycee’s blog posts. It really kept the story moving, and it was a great way to show the progression of Kaycee and Piasa’s relationship. I loved the ending; I wasn’t ever too sure on how this story was going to play out!
eyeofmoth.exe by P.L. McMillan:
Another great horror ScFi story by P.L. McMillan! I loved the mix of cryptids and space. I couldn’t imagine being trapped on a space station with a creature, and I felt the characters’ fear. I would love to see this story as a TV show and/or movie.
Once Upon a Time in Turu by Ryan Marie Ketterer:
This story would be great as a TV show and/or movie as well. I loved Policefoot Orli! This was a great murder mystery with some twists. I would definitely love to read more about Orli and her solving murders, and just more about the town of Turu. So many interesting characters.
I’d recommend this to anyone interested in cryptids who also love a bit of horror.
I’d recommend this to anyone interested in cryptids who also love a bit of horror.
Thanks to Salt Heart Press and P.L. McMillan for the ARC copy.
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