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starkva's review
3.0
Thank you to BookSirens for this ARC. It was quite a slow read for me, as some of the stories were really not my bag, but some were just wonderful. Star rating is my average from all the stories in the book.
Not Working: Er... I'm not sure what I just read. It was written as though it was meant to confuse, in a way that thought itself grander than it was. I didn't really get it. I read it again, just in case, but that didn't much help. Are they? I really don't know. 1/5
Factor Fifty: I think I am perhaps irrationally frustrated by the following extract: "“I need something for the sun, Miss.” He had a slight accent, nothing too heavy. He flattened his as, made them sound like es." There are no as in that sentence! This irked me a lot, and as I said, probably more than it deserved, but it just felt silly. That being said, it was a very cute story. I thought it was a bit odd that the protagonist identified the customer as a vampire straight away, but was unperturbed by this... 3/5
The Last Sunday: I loved this. It was brilliantly written; dark and sad. I do not understand what is meant by the last line and I would love an explanation if anyone can offer one, but otherwise, I thought this story was great. I liked the dystopian atmosphere and the humanity of trying to defeat impossible foes. 5/5
Night Customers: This was such fun! I learned a little about Judaism and got a rather charming horror story too. 5/5
Whispers in the Dark: Meh. I found this story a little boring, and very anticlimactic. It was well-set and I was into it at the beginning, but the plot lost me. The characters had some interesting things about them and perhaps a full-length story could have done them justice, but this did not hit its mark for me. 2/5
Drained: This was a weird little story and I did not find it particularly enjoyable. Normally I like stories that are based around games, but this one did not grip me at all. A shame. 1.5/5
Stripped Down: Nope. Very quick and boring. If you search Rock DJ on YouTube you can get a more entertaining version of this with a great song alongside. 1/5
Always Hiring: This one was kind of fun, kind of disappointing. I love the concept; I did not love the execution. 2/5
Closing Shift: Either this anthology is in a bit of a slump or I'm very hard to please, but this story didn't thrill me either. It was alright, but I found the imagery confusing and couldn't figure out what I was meant to be picturing. I didn't hate it; I'm just not really moved in any way. 2.5/5
King Corn: So many of these stories just make me feel bemused. I mean... What?! I liked the corn facts guy. 2/5
The Clown and the Chalupa: And we are back! This story was really fun. It had laugh-out-loud humour, some fascinating clown lore, and characters with enough backstory and personality that I was rooting for them immediately. Big fan. 5/5
Ed's Worm Hole: I felt like too many things were thrown into this short story for it to really stand out - too many characters to care about. 2/5
Cherry Boy: This started off funny, and then just seemed bizarre. Not a fan, really. 2/5
Meaningless Flesh: This was pretty intense. It made me feel atypically squeamish to read! I liked the relationship between Anne and Caroline; didn't love the story. 2.5/5
The Clover Cafe: I really enjoyed this celebration of final girls. The story took an unexpected turn which was an excellent choice. 4/5
Open All Night: Here's another one I didn't understand. Shame. I liked the authorial style though. 2/5
Closing Time: This one was so sweet! I really liked the way the dark concepts were used for such a gentle story. It felt kind of comforting. A lovely ending. 4.5/5
Not Working: Er... I'm not sure what I just read. It was written as though it was meant to confuse, in a way that thought itself grander than it was. I didn't really get it. I read it again, just in case, but that didn't much help. Are they
Spoiler
androidsFactor Fifty: I think I am perhaps irrationally frustrated by the following extract: "“I need something for the sun, Miss.” He had a slight accent, nothing too heavy. He flattened his as, made them sound like es." There are no as in that sentence! This irked me a lot, and as I said, probably more than it deserved, but it just felt silly. That being said, it was a very cute story. I thought it was a bit odd that the protagonist identified the customer as a vampire straight away, but was unperturbed by this... 3/5
The Last Sunday: I loved this. It was brilliantly written; dark and sad. I do not understand what is meant by the last line and I would love an explanation if anyone can offer one, but otherwise, I thought this story was great. I liked the dystopian atmosphere and the humanity of trying to defeat impossible foes. 5/5
Night Customers: This was such fun! I learned a little about Judaism and got a rather charming horror story too. 5/5
Whispers in the Dark: Meh. I found this story a little boring, and very anticlimactic. It was well-set and I was into it at the beginning, but the plot lost me. The characters had some interesting things about them and perhaps a full-length story could have done them justice, but this did not hit its mark for me. 2/5
Drained: This was a weird little story and I did not find it particularly enjoyable. Normally I like stories that are based around games, but this one did not grip me at all. A shame. 1.5/5
Stripped Down: Nope. Very quick and boring. If you search Rock DJ on YouTube you can get a more entertaining version of this with a great song alongside. 1/5
Always Hiring: This one was kind of fun, kind of disappointing. I love the concept; I did not love the execution. 2/5
Closing Shift: Either this anthology is in a bit of a slump or I'm very hard to please, but this story didn't thrill me either. It was alright, but I found the imagery confusing and couldn't figure out what I was meant to be picturing. I didn't hate it; I'm just not really moved in any way. 2.5/5
King Corn: So many of these stories just make me feel bemused. I mean... What?! I liked the corn facts guy. 2/5
The Clown and the Chalupa: And we are back! This story was really fun. It had laugh-out-loud humour, some fascinating clown lore, and characters with enough backstory and personality that I was rooting for them immediately. Big fan. 5/5
Ed's Worm Hole: I felt like too many things were thrown into this short story for it to really stand out - too many characters to care about. 2/5
Cherry Boy: This started off funny, and then just seemed bizarre. Not a fan, really. 2/5
Meaningless Flesh: This was pretty intense. It made me feel atypically squeamish to read! I liked the relationship between Anne and Caroline; didn't love the story. 2.5/5
The Clover Cafe: I really enjoyed this celebration of final girls. The story took an unexpected turn which was an excellent choice. 4/5
Open All Night: Here's another one I didn't understand. Shame. I liked the authorial style though. 2/5
Closing Time: This one was so sweet! I really liked the way the dark concepts were used for such a gentle story. It felt kind of comforting. A lovely ending. 4.5/5
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