ashnight's review against another edition

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5.0

Great collection of spooky stories. I could not put the book down. Once I finished one of the stories I wanted to read the next one. had to say which was my favorite, but loved them all.

gothauthor's review

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4.0

Enjoyed the stories

An interesting collection of short stories, some pretty creepy and some magical. A fun read from some wonderfully talented authors!

kbskibum's review

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5.0

Great collection of spooky stories. I could not put the book down. Once I finished one of the stories I wanted to read the next one. had to say which was my favorite, but loved them all.

ksmarsden's review

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5.0

Six spooky YA stories by some of best indie authors of the time.

This is a perfect October read, and I have definitely enjoyed, curling up with a warm blanket and glass of wine this week. I'm not used to reading short story collections, so forgive me if this is a little long-winded!

Til Death Do Us Part by L.A. Starkey
Jennifer is trying to get her life in order, putting her arrogant boyfriend in place, and telling her best friend Zach how she truly feels about him.

I loved this, it was such a strong opening piece.
It has a perfect balance of high school drama, infused with the obsession Jennifer has with the local ruined mansion house. The threat of ghosts makes it an increasingly spooky story; and I absolutely loved the psychological developments.
I also like that, although I guessed one twist a couple of pages in, there was a second that I did not see coming! But it worked fantastically. I don't actually want to say any more on the subject, because it is so worth finding out for yourselves!

Best Spooky Story
5/5

Witch Moth by Kelly Hall
Kitty is having to re-evaluate her friendships, as her two best friends betray her. But into this space, the mysterious Dahlia and Dominic make an immediate impression.

Another winner, as you slowly uncover the truth of the beautiful, but long-living siblings.
It beautifully portrays the relationships of the five main characters. I thought Dahlia was a particularly interesting character, and how most of her actions seemed driven by jealousy, or supposed revenge. It was amazing how real these characters were in such a short story.
I also loved the creativity of Dahlia and Dominic's story, and how it all comes to a conclusion... I might just go read it again.

Best Characters
5/5

The Coming of the Skin Walker by D.E.L. Connor
Fate brings Walking Bear and the beautiful Lina together, and they must fight an invincible enemy, and risk their clan, to stay together.

This was... the story that didn't fit seamlessly with the others. It's good, it just stands out as the least spooky, and not in the modern YA setting.
I believe it's a sequel to Connor's Spirit Warriors series, and it felt like it.
Walking Bear comes across Lina on a hunting trip, and it is love at first sight. But Lina is being chased by a Skin Walker, a monster that kills and is practically invincible. Lina has lost her memory, but she is convinced that any danger will follow her and she cannot lead it back to Walking Bear's tribe. Except when they suddenly change their minds and go back.
This is the only story in the collection that feels like a short story, somewhat rushed, with a change of heart for no other reason that getting the plot where it needs to be within a certain word-count. I think this, along with overstated love of the couple, made this my least favourite out of the lot.

Best Romance
4/5

Lantern by Chess Desalls
While exploring her grandmother's estate, Tori is drawn to a mysterious light that belongs to a forgotten old lantern.

This was so much fun, and so creative!
I loved everything about it. Tori and her family life; Jared; the mystery of the lantern. They all worked together so well.
I will be the first to admit that I struggled to follow the logic and actions of the main character the last time I read Desalls' work - I only bring this up now, because I take my hat off to Ms. Desalls, this all works wonderfully in Lantern.
Tori has such a good relationship with her family, especially her adorable baby brother. But she disobeys her parents, repeatedly visiting the lantern in the middle of the night, as she tries to discover the truth.
She's a really likeable character who only wants to help release the boy trapped in the lantern.
It keeps you guessing throughout, who is the real threat, and why. And it leaves you with just enough questions (like why the grandmother is so supporting of Tori's obsession, and what Manchin is really up to), that Desalls could follow up with a novel, and I would be the first to read!

Best Creativity
5/5

Cloak of Echoes by CK Dawn
High school is hard enough, but Emma is the freak that is bombarded with the feelings of everyone around her. She didn't ask for this power, and drowns in it every day. Until the mysterious Mattox shows up, an emotional blank on her radar.

This is an accompaniment of Dawn's Netherwalker series, which I have been following. As such, I can only speculate on how easy it is to understand the krims, King Arthur's court, etc.
But for me, this was fun. I was hooked from the first chapter.
I felt so sorry for Emma, struggling with everyone else's high school trauma. You can feel her relief when Mattox promises that he can teach her to control it.
This was also the only story in the YA collection that broaches sexual topics - which I found hilarious, and very suitable for the intended readership, if you're curious.

Best Series
5/5

Hallowed Eve by DB Nielsen
Evee thought that her father was lost to her, when he dies ten years ago. But the souls are restless, when a demonic power rises again.

Evee has the typical troubled teenage life, but suddenly she's dragged into the middle of a fight between witches and a dark force. Evee has to unravel the mystery behind the true story of Sleepy Hollow, and she has to embrace her role as the Soul Guardian.
I thought this was very creative, and I was hooked from the start!
I loved the interactions between Evee and supernatural hunter Ben.
I glossed over some of the denser witchy sections, but I really enjoyed the clashes with the Headless Horseman.

Best Action
5/5

Ok, so that's that. I have to say that each short story left me wanting to know more, to know what happened next!
I would definitely recommend checking out the individual author's works.
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