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knittyreader's review
5.0
The stories of 'Vacui Magia: Stories' are full of suspence. The reader is never sure of what is the truth, and what is madness - there is always a hint that things are completely different from that what is written.
A book full of short stories is always difficult to rate. Two of the stories (the third and the fourth) were not all to my taste. I decided not to let those influence my rating, since I simply loved the rest of the stories, and the characters and writing style throughout those other stories (and, to be honest, even in those two stories - sometimes it is not to say why a reader doesn't really like a story, is it?).
I received a free copy through Netgalley, in return for an honest review.
A book full of short stories is always difficult to rate. Two of the stories (the third and the fourth) were not all to my taste. I decided not to let those influence my rating, since I simply loved the rest of the stories, and the characters and writing style throughout those other stories (and, to be honest, even in those two stories - sometimes it is not to say why a reader doesn't really like a story, is it?).
I received a free copy through Netgalley, in return for an honest review.
emissaryorca's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
"Julie" and "Clotho" are standouts
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, Grief, Rape, Infidelity, and Misogyny
shh_reading85's review
4.0
I received this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Vacui Magia is a novel filled with dark fantasy, science fiction and horror short stories. They’re not meant to just terrify but to shock you, make you think and intrigue you.
These stories had awesome world building. The separate stories were either contemporary settings or historical settings. Each of story was entirely unique and neither one crossed over into each other. The characters were complex and interesting.
While none of these stories had gratuitous gore that many people relate to horror movies and stories, it still had that horror element. Horror can be more than just disgust, it is shock and fear as well. Some of these stories were definitely shocking.
Please visit me at Shh, I am Reading to view the rest of this story.
Vacui Magia is a novel filled with dark fantasy, science fiction and horror short stories. They’re not meant to just terrify but to shock you, make you think and intrigue you.
These stories had awesome world building. The separate stories were either contemporary settings or historical settings. Each of story was entirely unique and neither one crossed over into each other. The characters were complex and interesting.
While none of these stories had gratuitous gore that many people relate to horror movies and stories, it still had that horror element. Horror can be more than just disgust, it is shock and fear as well. Some of these stories were definitely shocking.
Please visit me at Shh, I am Reading to view the rest of this story.
booksandsalt's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
christinogle's review
5.0
I learned about this collection just recently and can’t believe I missed it when it came out. Everything in here is my favorite sort of weird. I especially loved “Little Men with Knives” and “The Pursuit of the Whole Is Called Love.”
errantdreams's review
4.0
Typically in an anthology like Vacui Magia: Stories, you expect to like some stories, not like others. Because of this I rarely give anthologies a particularly high score. In this case I’m going for a 4.5. With the exception of a couple places where I couldn’t quite get all of what the author was trying to communicate, I absolutely loved this anthology. It’s dark and winding, and meant for readers who don’t mind thinking a bit about what they’re reading. (That sounds obvious, but sometimes people just want something simple and straightforward.)
One of my favorite stories was the first one: “Little Men with Knives”. A school cafeteria worker leaves food out for the dwarfs so they’ll clean and arrange her house all neatly. If she ever forgets, they play tricks on her. In this one we see what happens when she starts to realize that maybe the little guys could do more than housework. And eventually we start to wonder whether the little men are really what they seem to be.
Vengeance, sorrow, curiosity, guilt–Vacui Magia is a heady mix of dark tales with moments of wonder.
NOTE: Free book provided by publisher in return for honest review
Original review on my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2016/06/review-vacui-magia-l-s-johnson/
One of my favorite stories was the first one: “Little Men with Knives”. A school cafeteria worker leaves food out for the dwarfs so they’ll clean and arrange her house all neatly. If she ever forgets, they play tricks on her. In this one we see what happens when she starts to realize that maybe the little guys could do more than housework. And eventually we start to wonder whether the little men are really what they seem to be.
Vengeance, sorrow, curiosity, guilt–Vacui Magia is a heady mix of dark tales with moments of wonder.
NOTE: Free book provided by publisher in return for honest review
Original review on my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2016/06/review-vacui-magia-l-s-johnson/
adancewithbooks's review
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Vacui Magia is a collection of short stories that all have a magical element weaved throughout them. From how to create a golem to taking revenge. Each story is dark. Some are violent. Some are sensual. And you never quite know what is real.
In some cases I feel that they were beautifully executed, and did really make me think about what I had just read. But others felt rather confusing, and I had a harder time connecting to the story. They are all however thought provoking. Chances are that some of them will stick in your head for a while after.
The writing in this collection is very strong. She changes style in some of the short stories which made it harder to see in some what was really happening because our narrator was somewhat unreliable. But one is also written more in the style of a manual. It was interesting to see how the author played with this. And I am quite curious to see how this author would approach a longer story plot wise.
There is also a certain depth in the characters that not everyone can achieve in a short story. And that is quite the talent.
Vacui Magia is a collection of short stories that all have a magical element weaved throughout them. From how to create a golem to taking revenge. Each story is dark. Some are violent. Some are sensual. And you never quite know what is real.
In some cases I feel that they were beautifully executed, and did really make me think about what I had just read. But others felt rather confusing, and I had a harder time connecting to the story. They are all however thought provoking. Chances are that some of them will stick in your head for a while after.
The writing in this collection is very strong. She changes style in some of the short stories which made it harder to see in some what was really happening because our narrator was somewhat unreliable. But one is also written more in the style of a manual. It was interesting to see how the author played with this. And I am quite curious to see how this author would approach a longer story plot wise.
There is also a certain depth in the characters that not everyone can achieve in a short story. And that is quite the talent.
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