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roshreviews's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
Many of you might know that a group of crows is called a ‘murder’, but did you know that a group of ravens is called an ‘unkindness’? Makes me wonder why the language is so antagonistic about black-coloured birds. Anyhoo…
When author Vonnie Winslow Crist approached me to read and review this anthology, I found it very interesting that all the stories are set around ravens. What an unusual theme for an anthology! Add to this the fact that I adored her collection of Dragon Stories, titled (<a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4200558890”><i>Dragon Rain</i></a> So I knew I had to read this book as well! And to a great extent, it delivers!
The topic itself indicates that the stories will be primarily fantasy-oriented, but even within fantasy, the individual stories cover a wide range of genres such as sci-fi, drama and horror. None of the stories come from the contemporary time frame, and the historical/gothic setting adds further to the mysterious ambience. The protagonists in most of the stories are teens or young adults, so this makes the book very family-friendly as well. <i>(Mustn’t forget to mention that the tales are very dark, what with murders and vampires and corpses and zombies. So “family-friendly” comes with “conditions attached”.) </i>
Ravens don't play the central role in all the stories. It's just that every story mentions at least one raven. Many stories have the ravens in focal positions while in the rest, they are just spectators. The ravens are quite varied and wherever they play a more important part, you will enjoy their magical contribution to the narrative. (One tale even has an animatronic raven!!!)
The locations covered in the stories too are diverse. All this variety effectively means that none of the sixteen stories feels repetitive. The icing on the cake is that even within their short length, Vonnie gives the stories a proper ending, and never leaves you in the lurch by an abruptly-cut climax. Her writing is impeccable, and her command over the language (especially over the fantastical elements) is astounding.
I always give individual star ratings to each story in an anthology. Of the sixteen stories in this collection, a whopping thirteen fell within the 4 to 5 star range. That is really, really good!
As you can guess by now, I really enjoyed this anthology. If you are looking for an indie option that will work wonderfully as Halloween reading, try out this anthology. It is perfect for this spooky season. Savour it a story at a time so that you can relish each tale to its fullest.
4.25 stars from me.
Thank you, Vonnie Winslow Crist, for allowing me the opportunity of reading your book. 😊
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