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minieggs's review
1.0
I accessed a free copy of this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was interested to try a horror anthology but this perhaps wasn’t the best example to start with.
I had intended to individually rate and review each story however once I was about 4 or 5 stories deep, I realised they would all say the same thing.
The author has some interesting ideas, intriguing concepts, but what’s really missing is the development. Each story feels like it could really be fleshed out into something a lot bigger - and indeed a lot of them feel like they NEED that. Perhaps I’m not familiar enough with short stories and anthologies, maybe these are actually concise and effective in their entirety but I personally was left with a lot of questions after reading some, especially those which are really short like ‘Driver, Surprise Me’.
Another criticism would be that it’s in desperate need of a good editor. The texts were riddled with grammatical errors and unnecessary syntax. A competent line editor would be able to tidy the stories up well and hopefully they’d be a lot more effective for it.
My one last gripe, I have to say, is I don’t think it’s smart to open an anthology with effectively a fanfiction. I have nothing against fanfiction; I used to write it myself about 10 years ago. But the first story in this anthology is so very clearly taken from the ‘80s film The Lost Boys, updated and modified. Unless it’s explicitly stated somewhere within the anthology that the stories would feature heavy inspiration from existing fiction, I don’t believe a story like that belongs in this kind of format. This is probably just a very personal opinion.
I would be interested to read more from this author in the future once they’ve honed their craft more. I do feel they have some unique and interesting ideas that just require more work to become something special.
I had intended to individually rate and review each story however once I was about 4 or 5 stories deep, I realised they would all say the same thing.
The author has some interesting ideas, intriguing concepts, but what’s really missing is the development. Each story feels like it could really be fleshed out into something a lot bigger - and indeed a lot of them feel like they NEED that. Perhaps I’m not familiar enough with short stories and anthologies, maybe these are actually concise and effective in their entirety but I personally was left with a lot of questions after reading some, especially those which are really short like ‘Driver, Surprise Me’.
Another criticism would be that it’s in desperate need of a good editor. The texts were riddled with grammatical errors and unnecessary syntax. A competent line editor would be able to tidy the stories up well and hopefully they’d be a lot more effective for it.
My one last gripe, I have to say, is I don’t think it’s smart to open an anthology with effectively a fanfiction. I have nothing against fanfiction; I used to write it myself about 10 years ago. But the first story in this anthology is so very clearly taken from the ‘80s film The Lost Boys, updated and modified. Unless it’s explicitly stated somewhere within the anthology that the stories would feature heavy inspiration from existing fiction, I don’t believe a story like that belongs in this kind of format. This is probably just a very personal opinion.
I would be interested to read more from this author in the future once they’ve honed their craft more. I do feel they have some unique and interesting ideas that just require more work to become something special.
georgilvsbooks's review
3.0
14 stories that will creep you out!
I really enjoyed this collection, I had 7 favourites in total…
* Boys Of Summer
* Fields Of Blood
* Driver, Surprise Me
* My Tears Ricochet
* Good Sister, Bad Sister
My absolute two favourites were:
* Baby Teeth 5⭐️
* One for the Money, Two for the Shoe 5⭐️
Perfect read for horror fans.
There was some issues with the writing such as, missing words and spelling mistakes but it didn’t stop me from enjoying it.
3.5 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this collection, I had 7 favourites in total…
* Boys Of Summer
* Fields Of Blood
* Driver, Surprise Me
* My Tears Ricochet
* Good Sister, Bad Sister
My absolute two favourites were:
* Baby Teeth 5⭐️
* One for the Money, Two for the Shoe 5⭐️
Perfect read for horror fans.
There was some issues with the writing such as, missing words and spelling mistakes but it didn’t stop me from enjoying it.
3.5 ⭐️
krigjer's review
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review..
Really loved the ideas behind these short stories, but the execution on some was hit or miss.
Boys of Summer is an absolutely awful story to start off on- pacing and juvenile writing made me hate it and seriously question the quality of this anthology, but the rest of the collection does get better.
There were also a lot of silly typos all throughout the book that makes enjoying the act of reading difficult.
Really loved the ideas behind these short stories, but the execution on some was hit or miss.
Boys of Summer is an absolutely awful story to start off on- pacing and juvenile writing made me hate it and seriously question the quality of this anthology, but the rest of the collection does get better.
There were also a lot of silly typos all throughout the book that makes enjoying the act of reading difficult.
spookynerd13's review
4.0
A collection of short stories that are scary, gruesome, mysterious, and not for the faint of heart. Paranormal, and the unexplained are explored in this horror anthology.
I was given this ARC by the publisher in return for an honest review. Thank you!!
I loved this!! I love all things horror and gore and this was fantastic. I did think the stories in the beginning of the anthology were better than the end but I still really enjoyed it! Really really good horror stories in there and I loved the diversity of topics!! There’s a little something for every horror buff in this one!
I was given this ARC by the publisher in return for an honest review. Thank you!!
I loved this!! I love all things horror and gore and this was fantastic. I did think the stories in the beginning of the anthology were better than the end but I still really enjoyed it! Really really good horror stories in there and I loved the diversity of topics!! There’s a little something for every horror buff in this one!
lilbookishdragon's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
desheria's review
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review..
Really loved the ideas behind these short stories, but the execution on some was hit or miss.
Boys of Summer is an absolutely awful story to start off on- pacing and juvenile writing made me hate it and seriously question the quality of this anthology, but the rest of the collection does get better.
There were also a lot of silly typos all throughout the book that makes enjoying the act of reading difficult.
Really loved the ideas behind these short stories, but the execution on some was hit or miss.
Boys of Summer is an absolutely awful story to start off on- pacing and juvenile writing made me hate it and seriously question the quality of this anthology, but the rest of the collection does get better.
There were also a lot of silly typos all throughout the book that makes enjoying the act of reading difficult.
orasmis's review
3.0
*Free copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
Vicious Traditions is a horror anthology which has collected many different types of stories between its covers. Tales range from supernatural creatures to encounters with the worst of humanity.
The trigger warning that you get at the start of this is very well placed. Most of the stories involve extreme violence and gore. Several of them also feature some kind of assault (physical and sexual). Take this warning very seriously. If you cannot handle that kind of reading please do not read this.
There are a lot of stories in this short book. Most of them are a good length. You get enough story to satisfy you but they don't linger for too long. There are several stories that are only a couple of pages long however (Driver Surprise Me and Across the Woods in particular) and that is just way to short for me. It's unsatisfying. I think I would have liked those if I had more background and had more time to spend in the world of the stories.
My favorites were Fields of Blood (really quite excellent. I can see this as a short movie in a horror anthology. I would love to see how the visuals would translate from page to screen), One For the Money (very short and somewhat predictable but very well done), and Good Sister, Bad Sister (I just straight up think this would be a fantastic movie I would pay to see this in the theater).
My least favorites were Red Snow (mental illness is not a plot twist), Green Gloves (story moved way too quickly for me. I think it would have been much better if it had taken it's time in a longer story), and Lake of Sin (my least favorite. Main character makes incredibly stupid choices for no reason and is very lucky),
The way I rate anthologies and short story collections is to rate each story and then average it out at the end. As a result this is getting 3 stars. I really liked some of the stories but the really bad ones dragged the overall rating down with them.
I'm not going to say that I don't recommend this book. The good stories really were amazing. Once again, do not ignore the trigger warning at the start of the book. It is there for a very good reason. Recommend this for fans of horror and horror shorts of an appropriate age to handle the content.
Vicious Traditions is a horror anthology which has collected many different types of stories between its covers. Tales range from supernatural creatures to encounters with the worst of humanity.
The trigger warning that you get at the start of this is very well placed. Most of the stories involve extreme violence and gore. Several of them also feature some kind of assault (physical and sexual). Take this warning very seriously. If you cannot handle that kind of reading please do not read this.
There are a lot of stories in this short book. Most of them are a good length. You get enough story to satisfy you but they don't linger for too long. There are several stories that are only a couple of pages long however (Driver Surprise Me and Across the Woods in particular) and that is just way to short for me. It's unsatisfying. I think I would have liked those if I had more background and had more time to spend in the world of the stories.
My favorites were Fields of Blood (really quite excellent. I can see this as a short movie in a horror anthology. I would love to see how the visuals would translate from page to screen), One For the Money (very short and somewhat predictable but very well done), and Good Sister, Bad Sister (I just straight up think this would be a fantastic movie I would pay to see this in the theater).
My least favorites were Red Snow (mental illness is not a plot twist), Green Gloves (story moved way too quickly for me. I think it would have been much better if it had taken it's time in a longer story), and Lake of Sin (my least favorite. Main character makes incredibly stupid choices for no reason and is very lucky),
The way I rate anthologies and short story collections is to rate each story and then average it out at the end. As a result this is getting 3 stars. I really liked some of the stories but the really bad ones dragged the overall rating down with them.
I'm not going to say that I don't recommend this book. The good stories really were amazing. Once again, do not ignore the trigger warning at the start of the book. It is there for a very good reason. Recommend this for fans of horror and horror shorts of an appropriate age to handle the content.
bookishbailey's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
2.0
I received this eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
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