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justness85's review
dark
mysterious
tense
5.0
A dark and creepy collection of short stories. A fun and quick read. Loved it!
kerasalwaysreading's review against another edition
4.0
Christopher Hawkins writes really stunningly. The way his words flow is so nuanced. For horror, that is impressive. That’s not to say that horror writers usually write clunkily or anything. I just want to emphasize the writing quality.
This is a really well rounded collection of short stories that were as unique as they we creepy. Aside from the multiple fat-phobic instances, I really enjoyed this.
The Stumblybum Imperative, about a woman dealing with addiction while trying to dissect a weird tv show her child has been obsessed with, was one of my favorites.
Poppy, about a girl with a weird connection to mannequins was another favorite.
Other stories I really enjoyed were, Green Eyes, Interlude and A Candle for the Birthday Boy.
I’m impressed by the range of these stories and will definitely be looking for more from this author.
This is a really well rounded collection of short stories that were as unique as they we creepy. Aside from the multiple fat-phobic instances, I really enjoyed this.
The Stumblybum Imperative, about a woman dealing with addiction while trying to dissect a weird tv show her child has been obsessed with, was one of my favorites.
Poppy, about a girl with a weird connection to mannequins was another favorite.
Other stories I really enjoyed were, Green Eyes, Interlude and A Candle for the Birthday Boy.
I’m impressed by the range of these stories and will definitely be looking for more from this author.
skopsreads's review
5.0
WOW. Alright.
I was a bit skeptical, at first. Aiming more towards a solid 3 rating. But each story is so unique, written so well. It's easy to forget that it isn't a collection of different authors. We're talking various themes, different writing approaches, POVs...
Poppy and The Stumblyum Imperative were definitely my two favorite.
I liked how each one sort of touched upon something real and deep, in their own way. Definitely enjoyed this read! It was my first time reading this author's work, but won't be the last.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy for an honest review.
I was a bit skeptical, at first. Aiming more towards a solid 3 rating. But each story is so unique, written so well. It's easy to forget that it isn't a collection of different authors. We're talking various themes, different writing approaches, POVs...
Poppy and The Stumblyum Imperative were definitely my two favorite.
I liked how each one sort of touched upon something real and deep, in their own way. Definitely enjoyed this read! It was my first time reading this author's work, but won't be the last.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy for an honest review.
libraryofstarrs's review
1.0
thank you netgalley for sending me an ARC of christopher hawkin's "suburban monsters" anthology. as a horror lover, when i came across this on NG i had to give it a try!! however, at 64% i decided to DNF. despite me really wanting to enjoy this short story collection, i couldn't. i'm not sure if it was hawkins' writing style or the very lackluster and unoriginal plots for the stories, but it was very unenjoyable for me to read. i was hoping that it would get better or that there would be a story i would truly click with but alas, that was not the case. HOWEVER! i did write mini reviews for the stories that i did read.
green eyes: 2.5/5 - well that was just outright depressing. it kind of reminded me of the movie "antlers" with the whole neglected child, single parent with supernatural issue vibe. i noticed "leaves" was consistently spelled as "leafs", and i'm curious if that was deliberate or not due to the narrator being a young girl. everything else was spelled correctly though, so i'm not sure.
moonrise over water: 3/5 - honestly was unsure how i wanted to rate this one. i took a liking to the artistic elements, though i felt like there was no passion in the story, if that makes sense. it felt like a filler in-between other stories in this collection (little did i know... the ENTIRE collection was going to feel like filler)
storms of the present: DNF - i had to skip through this one because it truly did not sit well with me. MAJOR trigger warning for self harm, eating disorders. and body dysmorphia. definitely not a fan of this story by any means.
origin story: 1/5 - wasn't impressed. very predictable, with boring and unlikable characters.
poppy: 4/5 - this was a step up from the other stories in the collection!! it was honestly really interesting and kept me entertained.
interude: 1/5 - talk about corny... the concept as a story was not executed effectively; however, it may have been better if it were in the form of a short film!
the stumblybums: 2/5 - idk i feel like this concept has been used and recycled so many times before that it didn't have an effect on me. maybe i'm just overly critical... who knows
green eyes: 2.5/5 - well that was just outright depressing. it kind of reminded me of the movie "antlers" with the whole neglected child, single parent with supernatural issue vibe. i noticed "leaves" was consistently spelled as "leafs", and i'm curious if that was deliberate or not due to the narrator being a young girl. everything else was spelled correctly though, so i'm not sure.
moonrise over water: 3/5 - honestly was unsure how i wanted to rate this one. i took a liking to the artistic elements, though i felt like there was no passion in the story, if that makes sense. it felt like a filler in-between other stories in this collection (little did i know... the ENTIRE collection was going to feel like filler)
storms of the present: DNF - i had to skip through this one because it truly did not sit well with me. MAJOR trigger warning for self harm, eating disorders. and body dysmorphia. definitely not a fan of this story by any means.
origin story: 1/5 - wasn't impressed. very predictable, with boring and unlikable characters.
poppy: 4/5 - this was a step up from the other stories in the collection!! it was honestly really interesting and kept me entertained.
interude: 1/5 - talk about corny... the concept as a story was not executed effectively; however, it may have been better if it were in the form of a short film!
the stumblybums: 2/5 - idk i feel like this concept has been used and recycled so many times before that it didn't have an effect on me. maybe i'm just overly critical... who knows
songcatchers's review
4.0
'“That’s a Numblycrumb. They like wrongthoughts,“ Sophie said, her voice small and distant. “If you think too many wrongthoughts, the Numblycrumbs come and they find you.”'
I really liked most of these 13 tales of horror. There's one story in particular, The Stumblybum Imperative, that I keep thinking about. It's about this increasing sinister children's TV show and a mother and daughter entranced. I felt pulled in too lol. Really creepy.
'There are infinities there that you cannot fathom.'
I really liked most of these 13 tales of horror. There's one story in particular, The Stumblybum Imperative, that I keep thinking about. It's about this increasing sinister children's TV show and a mother and daughter entranced. I felt pulled in too lol. Really creepy.
'There are infinities there that you cannot fathom.'
bobmetal's review
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
whatemsreadingx's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Overall rating - 3 out of 5 stars.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Coronis Publishing for the advanced copy to read and review.
I've tried to be fair in my ratings of each story and then have averaged the ratings out to give my overall rating of the book.
Green Eyes - this one was good! Whilst it wasn't overly frightening it certainly was eerie and creepy. Although I did feel like the ending was a bit off, like it didn't quite make sense with the rest of the story.
Rating - 4 stars.
Moonrise Over Water With Sargassum, 2022. Oil On Canvas - OKAY this one played on a big fear of mine, the ocean and seaweed, so the whole story just put me on edge immediately and made me feel super uncomfy. It was really good!
Rating - 4 stars.
Storms of the Present - oh my god, this was traumatic. I genuinely felt sick the entire time I was reading this story, it was disgusting in the best possible way. Both violent and tense it had everything it needed to pack a punch and make you feel ill.
Rating - 5 stars.
Origin Story - I didn't enjoy this one, it felt really odd to me like it never got going and hid itself too much in the shadows for us to figure out what was going on.
Rating - 2 stars.
Poppy - this was so good!!!The way this story was told from first person really added to the creepy layers of the story. And I loved the ambiguity at the end too, did the person telling the story become attached to the mannequins like Poppy was? Were the mannequins real people? It just had everything it needed to be a really creepy story.
Rating - 5 stars.
Interude - even as a self proclaimed clown hater I didn't find this book scary at all, it was kind of heart warming more than anything else. Which was really disappointing given the nature of the book.
Rating - 3 stars.
The Stumblyum Imperative - this was SO GOOD, until the end. I felt the ending was rushed and whilst I do like to be left on a cliff hanger, occasionally, this book was just not it. The writing was impeccable on this one though.
Rating - 4 stars.
Shadowman - I'm sorry but this one was not it, it bored me and it dragged out way too much without enough horror and excitement to keep it interesting.
Rating - 1 star.
Carpenters Thumb - I actually DNF this one, it just got a bit too boring for me, it was literally about a thumb injury that makes a guy want to kill his ex? What in the B rated horror movie is this shit...
Rating - 1 star.
Swallow - okay this was more like the horror I was expecting from this book! It was so cleverly done, I loved the whole story and the way the ending kind of brought everything a full circle was really clever.
Rating - 4 stars.
Ten and Gone - I DNF this one, it wasn't for me.
Rating - omitted as DNF.
Notice - I'm afraid my patience with this book was wearing thin by this story, which is a shame because whilst I do think it aired a bit too much on the side of ambiguity and suspense, it had the makings of a good horror story.
Rating - 2 stars.
A Candle for the Birthday Boy - I'm in two minds about this one, sure it was good and tense and really had you going, but the ending felt flat, like the author was going for the shock value but they missed it and made it too predictable.
Rating - 2 stars.
This book was a real mixed bag for me, some of the stories I would happily have read as a full length novel, but others just made me want to give up reading the book. Part of my issue with anthology books, especially horror ones, is that authors tend to put the shorter stories at the start, so you smash through a fair few quite quickly. Then they progressively get longer and don't always get any better written and it starts to feel too much like a drag - which is what happened with this one sadly.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Coronis Publishing for the advanced copy to read and review.
I've tried to be fair in my ratings of each story and then have averaged the ratings out to give my overall rating of the book.
Green Eyes - this one was good! Whilst it wasn't overly frightening it certainly was eerie and creepy. Although I did feel like the ending was a bit off, like it didn't quite make sense with the rest of the story.
Rating - 4 stars.
Moonrise Over Water With Sargassum, 2022. Oil On Canvas - OKAY this one played on a big fear of mine, the ocean and seaweed, so the whole story just put me on edge immediately and made me feel super uncomfy. It was really good!
Rating - 4 stars.
Storms of the Present - oh my god, this was traumatic. I genuinely felt sick the entire time I was reading this story, it was disgusting in the best possible way. Both violent and tense it had everything it needed to pack a punch and make you feel ill.
Rating - 5 stars.
Origin Story - I didn't enjoy this one, it felt really odd to me like it never got going and hid itself too much in the shadows for us to figure out what was going on.
Rating - 2 stars.
Poppy - this was so good!!!The way this story was told from first person really added to the creepy layers of the story. And I loved the ambiguity at the end too, did the person telling the story become attached to the mannequins like Poppy was? Were the mannequins real people? It just had everything it needed to be a really creepy story.
Rating - 5 stars.
Interude - even as a self proclaimed clown hater I didn't find this book scary at all, it was kind of heart warming more than anything else. Which was really disappointing given the nature of the book.
Rating - 3 stars.
The Stumblyum Imperative - this was SO GOOD, until the end. I felt the ending was rushed and whilst I do like to be left on a cliff hanger, occasionally, this book was just not it. The writing was impeccable on this one though.
Rating - 4 stars.
Shadowman - I'm sorry but this one was not it, it bored me and it dragged out way too much without enough horror and excitement to keep it interesting.
Rating - 1 star.
Carpenters Thumb - I actually DNF this one, it just got a bit too boring for me, it was literally about a thumb injury that makes a guy want to kill his ex? What in the B rated horror movie is this shit...
Rating - 1 star.
Swallow - okay this was more like the horror I was expecting from this book! It was so cleverly done, I loved the whole story and the way the ending kind of brought everything a full circle was really clever.
Rating - 4 stars.
Ten and Gone - I DNF this one, it wasn't for me.
Rating - omitted as DNF.
Notice - I'm afraid my patience with this book was wearing thin by this story, which is a shame because whilst I do think it aired a bit too much on the side of ambiguity and suspense, it had the makings of a good horror story.
Rating - 2 stars.
A Candle for the Birthday Boy - I'm in two minds about this one, sure it was good and tense and really had you going, but the ending felt flat, like the author was going for the shock value but they missed it and made it too predictable.
Rating - 2 stars.
This book was a real mixed bag for me, some of the stories I would happily have read as a full length novel, but others just made me want to give up reading the book. Part of my issue with anthology books, especially horror ones, is that authors tend to put the shorter stories at the start, so you smash through a fair few quite quickly. Then they progressively get longer and don't always get any better written and it starts to feel too much like a drag - which is what happened with this one sadly.
cloudjp's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
issyreadshorror's review against another edition
4.0
3.75/5 stars.
I haven’t found a good format for rating story collections yet. So this is what you get!
Overall the quality was consistent, there wasn’t a story that dramatically lacked in comparison to the others. The vibe is creepy, confusing, suspenseful, and just generally WTF?! Everyday aspects of life turn into twisted tales: birthday parties, watching TV, working, etc.
•Green Eyes (3.5/5): liked the child like POV, mysterious but not necessarily creepy
•Moonrise Over Water (4/5): loved the vibes, Callie Stan account
•Storms of the Present (4/5): Really enjoyed reading this one. It made me super uncomfy and felt socially relevant.
•Origin Story (3.25/5): suspenseful, nice to mix in a super hero aspect.
•Poppy (3.5/5): PEAK mental illness, liked the POV.
•Interude (3.5/5): This made me uncomfortable in a way I don’t even understand but I’m pretty sure it has to do with clowns?!?!
•The Stumblybum Imperative (4/5): This could easily be made into a horror movie. This might’ve been my favorite, I loved the conspiracy aspect.
•Shadowman (4/5): Villain origin story vibes except everyone got what they deserved for being little shits. Yasha stan account.
•Carpenter’s Thumb (3/5): Seek help? Is it your thumb that’s crazy or maybe it’s just you bro.
•Swallow (5/5): SUPER ominous and also what the fuck?!
•Ten and Gone (3/5): Made me think of the other mothers house in Coraline. Crazy how you have to almost be killed by some house baby monster to realize you want to be with your gf and baby???
•Notice (5/5): Loved that this was a letter. Creeeeepy. Lots to unpack.
•A Candle for the Birthday Boy (4/5): okay this bitch CRAZY?! Also why was everyone able to move past that incident????
Thanks to NetGalley and Coronis Publishing for gifting me a digital copy of this book!
I haven’t found a good format for rating story collections yet. So this is what you get!
Overall the quality was consistent, there wasn’t a story that dramatically lacked in comparison to the others. The vibe is creepy, confusing, suspenseful, and just generally WTF?! Everyday aspects of life turn into twisted tales: birthday parties, watching TV, working, etc.
•Green Eyes (3.5/5): liked the child like POV, mysterious but not necessarily creepy
•Moonrise Over Water (4/5): loved the vibes, Callie Stan account
•Storms of the Present (4/5): Really enjoyed reading this one. It made me super uncomfy and felt socially relevant.
•Origin Story (3.25/5): suspenseful, nice to mix in a super hero aspect.
•Poppy (3.5/5): PEAK mental illness, liked the POV.
•Interude (3.5/5): This made me uncomfortable in a way I don’t even understand but I’m pretty sure it has to do with clowns?!?!
•The Stumblybum Imperative (4/5): This could easily be made into a horror movie. This might’ve been my favorite, I loved the conspiracy aspect.
•Shadowman (4/5): Villain origin story vibes except everyone got what they deserved for being little shits. Yasha stan account.
•Carpenter’s Thumb (3/5): Seek help? Is it your thumb that’s crazy or maybe it’s just you bro.
•Swallow (5/5): SUPER ominous and also what the fuck?!
•Ten and Gone (3/5): Made me think of the other mothers house in Coraline. Crazy how you have to almost be killed by some house baby monster to realize you want to be with your gf and baby???
•Notice (5/5): Loved that this was a letter. Creeeeepy. Lots to unpack.
•A Candle for the Birthday Boy (4/5): okay this bitch CRAZY?! Also why was everyone able to move past that incident????
Thanks to NetGalley and Coronis Publishing for gifting me a digital copy of this book!
eflack7's review against another edition
4.0
Some of the stories were great! Others were a little dragged out. Overall was a good read that was entertaining.