A review by ohhdeanna
Southern Gothic: New Tales of the South by Michael Russell, Hardy Jones, Emily Ruth Isaacson, Jordan M. Scoggins, Caitlin Norris, C.J. Beacham, Heather Bell Adams, Brian Centrone, A.A. Garrison, Eryk Pruitt, Kent Tankersley, Miranda Stone, Mark Pritchard, Rose Yndigoyen, A.G. Carpenter, Nathan Mark Phillips, Shane K. Bernard, Zachary Honey

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

For the first time when reading a short story collection I rated each story out of 5 as I went along, and this was the average I ended up with for the whole book. This was a book I had bought years ago when I went through a Southern Gothic stage (music, movies, books), but only got around to reading now.

I was a little disappointed by the stories in here, they averaged out at about a 3 for me. However, there were some standouts! My absolute favourite was Long Gone Girl by Rose Yndigoyen. Spooky and queer and made me wanting more! I also really enjoyed Visitin' Cormierville by Hardy Jones, Two Poems by Emily Ruth Isaacson, Instrument by Mark Pritchard, Long Finger From the Sky by Michael Russell and A Sleeping Place by A.A. Garrison which had the great honour of making me cry, quite unexpectedly.

Overall this was a fine collection, I think the better stories in here make up for the others. I would recommend!