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A review by sashacarpenter
Carnival Of Strange Things by Rita Delude, Lisa Acerbo, Luke Swanson
3.0
Carnival of Strange Things Anthology
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
All the World’s a Show by Stacy Longo ⭐️⭐️
This story seemed like the type of thing I would have seen on Tales From the Crypt. I felt as though the story was too rushed; I never had the chance to connect to Dom in anyway, even for a short story. The last bit of the ending was sick though.
Cronos by Luke Swanson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I really got a kick out of the story. The descriptions are great; the back-and-forth within the timeline is very effective, revealing things at just the right moment to amp up the suspense, often leaving me at the edge of my seat. The ending was kind of perfect in the way in which karma intervened.
Freak Show by Liz Botts
⭐️⭐️⭐️
My biggest problem with this story is Lucy’s parents. Who the hell has a missing child and doesn’t report it? Or sends their other child to school? This made me think that they had something to do with her disappearance. They story was enjoyable and the cliffhanger at the end worked well.
From Hunter to Hunted by Sara Schoen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story seemed to be a Jeffrey Dahmer version of The Frighteners set in a freak show. I enjoyed the narration , the action at the end, and I especially enjoyed the father with the cell phone being Grace’s “victim” in the tour.
Karny Valle by Lisa Acerbo
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Pride, gluttony, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, lust.... Step on up and take the carnie tour of the seven deadly sins with your tour guide, Karny Valle. I liked this story, watching as Karny created the ending to her show. I kept wondering what new sin was next and how it would present itself.
Legend of Angreal by Samie Sands
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I like the way the story is written, giving every character a chance to speak, even Angreal. I like how the reader is left not knowing which girl became Angreal. It’s a great cliffhanger.
Madame Violet’s Secret by Rita Delude
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story was quite a bit different than the others, but I enjoyed it a lot. Like many of the other stories, the narration coming from multiple characters brings a lot to the story. I also actually liked some of the characters!
Nightmare at the Carnival by Amy Crandall
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was a little confused by this one. Are her recollections inaccurate and she’s really a monster of a person, did her actions turn her into a monster, or is it something else? I didn’t like the use of flashbacks.
Smoke and Mirrors by Aaron White
⭐️⭐️1/2
This was a five star story with the most abrupt, ending that left me very disappointed. I enjoyed all the characters and the action, gluing me to the story...until the end.
The Fate Machine by Rob Smales
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is my absolute favorite story in the entire collection. It reminded me of the Twilight Zone episode “Nick of Time” but with a dark, macabre twist. I love how it drew me in, kind of like Piper was drawn to Zoltar, and the end it left me satisfied and, honestly, laughing; I mean, talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!
The Haunt by Erin Lee
⭐️⭐️1/2
This story seem to jump around a lot, and there was a lot of information in the story that was focused on, but that nothing came of, like Rosa being pregnant. While I found Xavier to have his reasons for why he does what he does, but I just found myself not caring to hear the story of his life.
The Monster Within by D.A. Roach
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The phrase, “Be careful what you wish for” perfectly sums up the story. I enjoyed the story a lot. I felt for (most of) the characters, rooting for them at the end. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side...
I received a free, electronic review copy of Carnival of Strange Things Anthology for an honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
All the World’s a Show by Stacy Longo ⭐️⭐️
This story seemed like the type of thing I would have seen on Tales From the Crypt. I felt as though the story was too rushed; I never had the chance to connect to Dom in anyway, even for a short story. The last bit of the ending was sick though.
Cronos by Luke Swanson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I really got a kick out of the story. The descriptions are great; the back-and-forth within the timeline is very effective, revealing things at just the right moment to amp up the suspense, often leaving me at the edge of my seat. The ending was kind of perfect in the way in which karma intervened.
Freak Show by Liz Botts
⭐️⭐️⭐️
My biggest problem with this story is Lucy’s parents. Who the hell has a missing child and doesn’t report it? Or sends their other child to school? This made me think that they had something to do with her disappearance. They story was enjoyable and the cliffhanger at the end worked well.
From Hunter to Hunted by Sara Schoen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story seemed to be a Jeffrey Dahmer version of The Frighteners set in a freak show. I enjoyed the narration , the action at the end, and I especially enjoyed the father with the cell phone being Grace’s “victim” in the tour.
Karny Valle by Lisa Acerbo
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Pride, gluttony, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, lust.... Step on up and take the carnie tour of the seven deadly sins with your tour guide, Karny Valle. I liked this story, watching as Karny created the ending to her show. I kept wondering what new sin was next and how it would present itself.
Legend of Angreal by Samie Sands
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I like the way the story is written, giving every character a chance to speak, even Angreal. I like how the reader is left not knowing which girl became Angreal. It’s a great cliffhanger.
Madame Violet’s Secret by Rita Delude
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story was quite a bit different than the others, but I enjoyed it a lot. Like many of the other stories, the narration coming from multiple characters brings a lot to the story. I also actually liked some of the characters!
Nightmare at the Carnival by Amy Crandall
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was a little confused by this one. Are her recollections inaccurate and she’s really a monster of a person, did her actions turn her into a monster, or is it something else? I didn’t like the use of flashbacks.
Smoke and Mirrors by Aaron White
⭐️⭐️1/2
This was a five star story with the most abrupt, ending that left me very disappointed. I enjoyed all the characters and the action, gluing me to the story...until the end.
The Fate Machine by Rob Smales
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is my absolute favorite story in the entire collection. It reminded me of the Twilight Zone episode “Nick of Time” but with a dark, macabre twist. I love how it drew me in, kind of like Piper was drawn to Zoltar, and the end it left me satisfied and, honestly, laughing; I mean, talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!
The Haunt by Erin Lee
⭐️⭐️1/2
This story seem to jump around a lot, and there was a lot of information in the story that was focused on, but that nothing came of, like Rosa being pregnant. While I found Xavier to have his reasons for why he does what he does, but I just found myself not caring to hear the story of his life.
The Monster Within by D.A. Roach
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The phrase, “Be careful what you wish for” perfectly sums up the story. I enjoyed the story a lot. I felt for (most of) the characters, rooting for them at the end. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side...
I received a free, electronic review copy of Carnival of Strange Things Anthology for an honest review.