Starting this middling 3-star review with a caveat: this novella series is one of my favorites. I love the main character and I love the dry 3.5 stars
Starting this middling 3-star review with a caveat: this novella series is one of my favorites. I love the main character and I love the dry humor in the writing. But I wanted more from this latest romp in the rural woods…
If you haven't read What Moves the Dead, stop here and go back to that one. It's the first in this novella "series" and while they do count as standalones...technically... I think the first one is fantastic and everyone should read it first.
Cool, they're gone right? Now onto this second installment.
*****
Alex Easton is a retired soldier from the fictional country of Gallacia. It gives me Romania / Eastern Europe / Russia vibes, but truly who knows what the author was visualizing when they crafted this setup. Either way, Easton exists in the 1800s era and they have a penchant for finding themselves in horrifying situations.
In Easton's first sojourn into the dark corners of folklore, they encountered mushroom-based horror in England in a truly twisted retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher.
In this second tale, they're back with their companion Angus and they're tackling something on the home front: their own rural hunting lodge in the Gallacian woods.
There's something sinister in the woods...
Call me cautious, but I'm stopping the introductions there. Slim novellas only have so many pages to share their tale, so I like to keep it short and sweet in my review to maintain some hints of surprise.
So, as someone who LOVED What Moves the Dead and touted it as "Mexican Gothic concept but better," I have to admit that this second Easton novella let me down.
I think it was a combination of a boring horror concept—boring to me, anyway—and a weird sense of aimlessness to the storytelling. The first novella had a very firm grip on its pacing. I was never bored, and I didn't put it down. This one was both very easy to put down and also felt like Easton was just...existing on the page, with no real forward momentum despite being slowly surrounded by the horror element.
All in all, I enjoyed more time spent with Easton and their friends—but I'm looking forward to a more compelling advance next time. (Hopefully there is a next time?)
Something new?? LOVE. This unique horror novella hits on multiple levels while hiding behind the facade of a stereotypical concept.
Concept: ★★4 stars
Something new?? LOVE. This unique horror novella hits on multiple levels while hiding behind the facade of a stereotypical concept.
Concept: ★★★★ Execution of themes: ★★★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★
I think at our core, us horror readers are newness junkies. We like to be surprised, titillated, and/or intrigued by the "new" factor of the horror element we're reading. To enjoy horror is to, at a basic level, enjoy the constant chase for the unique.
Which makes it a very hard genre for writers, I can only imagine, as there's only so much "new" one can do. And there's that popular phrase with some truth to it, "nothing new under the sun," etc. etc. etc.
So when we find that new (pun intended) release that has something we've never read before?? Bliss. That's the spot.
Linghun hits that spot.
To call this novella a "horror" book is a bit reductive. It's also a nuanced study into the immigrant experience and a deep, dark dive into the hellscape of grief permutation. But it's also a horror in that it involves social horror, haunted homes, and the scary transformations of grief.
Go into this one blind and be open to something that isn't "SCARY" but is horrifying in its own way.
My favorite Veronica Roth, and the start of a deliciously dark urban fantasy world that I hope we see much more of in the future.
I'm very behind on mMy favorite Veronica Roth, and the start of a deliciously dark urban fantasy world that I hope we see much more of in the future.
I'm very behind on my Goodreads updates, so it's to my shame that my raw reactions of "OH MY GOD, SO AMAZING" have tempered slightly with time and I'm a little more hinged than unhinged here for this final review.
But don't take my middle-of-the-road energy as any indication of my love for this short dark fable—I was and remain obsessed.
I'm not sure what happened to the gritty/dark/folkloric urban fantasies of the 2000s-2010s YA and adult fiction. (Okay, I have some theories, but this isn't the time and place). The concept of the urban fantasy is one that I thought really hit a lot of buttons—magic in our "real world," darker themes like death and criminal activities, lots of magical beings that know what a McDonalds is, oftentimes humor mixed with serious plots, etc.
For me, the meshing of the Other with the mundane in a dark color palette is just *chefs kiss*
So it's to my happy surprise that When Among Crows is a resurgence of the concepts. It's dark. It's brief. It's richly layered magic in the fabric of Chicago's mundane realities. It's grounded in Polish roots. And it's a hell of a good time.
Come because it's Veronica Roth and you liked Divergent's Chicago setting and now you're an adult who wants a different kind of darkness. Stay because this short novella is nuanced, smart, and the best thing Roth's ever written.
I'll be highly recommending this novella for years to come. (And Veronica, please, more of this world!!)
This was so singular. I’ve never read another novella—let alone an under-100-page novella—like it. Post-apocalyptic, grief-stricken, intentionally mysThis was so singular. I’ve never read another novella—let alone an under-100-page novella—like it. Post-apocalyptic, grief-stricken, intentionally mysterious, and gloriously ressurrectioned.
Undead Folk is a novella that I found through various Instagram friends. Queer horror novella, all three are buzzwords for me. Of course I was going to pick this up.
It's 76 pages, so I REALLY can't talk about the plot because to do so would be to negate the reading experience.
So here are some thoughts:
I loved the intentionally vague descriptions, landscape, and setup. You're meant to be confused, yet intrigued, and I certainly was.
The undead/resurrection angle to this story was very cool. Again, vague to the point of frustration, but very to the point with its messaging and purpose.
Having this slim novel pack such a punch with its meditation on raw grief? Very well done.
Some minor qualms I did have, however, included the fact that I do wish this novella had been a wee bit longer. I would have loved something denser, longer, with more teeth. 150 pages instead of 76, for example. Both Ella and Amos needed more time, for me, to truly get to the bones of this narrative and unpack the seriously dark underbelly to this story. It was okay at this length, but I likely would have sobbed my eyes out if given more time to get connected to their character arcs.
Divorce yourself from the idea that this author is the same one who wrote If We Were Villains—the writing feels like her, but tha3.5 stars, rounded up
Divorce yourself from the idea that this author is the same one who wrote If We Were Villains—the writing feels like her, but that constant comparison is going to make you dislike this slim novella.
I enjoyed this micro slice-of-life into 5 interesting peoples’ lives and their weird crossed paths. Extremely well written, wry, and emotionally complex while maintaining a distanced third person POV in a way that I always personally appreciate.
It was with less enjoyment that I came to terms with the fact that we’re still, for some reason, culturally stuck on the mycelium horror landscape that has been so thoroughly covered by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, T Kingfisher, and others. I am tired of that concept and wish it was done with more nuance / new elements.
Already anticipating the next from ML Rio. (But please, let’s retire the fungus for a bit.)...more
Now this was neat. Circular threads overlapping themselves all winding their way to the endless void of meaning/un-meaning in the art world… all with Now this was neat. Circular threads overlapping themselves all winding their way to the endless void of meaning/un-meaning in the art world… all with a satirist edge.
Saint Sebastian's Abyss is a very slim novel, barely there—144 pages of long-winded brevity, if you will—just like our protagonist's "terse nine-page email" from his ex-best friend and colleague's deathbed confessional email.
At the risk of sounding condescending in this review, that kind of satiric nonsense is what this novella is all about. (How is a NINE-PAGE email regarded as "barely a jotting", etc.)
This is a novel about two tediously dull art critics who used to be best friends and colleagues. Now they're mortal enemies because one of them said that horrible thing decades ago, and ever since then they write books as barbs against each others' latest works.
Their entire careers, spanning decades and several novels a piece, are centered on the one painting that is their mutual obsession: an early Renaissance work titled Saint Sebastian's Abyss.
But now Schmidt, our unnamed protagonist's nemesis and closest colleague, is dying in Berlin. And our protagonist must see him one last time.
This entire novella takes place in our protagonist's memories as he takes his journey to Berlin. While on this relatively short trip, we unpack the history of his deep bond with Schmidt, their mutual obsession with The Painting, and the facts surrounding the painter himself—who had a similarly bizarre existence mired with madness and obsession.
Part of the fun of this novella is the sheer tedium and satiric hypocrisy of our narrator. He's tedious, Schmidt is tedious, and the two of them together as vignettes over time are... tedious. They're pretentious art critics bemoaning the trite hypocrisy of other art critics and schools of thought while simultaneously being that themselves, fulfilling their own prophecy by spending their lives in endless discussion over one relatively insignificant painting.
The novella handles this wryly hilarious fact by being as tedious and circular as possible. The narrator cycles through similar thoughts, fragments of sentences, and arguments over and over again. We, as the reader, find ourselves lulled into this bizarre thinkspeak of being and are both bored and gripped at the same time like a trainwreck you can't stop looking at.
A hypnotic novella. A tedious novella. Something to read and snicker over if you have any kind of opinions about the art world—pro or con, it doesn't matter, it's still amusing.
I bought this collection for a few reasons: Melissa Albert’s new fairy tale, and to check out the stories by HE Edgmon, Hafsah Faizal, Dahlia3.5 stars
I bought this collection for a few reasons: Melissa Albert’s new fairy tale, and to check out the stories by HE Edgmon, Hafsah Faizal, Dahlia Adler, and Darcy Little Badger.
Albert’s new fairy tale is the best of the best, and worth the read for that one alone.
I loved HE Edgmon’s twist on Snow White (TW: transphobia) and thoroughly enjoyed Faizal’s take on Red Riding Hood. Little Badger’s Puss in Boots retelling was witty and sharp, what fun.
Adler’s contributions to these YA anthology collections are usually very strong—the collection is curated by her, after all—but I found this one on Rumplestiltsken too short and not gripping enough this time.
The other stories were a mixed bag for me. (The first story in particular by McLemore was REALLY not for me in the narrative style—so don’t let that one turn you off from the collection if you peek at it in the bookstore.)
Recommended reading for anthology fans, Melissa Albert fans, and people who enjoy a good twist on the great fairytales....more
This was actually pretty cool. I always keep my expectations low for my “freebie” books—you never know what you’re in for!—but every once in a while, This was actually pretty cool. I always keep my expectations low for my “freebie” books—you never know what you’re in for!—but every once in a while, one of them really shines. Smilin’ Sam’s Corn Maze is one of those winners.
Kind of unpolished in parts, but overall extremely solid and, unlike other novellas, truly gripping in story setup and sense of intrigue. I wanted to know the answers, and I didn’t want to stop reading until I found them out. ...more
Fun hook—two noir goons for hire, one undead and one not-dead—but at the end of the day, this didn’t grip me and I found myself Bored with a capital BFun hook—two noir goons for hire, one undead and one not-dead—but at the end of the day, this didn’t grip me and I found myself Bored with a capital B.
Concept: intriguing Plot/Pacing: pretty boring and propelled by dialogue Enjoyment: it was fine
The Pale House Devil is the story of two noir goons for hire. One of them has been dead for centuries. The other is a living man. Both of them spend their criminal lives as hit men and fixers. But then one job goes awry and these two friends find themselves persona non grata.
So they do what any duo would do—they hightail it to the opposite coastline and try their luck in California.
And once in California, they find themselves... still outta luck for work. So when they get a mysterious case from a mysterious woman, they feel compelled to take it despite the red flags. Beggars can't be choosers, after all.
To share any more of the plot would spoil this very slim novella, so I'll stop there and get right to the heart of the matter: this novella was the definition of "okay" for me.
Was it gripping? Initially, yes. But the choppy and terse dialogue grated on me after the first chapter, and the fact that most of this novella was spent on dialogue really took away from the experience of this story as a horror plot.
Was it worth the read? In short... no. At least not for me. I think that a certain readership interested in this kind of setup would enjoy it. I was not that reader—I needed more context, more development of the plot, and more action.
Well then. I haven’t felt that level of creeping, utter dread in quite some time—and certainly not while bathed in the surface level story of4.5 stars
Well then. I haven’t felt that level of creeping, utter dread in quite some time—and certainly not while bathed in the surface level story of a sunshine cottage core sapphic love story. This story isn’t about the shock of a reveal. It’s about the never-ending ceaseless anxiety of the trap closing softly around you. Too gentle to identify as a danger. Too inexorable to escape.
I'm not even going to describe this story, because I think it works best when you can experience the inescapable dread in real time.
Stunning novella. Polarizing if you think the “reveal” is meant to be the draw of the tale. Recommended highly to my other short/weird/queer horror fans.
Let’s be honest, I bought this anthology for the Stephen Graham Jones story. Which was just as bonkers as his usual work, so hooray for that. But! I fLet’s be honest, I bought this anthology for the Stephen Graham Jones story. Which was just as bonkers as his usual work, so hooray for that. But! I found a few other hidden gems in this collection that were interesting and made this flash-fiction reading exercise worthwhile. (There were also a fair few duds.)
I'll keep this review super short, because this story is—this novella is worth your attention.
With a singular narrative voice and an unbelievably ricI'll keep this review super short, because this story is—this novella is worth your attention.
With a singular narrative voice and an unbelievably rich setting and emotional palette, And What Can We Offer You Tonight stands strong behind its stunning cover.
This is a novella about personhood, about reclaiming space. It's about the world's oldest profession in the world's futuristic dystopia. It's about a murder; it's about a vengeance wreaked.
This slim novella (under 100 pages) packs a heavy punch.
My first read of the year, and what a treat! Beautifully illustrated and beautifully told.
Artwork: ★★★★★ Stories: ★★★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★★
This will definMy first read of the year, and what a treat! Beautifully illustrated and beautifully told.
Artwork: ★★★★★ Stories: ★★★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★★
This will definitely an abbreviated review due to the short length of the stories. My best suggestion to those who are pulled in by that beautiful cover is this: if the title and cover appeal to you, then this collection is worth your time.
With truly stunning illustrations, stories ranging from short and quaint to long and lingering, An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Castle Legends was truly delightful.
I picked this oversized hardcover up from a local independent bookstore—the true MVPs of the book world!!—and just had to have it.
This collection is most likely "officially" for children, but as an adult with a firm interest in folk tales I found this well worth the read and will definitely refer back to it in the future to gaze at the art and keep as knowledge of these interesting Scottish castle fables.
This was a fun and flipped take on the "princess locked in the tower" fable with some interesting twists.
Concept: ★★★★ Pacing: ★★ Enjoyment: ★3.5 stars
This was a fun and flipped take on the "princess locked in the tower" fable with some interesting twists.
Concept: ★★★★ Pacing: ★★ Enjoyment: ★★★
"When the witch built the forty-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly."
And thus begins the tale of Princess Floralinda and her imprisonment in the "properly done" forty-flight tower of traps, magical dragons, and more that the everyday princes must conquer in order to save Floralinda from her prison.
Floralinda finds out that the witch maybe...overdid it on the "done properly" front. In fact, Floralinda's pretty sure the proper word is "overkill," not overdid. Because none of the princes seem to make it past the very first level with the dragon. Let alone the other 39 floors of terror.
And Floralinda's getting pretty bored, hungry, and cold. The tower wasn't made for an all-seasons imprisonment, after all, and winter is coming.
So Floralinda decides its maybe time for her to try and get down the tower herself.
Some mixed results occur...
Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower is a Tamsyn Muir creation, so I loved it by itself for that fact alone. It was quaint, it had wry turns of phrase, and it had an interesting character dynamic that bordered romantic and bordered snark and brought a lot of fun times.
The journey was quaint. The monsters were interesting takes on tropes and established ideas. The princess-to-badass pipeline was an unique journey in this tale.
But.... This one wasn't my favorite. There, I said it. (Tamsyn, I'm so sorry.) I had a hard time with the repetition and an even harder time with the pacing that lagged/raced/lagged in all of the weirdest moments. I wanted more, or less, or something adapted differently with the same toolbox. It was odd.
Definitely a must-read for Tamsyn fans and a likely favorite for those who like alternate retellings and fables of traditional Western fairy tales. (And Disney fans. This is likely a good hit for grown-up Disney fans who want something "different" that is not, in fact, that different.)
What a cool, demonic sapphic noir! C.L. Polk always knows how to write the most intriguing worlds and yet keep them accessible to the casual speculatiWhat a cool, demonic sapphic noir! C.L. Polk always knows how to write the most intriguing worlds and yet keep them accessible to the casual speculative reader.
Concept: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★★ Plot/Pacing: ★★★★
First off, I must say that the Tordotcom publishing house has become unstoppable with their cover design and title choices recently. This cover + this title? It was screaming to be read.
Helena Brandt is a magical woman living in Chicago in the mid-1900s. In this alternate-yet-similar America, magic and demons are all too real. And there are "good" magic users and "bad" magic users.
Ten guesses as to what side Helena's been labeled... Yep, you were right: a "bad" magic user, or warlock in this world.
Helena made one life-altering decision nearly 10 years ago, and the Brotherhood of good magicians cast her out for her sins. Ever since that fateful day, Helena's turned to a life of magical detective work and crime photography.
But life isn't all roses and daisies for a female detective in 1940s Chicago. Especially for a queer one who doesn't stay in her lane. With enemies closing in, the law a constant threat, and an internal clock ticking ominously down to a very final end, the LAST thing Helena needs is to encounter the worst case of her detective career.
She'd walk away from that job in a hot minute, but her boss offers her a deal that she just can't refuse...
And now it's up to Helena to catch a killer before the deadly trap closes around her.
Even Though I Knew the End was C.L. Polk at their finest. Complicated concepts done simply with accessible character development and dialogue. A fantastical world with the codes and dark sides of our real-world reality. And some very intriguing twists that feel simple and predictable...until they're not.
I recommend this novella to anyone who enjoys historical noir, queer stories, demonic thrillers, and perfectly packaged short fiction. This was a fun ride!
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