Welcome to my stop on the blog tour where I will be giving a review on the anthology that I was gratefully given in exchange for an honest review.
This anthology was so wonderful! It was creepy, eerie and featured haunted homes, vampires, werewolves, and lots of other weird and wonderful creatures. I enjoyed reading all of the stories within this anthology and I didn’t want it to end! There were some stand out pieces which I will outline below :)
The White Door- there were so many great lines that stood out to me, in particular:
‘The grand piano, so neglected its coating of dust had congealed into something like skin, beckoned me.’
‘they wore the identical uniform of ugly death. Like the bride in the second coffin, they were emaciated, skin peeling like old paper from their bones.’
‘I smiled at him, thinking that once he was used to me bringing him tea in the morning, I’d start slipping poison into it.’
‘His skin hung from his face like a once luxurious suit, now threadbare.’
How great are these ?! I loved this creepy Bluebeard-esque tale.
Another tale that I enjoyed is: Laguna and the Engkanto, this was eerie and the atmosphere and characters leapt from the page. I particularly enjoyed this paragraph:
‘Laguna hated the sea. The crashing of the waves kept her awake at night, a cacophony of breaking
and shushing, which swept through the house, permeating the thin wooden walls gapped with clay to keep in the cool. The brine would cloy in her throat and the sea salt bristled her skin. She was always restless during the full orb of the moon, when the glow would glare through the woven roof and the waves seemed the most intense.’
The next story that caught my eye was Moon in the Glass:
‘They found her body on my wedding night. She was floating face-up, they said, her unbound hair spreading around her like flames.’ this opening line hooked me in right away and I knew this would be interesting! Another quote is: ‘I dreamed of her that night. My hands tangled in her fiery hair, the silken curve of her waist, and the exhalation of her breath that carried my name with it like a prayer.’ This line was just *chefs kiss*
Another tale is Brideprice, this was so intriguing and a great story! I didn’t want it to end. Here’s some quotes that I loved:
‘My grandmother had whispered stories of a demon who roamed the battlefields after the killing had ended, a night creature, so unholy the devil never invited him in for dinner. I suppose I half expected you.’
‘Beauty depreciates in value faster than any coinage, but in Russia in 1934, it was all that was keeping me fed.’
‘In a lifetime populated with society's poorest wretches, you stood out like black blood on new snow.’ Great imagery that put a spin on the whole red blood on snow thing. Adored this story.
Lure of the Abyss featured a siren monster creature and a pirate who form a bond. It seems weird to call this cute but it made me laugh and worry in equal parts and this captivated me. Here’s some
quotes I loved:
‘The first time she came in the dead of night, the sky as black as her tail. The second time she came in
the middle of a storm, wind howling through the rigging and rain lashing the deck, making the world
slippery and precarious.’
‘She was beautiful, in the way that the raging storm around us was beautiful. Wild and raw.’ How great are these lines!
The next story that I really enjoyed is Hearteater:
‘“Men and women have been going missing here for years; when they find them, they find them in the woods, their bodies torn to shreds and their ribs cracked open. They say whatever is responsible is eating their hearts."'
'It made something inside me scream; I couldn't stand to look at her. I wanted to cling to her borrowed waistcoat, to chew through her ribcage and live insider her heart forever.'
'gazed up at her with devotion so strong it sacrilegious.'
From Quicksilver Prometheus:
'Henry spent a restful enough night in the attic room. The roar of the sea lulled him to sleep, but when he dreamt, it was of sailors on great ships being tossed about on fathomless, choppy waters, clinging for dear life to the deck. Of great creatures swimming in the depths below, huge beasts with tentacles and blind eyes waiting for an unfortunate soul to tumble overboard.'
'Alan on fire, the skin of his lovely face blistered and bubbling or Alan lying bloated and fish-nibbled on the seabed.'
Homesick was another great tale that I enjoyed! Ghosts who meet and fall in love over reading is ideal.
'She had met other ghosts on her travels. Not everyone who died became a haunting presence. Else the world would be full of shades. As it was, you could travel for miles without seeing another dead soul. They made poor company though. They were always obsessed with something - a loss, a betrayal, revenge, despair...'
'Marion hadn't forgotten the currency of smiles, how they spoke a language of their own.'
My last tale I'll focus on is The Ruin which has one of the best opening lines:
'We met at a book club that only reads books about the end of the world.' How great is that!
Special mention goes to this line- '"Nice cottage," he called, "did you have to eat a Granny to get it?''
~
There is my review of this incredible anthology full of amazing tales by creative writers and I urge you to get a copy! It will not be a waste and there is really something for everyone in these tales. I loved them and wanted to see many of them as full length novels!
5 out of 5 stars.
Be sure to carry on with the tour tomorrow!
