4 stars
Me and Lors, we
wanted to read something Halloween-ish this October, and this book was kind of
perfect for it. I must say that I had never read an anthology before, and if
they are all like this, I want more.
So many styles, so different stories, so many
feelings.
And the cover! *sighs* It's amazing.
The Birds of Azalea Street by Nova Ren Suma (4 stars): This was such a
good story to start out with. The writing is beautiful, the story is creepy,
and it has birds, teenagers, and a pervy neighbor.
They
should have looked out their windows sooner. They should have been watching. We
were.
In the Forest Dark and Deep by Carrie Ryan (5
stars): I think this was my favorite out of all of them. The story is based on
Alice in Wonderland. I loved it. It was really strange, it kept me on my toes,
and it had so much going on for such a short story. What else can I say?
No one would ask too many
questions because no one ever really wanted the truth. They wanted the safe
answer. The one that allowed them to fall asleep to the promise of dreams.
Emmeline by Cat Winters (4 stars): The story is set in World War 1, and
it’s just such a Halloween-ish good story. The kind that you gather around a
bonfire to hear. The writing is beautifully sad. I liked it so much that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is
immediately going into my TBR pile. On top.
“Just the beautiful ones.”
“Beautiful monsters?”
“Oui.”
Verse Chorus
Verse by Leigh Bardugo (2.5
stars): It was okay. I mean, I went in expecting so much because I had just
finished reading Six of Crows, which
I absolutely loved. So… this was okay. I think that, while the story was
unsettling, it just didn’t focus enough on the creepy. And the ending? I didn’t
quite get it.
It learned appetite.
Hide and Seek by
Megan Shepherd (3 stars): This
story had sooo much potential and the first half was great. But then it went
downhill really fast. I mean, things just went a bit too smoothly.
(SPOILERISH: her
friend’s house just got burned down to ashes because of her, and her friend
didn’t even care. Whaaat?. Then, she is playing against Deat. Death!. And she
only has to dodge a handful of attempts!!!!?)
Beware a man who comes in a black
coat with a bird on his shoulder. If you see him, it means you are already
dead.
The Dark, Scary Parts and All by Danielle Paige (1 star) No. Just no. The characters are flat and
stupid. It had nothing going for it – not the story, not the characters. Not
even the romance. I’m usually a sucker for romance, but not this time. It was
clichéd and not in a good way.
He put a hand on my back – was he
going to kill me or kiss me?
The Flicker, The Fingers, The Beat, The Sigh by April Genevieve Tucholke (4 stars) I liked this one a lot. I think it’s the
most realistic one out of the whole, and it worked for me. I can totally see
this happen in real life. I liked how the author didn’t just give us a story,
she also gave us the relationship between the victim and our protagonist, and
it really added to the story.
Did I imagine it? The flicker? The
fingers? The beat? The sigh? Did I?
Fat Girl With a Knife by Jonathan Maberry ( 2 stars) But then, I’ve
never really liked zombie stories. In my opinion, it kind of lacked originality
and scariness.
“Marcy?” Dahlia repeated, shaking her a little. “Come
on now, this isn’t funny.” It wasn’t. Nor was Marcy making a joke. Dahlia knew
it.
Sleepless by Jay Kristoff (4 stars) I haven’t seen the movie it was based on, but I couldn’t help
but put “No angels” by Bastille on the speakers. And the plot twists; I really
enjoyed all the plot twists.
"Sometimes I wonder if the right girl is out
there. Sometimes I wonder if Momma isn't right about all of them."
M by Stefan Bachmann (3.5 stars) Our narrator is blind, but then again, the
ones with sight don’t seem to see anything that’s going on. And can we talk
about the creepy children rhymes?
They did not know who was good and who was wicked, who
was strong and who was cowardly, who was murdering in their house, and who was
trying to save their lives. Eyes were tricks in bone boxes, but everyone
believed them.
The Girl Without a Face by Marie Lu (5 stars) This was the most
classic scary tale in the book, and I loved it. It was creepy and had psychological
scariness and wow. I won’t say more. Go now. Read it.
He shut
the door and locked himself in. Go away, he
whispered into the darkness. Tears ran down his cheeks. I didn’t mean it. I’m
sorry. Just go away and leave me alone, please leave me alone, please.
A Girl Who Dreamed of Snow by McCormick Templeman (3 stars) The writing was beautiful, but then it wasn’t really scary, or creepy,
or really unsettling. I don’t know. I liked it, but it didn’t have the same
tone as the rest of the book.
Whatever it was, this thing, it
was made of shadow, made of night.
Stitches by A.G. Howard (5
stars) This is definitevly the most unsettling one of them all. It’s gory and
gritty, and a fantastic story. And the ending. I did not see it coming.
Saw in hand, I was no longer Sage Adams, looming over
the prone form of my wretched, troubled pa. I was a French baker in Paris,
slicing up a gingerbread man.
On the I-5 by Kendare Blake (3 stars) It was okay. I feel like that’s unfair, but I expected a fantastically
scary story to close the book. And I feel like this wasn’t it. I would have
closed with “Stitches”. However, this was a good story.
"She wasn't
stupid. She was just sad. And young. So full of life, she thought she could
afford to lose some."
I was a little weary
about this book because it deals with suicide. Usually, in this type of books,
I can’t really connect with the characters. They all feel 2D to me. I neither
love nor hate them- I kind of just… don’t feel them. They are not real to me –
they’re paper and nothing more. This didn’t happen in this book. At all. All of
the characters come alive in the pages. Every single one of them. From James
and Marilyn, to Nath and little Hannah. Even
Lydia, who’s dead from the first page. Yes, even Lydia. She was just a girl who
wanted to do right by everyone. She made a mistake. She miscalculated. She
carried all of her parent’s expectations on her shoulders, and they were so
heavy she sank. 
