Bittersweet

So, I've been on a binge of spooky/mysterious things on YouTube lately, and one video I landed on promoted this book. (I think it may have been by Scare Theater, but don't quote me on that.) Given I was enjoying the material provided on the channel and the narrator seemed to have enjoyed this book, I decided I'd give it a shot. With so few pages in it and my Kindle Unlimited trial still good to go, there was nothing to lose. Except maybe sleep, I suppose, but we all know sleep is a foregone option for people who fall down the YouTube horror rabbit hole anyway.

Though a few of the stories fell very flat for me, these are all bite-sized horror so the ‘meh' ones are more like biting into a gross Halloween candy: it's gone quickly and doesn't ruin the taste of the good ones. And boy were there ever some good ones in this assortment! The anthology starts out very strong, then becomes a bit of a roller coaster, but it's a fun ride overall.

I can't say much about the plots of the tales, given how brief most of them are, but I will share my impressions and individual ratings for each in the hopes of spiking curiosity for potential readers and providing a bit of feedback for the author. And, of course, for the sake of getting my thoughts out - the main reason I write reviews in the first place.

My Dark Box - ???????????????

This one is very short (less than two pages on my device), but effective in creating a bit of a chill down my spine. It seems like the story's going one way, then it seems like it's going another, and finally it arrives at a conclusion which doesn't feel quite so spooky - but only because I absolutely love the type of character involved and don't find them scary. I'd say more, but that'd completely ruin this one, and spoilers for a two-page story feel unfair to both author and potential readers.

Overall, I think managing twists and effective creep factor in so few words is an admirable feat and this would make a decent ‘campfire story.' I'm also very happy about the subtle yet effective representation, since within the first few sentences we learn that the narrating character is a (presumably young) woman who's eagerly awaiting a visit from another woman she can't get out of her head.

Human Mercy - ???????????????

The ending is a bit overly rushed compared to the beginning, but I loved how this one preys upon modern human fears. This one didn't so much scare me, but it did make me think in the way a psychological horror might. I enjoyed it a lot. I don't have an Alexa or anything of the sort, but for those of you who do... Perhaps after you've read this, you'll want to reconsider how much control you give Alexa. Maybe, someday, she'll really be able to think... and have a few opinions on the state of your existence, like the main character in this tale.

Burlap Agave - ???????????????

Yes, the imagery is a bit on the comical side at moments, but I still loved everything about this one. It's a little bit spooky, a little bit unnerving, and very entertaining. Once again, a very small amount of words manages to tell a somewhat complex and intriguing story with an unforeseen ending.

Six Minutes - ???????????????

You know that show Black Mirror? Yeah, I want an episode based on this! I love how there's this undercurrent of intrigue from the start and the ending really drives the point home. The only reason for 4.5 instead of 5 on this one is a punctuation flub: the use of double quotations instead of single quotes inside of dialogue. It tripped me up once because the dialogue had continued through a new page and suddenly I saw an opening quotation and thought I'd been misreading. I hadn't; it really was still a character speaking.

The Sands - ???????????????

This is the first “long” story in the mix, but it's also the first I didn't particularly like. It relies heavily on gross body horror and never gives much explanation for what's happening. When the story was over, I had far more questions than answers and just felt overall annoyed. I almost gave this one one star, but it was objectively well written in the quality of body horror, so I'm being generous.

Live Action - ???????????????

The formatting on this story irks me so much. It contains excerpts from a character's screenplay, but there is nothing to truly set that apart from normal prose. A different font, italics, or even indentation would have been much nicer. As for content... well, there are a couple of really interesting elements but as a whole I felt let down. It feels a bit like someone threw a few episodes of Black Mirror into a blender, but forgot to add sweetener to the resulting smoothie: I can see all the potential, but don't enjoy consuming it as-is.

Shuggah - ???????????????

This one is weirdly fun, albeit in a twisted manner. I wish there were more lore for the creature involved, but what's provided is plenty enough to paint a vivid mental picture.

Madeline Gray - ???????????????

I didn't like some of the wording used in sentences here because it often felt overly convoluted, as if the author were trying too hard to sound fanciful. The story itself is alright, but ends before what I feel would have been the best part. I like the concept, but I'm not all that fond of the execution.

Rex - ???????????????

Dead dogs and decomposition-based body horror are both extremely not my jam, so I honestly expected to hate this story. Weirdly enough, though, it had an odd sense of happiness to it, as the characters - dog included - all seemed quite complacent with their lot in life. The ending is... happy? I don't really think that's a good word for the circumstances, but the ending is oddly cute. There was an odd typo of “the it sounded more like,” which made me stumble for a second in the flow of reading, but otherwise this is a well-written and peculiarly compelling story. Skip this one if dying pets and animal body horror bother you a lot, but otherwise it's a quirky, spooky read. I was able to put aside my own issues with those things to actually enjoy the story of Rex and his human.

Salon Du Jour - ???????????????

I saw the twist in this one coming by the second paragraph, if not sooner. Similarly to Live Action, I find myself disappointed by the great potential in this tale compared to the generic and lackluster execution. Perhaps I'm expecting too much of a short story, but I really wish that even a small hint had been given as to why the main character behaved and thought as she did. Without nuanced motives, it just feels empty.

Make the First Swing Count - ???????????????

This one is rife with typos and makes no sense to me. I can tell what's happening but not why and the whole thing is just annoyingly confusing.

Sister Seafood - ???????????????

I'd say this one is just plain okay. Not bad, not great, just middle of the road. The action element felt very detached and unemotional, though the situation should have called for some form of emotional impact. Every character involved came across as a sociopath, and I don't think that was the intention.

Pepsis Formosa - ???????????????

This is everything I want from short, spooky stories. I definitely didn't realize where this one was heading, and the ending left me smirking. Loved it! I wish I could say more, but to do so would be to spoil this two-page story, and I absolutely refuse to do that.

Grandfather Mountain - ???????????????

He said. She said. He said. She said. Please, give me more dialogue tag variety than just a pronoun and the word said! It's a two-pager and successfully pulls off an edge of creepiness, but sadly this is a case of ‘cool concept, not fond of the execution.' It feels like a very weak way to end this anthology.

Overall Average Rating: ???????????????
My Overall Rating: ???????????????

Considering this book is free on Kindle Unlimited and available for $3 USD, I think it's priced fairly for the content and well worth reading. The stories I loved far outweigh the ones I felt indifferent toward and the small few I actively disliked. Plus, I think there may be a little bit of something for every type of horror fan in this anthology. As such, despite the technical average of all the ratings being three stars, I chose to give an extra for the enjoyment I gathered from my favourites.