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howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)
Assigned reading for MLIS 7421: Multicultural Youth Literature.
Ada's Violin tells the true story of how the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay came to be. It not only tackles issues such as the lack of wholesome options for bored teens in impoverished communities, but also the incredible healing power of art (in this case, music) and the willpower that artists must exhibit to become skilled in their craft.
Ada's Violin tells the true story of how the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay came to be. It not only tackles issues such as the lack of wholesome options for bored teens in impoverished communities, but also the incredible healing power of art (in this case, music) and the willpower that artists must exhibit to become skilled in their craft.
Assigned reading for MLIS 7421: Multicultural Youth Literature.
Radiant Child summarizes the childhood and rise to fame of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the famous artist. While it offers some solid insight into his upbringing and the multicultural nature of his home (with a Puerto Rican mother and Haitian father), it also touches on his mother's mental illness and the way her struggles inspired him to make her proud. It's a moving story, no doubt, but I don't think it works well as a children's book; the art is so inspired by Basquiat's work that it is confusing and hard to follow at times, and the nuances of the story, as well as its delivery, would be lost on most children, I think. I'd recommend this less for children and more as a "coffee table" book for anyone who wants a visually fascinating nonfiction short to keep around.
Radiant Child summarizes the childhood and rise to fame of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the famous artist. While it offers some solid insight into his upbringing and the multicultural nature of his home (with a Puerto Rican mother and Haitian father), it also touches on his mother's mental illness and the way her struggles inspired him to make her proud. It's a moving story, no doubt, but I don't think it works well as a children's book; the art is so inspired by Basquiat's work that it is confusing and hard to follow at times, and the nuances of the story, as well as its delivery, would be lost on most children, I think. I'd recommend this less for children and more as a "coffee table" book for anyone who wants a visually fascinating nonfiction short to keep around.
Assigned reading for MLIS 7421: Multicultural Youth Literature.
The Patchwork Torah follows a few generations of scribes as they create beautiful Torahs - and hope to fix the ones that have been damaged by time and war. It's a sweet story for sure, and I loved the idea of keeping around all of these incredible pieces of history. I also appreciated the fact that the book touches upon how the Torah cannot be disposed of plainly, and how the pieces that are not salvageable were sent off to be retained in a safe location for holy texts. That said, the story is incredibly repetitive and downright boring - between that and the dull art, I don't foresee this keeping the attention of most children.
The Patchwork Torah follows a few generations of scribes as they create beautiful Torahs - and hope to fix the ones that have been damaged by time and war. It's a sweet story for sure, and I loved the idea of keeping around all of these incredible pieces of history. I also appreciated the fact that the book touches upon how the Torah cannot be disposed of plainly, and how the pieces that are not salvageable were sent off to be retained in a safe location for holy texts. That said, the story is incredibly repetitive and downright boring - between that and the dull art, I don't foresee this keeping the attention of most children.
Assigned reading for MLIS 7421: Multicultural Youth Literature.
Brown Girl Dreaming is a nonfiction poetry memoir, which is a fascinating medium in and of itself, and Jacqueline Woodson wields it magnificently. The poetry is beautiful and descriptive, but succinct enough that even readers who don't enjoy lyrical writing could easily get lost in her storytelling.
She works through her life from the beginning, telling stories of her birth, her infant and toddler years, up through to when she was a preteen girl. Moving from Ohio to South Carolina, and then to New York with occasional trips to her grandparents' back in the south, she has a unique advantage of being able to describe how much racism varied from the north to the south in the 60s and 70s.
She tells stories of how desperately her parents wanted her and her siblings to speak properly, carry themselves with poise, and toe the line between respecting others and respecting one's self. The entire package is incredibly insightful into the dynamics of what it was to be a black child during the heart of the Civil Rights movement.
Brown Girl Dreaming is a nonfiction poetry memoir, which is a fascinating medium in and of itself, and Jacqueline Woodson wields it magnificently. The poetry is beautiful and descriptive, but succinct enough that even readers who don't enjoy lyrical writing could easily get lost in her storytelling.
She works through her life from the beginning, telling stories of her birth, her infant and toddler years, up through to when she was a preteen girl. Moving from Ohio to South Carolina, and then to New York with occasional trips to her grandparents' back in the south, she has a unique advantage of being able to describe how much racism varied from the north to the south in the 60s and 70s.
She tells stories of how desperately her parents wanted her and her siblings to speak properly, carry themselves with poise, and toe the line between respecting others and respecting one's self. The entire package is incredibly insightful into the dynamics of what it was to be a black child during the heart of the Civil Rights movement.
Assigned reading for MLIS 7421: Multicultural Youth Literature.
There's not a lot to this book, but that's part of why it works so well; it's just a story of a little boy, the youngest in a family of Vietnamese immigrants, waking up early on a Saturday morning to go fishing for dinner with his father while musing over the idea of his father as a child, fishing on a Saturday morning in a very similar pond, on the other side of the globe. It touches lightly on how difficult it is for their family to make ends meet, and how hard his parents work to keep food on the table for their children.
The author's note at the end of the book was what meant the most to me, as Bao Phi explained that this book is the story of his own childhood, and he even touched on how much the illustrations reminded him of his family home and how important they were to him as a piece of this book.
There's not a lot to this book, but that's part of why it works so well; it's just a story of a little boy, the youngest in a family of Vietnamese immigrants, waking up early on a Saturday morning to go fishing for dinner with his father while musing over the idea of his father as a child, fishing on a Saturday morning in a very similar pond, on the other side of the globe. It touches lightly on how difficult it is for their family to make ends meet, and how hard his parents work to keep food on the table for their children.
The author's note at the end of the book was what meant the most to me, as Bao Phi explained that this book is the story of his own childhood, and he even touched on how much the illustrations reminded him of his family home and how important they were to him as a piece of this book.
Assigned reading for MLIS 7421: Multicultural Youth Literature.
This book offers such an insightful and sweet look into the life of Dr. Temple Grandin. It begins with her childhood and highlights how her autism presented in her earliest years, as well as some of the struggles she faced, such as being expelled after getting into a fight with another student. It never vilifies her for her autism, and it even takes time to show how supportive her mother is of her needs.
Before reading this, I didn't know much about Dr. Temple Grandin's life and contributions to the world of farming, so it was really interesting to learn a bit about her. I felt like the timeline and details given were the perfect combination of being simple enough for children to enjoy and grasp, while still offering enough information that I feel like I learned something new!
This book offers such an insightful and sweet look into the life of Dr. Temple Grandin. It begins with her childhood and highlights how her autism presented in her earliest years, as well as some of the struggles she faced, such as being expelled after getting into a fight with another student. It never vilifies her for her autism, and it even takes time to show how supportive her mother is of her needs.
Before reading this, I didn't know much about Dr. Temple Grandin's life and contributions to the world of farming, so it was really interesting to learn a bit about her. I felt like the timeline and details given were the perfect combination of being simple enough for children to enjoy and grasp, while still offering enough information that I feel like I learned something new!
Assigned reading for MLIS 7421: Multicultural Youth Literature.
To be such a tiny book and a quick read, it really manages to fit in some very important historical stories and commentary on how the native people have been treated in North America. Jimmy struggles with bullying at his school because, despite being 75% Lakota, he looks white, and his classmates tease him relentlessly for it. His grandfather takes him on a road trip and teaches him all about Crazy Horse, Jimmy's great-great-great-great...yougetthepicture-grandfather, a very well-known and beloved Lakota warrior from the 1800s.
It's quickly evident that this book is a mixture of fiction and nonfiction; while Jimmy may not be a real person, you can tell that the stories about Crazy Horse come from a place of truth, and Joseph Marshall III's author's note even talks about how he has devoted his life to studying this great Lakota ancestor of his. It was so wonderful to feel his passion for his culture and history through the writing, and I would definitely recommend this one to any kid or young teen.
To be such a tiny book and a quick read, it really manages to fit in some very important historical stories and commentary on how the native people have been treated in North America. Jimmy struggles with bullying at his school because, despite being 75% Lakota, he looks white, and his classmates tease him relentlessly for it. His grandfather takes him on a road trip and teaches him all about Crazy Horse, Jimmy's great-great-great-great...yougetthepicture-grandfather, a very well-known and beloved Lakota warrior from the 1800s.
It's quickly evident that this book is a mixture of fiction and nonfiction; while Jimmy may not be a real person, you can tell that the stories about Crazy Horse come from a place of truth, and Joseph Marshall III's author's note even talks about how he has devoted his life to studying this great Lakota ancestor of his. It was so wonderful to feel his passion for his culture and history through the writing, and I would definitely recommend this one to any kid or young teen.
Assigned reading for MLIS 7421: Multicultural Youth Literature.
This was one of those books that I really wanted to like, because it has such a unique and rarely shown perspective, as it's written about Canadian indigenous people, by a Canadian indigenous author. It even includes the story in its original language, rather than only its English translation, which is not only a fantastic added touch, but allows it to reach a wider variety of children.
That said, it just doesn't really have a story to it. It's about two children who go out hunting for caribou with their parents, and decide to do a song and dance to make the caribou come. While I can absolutely appreciate the cultural importance of this theme, in the context of the book, it just makes it feel like nothing is really happening. The book isn't saved by its art, as many lackluster children's books might be; the artwork is dodgy and muddled, so I can't see it attracting the eye of most children I know (my own son glanced at it and kept walking, which is unusual for him).
This was one of those books that I really wanted to like, because it has such a unique and rarely shown perspective, as it's written about Canadian indigenous people, by a Canadian indigenous author. It even includes the story in its original language, rather than only its English translation, which is not only a fantastic added touch, but allows it to reach a wider variety of children.
That said, it just doesn't really have a story to it. It's about two children who go out hunting for caribou with their parents, and decide to do a song and dance to make the caribou come. While I can absolutely appreciate the cultural importance of this theme, in the context of the book, it just makes it feel like nothing is really happening. The book isn't saved by its art, as many lackluster children's books might be; the artwork is dodgy and muddled, so I can't see it attracting the eye of most children I know (my own son glanced at it and kept walking, which is unusual for him).
4/5 ∗∗∗∗
When Vera loses her best friend, Charlie, in an apparent suicide after he leaves her for the wrong crowd, everyone expects her to mourn. Nobody expects her to take up drinking in her father's footsteps, or to start seeing visions of Charlie everywhere she goes: in bathrooms, in the car, on her eyelids when she sleeps. He's begging her to clear his name, to find the truth about his death. Can she set aside the hurt he left her with long enough to clear his name - and what will she find out about herself in the process?
Please Ignore Vera Dietz was a title that had been on my TBR list for just south of four years, according to Goodreads. When I received a sale email a couple of months ago that listed it as $1.99 on iBooks, I bought it, but still didn't pick it up until a few days ago. It was a little slow getting into, because it started off feeling like most other "teen grief" books; give King a chance, though, and you'll see she brought something different to the table with this title. I took off a star because I found the narrator a little hard to really connect and empathize with, despite her hardships, but all in all, it was an enjoyable read that I'd recommend to anyone who likes teen contemporaries.
When Vera loses her best friend, Charlie, in an apparent suicide after he leaves her for the wrong crowd, everyone expects her to mourn. Nobody expects her to take up drinking in her father's footsteps, or to start seeing visions of Charlie everywhere she goes: in bathrooms, in the car, on her eyelids when she sleeps. He's begging her to clear his name, to find the truth about his death. Can she set aside the hurt he left her with long enough to clear his name - and what will she find out about herself in the process?
Please Ignore Vera Dietz was a title that had been on my TBR list for just south of four years, according to Goodreads. When I received a sale email a couple of months ago that listed it as $1.99 on iBooks, I bought it, but still didn't pick it up until a few days ago. It was a little slow getting into, because it started off feeling like most other "teen grief" books; give King a chance, though, and you'll see she brought something different to the table with this title. I took off a star because I found the narrator a little hard to really connect and empathize with, despite her hardships, but all in all, it was an enjoyable read that I'd recommend to anyone who likes teen contemporaries.
It's time for another horror anthology review! I know that, when I wrote my last one, I said I was done with anthologies for a little while, but they always suck me back in, and this one had been calling out to me from my kindle for a while. It kicks off with a story from one of my favorite online horror authors of all time, but I also found some new writers to enjoy (as well as getting to read new work from some other old favorites).
→ The Girl Who Died by C. K. Walker ←
If you've read my reviews of C. K. Walker's Cold, Thin Air books, you already know that I'm a big fan of her ideas. The anthology starts with her twist on a Patient Zero story, and was really enjoyable and unique. While I saw the ending coming, I was still totally pleased with the turns that it took.
→ I Loved You So Much by Christopher Bloodworth ←
This story is a tale of a child who finds an alien-like egg, which hatches into a "pet" of sorts for him. I thought this piece was nearly flawless and oddly adorable; even though the critter is grotesque and frightening for sure, I loved the psychopathic adoration the child held for it.
→ In the Throes by Rona Vaselaar ←
A first-person narrative of a girl who literally feels the pain of those around her, for better and for worse. This was actually an incredibly sad story in both theory and execution, and while I didn't think it fit the "horror" spectrum very well, I did really enjoy it.
→ The Compliant by J. L. Spencer ←
A few teens get in a bit of gambling trouble and decide to fake a kidnapping in order to collect a ransom from one of the kids' wealthy family. I'm not a fan of the "fake kidnapping" trope, but the ending did hold a twist on the plot that I don't see much. That said, the characters were a little over-the-top unlikable - overall, I didn't care for this one.
→ Constance by Adam Gray ←
This was the toughest story for me to review, because I still can't decide if I liked it or not. It switches perspectives between two women; one, Constance, is an elderly woman who's incredibly bizarre (to the point of being disgusting), and the other, Annie, is a young single mom who I wanted to like, but just... couldn't. The writing is fantastically disturbing, and overall, I appreciated it, but the ending left a bit to be desired.
→ The Lonely Man by Kristopher J. Patten ←
This one tells the story of an astronaut who makes it to Mars, only to find that a former astronaut (presumed dead) has been living there in immortality for decades, and has some interesting explanations for why. I didn't find the pacing particularly exciting, but as someone who has a mild phobia of outer space and other planets, I did enjoy the plot quite a bit.
→ Marina by Rafael Marmol ←
When a group of rich young men take a trip for "hunting season" at the Jersey Shore, the narrator falls for a beautiful woman who's not at all what she seems. Unfortunately, this was my least favorite. The writing was okay - a little over-worked at points, with more build-up than necessary - but the personality of the narrating character was unbearable. He even starts the story by talking smack about the famous Jersey Shore crew, but his attitude is the epitome of what you'd see on the show: if he's not talking about drinking and sex, he's obsessively degrading and fat-shaming every woman he meets. I will admit that I loved the very ending of the story, but it wasn't enough to redeem it from how incredibly hurtful most of the text was for me, as a female reader.
→ My Time is Very Valuable by J. D. Patrick ←
A college student starts taking mysterious pills that make him excel at everything he touches, but they come at a serious cost. This was another story where I felt like it over-stayed its welcome and the build-up was a little too much to justify the ending. I also felt like the twist gave itself away really early on, but if this story had been several pages shorter, I probably would've enjoyed it more.
→ Birthmarked by J. L. Spencer ←
A poor young girl, born with a terrible skin condition, is forced into hermitage by her mother, at all costs. This felt like a really short story, so there's not much I can say, other than the fact that I tremendously enjoyed the writing as well as the ending. It felt very open, and while I strongly suspected that a certain sort of foul play was happening, I enjoyed that I was left to form my own conclusions.
→ Given Form by S. M. Piper ←
This was, by far, my favorite story in the collection: an artist is paid for an incredibly elite and expensive sculpting job with a mysterious piece of sea marble, pulled from the ocean floor. The writing was not only solid, it was also grotesque without being obvious, and really incredibly eerie. I loved the narrator's self-assured nature, and the ending left me wanting so much more from this author.
→ Dammit, Janet by Ashley Franz Holzmann ←
It's always interesting, in an anthology, to reach the editor's contribution; in some cases, the editor is the finest author in the bunch, while in other cases, it feels like a case of "those who can't do, teach". Thankfully, the latter isn't the case here: Ashley has a bizarre but incredibly captivating writing voice, though the plot itself isn't as horrific as I expected it to be. While I wasn't frightened, I was pleasantly surprised by how captivating I could find a tale of a woman leaving her family in pursuit of the finer things in life.
→ Heart Full of Love by L. Chan ←
I loved the idea behind this one, featuring a world in which people can swap out their organs for synthetic versions - it totally reminded me of Repo! The Genetic Opera (which happens to be my favorite musical of all time), but it also had major The Telltale Heart vibes. The writing was wonderful, the plot was sad but beautiful, and the psychological twist was totally haunting.
→ Sesshoseki by Kristopher J. Patten ←
This was another of my favorites: an American CIA agent goes to Japan to help the PSIA investigate her former partner's apparent suicide, but it turns into a much more intricate plot involving a stone with unexplainable powers and the Aokigahara Forest. As someone who is not Japanese and has never visited, I obviously can't speak for any of the story's representation, but I thought it offered a really unique view into the world of law enforcement and the yakuza, as well as Aokigahara and how the people of the area view the forest. Most of all, it was just incredibly suspenseful and a really enjoyable story. (Content warnings for suicide and self-harm, by the way!)
→ The Sand Quarry by Manen Lyset ←
The memories of a little girl offer a view into a day her life changed forever, when she and her cousins visited a haunted sand quarry and ran into some unspeakable horrors. This was such a sad story, with child abuse and death, but it was definitely enjoyably written and kept my interest to the end.
→ Chaucer's Horses by Christina Ferrari ←
I wasn't a huge fan of this story about a writer who's accused of plagiarism by the family of a supposedly dead Venetian man, and then goes to Venice to visit them and seek leniency. The author was such a tremendously unlikable character, and while the plot was interesting, her attitude regarding other characters and the situation in general made it hard to connect with her or the events happening to her. It was pretty neat to see the inclusion of alchemy as a topic, though, which is something I don't see much (especially in horror!).
→ Biserka by Kristopher J. Patten ←
The final story was one that managed to be both sad and creepy, though it unfortunately overstayed its welcome, too. The main tale is of a sailor who finds a bizarre bio-luminescent presence in the lower decks of the ship, and as someone who is personally freaked out by weird sea creatures, I loved the idea of it - however, the sub-plot totally lost me when it spent a substantial period of time discussing Javor's military past. While his former life was definitely sad, it felt very out of place, and its placement in the middle of the story effectively removed me from the actual horror aspects altogether.
→ FINAL THOUGHTS ←
All in all, I thought this anthology was a major mixed bag: there were stories I loved, stories I disliked entirely, and several in between. While I didn't add star ratings to the individual stories, my average rating was about 3.3/5, and I feel comfortable rounding that down to a 3-star average. While that may not sound like a raving recommendation, I will state that, at the time I'm writing this review, this anthology is available for free on Kindle Unlimited or for $2.99 on the US Kindle store, and at that price, I definitely think it's worth picking up and giving these authors a try.
→ The Girl Who Died by C. K. Walker ←
If you've read my reviews of C. K. Walker's Cold, Thin Air books, you already know that I'm a big fan of her ideas. The anthology starts with her twist on a Patient Zero story, and was really enjoyable and unique. While I saw the ending coming, I was still totally pleased with the turns that it took.
→ I Loved You So Much by Christopher Bloodworth ←
This story is a tale of a child who finds an alien-like egg, which hatches into a "pet" of sorts for him. I thought this piece was nearly flawless and oddly adorable; even though the critter is grotesque and frightening for sure, I loved the psychopathic adoration the child held for it.
→ In the Throes by Rona Vaselaar ←
A first-person narrative of a girl who literally feels the pain of those around her, for better and for worse. This was actually an incredibly sad story in both theory and execution, and while I didn't think it fit the "horror" spectrum very well, I did really enjoy it.
→ The Compliant by J. L. Spencer ←
A few teens get in a bit of gambling trouble and decide to fake a kidnapping in order to collect a ransom from one of the kids' wealthy family. I'm not a fan of the "fake kidnapping" trope, but the ending did hold a twist on the plot that I don't see much. That said, the characters were a little over-the-top unlikable - overall, I didn't care for this one.
→ Constance by Adam Gray ←
This was the toughest story for me to review, because I still can't decide if I liked it or not. It switches perspectives between two women; one, Constance, is an elderly woman who's incredibly bizarre (to the point of being disgusting), and the other, Annie, is a young single mom who I wanted to like, but just... couldn't. The writing is fantastically disturbing, and overall, I appreciated it, but the ending left a bit to be desired.
→ The Lonely Man by Kristopher J. Patten ←
This one tells the story of an astronaut who makes it to Mars, only to find that a former astronaut (presumed dead) has been living there in immortality for decades, and has some interesting explanations for why. I didn't find the pacing particularly exciting, but as someone who has a mild phobia of outer space and other planets, I did enjoy the plot quite a bit.
→ Marina by Rafael Marmol ←
When a group of rich young men take a trip for "hunting season" at the Jersey Shore, the narrator falls for a beautiful woman who's not at all what she seems. Unfortunately, this was my least favorite. The writing was okay - a little over-worked at points, with more build-up than necessary - but the personality of the narrating character was unbearable. He even starts the story by talking smack about the famous Jersey Shore crew, but his attitude is the epitome of what you'd see on the show: if he's not talking about drinking and sex, he's obsessively degrading and fat-shaming every woman he meets. I will admit that I loved the very ending of the story, but it wasn't enough to redeem it from how incredibly hurtful most of the text was for me, as a female reader.
→ My Time is Very Valuable by J. D. Patrick ←
A college student starts taking mysterious pills that make him excel at everything he touches, but they come at a serious cost. This was another story where I felt like it over-stayed its welcome and the build-up was a little too much to justify the ending. I also felt like the twist gave itself away really early on, but if this story had been several pages shorter, I probably would've enjoyed it more.
→ Birthmarked by J. L. Spencer ←
A poor young girl, born with a terrible skin condition, is forced into hermitage by her mother, at all costs. This felt like a really short story, so there's not much I can say, other than the fact that I tremendously enjoyed the writing as well as the ending. It felt very open, and while I strongly suspected that a certain sort of foul play was happening, I enjoyed that I was left to form my own conclusions.
→ Given Form by S. M. Piper ←
This was, by far, my favorite story in the collection: an artist is paid for an incredibly elite and expensive sculpting job with a mysterious piece of sea marble, pulled from the ocean floor. The writing was not only solid, it was also grotesque without being obvious, and really incredibly eerie. I loved the narrator's self-assured nature, and the ending left me wanting so much more from this author.
→ Dammit, Janet by Ashley Franz Holzmann ←
It's always interesting, in an anthology, to reach the editor's contribution; in some cases, the editor is the finest author in the bunch, while in other cases, it feels like a case of "those who can't do, teach". Thankfully, the latter isn't the case here: Ashley has a bizarre but incredibly captivating writing voice, though the plot itself isn't as horrific as I expected it to be. While I wasn't frightened, I was pleasantly surprised by how captivating I could find a tale of a woman leaving her family in pursuit of the finer things in life.
→ Heart Full of Love by L. Chan ←
I loved the idea behind this one, featuring a world in which people can swap out their organs for synthetic versions - it totally reminded me of Repo! The Genetic Opera (which happens to be my favorite musical of all time), but it also had major The Telltale Heart vibes. The writing was wonderful, the plot was sad but beautiful, and the psychological twist was totally haunting.
→ Sesshoseki by Kristopher J. Patten ←
This was another of my favorites: an American CIA agent goes to Japan to help the PSIA investigate her former partner's apparent suicide, but it turns into a much more intricate plot involving a stone with unexplainable powers and the Aokigahara Forest. As someone who is not Japanese and has never visited, I obviously can't speak for any of the story's representation, but I thought it offered a really unique view into the world of law enforcement and the yakuza, as well as Aokigahara and how the people of the area view the forest. Most of all, it was just incredibly suspenseful and a really enjoyable story. (Content warnings for suicide and self-harm, by the way!)
→ The Sand Quarry by Manen Lyset ←
The memories of a little girl offer a view into a day her life changed forever, when she and her cousins visited a haunted sand quarry and ran into some unspeakable horrors. This was such a sad story, with child abuse and death, but it was definitely enjoyably written and kept my interest to the end.
→ Chaucer's Horses by Christina Ferrari ←
I wasn't a huge fan of this story about a writer who's accused of plagiarism by the family of a supposedly dead Venetian man, and then goes to Venice to visit them and seek leniency. The author was such a tremendously unlikable character, and while the plot was interesting, her attitude regarding other characters and the situation in general made it hard to connect with her or the events happening to her. It was pretty neat to see the inclusion of alchemy as a topic, though, which is something I don't see much (especially in horror!).
→ Biserka by Kristopher J. Patten ←
The final story was one that managed to be both sad and creepy, though it unfortunately overstayed its welcome, too. The main tale is of a sailor who finds a bizarre bio-luminescent presence in the lower decks of the ship, and as someone who is personally freaked out by weird sea creatures, I loved the idea of it - however, the sub-plot totally lost me when it spent a substantial period of time discussing Javor's military past. While his former life was definitely sad, it felt very out of place, and its placement in the middle of the story effectively removed me from the actual horror aspects altogether.
→ FINAL THOUGHTS ←
All in all, I thought this anthology was a major mixed bag: there were stories I loved, stories I disliked entirely, and several in between. While I didn't add star ratings to the individual stories, my average rating was about 3.3/5, and I feel comfortable rounding that down to a 3-star average. While that may not sound like a raving recommendation, I will state that, at the time I'm writing this review, this anthology is available for free on Kindle Unlimited or for $2.99 on the US Kindle store, and at that price, I definitely think it's worth picking up and giving these authors a try.