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simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)
Read on my blog.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I read this anthology very slowly – while it only has five stories, they were longer than in most anthologies I read… and also, because I was not used to seeing so many European names and words in English texts. And yet, that was exactly why this book was so amazing to read – so validating and encouraging, in a way, that I can still write and publish with a name like mine and with characters named like me.
This anthology was also unique because all five stories were connected by an outside story – in fact, the five stories all consisted of documents e-mailed to each other by two people, who were researching Dracula and his presence through centuries. I really appreciated this kind of framing, and the connection between the stories. Because of this, most of the stories consist of letters and documents from several different sources and have several different storylines going on. It might take a while in each story to see how they are all connected, but it’s worth it when it all comes together.
Despite their connection, the five stories were obviously all by different authors, and all were about a different aspect of Dracula’s life. There were morbid love stories, romantic love that turned to resentment, brotherly love… And so many amazing characters who got into contact with this man.
the souls of those gone astray from the path by bogi takács: I first heard of this anthology from Bogi, who is Hungarian like me. I didn’t know that eir story was the first in the anthology, but it was definitely a strong start, and one of my favourite stories. This story is about two Jewish rabbis and the young nephew of one of them who set out to spy on the Hungarian king, Mátyás, and his connection to the man who later became Dracula.
I really appreciated the little nods to Hungarian folklore – as it is also explained in the story, Hungarians have many folk stories where King Mátyás wears a disguise to walk among his people, and it has always been a little funny, since he has a pretty unique face. This story gives an explanation by making Mátyás a creature that can shapeshift, which I loved. Still, my absolute favourite part of this story were the letters written by Majsi, the rabbi’s young nephew. He has his unique style which was hilarious and loveable – his excitement and his heart really made this story worth reading. 5/5 stars for the story, 10/5 stars for Majsi
noblesse oblige by adrian tchaikovsky: A story about Erzsébet Báthory!! Absolutely amazing. I was worried at the beginning that she would turn out to be a victim in this interpretation, but no – her cruelty was not downplayed, and was indeed fascinating (while also creepy) to read. I also LOVED the totally “unpronouncable” Hungarian names included, like Dorottya Semtész or Németkeresztúr. It felt strangely defiant and powerful. 4.5/5 stars
a stake too far by milena benini: One of my favourite parts of this story was the two random bird watchers that mistook a flying vampire for an owl. Amazing. Other than that, this story was the tragic story of two brothers (Vlad and Radu) that I mentioned at the beginning. It also had a witch, and Vlad as a sympathetic character. 4.5/5 stars
children of the night by emil minchev: This story is one long letter, and it starts by the writer (Dracula) revealing that he’s replying to a letter spent over a century ago… Vampires are amazing. — This ended up being a pretty morbid love story between Dracula and a witch (??), including a description of their children. It definitely made for strange reading, but I liked it. I loved the writing style and I’m going to leave one of my favourite quotes here. “My blood has irrigated this land for hundreds of years, the bones of my ancestors form its sturdy spine. I am as much a part of the landscape as the great black mountains that tower over my castle and the deep dark forest that surrounds it.” 4.5/5 stars
the woman by caren gussoff sumption: This story. This STORY. It’s not really about “the woman”, more like about three Romani women, and it’s one of those stories where at first you really don’t understand how the different documents/letters/blog posts are connected, and then it all fits together and aaaah. It also has a trans woman talking about transition, family values, Romani culture, Mátyás as an antagonist again, and a connection to the interludes between stories. It’s my other favourite. 5/5 stars
—
An interesting/strange thing in this anthology for me was the way they portrayed Mátyás Hunyadi, the Just King of the Hungarians. While I am obviously aware that no king is perfect, I (as many other Hungarians) grew up on folktales of his generosity and thus have a sort of misplaced sentimentality when it comes to him, so seeing him portrayed as the immortal antagonist in several stories (such as Bogi’s and Caren’s) was disorenting – and yet definitely an interesting take.
As you can see from my individual ratings, I was quite impressed with this anthology, even if it made for slow and sometimes difficult reading.
My rating: 🧛🧛🧛🧛🧛/5.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I read this anthology very slowly – while it only has five stories, they were longer than in most anthologies I read… and also, because I was not used to seeing so many European names and words in English texts. And yet, that was exactly why this book was so amazing to read – so validating and encouraging, in a way, that I can still write and publish with a name like mine and with characters named like me.
This anthology was also unique because all five stories were connected by an outside story – in fact, the five stories all consisted of documents e-mailed to each other by two people, who were researching Dracula and his presence through centuries. I really appreciated this kind of framing, and the connection between the stories. Because of this, most of the stories consist of letters and documents from several different sources and have several different storylines going on. It might take a while in each story to see how they are all connected, but it’s worth it when it all comes together.
Despite their connection, the five stories were obviously all by different authors, and all were about a different aspect of Dracula’s life. There were morbid love stories, romantic love that turned to resentment, brotherly love… And so many amazing characters who got into contact with this man.
the souls of those gone astray from the path by bogi takács: I first heard of this anthology from Bogi, who is Hungarian like me. I didn’t know that eir story was the first in the anthology, but it was definitely a strong start, and one of my favourite stories. This story is about two Jewish rabbis and the young nephew of one of them who set out to spy on the Hungarian king, Mátyás, and his connection to the man who later became Dracula.
I really appreciated the little nods to Hungarian folklore – as it is also explained in the story, Hungarians have many folk stories where King Mátyás wears a disguise to walk among his people, and it has always been a little funny, since he has a pretty unique face. This story gives an explanation by making Mátyás a creature that can shapeshift, which I loved. Still, my absolute favourite part of this story were the letters written by Majsi, the rabbi’s young nephew. He has his unique style which was hilarious and loveable – his excitement and his heart really made this story worth reading. 5/5 stars for the story, 10/5 stars for Majsi
noblesse oblige by adrian tchaikovsky: A story about Erzsébet Báthory!! Absolutely amazing. I was worried at the beginning that she would turn out to be a victim in this interpretation, but no – her cruelty was not downplayed, and was indeed fascinating (while also creepy) to read. I also LOVED the totally “unpronouncable” Hungarian names included, like Dorottya Semtész or Németkeresztúr. It felt strangely defiant and powerful. 4.5/5 stars
a stake too far by milena benini: One of my favourite parts of this story was the two random bird watchers that mistook a flying vampire for an owl. Amazing. Other than that, this story was the tragic story of two brothers (Vlad and Radu) that I mentioned at the beginning. It also had a witch, and Vlad as a sympathetic character. 4.5/5 stars
children of the night by emil minchev: This story is one long letter, and it starts by the writer (Dracula) revealing that he’s replying to a letter spent over a century ago… Vampires are amazing. — This ended up being a pretty morbid love story between Dracula and a witch (??), including a description of their children. It definitely made for strange reading, but I liked it. I loved the writing style and I’m going to leave one of my favourite quotes here. “My blood has irrigated this land for hundreds of years, the bones of my ancestors form its sturdy spine. I am as much a part of the landscape as the great black mountains that tower over my castle and the deep dark forest that surrounds it.” 4.5/5 stars
the woman by caren gussoff sumption: This story. This STORY. It’s not really about “the woman”, more like about three Romani women, and it’s one of those stories where at first you really don’t understand how the different documents/letters/blog posts are connected, and then it all fits together and aaaah. It also has a trans woman talking about transition, family values, Romani culture, Mátyás as an antagonist again, and a connection to the interludes between stories. It’s my other favourite. 5/5 stars
—
An interesting/strange thing in this anthology for me was the way they portrayed Mátyás Hunyadi, the Just King of the Hungarians. While I am obviously aware that no king is perfect, I (as many other Hungarians) grew up on folktales of his generosity and thus have a sort of misplaced sentimentality when it comes to him, so seeing him portrayed as the immortal antagonist in several stories (such as Bogi’s and Caren’s) was disorenting – and yet definitely an interesting take.
As you can see from my individual ratings, I was quite impressed with this anthology, even if it made for slow and sometimes difficult reading.
My rating: 🧛🧛🧛🧛🧛/5.
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I read this before I read Stake Sauce, but I will likely re-read it after to see if I notice anything more. For now, this was a great introduction to this world and enough to make me intrigued, but that's about it. It really felt like a preview, a brief glance into the story, and I hope I get to read more soon.
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I requested this book because I was intrigued by the cover (the little mechanical bird) and the blurb - androids taking care of elderly residents of a care home. What I expected was the main android, Winifred becoming friends with the woman she cares for - but somehow I expected a positive ending, some kind of unique interpretation of android-human friendship.
This book wasn't any of that.
I found it difficult to get into this book for multiple reasons. The number of unnecessary commas made reading difficult, I often felt like the dialogue was unnatural, and all the characters seemed to sound the same.
What really ruined this book for me was the ending. It was far from refreshing or unique like I hoped - in fact, it turned out to be a very cliché "androids learn about humans and decide to take over the world in secret" story. I felt absolutely disappointed by this predictable ending, which is why I finally decided to give the book 2 stars.
I requested this book because I was intrigued by the cover (the little mechanical bird) and the blurb - androids taking care of elderly residents of a care home. What I expected was the main android, Winifred becoming friends with the woman she cares for - but somehow I expected a positive ending, some kind of unique interpretation of android-human friendship.
This book wasn't any of that.
I found it difficult to get into this book for multiple reasons. The number of unnecessary commas made reading difficult, I often felt like the dialogue was unnatural, and all the characters seemed to sound the same.
What really ruined this book for me was the ending. It was far from refreshing or unique like I hoped - in fact, it turned out to be a very cliché "androids learn about humans and decide to take over the world in secret" story. I felt absolutely disappointed by this predictable ending, which is why I finally decided to give the book 2 stars.
(I received an advance copy through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.)
”Summer, this isn’t a joke!” I snap, although I am pleased that she’s giggling next to me. “She wasn’t wearing any pants!”
It was the beautiful cover that immediately drew me to this book, and then I read the synopsis. An artist teenage girl dying her hair pink and coming to terms with being a lesbian? Sign me up!
I wanted to like this book so much, and there were definitely some parts when I did, but ultimately we just weren’t right for each other. At least 60% of this book is underage kids drinking or hooking up, which was never really my scene as a teen, and it’s kind of uncomfortable to read about as an adult. There were also some plotlines and reactions that just didn’t sit well with me, like the protagonist bullying a girl for years because she secretly liked her.
I did like the ending, where - without much spoilers - the main character and her two friends end up mutually supporting each other and working together. This wasn’t a bad book, but in the end it was just nothing special for me.
content warning:teen pregnancy, underage drinking, a car crash towards the end
”Summer, this isn’t a joke!” I snap, although I am pleased that she’s giggling next to me. “She wasn’t wearing any pants!”
It was the beautiful cover that immediately drew me to this book, and then I read the synopsis. An artist teenage girl dying her hair pink and coming to terms with being a lesbian? Sign me up!
I wanted to like this book so much, and there were definitely some parts when I did, but ultimately we just weren’t right for each other. At least 60% of this book is underage kids drinking or hooking up, which was never really my scene as a teen, and it’s kind of uncomfortable to read about as an adult. There were also some plotlines and reactions that just didn’t sit well with me, like the protagonist bullying a girl for years because she secretly liked her.
I did like the ending, where - without much spoilers - the main character and her two friends end up mutually supporting each other and working together. This wasn’t a bad book, but in the end it was just nothing special for me.
content warning:
I am used to writing fantasy and sci-fi, so reading about a normal person's life was a little unusual at first. It's definitely a different atmosphere and perhaps a little slower than the action-packed novels I'm used to, but I still enjoyed reading about Josie and her relationships, especially her mentorship of a 12-year-old abandoned boy, Payton.
This was certainly an... interesting experience. It went in a completely different direction than I expected, and I think the summary could have given more clues to what was going to happen, even if it wasn't going to spoil the entire resolution.
To be honest, it wasn't really my thing, and also the behaviour of the protagonists annoyed me at some places. I'm going to do a quick summary of the plot under spoiler tags in case it's not your thing either.
A 23-year-old woman, Milly, wants to introduce her new girlfriend, who is twice her age, to her mother, Jane. Only it turns out that her new girlfriend, Georgia is actually her mother's old girlfriend from their college days. Georgia wastes basically no time dropping Milly and trying to reconnect with Jane. In the end, Jane and Georgia rekindle their relationship (that started as an affair behind Jane's boyfriend's back many years ago...) with Milly's blessing.
I really don't like cheating plots, even if the cheating is only in the past, and I disliked some parts that kind of sounded like "oh, everyone is bi so it's fine" - which is problematic in so many ways, but maybe only I interpreted it that way?
Overall, I'm giving it 3 stars because this really wasn't for me, but others might find it more appealing.
To be honest, it wasn't really my thing, and also the behaviour of the protagonists annoyed me at some places. I'm going to do a quick summary of the plot under spoiler tags in case it's not your thing either.
I really don't like cheating plots, even if the cheating is only in the past, and I disliked some parts that kind of sounded like "oh, everyone is bi so it's fine" - which is problematic in so many ways, but maybe only I interpreted it that way?
Overall, I'm giving it 3 stars because this really wasn't for me, but others might find it more appealing.
This was a lovely little short story with a queer girl protagonist and f/f kisses - too short, actually. It's only about ten pages long and that's pretty much my only complaint about it - I feel like the "conflict" was solved way too easily because of the length. Still, it gets the five stars from me.
This is... difficult to rate. It's eight pages of horrifying reality for many young (and older) queer people, and while there's nothing wrong with the writing, I still can't bring myself to say that it's a "good" story.