Title: The Night Calling Author: Juliana Haygert Rating Out of 5: 2 (Managed to read it… just) Pace: Slow Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2022
I really liked the idea of this story and novel. But, something about the style of this writing just kept throwing me completely out of the storyline. Every time I started to sink into the writing, I was unceremoniously thrust back into reality. Which isn’t why I like to read books.
Even with the disjoint in the experience, I did find that there were enough mysteries to this story to keep me wanting to read more. But, ultimately, even the great plot line couldn’t keep me engaged enough to want to finish this tale.
Family is always a tricky thing to experience, describe and write about. Often, it is the thing that most destroys us, but also holds us together. This short story was a reminder of all of that darkness, a family trying to survive throughout war. But falling apart as they try to stay together. It honestly hurt my heart to read this tale. But also reminded me to cherish the family I have and the good memories.
There was a dark foreshadowing in the tone of this story from the very beginning. It was pretty obvious from the beginning that there wasn’t going to be a happy ending for these siblings. Plus, that kind of follows the tone of most of the stories in Green Monkey Dreams… there’s a layer of darkness that I haven’t focused in on in a while.
We all play games as children, and sometimes we remember the most random aspects of these games. Yet, sometimes these games and moments of perceived joy hid a greater, and much darker truth. In this case, the ways in which we hide from the truth and try to protect each other…
I knew from fairly on that the missing ingredient in the mother’s food was going to be heart. I mean, good food always comes from the heart. But, what I really, really didn’t expect was how this story was going to end. That was just disturbed and uncomfortable.
This short story was a whole lot darker than any of the stories in the Hungry Hearts collection so far. And it actually broke my heart a little. I mean, there was dealing with death and the loss of a father. But then the mother-daughter relationship was so completely broken too. And by the end, it was even more disturbingly broken.
The Missing Ingredient was such an amazing story – I honestly need a whole lot more Roanhorse in my life. There is something really intense and wonderful about her words, and I look forward to reading more of her stories in the future.
Title: Misbegotten Author: Kat Parrish Rating Out of 5: 1 (Couldn’t get past the first page) Pace: Slow Format: eBook, Novella
This is the second time that I’ve tried a Kat Parrish novel. Anand it’s the second time that I’ve wanted to love her work, and just didn’t quite get there. I just didn’t have any attachment to the storyline, and characters. I wanted to kind of know what was going to happen, but I really wasn’t all that bothered either.
Trying to figure out who you are is difficult at the best of times, but trying to do that whilst surrounded by a overbearingly supportive family. And a family business. I love that Minara is trying to sort this out herself, whilst also taking into consideration the feelings of her family and those she cares about. There’s also the beautiful potential romance angle throughout that made this an even cuter coming of age tale.
Hassan / the Comet is a really cute superhero, and I love the randomness of how he and Minara meet. Although the love potential between Hassan and Minara doesn’t exactly bear fruit, I love that even at the end of this short story, there is so much potential for it. Plus, sometimes it’s nice to end on a friendship with potential, rather than the romance to end all romances.
Although this is a bit of a coming of age short story. And a bit of a superhero short story, I love that a whole lot of this tale is fixated on food. I mean, I tend to fixate a little bit too much on food at times, so it makes sense that I would enjoy a story that does the same. It made me want to try a whole new cuisine that I’ve just never had access to…
Title: Innocence Lost Author: Patty Jansen Rating Out of 5: 2.5 (Readable, but not worth reading again) Pace: Slow Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2014
I really wanted to like this, and I even like the whole idea of this story line. But something about the writing kept flicking me out of the tale. I found it a little clunky and the flow just wasn’t quite right. The premise of this was amazing, but the execution wasn’t quite to my taste.
Title: The Forest Author: Laird Barron In: Inferno (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Horror Pace: Slow Format: eBook, Short story Year: 2007
Something about this short story felt incredibly creepy and goosebump-raising. The entire time I was reading this, I was seriously wigged and uncomfortable. But the kicker? I don’t actually know why this story made me feel that way… which somehow just made it worse. And creepier. Which, of course is kind of why I read horror short stories – for the uncomfortable, creepy feelings.
There were a lot of layers of horror to this story. There were plenty of horrors in the present, but a whole heap in the past as well. And secrets. Which, I swear, sometimes it’s the secrets and realism that make things that little bit more creepy. The scary of the unknown and the knowledge that everyone has secrets helped to add to the layers of this short story – and makes me want to read it again so I pick up on more nuances.
The forest in this story kind of made me think of the Japanese Suicide Forest – in that the forest takes the lives of those who are willing. But, I’m not entirely sure why. It had that eerie feeling of inevitable death throughout. Which kind of made the ending feel a little sad to me – saying goodbye to the future and potential for someone.
I actually really enjoyed this romantic suspense story – I wasn’t entirely sure how it was even a romance when I first started it, but I was very quickly pulled in. Enjoying it way more than expected. Particularly because it featured a child being kidnapped – something that particularly leaves a horrifyingly sick feeling in my stomach when I read about it.
I love that Leah will stop at nothing to find her nephew, including risking her own life and career. She also talks about crime in her small town like a slow moving rot – one that needs to be dug out by the roots and destroyed. It’s a reminder of how easy it is to become corrupt when those in power are corrupt, or let the evil slide – I kind of want more butt kicking in this world to find that Leah and her beau managed to start making an impact on all of the crime.
There was so much violence and mayhem throughout this story, which seems to be something I seriously enjoy lately. Plus, there was also some yummy lust to keep your toes curling and lighten some of the chaos. I love that this had a happy ending, but with the ability to have so much more chaos and violence in the future.
This story made me really sad – it was a soulless town filled with soulless people. And, even though there was no hopeful notes to this story, I was still hoping for a more positive and promising ending than I got. It was a bit disheartening and sad to read – and honestly, I like stories that have at least a glimmer of hope in them. I didn’t find that in this story.
The decision made at the end of this wasn’t all that surprising – there’s a reason that it’s the decision many make in reality. But it was still really sad. I mean, the boy has so much hope at the beginning of this story, and potential. But then, he decides to join his brother in a gang and say goodbye to all of the potential doors that were in front of him. Sometimes I wonder if that’s a metaphor for life – saying goodbye to dreams because sometimes they are just unattainable.
I think that saddest part of all of this for me was that at the very end, Sophie recognises the path chosen. And recognised the betrayal that that decision denotes. Absolutely heart breaking and hard to read about. Love doesn’t necessarily conquer all, and this is kind of a reminder of that fact.
Catnyp is a glorious fairytale, but kind of in reverse. Rather than a hero wanting to join the mythical world and change things, it’s a changeling wanting to not become a hero, and a hero-wannabe trying to join the real world. I mean, honestly, who would necessarily want to leave a world filled with magic and mystery for the mundane real world where you have to work and you know… act like an adult?
I thought that this was going to be a really cute little romance, but it turns out it was more a story about finding oneself. I love that the changeling in this fell in love, found out more about the world she lives in and what love means to humans. But, ultimately, decided that she valued herself and wanted to grow more. She is the hero of her own story, not the supporting cast in someone else’s.
I loved everything about the world building in this story. It was intense and brilliant, multilayered and incredibly intriguing. Mostly though, I loved the idea of the library and it’s sentience – how the presence of people and energies created magical beings that supported the world of the Between and the fae.
Earth and Skye 