This was such an interesting collection of horror stories! I’m conflicted, though, on what rating to give it.

Some of the stories here were REALLY good. And I mean REALLY REALLY good. They had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for what would come next. They broke my heart at times. They filled me with rage. Just so many feelings!!! 

A few of the stories that stood-out were Eye & Tooth (fun), The Other One (relatable), The Rider (tense), Flicker (compelling), The Norwood Trouble (iconic), and A Grief of the Dead. Let me emphasize… A Grief of the Dead. That story was fucking INCREDIBLE. Heartbreaking and yet with an incredible resolution that perfectly wrapped up the narrative.  

On to thoughts on some of the other stories in this collection…

The story Pressure was ALMOST a stand-out. It was building and building and building tension…but then the release of it was unsatisfying. It finished with a whimper and not a bang. Your Happy Place is in a similar boat. It’s a stronger story, narrative-wise, but a bit too predictable for me to fully adore it. It was engaging, however, from beginning to end. Finally, Hide & Seek filled me with too much pain and rage to be in my list of standouts (aka favorites). It’s an INCREDIBLE story. In terms of storytelling, it is phenomenal. It simply hurts in a way that makes it too painful for me to love. 

As for the other stories in this collection…

Any of the stories not mentioned here were either just ok, unsatisfying, or brimming with potential that was not adequately developed. With the exception of the story by NK Jemisin (which was just too Big Brain for me), all the other stories needed more editing or could have been replaced by others.