This short story collection was a huge disappointment. Hyped as the next big thing in weird and horror fiction, there’s nothing in here worth remembering. I finished hoping things would get better, though I soon realized there was no hope.

The writing is shockingly poor. I felt like I was reading with a red pen. Adverbs are piled on to the point the effect is suffocating, words and worse yet phrases are constantly reused (in one memorable instance, the word “besides” is used by a narrator and then a sentence later it is spoken in dialogue.) The writing reads more than not like that of a much younger person who is guessing at how adults talk, and overreaching for big words to impress, but rather just leave the text feeling stunted. The stories are structured less like stories and more brief, writing prompt sketches. And almost all of them end, abruptly, without a resolution (or, often, conflict) of any kind. Also, when even vile characters use hate speech slurs to refer to African Americans, LGBTQ people and the mentally impaired— as a writer, it is your responsibility to explore those issues, and not use those words just for effect, as appears to be done here.

There is barely any horror or weirdness, beyond the by the numbers male characters who are nearly all misogynistic at best and often emotionally and physically abusive. Animal cruelty is often a near present event, and it is done out of shock value and extremely off putting.

I would want any author working in horror to succeed, and there are one or two interesting ideas in here. The vampire story is the best of the bunch; however, it’s ultimately nihilistic, gore-porn ending ruins it for me. The final story about the husband and wife has one interesting scene and a half formed and interesting idea of the afterlife; but the specter of irresponsibly dealt with abuse hangs over the story and hampers that, as well.