A Brand New Review of Volume Two! (hey, it rhymes....)
Wyllow
rated a book 3 of 5 stars
In a Corner, Darkly: Volume 2: More Reasons to Keep the Lights on
by Sue Rovens (Goodreads Author)
read in January, 2014
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In a Corner Darkly: Volume 2 by Sue Rovens -- 3.5 stars I acquired a copy of this book for free through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. In a Corner Darkly: Volume 2 is a collection of fifteen short stories, ranging from the creepy to the macabre. Many of the stories center around human fears, but not all of them. I approached reviewing and rating this book by rating each story, individually, and jotting down notes as I finished them, then averaging the ratings to come up with the final score for the entire book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I’m so glad that I won a copy. I’m not sure if I will purchase the author’s other book, or any others that she writes, but this book has definitely put her on my radar. I think it was definitely a solid 3.5 star book, but I didn't love it enough to bump it up to 4 stars. Would I recommend it? Sure, if you like stories that deal with human fears, the macabre, and horror. Pros: Ecclectic blend of subject matter Pretty good story telling Kept my fingers turning pages Inticed me to check out the author’s other works Several great stories that I really loved Cons: A few minor typos A couple of stories were letdowns because they needed more “something” to help the reader understand what was happening, and/or why they should be freaked out. My rating system is essentially this: 5 stars: I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and possibly longed for the story to continue. 4 stars: I liked the story quite a bit, but felt that it was lacking in some way. Or it didn’t appeal to me personally, but I recognize that it was a good story. 3 stars: I liked the story, but I didn’t love it. The execution wasn’t great, or the story needed additional details because it seemed incomplete. 2 stars: I didn’t care for the story, but I didn’t hate it, possibly for the same reasons I would rate “3 stars,” but the “problems” were “worse.” 1 star: I really disliked the story. Here are the stories from the book, along with my rating and possibly a few thoughts on each one (hidden just in case there are spoilers): [Funeral Games (4.5 stars): Do the dead miss being alive? I thought this was a really strong beginning for this collection of stories, and it had me eager to continue reading. Midway (3 stars): It’s all fun and games, until a dirty deal is made. I enjoyed this story, but I knew from the beginning roughly what would happen. Black Thursday (2.5 stars): Can you trust what you see and experience? I didn’t care for this story. This is one that I feel needed a bit more of an explanation to be effective in producing the desired reaction. Bookworm (1.5 stars): The darker side of library work. This story is still bugging me. I know how it ended, but there were so many unanswered questions that ended up detracting from the story. Trail Blazers (2.75 stars): Be careful when choosing who gets to lead your group. I wasn't crazy about this story, but the ending was a little creepy. Family Reunion (4.5 stars): Some families take reunions a little too seriously. I liked this story. It reminded me of campy horror movies, which are my favorites. Blue (3.75 stars): Who can you really trust? This story…this is one that I would caution some people against reading. There are no monsters or ghosts in this one, it’s just pure human sickness. Perchance to Dream (1.5 stars): Side effects of confronting your dreams. I didn’t like this story very much. I thoght the concept was really great, but I was so confused about what actually happened at the end. I think this one needed an explanation or something. Auction House (5 stars): Alarming antiques. I enjoyed this story so much. This was another that reminded me of “bad” horror movies, and I loved it. There were a couple of moments when I wanted to laugh, and I could really see it being part of a low budget horror movie, or on a show like Supernatural. Deal Breaker (5 stars): A house that doesn’t want the TLC offered. I loved this story, and I’m afraid to say much about it because I don’t want to give anything away. This was a fun read for me, and one of my favorite kinds of stories to read. Sleep Over (5 stars): A birthday surprise. This was my favorite story, I think. I relished it. This one reminded me of a mix of urband legends and B-horror movies. 33 1/3 (4 stars): How far would you go to make your art unique? I liked this one, but I didn’t love it. The concept was interesting, and I hadn’t seen it used in this way before. Free Wheelers (4 stars): When bikes are bad for your health. This story was kind of freaky, but good. I’ve never read anything like this before, and I liked it. Impossible (1.5 stars): A story reporters would die for. Meh. I didn’t really like this one. I think it could have been better, maybe, but I just didn’t like it. Spoons (3.5 stars): Despair can make you take drastic measures. I struggled with how to rate this one. I liked it a lot at the end, but I wasn’t crazy about the actual story. (hide spoiler)](less) |
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