Reviews
As a whole, this anthology was kinda disappointing. When I'm picking up an anthology, I expect to be getting complete stories or little spin-off moments that maybe tie into a larger series but that are in and of themselves a complete short story. But so many of the stories in this anthology were the beginning chapters of unreleased books, clearly cut off right in the middle of the catalyst and it was incredibly frustrating. There were a few that did stand out though, and for that I gave the anthology a 2.25, rounded down to 2. Slay Ride by Davidson King - ★★★☆☆ The disappointment started right from the first story. This was one of the 'To Be Continued" stories that read like the first couple chapters of a book and cut off right in the middle of it. And it was so frustrating because I liked Mason. I was starting to like some of the other characters too but I barely had a chance to get to know them. And yeah, sure, I might consider picking up the actual novel when it comes out but it's frustrating to me to pay for the book when I've already paid for an anthology that has the first 20% of the book in it. I'm just paying for that content twice then? Maybe this is a bit harsh. I'm all for the money going to charity, but at the same time I'm really frustrated that this anthology isn't standalone short stories. This would have been infinitely better as a prequel or side-story or literally anything other than the first few chapters of the unpublished book. All I Want by Abrianna Denae - ★★☆☆☆ Another "To Be Continued" story. And I was interested in what's going on but the 'cliffhanger' this one left off on leaves me 0% invested in or intrigued by what is going on. There were parts of this that just didn't make sense and I'm not sure if reading the full story is going to clear it up or make me even more confused. However, I loved the way this author wrote the dual POV. Carter's POV told the story in the here-and-now and Cristian's POV told the story of the past week through flashbacks and memories. That was a great narrative choice that was consistent and easy to follow. I really loved the rhythm that brought to each chapter. Murder and Mistletoe by Mandy Greenwood - ★★☆☆☆ Finally! At long last! A complete, standalone story! I don't think I cared for the characters much and I didn't see the point of the story? I haven't read this author's series with these guys in it, so maybe it makes more sense in context? I'm really not sure. But to me it just felt like they argued, misrepresented each other's statements on purpose (as what, payback??) and then made up after almost dying? It didn't feel like a 'dark' story aside from almost dying and there was barely any mention of winter or holiday themes. Misaki (one of the main characters) mentioned Christmas once at the very end but that's all the mention there was of winter/holiday time. Litte Tree by Taylor J Gray - ★★★☆☆ Okay this one had me cracking up laughing! At the beginning of the story, we meet one of the main characters as he's going out hunting for a 'christmas tree' aka a person to decorate as a christmas tree. And the entire first chapter as he's out looking around he's talking about the 'vanilla city' and 'vanilla street trash' LOL as opposed to what? kinky street trash? a kinky city? LMAO I couldn't help myself. I've never seen an author use vanilla as a noun before. Those pesky vanillas wondering into the wrong part of town tsk tsk how dare they! 😂 This one at least seemed like a separate standalone story that might be continued in a full length novel or maybe in another anthology? Either way, when I turned the last page I wasn't fighting the urge to throw my kindle across the room - so there is that bonus! This was also actually a dark story and unique. I've certainly never read about someone being strung up like a christmas tree this way before, so I've gotta give the author props on originality. Archer's Boy by Claire Marta - ★★★☆☆ This one was kinda weird but in a good way? Another cliffhanger, but at least this one didn't feel as unresolved as the first two in the anthology. It was still frustrating that right at the moment they're about to take off on the big mission we get the whole 'To Be Continued' line. Unexpected Company by Leight Kenzie - DNF DNF 2 pages into it. This writing style did not work for me. Christmas at Theoden's by Nicholas Bella - DNF DNF Mid-Chapter 1. The dialogue for this was weird. It's written in a way like it's setting up the paragraph that follows to be an internal monologue of info-dumping. Telling rather than going through the effort of showing. And there was info in some of the dialogue that seemed very out-of-place. It's almost like a holiday for vampires because we see it all more acutely than humans And the character who says this is saying it to other vampires who... already know this fact? So the only reason to bring it up in this way was to inform the reader of this fact. It's just odd. Another example is the way that they're all talking about their dark pasts. It's all like 'Hey Happy Holidays! I was young when I lost my family so me and John Doe tried to make the most of it while we were homeless.' And again... this kind of dialogue is being said to their family members, who presumably already know all this right?? There are tons of oddly specific info-dumpy details tossed into the dialogue at points that don't make any sense and it felt like the author was trying to hold your hand through the story to make sure you really understood what they were trying to say rather than relaxing a bit and trusting that the reader can pick up on those kinds of details themselves. The Santa Contract by Faith Ryan - ★★★☆☆ This one was a tad odd with the way Deacon (one of the main characters) was portrayed. But I loved Benji. At first I wasn't sure how this was a 'dark' story, but man oh man, did the ending make that clear! I'm very intrigued by the rest of Benji's story. I was a little frustrated that this seemed like another couple chapters of an unpublished novel, but I felt like the author at least created a full arc in these few chapters and left the story open to continue if the reader wants to keep reading. Defying Sanity by Elouise R. East - ★★★☆☆ Maybe 3.5 stars? This was good. It was pure smut honestly, but there was a little sparkle of a plot that makes me wonder if this is being written as a full novel (like the rest of these stories make overwhelmingly obvious) or if this is truly just a one and done short story for this anthology. Either way, this story was dark. It checked all the boxes. I would maybe have preferred a little bit more story and a little less smut, but you can bet that if this story gets continued in a full-length novel I'm probably going to be buying it. Summoning Noel by Rorie Kage - ★★★☆☆ This was cute! It felt a little bit rushed because so much happened in so few pages, but it was a complete story and I loved the characters. I think the other thing that made this interesting for me was that I really liked the premise. Summoning a demon from hell lol. I love the magic and witchy things being casually mentioned and not explained. It makes it feel like a normal part of their world. Content Warnings for blood, violence, alcohol, injuries, physical abuse, sexual content, non-consensual relationships, sexual violence, toxic relationships, murder, and grief. (view spoiler)[This is an anthology of very dark stories that commonly include blood, alcohol, injuries, abuse, sexual content, non-consensual relationships, toxic relationships, and violence. 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