Elle BeaumontRecensioni

A collection of suspenseful stories in which 12 authors draw on ancient tales. The stories cover demons living among humans, ghosts lurking in shadows and gods looming above. Each story is sure to inspire some level of fright. The collection is full of superstition, horror and suspense.
The book literally decided to have a prologue that started out creepy and referenced the cover of the book simply to start the creep vibe... Not gonna lie I still have questions about Melissa and her mom. After the introduction that could start a million different horror movies, we start right in on the 12 gruesome stories that follow. And let be just say some of them are straight up gruesome. We have people cutting out an eye, dismembering bodies, stealing identities, messing with ghosts... It is just all around a lot of things YOU SHOULD NOT DO!
Early on in the collection all the stories tied back to superstitions of some sort, but I felt like this faded in some of the later ones (which was kind of sad). However, the creep factor does not let up at all. The vast majority of the stories are incredibly different reflecting the various author styles, but a few tie in well together. I have to admit that some of the stories got a little descriptive in the "ick" factor and were disgusting, but I could not stop reading them! And let me tell you this baby is a chunky one, but it was worth every second.
A number of different mythological ideas and old wives tales are tied into the stories and we even get some IT vibes and a Bigfoot! Oh and cats are clearly evil. Towards the end a few of the stories lost their appeal and felt like they were dragging, which is why I'm only giving this one four stars. I think a couple of the stories didn't really shine the same as say that 2nd to last chapter, which I will eagerly await the movie for. But, if you like spooky stuff, old wives tales, cool takes on superstitions or all of the above check out this book.

This was the perfect Halloween read! I must admit I love horror year round, but this really made my Halloween memorable this year. I loved all the stories, each author brought their own unique flair to the collection. The nice part is you can stop after one story, and read it piecemeal. Or you can be me, and read it through in as few sittings as possible because the short stories are so engaging and well written. I loved that this wasn't just a straight horror antholog, but pulled in some mythology and folk tales to supplement the supernatural and horror ones. I can't say I had one favorite story, but honorable mentions to One Last Breath by Elle Beaumont and The Seventh Crow by Leslie Rush.

A Hidden Gem..................

Emporium of Superstition, An Old Wives' Anthology Tales is like a hidden gem in the horror world. The book has some of the amazing stories based on superstitions. I really enjoyed the stories. They are full of mystery and every story has a different vibe. The book got my attention right from the first story
and maintained the pace throughout all the stories. It was really an amazing and exciting read.

I would like to give the book 4 stars. Thanks to Book Sirens for providing me an opportunity to read and review the book.

FIRST IMPRESSION:
A Hades & Persephone reimagining? Sign me up, I'm already intrigued!! This is a smooth, plausible (well as plausible as can be given the source material), unputdownable retelling. It took me a lot longer than expected to pick this one up due to a torn retina but it was SO worth the wait and commitment to see it through!! Not only do we have a cool new reimagining, we also get a new take on Vampirism. I haven't read a Vamp story in a looong time so I am super excited to have stumbled upon a unique one! Already the tease of a slooow burn is present and deepening. I just started this journey and I'm already counting pages and anxious about it ending.

HALF WAY MARK:
More page counting although now with ever more concern as to how quickly the pages are flying on by... they are simply evaporating. While I read on, a few things stand out. I must confess, I can be a bit weird when it comes to Sexytime reads and this book certainly has its moments! I'd make a TERRIBLE poker player... I flush and blush and sometimes giggle or sigh when reading it in public (or even when it's just me). Being uncomfortable and having to control my awkward reactions isn't a feeling I tend to seek out for fun AND this book has detailed descriptions of just how MUCH the characters enjoy each others company BUT it is worth the burning cheeks. This nascent Amore brewing reminds me of the want of a moth for a flame, begging to burn and at times I was alight with them. And that backdrop! The backdrop is complex and textured. It comes in a really close second to my enjoyment of the characters. I, like almost every bibliophile I know, am a true sucker for a unique spin on an old trope and this premise delivers!

ALMOST AT THE FINISH LINE (~ 85% DONE):
The mounting dread over the page progression has reached a crescendo. Dramatic sounding? YES! But this book has me firmly in its grasp... enthralled... enraptured... ensnared. The writing has me fully immersed, dialed in and feeling like I'm inside the story, living amongst these characters as a fellow member of the Fae community. The character development is full bodied and I haven't been able to look away. Our FMC, Eden, is an interesting character with tons of personal growth... she becomes a fierce, kick ass force of nature. You'll almost certainly enjoy the dueling POVs of the two main characters, it really helps being able to see from both sides of each situation. Our antihero MMC, Draven, is yummmmy with a capital YUM! Besides being completely swoonworthy, the chemistry between he and Eden feels authentic and muy fuego. I loathe when budding relationships feel forced or fake... having no chemistry is a big plot No-No in my eyes!

DONE:

Oh noooo... I just turned the last page/screen and now what??!? Now I just wait? Wait for who knows how long to get my mitts on the next book? Wait and let my poor memory start to eat away (and delete) parts of this book I enjoyed so much??

Well one thing's for sure, I wasn't bored or skimming. This book is creating a world that's both impressive in scope yet intimate in voice. With 2 POVs that seamlessly knit everything together... the reciprocity and tension between the two MCs is absolutely delectable! We do have quite a few tropes though... if you're curious about that sort of thing. Usually I'm good with some tried and trues but there are a few I can't abide. Seeds of Sorrow has the coming of age trope in spades (okay), the Stockholm Syndrome trope (sometimes okay), the slightly intsta-lovey trope (ugh), the polar opposites attract trope (okay), the I love you but I'm too dangerous/pouty/moody so I will turn you away trope (meh), and 100% Vampiric brooding (expected). BUT it also has a few tropes that are always a welcome sight... tropes like an extremely resilient and bad ass Female MC who knows what she wants and unabashedly/unapologetically goes for it (yes please), a trembling foal to a raging lion FMC personal transformation (heck yeah!), enemies to lovers (YAY), and the star crossed lovers trying hard to make it work (I'm here for it)!

Is this groundbreaking stuff? Not really BUT it is addictive and a really great way to spend some me- time. This book put a spell on me and had my attention from the start... sexy bits and all. My only gripe is that The Big Showdown was pretty tame, anticlimactic and over waaaay too quickly.

OVERALL:
I enjoyed Seeds of Sorrow very much! The uniqueness of this premise had me hook line and sinker. It is well rounded, extremely consuming, and transports you to 3 realms (though 1 is more novel than the others). The scenes and descriptions of Draven's dark world were my favorite parts. There were varying creatures/entities and Draven... have I mentioned how yummy he is?? I wish the other books in the trilogy were out already (I NEED to know... I feel like Oliver Twist begging- "Please sir, may I have some more?") but I will definitely be (anxiously) on the lookout to scoop up Book #2!

~ Enjoy

*** I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ***

The Castle of Thorns is a splendid story of man and monster.
Gisela our main character is a Princess and is forced into a situation that is less than ideal but instead of this tale being all doom and gloom, she actually thrives amongst it.
Knorren; our main evil fox and the cause of the upset to the kingdom, is just a likeable rouge. Sure he's evil, he's massacred probably hundreds but you can not, not like him. He's such a brilliant character and probably just misunderstood!
I really loved how the world was built and how the magic just unravelled through the pages, the surprises that popped up along the way added to the enjoyment of reading this novel.
There's parts of the novel where I did laugh out and my best part was the water pool/spring scene...
“Close your eyes when I get out.” Knorren eyed her. “Why?” Gisela gawked at him. Was he serious? “I’m not wearing clothes . . .”“And neither am I.”“You’re a fox!”
I really enjoyed this novel, I loved how it was written and the magical way we got swept into the story, the characters that you knew had some hidden back story but didn't know quite what and the characters that you thought "wow what a bitch" - Tilda I'm looking at you!

I highly recommend The Castle of Thorns to every, hey I even bought the paperback well before getting half way through, it's that good!

This compilation was a hard one to rate. Here are my thoughts on each story individually.

The 1st story - The Soulless Ones - was slow going. It trotted along at a steady mosey. It had decent writing and a new take on Vamps, which is always welcome, BUT it didn't grab ahold of my attention nor keep me firmly interested or invested. The twisty turns weren't very gripping and were easily worked out ahead of their tempid reveals. I'm sorry to have to report that this tiny yarn was a solid, middle of the dusty dirt road, Ho Hum read! ---> 2.5 stars

2nd story- The Rogue of Vanguard - was perfectly paced and fun to read. The writing was solid. The characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, but, it was probably due to the fact that the story was so short. I normally don't read compilations (so it might be a Me thing) but this book had something I love... in spades... it had loads of STEAMPUNK! I was instantly drawn into this World after being dropped smack dab in the middle of the action. There were no sluggish parts or skim-inducing sections (ahem, Soulless Ones) and, as I said before, it was expertly paced, BUT again, that can (most likely) be attributed to its length (or lack thereof). Lastly, was the premise and the final reveal. That ending and last twist were nearly impossible to figure out ahead of time... I'm sure of it. I love surprising rollercoaster reads! If you're into well written Steampunk with cool new gadgets, cogs and dohickies, plus a surprising revelatory ending that makes you question the whole premise you initially invisioned, then I say "you're going to really enjoy this read". ---> 4.5 Stars

3rd story- Gossamer & Thorns- was a decently placed love story with Dr Frankenstein vibes. There was not enough Steampunk imho... can there ever truly be enough?!? Well, maybe but here... the amount of Steampunk that was present was woven seamlessly into the story and I recognize and applaud that! It flowed nicely. The writing was good but the characters could have benefitted from some TLC in the Depth department. I wasn't expecting a love story at first, and to be honest, it's not my favorite genre soooo I'm probably not the target audience for this story. I could definitely have done without that curt, unsatisfying ending. It just kind of cut off abruptly. Even the epiligue was a tease. All in all, even though this wasn't my cuppa, it still was a solid read. ---> 3 Stars

~ Enjoy

*** I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ***½