It is always great to read an anthology of stories belonging to a specific genre. These stories were interesting, different and truly one of the best I've read so far.

Note - I received a free copy of the book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review in any way. ( )

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While I think this was a strong anthology which contained some really good short stories, there were also some stories that disappointed. I always find it difficult to rate an anthology, especially when the quality, or at least my enjoyment of the stories, differed quite a lot.

I finished this one some time ago, but because of the above mentioned reason I've put off the actual writing of the review. It would seem that many of the stories, while entertaining at the time of reading have already slipped my mind, being not very memorable. Two stories however, stand out until today. One features dolls (this is said to be a horror collection after all) and the other Jack the Ripper.

The Dolls aside, do not expect just plain old horror stories. Many of them are more subtle and I indeed think that the term Dark Fantasy suits best.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )

A mixed bag, as most of these anthologies are. There's the excellent (Neil Gaiman, for example), the good, and one or two stories that I found contrived and predictable and wondered how they'd ended up being included. But overall, it was a decent read. ( )

“Sing Me Your Scars” by Damien Angelica Walters

The collection opens with this Frankenstein-inspired story wherein each of the creature's parts retain the memories of their original owners and fight to retain what life they have left. A strange tale, but I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars

“There is No Place for Sorrow in the Kingdom of the Cold” by Seanan McGuire

A convoluted tale of woman who literally pours her soul into dolls she makes. Not to my taste. 2.5 stars

“The Scavenger’s Nursery” by Maria Dahvana Headley

Garbage evolves into sentient life and takes vengeance on humans for wrecking the planet. One of the worst stories in the collection. 1 star.

“Black Dog” by Neil Gaiman

Set in the same world as American Gods. Very well-told, but not a favorite of mine. 3.5 stars

“1Up” by Holly Black

Three kids try to figure out the mystery of a friend’s death via clues he left in a video game. Gimmicky and dull. 2 stars

“The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill” by Kelly Robson

A fatally-wounded girl is healed by an alien life form, but begins to doubt their intentions. Not bad, but it was another story that just wasn’t to my taste. 2.5 stars

“Windows Underwater” by John Shirley

This is the note I made after reading this story: “Let's save the world by breeding a new race via tentacle sex!” Exactly as bad as it sounds. 1 star

“Ripper” by Angela Slatter

I almost skipped this story because I’ve about had my fill of Jack the Ripper tales; I am so glad I didn’t because it turned out to be one of the best stories in the collection. A young woman in need of money disguises herself as a man and takes a job as a constable and her unique viewpoint helps her in the search for the notorious killer. The supernatural subplot is kind of weak, but it is in all other respects a splendid story. 4.5 stars

“Seven Minutes in Heaven” by Nadia Bulkin

A disaster wipes out an entire town, but the neighboring town is seemingly untouched. This one didn’t make much of an impression on me and I had to struggle to remember that much of the plot. 1.5 stars

“Those” by Sofia Samatar

A tale of European colonialism in Africa. Another one that made very little impression. 1 star

“The Body Finder” by Kaaron Warren

A man whose daughter was murder dedicates his life to finding bodies using some ill-explained device. Dull. 1.5 stars

“The Deepwater Bride” by Tamsyn Muir

This is my favorite story of the collection. For generations the Blake family has chronicled the signs and portents of Lovecraftian monsters and young Hester Blake is living with her aunt in order to learn the family business. Muir writes Hester as an engaging mix of misfit-who-wants-to-rebel and misfit-who-wants-to-belong and manages to adroitly tread that thin sliver of ground where horror and comedy can overlap. 5 stars

“Fabulous Beasts” by Priya Sharma

A family drama in which the family happens to be shape-shifting snakes. Sounds odd, but was actually very good. 4 stars

“Below the Falls” by Daniel Mills

A lame Victorian-style ghost story. 1 star

“The Cripple and Starfish” by Caítlin R. Kiernan

I continue to be amazed that people think Kiernan has talent. 0 stars

“The Door” by Kelley Armstrong

Post-apocalyptic story of parents trying to make a normal life for their children. 3 stars

“Daniel’s Theory About Dolls” by Stephen Graham Jones

Awful. 0 stars

“Kaiju maximus®: So various, So Beautiful, So New” by Kai Ashante Wilson

This one focuses on the family of a hero fighting giant monsters and how they survive and lend her strength for her battles. It would have been better without the video game-style notes. 3.5 stars

“Hairwork” by Gemma Files

A lame vengeance tale. 1.5 stars

“The Glad Hosts” by Rebecca Campbell

A woman infected by a long-incubating alien parasite that radically alters her personality. It’s killing her, but it also might be making her a better person. 4 stars

“The Absence of Words” by Swapna Kishore

A family has to figure out what to do with grandma, who is suddenly surrounded by sound-dampening field. Dull. 2 stars

“Mary, Mary” by Kirstyn McDermott

A supernatural entity follows Mary Wollstonecraft through her life. I don’t see the point of this one. 1 star

“Cassandra” by Ken Liu

An excellent Superman story told from the villain’s point of view. The narrator is a psychic who sees crimes before they happen. When the local superhero tells her he won’t interfere with people before they have committed crimes, she takes matters into her own hands, thus becoming a “villain.” 5 stars

“A Shot of Salt Water” by Lisa L. Hannett

A “mermaid” story set in a society where women are in charge of the fishing fleet and sometimes return home with babies who aren’t entirely human. Strange, but I enjoyed it. 3 stars

“Street of the Dead House” by Robert Lopresti

Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” told from the ape’s point of view. I read and enjoyed this one in the collection in which it originally appeared and was happy to revisit it. 4.5 stars

The Greyness” by Kathryn Ptacek

Is a woman predicting or causing her neighbors’ deaths? Not nearly as good as it sounds. 2 stars

“The Devil Under the Maison Blue” by Michael Wehunt

Ghost of a jazz musician tells a girl his story. Another one not to my taste. 2 stars

“The Lily and the Horn” by Catherynne M. Valente

War has been replaced by ritualized combat between healers and poisoners. I think this one might be better as a novel. 3 stars

“Snow” by Dale Bailey

A group of people try to survive against eldritch weather. Unoriginal. 1 star

“Corpsemouth” by John Langan

A man goes to Scotland after his father’s death and discovers an ongoing fight against an ancient evil. Not awful, but not engaging either. 2 stars

Received via Netgalley. ( )