Thursday, July 11, 2024

Book review - The Haunted States of America

Title: The Haunted States of America

Genre: horror/short stories

Similar books: Hide and Don't Seek by Annica Mrose Rissi

                      His Hideous Heart by Dahlia Adler

Rating: 

decent construct but not especially scary

Summary (provided by publisher): Every state has an urban legend that evokes fear and curiosity in equal parts, and we've chronicled all of these logic-defying horrors here in the Haunted States of America anthology.
From the Jersey Devil to La Llorona, each story included introduces a new chill inducing, stomach churning monster, spectre, or poltergeist certain to keep you up at night. A broad ranging collection of authors, including seasoned veterans and some first timers making a fright-tastic debut, have all united to unearth the scariest lore from each state in the US, as well as D.C. and Puerto Rico. Make sure to strap in for this spooky cross country tour, but be extra careful not to let any of these terrors follow you home.

My opinion: With fifty-two stories and authors in this collection, there are a wide variety of types of stories and styles. They're also all quite short. A little bit of introduction and what amounts to a jump scare or a moment of final dread. There isn't a lot of atmosphere and development to make for a truly spine-chilling read. The value here is in introducing some lesser known monsters which may lead readers to truly terrifying tales.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
 

No comments:

Post a Comment