WardenRed reviewed The Gathering Dark by Erin A. Craig
None
4 stars
In hypothetical lunchtime conversations, rehashing movies and true crime documentaries, we always say we’ll fight back. That it’s weak and foolish to let yourself be bested, to let yourself be killed. As if it’s the victim’s idea to become a victim.
Like pretty much any anthology, this one is varied: there were stories that left a lasting impressions on me, there were ones that were more forgettable. Still, on the whole, I really, really liked this read. The lowest I’d rate any given story would be 3.5, and there were quite a few clearly 5-star ones.
My absolute favorite story here is Loved by All, Save One by Tori Bovalino. It starts as a ghost story, then goes into a far more realistic and terrifying direction, and when the ghost does appear, it definitely doesn’t happen in a predictable ghost story way. This was the one tale that actually genuinely …
In hypothetical lunchtime conversations, rehashing movies and true crime documentaries, we always say we’ll fight back. That it’s weak and foolish to let yourself be bested, to let yourself be killed. As if it’s the victim’s idea to become a victim.
Like pretty much any anthology, this one is varied: there were stories that left a lasting impressions on me, there were ones that were more forgettable. Still, on the whole, I really, really liked this read. The lowest I’d rate any given story would be 3.5, and there were quite a few clearly 5-star ones.
My absolute favorite story here is Loved by All, Save One by Tori Bovalino. It starts as a ghost story, then goes into a far more realistic and terrifying direction, and when the ghost does appear, it definitely doesn’t happen in a predictable ghost story way. This was the one tale that actually genuinely scared me, to the point that I very much regretted reading it after dark with everyone around me asleep. I also just genuinely loved the heartbreaking idea behind the whole thing (staying vague here because I don’t want to spoil anything).
Another one I enjoyed a lot was One-Lane Bridge by Hannah Whitten. Despite the small size of the tale, I felt like I connected with the MC very well. I liked the small twists along the road and absolutely adored the ending. Also, the vibes early on kind of reminded me of one of my favorite early episodes of Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural. The one with the bridge, you know the one.
To round off the top-3, I think I’m choosing Truth or Dare by Alex Brown. An absolute trip, dreamlike and sad, beautifully written. It gave me some Orpheus and Euridica vibes, except kind of upside down / the other way round. So strange and delicious.
For a couple of honorable mentions, there’ Stay by Erica Waters—a little rushed, I felt, but ultimately super atmospheric and evocative. And also Ghost on the Shore by Allison Saft that focuses so hard on the pain of letting go and builds up to a more hopeful ending than I expected.
I perhaps found it a little repetitive how many stories were set during the characters’ last summer holiday or last summer in their hometowns, but at the same time I understand why the authors must have gravitated toward the same decisions. It’s a bit of a liminal time when the old weighs you down harder than usual, everything is possible, and everything is about to change. Makes it promising for YA horror in many ways.
All in all, I liked this way more than I expected to like it and definitely recommend it to those who are into folk horror and YA horror in general!
