The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana EnríquezMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
An intriguing collection, but not as satisfying as I hoped.
There are some really great, horrifying ideas here - undead children, haunted cities, creepy obsessions ... a lot of brilliant, unique ideas absolutely perfect for a collection of horror stories.
But almost every single one of them ends in such a way that the story seems unfinished, and it's incredibly frustrating. In many cases it's an unsatisfying ending, where the reader can infer many things. I don't mind this kind of thing every now and then, but when it's every single story it's kind of brutal.
I did, however, get sucked into every single story - I think that's why the abrupt endings hurt so much. This stuff is GOOOOOD.
So I really love the ideas she's produced for this collection, but I wanted more.
I'd still recommend it for horror fans, because the ideas in it are crazy. And I feel like maybe these are the kinds of stories that would hit harder on a second read or even just further contemplation. So horror fans, absolutely give it a shot.
For those who need clear cut resolutions with their short stories, though, prepare to be frustrated.
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