THE GATHERING DARK
Author: Multiple
Date released: September 6th, 2022
Category: Short Story Collection
Synopsis: A cemetery full of the restless dead. A town so wicked it has already burned twice, with the breath of the third fire looming. A rural, isolated bridge with a terrifying monster waiting for the completion of its summoning ritual. A lake that allows the drowned to return, though they have been changed by the claws of death. These are the shadowed, liminal spaces where the curses and monsters lurk, refusing to be forgotten.
Hauntings, and a variety of horrifying secrets, lurk in the places we once called home. Written by New York Times bestselling, and other critically acclaimed, authors these stories shed a harsh light on the scariest tales we grew up with.
Stay / Erica Waters
The tallest poppy / Chloe Gong
Loved by all, save one / Tori Bovalino
One-lane bridge / Hannah Whitten
Ghost on the shore / Allison Saft
Petrified / Olivia Chadha
Third burn / Courtney Gould
It stays with you / Aden Polydoros
Truth or dare / Alex Brown
The burning one / Shakira Toussaint
The UnReel Take:
Story: 4
Writing: 5
Characters: NA
Setting: NA
UnReel AR: 4.5
Bottom Line: The Gathering Dark is a collection of "folk," (IE, "small town") horror stories for YA readers. The contributor list is a veritable who's who of popular YA authors and I was excited to read some of their shorter pieces. As with all anthologies, I've rated each story individually and my overall rating is just the average of those.
Stay by Erica Waters
4 - This had morose vibes, which I don't think you see enough in horror, but it was pretty predictable and had a vague ending. The first sentence is gripping as hell though.
The Tallest Poppy by Chloe Gong
3 - The atmosphere was tense and I am here for a villainous ocean, but the voice didn't feel at all authentic to someone from a small town. Like, the MC encounters multiple individuals she doesn't know...in her tiny town...a couple of who seemingly live on routes she regularly takes? IDK, just didn't seem to make sense in the world. The story also relied heavily on tropes. Also, from an editing standpoint, why are there two stories with an unreliable narrator back-to-back?
Loved By All, Save One by Tori Bovalino
5 - Anticlimactic, but it was nice to see the ghost get to be the good guy.
One-Lane Bridge by Hannah Whitten
7 - Atmospheric and creepy, but the end was a bit convenient.
Ghost on the Shore by Allison Saft
5 - A solid morose short story, but not really horror.
Petrified by Olivia Chadha
DNF - This was just YA cheese overload and I couldn't do it.
Third Burn by Courtney Gould
4 - A little on the vague side (are you seeing a theme here?) but super creepy overall.
It Stays With You by Aden Polydoros
8 - Atmospheric and strangely uplifting. I'd absolutely read more horror from this author!
Truth Or Dare by Alex Brown
4 stars - Interesting, and the semi-experimental prose broke up the collection so far, but it was a bit too meta for me.
The Burning One by Shakira Toussaint
DNF - Almost opposite to my review for "Truth or Dare," this one was a bit too experimental in terms of prose. Maybe in a different collection it would've worked for me, but it just felt really out of place as a conclusion to this bunch.
Ideal Reading Location: The living room, during the day, with the lights on.
Drink Pairing: Since a lot of these stories have a Southern gothic vibe, I’m going to say a good, old-fashioned sweet tea.
Maybe your experience will be different!