Very Superstitious: Myths, Legends and Tales of Superstition

by Georgia McBride (Editor), Shannon Delany (Contributor), Pab Sungenis (Contributor)

The stories are based on urban legends, myths, tribal tales and superstitions from around the world. A charity anthology to benefit SPCA International with stories by Shannon Delany, Jackie Morse Kessler, Stephanie Kuehnert, Jennifer Knight, Marianne Mancusi, Michelle E. Reed, Dianne Salerni and Pab Sungenis.

Genres: Fantasy, Anthologies, Short Stories, Mythology

200 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2013

About the author

Georgia loves a good story. Whether it’s writing her own, or publishing someone else’s, story is at the heart of everything Georgia does. Founder of Month9Books, YALITCHAT.ORG and the weekly #yalitchat on Twitter, Georgia spends most of her days writing, editing, or talking about books. That is, of course, when she is not blasting really loud music or reading. She lives in North Carolina with four dogs, a frog, a parrot, 2 kids, parents and a husband.

Reviews

[Mauoijenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book filled with spooky urban tales and the best part, the book proceeds helps ANIMALS!!! Who can beat that?!

[Jackie Kessler]

I'm so excited about this upcoming anthology! My story is set in the Riders of the Apocalypse world, a long (long) time ago.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm normally not an anthology reader, but the cover and the fact that they donated money to the SPCA made me grab this book and read it. Plus it was a quick read. I love animals and I love short stories. The book was simple, Some stories were Ok, but quite a few of them felt uncompleted and something you would find written by high school students.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

(This review can also be found on my blog The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl).


When this book was offered to me to review, I jumped at the chance, and while it wasn't a fantastic read, it was still good.

I love the cover! It's a bit plain, but I like the whole black cat imagery going on for a book entitled Very Superstitious!

I'm going to review each of the stories individually instead of altogether because it's easier, and that way each story is reviewed fairly.

The Rescue by Shannon Delaney
This story plays on a dog really being man's best friend. His wife believes he spends too much time with his dog and not enough time with his family. When his dog becomes too ill to hunt, he begrudgingly leaves her at the house with his young infant son and his nanny. When the man comes back from hunting, he finds the nanny dead and his dog with blood around her mouth. Things aren't always what they seem though.

The world building was fantastic in this story! I could imagine everything in my head that was going on with the story thanks to the author's great descriptions.

The pacing for this story was great! I kept wanting to know what was going to happen to the dog. I couldn't read fast enough!

The character of Annie was my favorite. Yes, she may be just a dog, but I'm a big dog lover. I loved how we even got a litte bit of back story about her. Andrew, the man I mentioned in previous paragraphs, is also a well written character. I could actually feel how much he loved his dog. Andrew is put in an awful position towards the end of the story, and my heart really went out to him.

The dialogue flowed very smoothly and never once felt forced. Personally, I liked the dialogue between the man and his dog.

Overall, this is a great short story. I'd give this story a 5 out of 5.

Thirst by Jackie Morse Kessler
Sambethe has realistic dreams...so realistic that one even turns out to be prophetic. When she is told in her dream that her village is going to flood, she must convince the others. When no one believes her, she must make the ultimate sacrifice.

I enjoyed the world building. Thanks to the author's great use of description, I was instantly teleported to Sambethe's village.

Like the previous story, the pacing in this story was also great. I couldn't wait to find out if the villagers would start believing Sambethe. I also wanted to learn more about the Red Rider, the Black Rider, and the Pale Rider that were mentioned in this story.

Sambethe, to me, was instantly likable. It was easy to feel her frustration at not being able to convince the other villagers that their lives were in danger. Sambethe was a very brave girl, and I admired her deeply.

I enjoyed the dialogue. My favorite dialogue was when Sambethe was dreaming.

This is also a great story. This story gets a 5 out of 5 from me.

Chupacabra by Jennifer Knight
This story offers its own explanation of the infamous creature from Mexican lore. When Eva gets a call from her sister Emily, she knows something's up especially since they haven't spoken to each other in awhile since Eva moved away. Emily informs Eva that her husband has been murdered by something that drained all of his blood. Eva shows up on her sister's doorstep to find and kill the monster. However, when you throw in Eva's old flame, things get very complicated. Nothing's ever easy especially when you have a difficult choice to make like Eva.

I loved the world building in this story. I love how it goes from normal teenage high school life to a life involving a creature of nightmares. The author does a fantastic job at blending the two worlds to give this story a solid foundation.

The pacing started off good, but it slowed down a bit. However, it didn't slow to the point where it became boring. It just wasn't as quick as how it had begun.

I loved Eva even if she should've waited for help instead of trying to attack the creature on her own. I loved how witty she was. Eva is definitely someone I'd love to be friends with! I do wish there would've been some back story as to how Eva got involved in killing creatures besides just an explanations such as her parents do it. Emily annoyed me a bit, but not because she was written poorly. I just can't put my finger on it as to why I couldn't connect with her. Diego, Eva's ex, comes across as sweet and caring. I wanted these two to get back together because they seemed to make a great couple!

The dialogue was great, and I loved how we got to read things from Eva's point of view as well as the beast's. My favorite dialogue scene was at the very beginning when the teacher asks Eva what she has in her pocket. Her response is what made me love her!

This is a good story, and I'd give it a 4 out of 5.

The Road Home by Stephanie Kuehnert
This story features a girl travelling with her druggie boyfriend to her uncle's house. Her boyfriend's promised her so many times he'd stop doing drugs, but he never keeps his promise. The girl picks up a hitch hiker and things just start getting weirder and weirder from there.

I thought the world building was fabulous! I felt as if I was also on this road trip with Gwen and her boyfriend Wake. The setting mostly takes place in Gwen's 1974 Blazer, but not once is there a dull moment.

The pacing was fantastic! This kind of story is my favorite. I won't say why due to spoilers though. I devoured this story from start to finish, and not once was I the least bit bored by the story.

All the characters were fantastically written. My heart went out to Gwen especially when it came to her boyfriend. She wanted them to have a future, but Wake was jeopardizing it. Wake seemed to be very selfish which is what I think the author was trying to portray. I loved the mysterious aura that Lulu seemed to have. I kept trying to figure her out throughout the whole story.

I enjoyed the dialogue, and I felt that it flowed very smoothly. The character interactions never felt forced, and everything just worked. However, the dialogue did confuse me a bit at the end, and I was left wondering what had happened.

This was a super interesting story, but due to the ending, I'm going to give this a 4.5 out of 5.

The Gift of the Were-Magi by Mari Mancusi
This story is about werewolves, not the scary kind, but more like the kind from Twilight. Orpheus is madly in love with Luna. However, they can't be together since she is promised to the alpha male within their pack. Orpheus wants Luna to give up her wolf side and become full human, and he'd do the same. That way they would be banished from their pack and free to do whatever they please, but things never go as planned.

I liked the world building, but I would've liked to know more back story and more about the pack. Everything was in the here and now. I realize it's a short story, but still, there could've been more back story then what there was.

The pacing was decent, but I felt as if it was slow at times. I must admit that I did skim some of the paragraphs as I become bored every now and then. However, this story is alright even if the pacing is a bit slow.

The characters were all written okay, but I felt that with some back story, they could've been brilliant! I thought the character of Orpheus was sweet, and I was angry that he wasn't given a chance to be with Luna simply because he wasn't an Alpha. I kept hoping the pack would allow Orpheus and Luna to be together freely. I didn't really connect with Luna. I think this is because I felt as if I didn't know her well enough.

The dialogue flowed smoothly, and the characters interacted well. I did enjoy that this story was written from both Orpheus' and Luna's point of view.

I'd give this story a 3 out of 5.

Midhalla by Michelle E. Reed
Kaitlin is being raised by her grandmother. She's an orphan psychic, well, at least that's there job title. She gets paid to video chat with people and do seances as well as tell the future. Everything is going normally until one night, the client network goes down. After that, things just get all out strange.

I enjoyed the world building at the beginning. It was really interesting and believable. However, the second half of the book isn't as good. In fact, I felt it was a bit confusing. I felt as if I was reading two different books!

The pacing is good. The pacing carries the story along at a great pace, and before I knew it, the story was over.

I thought the characters were well written. I loved Gram and Kaitlin! Gram is such a sweet person, and I wished she was in my life. Kaitlin seemed very down to Earth and came across as a girl just trying to make ends meet.

The dialogue was great in the beginning and flowed smoothly, but like the world building, the second half just got confusing. I didn't really know what was happening.

This is a good story, but due to the confusion, I'm giving this story a 3 out of 5.

Bloody Mary by Dianne K. Salerni
This story starts off with a group of girls speaking to a mirror trying to find out who their future husbands will be. When one of the girl's finds out that her cousin from Jamaica saw her current boyfriend in the mirror, all hell breaks loose. Jealousy can be deadly.

I can not fault the world building in this story. Everything was perfect. I felt as if I was actually in these girls's world as a silent observer.

The pacing is fantastic! I wish this story was longer simply because I was really enjoying it. I flicked from page to page to find out what would happen next!

The characters were written fantastically. I felt bad for Mary Louise because her cousin saw Mary Louise's boyfriend in the mirror as her future husband. I'd be super jealous and heartbroken just like Mary Louise especially since Alec, Mary Louise's boyfriend, is nice to everyone. Marianne is a very sweet young lady. She's the innocent victim in all this and doesn't realize her future husband is Mary Louise's boyfriend.

I enjoyed the dialogue although I would've liked to see some things written in a Jamaican dialect but that's just a personal thing. The character interactions were great and enjoyable to read.

I'd give this story a 5 out of 5.

The Silverfoot Heretic by Pab Sungenis
This story is about a monk named Nick who is to be the next Crow. The Crow is a male leader of a tribe in this book. The tribe worships the book of The Wizard of Oz. When Nick learns the truth of his tribe, it is up to him to be honest or tell the tribe what every crow has told them before.

The world building was good. In fact, the world kind of reminded me a bit of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley except in this story, the people worship The Wizard of Oz, not Ford.

I felt that the pacing in this story was too slow for my liking. I skimmed over many paragraphs in this story because I felt like there was too much info dumping.

The character of Nick was well written. It was easy to see what the predicament he was in was doing to him, and I felt really bad for him that he had to make such a big decision.

The dialogue read smoothly, but like I said, there was just way too much info dumping for my liking.

I'd give this story a 3 out of 5.

Overall, I'd give this book, as a whole, a 4 out of 5.


(I was provided with a free ecopy of this title in exchange for a fair and honest review).

[Liviania · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY SUPERSTITIOUS contains an excellent lineup of authors, which is what first caught my attention. I was particularly excited to see a story by Stephanie Kuehnert, who hasn't had a fiction release since 2009's wicked good BALLADS OF SUBURBIA. Plus, it's a charity anthology! How could I resist spreading the word about a book that helps animals?

I wish the theme of VERY SUPERSTITIOUS were slightly more coherent. Some of the stories involve animals, some don't. Some are mythology, some folklore, some the Bible, some urban legends, some children's stories, you get the idea. With only eight stories, so many different sources means stories with very different feels. I like that they aren't all the same of course, but I wish there was more of a thread holding them together than "superstition." (And sometimes that thread is very light indeed.)

I also wish that more of the sources were non-Western. "Chupacabra" by Jennifer Knight draws on the Central American legend and is set in Puerto Rico, and was one of my favorites in the anthology. It's a tale of revenge, hard choices, and the way human emotions can create the worst monsters. It felt like a small piece of a larger world, which I appreciated. "Midhalla" by Michelle E. Reed draws on Egyptian mythology, so it doesn't make much sense to have a title punning on Norse mythology. [Edit: Reed contacted me about the title and said, "Midhalla is the Arabic word for umbrella, which is why I chose it for my story."] It was probably my least favorite story in the anthology. It's core is extremely goofy, and the end is dark and sudden, jarring completely with the setup at the beginning of the story. It never coheres.

I think most of these stories are one offs, which is nice. "Thirst" by Jackie Morse Kessler does tie into her Riders of the Apocalypse series, but given that it's a retelling of Noah and the flood, it's easy to follow even without knowledge of that series. I enjoyed it, as well as the stories from Shannon Delany, Stephanie Kuehnert, and Dianne K. Salerni. And props to Delany's kids, who convinced her to change the story's traditional ending. VERY SUPERSTITIOUS contains many unhappy endings, but at least it contains no unhappy ending for animals. Mari Mancusi's story plays with "The Gift of the Magi," a story that's been played with so much that it would take something really clever to get me excited about it. Not bad, but standard. Pab Sungenis's "The Silverfoot Heretic" played with The Wizard of Oz. I thought the story went somewhere interesting, and touching, but I almost didn't finish the story because the beginning didn't capture me at all.

VERY SUPERSTITIOUS is a fine anthology for fantasy readers looking for something slightly creepy for Halloween reading. I didn't love all of the stories, but there are some good ones by popular authors. If you're a fan of any of these ladies, I'd pick it up. Plus, you're helping out animals! It's hard to resist books and animals, isn't it?

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lovely collection of short stories. Some were a bit spooky, many are retellings of commonly known stores (eg: Noah's ark, The Gift of the Magi). I really enjoyed reading all of them.

[Tammy - Books, Bones & Buffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a word: A timely collection for a good cause, with some delightful surprises, full of myths and superstitions, and a vast array of stories that will make you laugh, cry and think.

One of the best things about this anthology is that proceeds from the first 5,000 copies sold will be donated to the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) International. Halloween is the perfect time to release this anthology into the world, and the fact that many of the authors use animals as core elements in their stories ties in well with the SPCA connection. Each tale features a superstition or legend, some better known that others, and although all the stories fall under one of the title's subcategories, as a whole they were a very mixed bunch. I found myself pleasantly surprised to discover some new-to-me authors that are now on my radar: to those of you who “wowed” me, look out: I will not rest until I read more from you! Because this is a short anthology with only eight stories, I want to highlight each one. In alphabetical order by author, here are the stories of Very Superstitious:

The Rescue by Shannon Delany

This fairy tale-like story about a man and his faithful dog named Annie was one of my favorites. It fits perfectly in this collection, as it tells about a superstition that hounds born with red ears are fairy-born, and therefore dangerous. Andrew rescued Annie as a pup as she was about to be drowned because of her red ears, and ever since she’s been Andrew’s greatest love. The story delves into family, loyalty and trust, with an unexpected ending that will make you a Shannon Delany fan too!

Thirst by Jackie Morse Kessler

I loved this story about the legend of Noah's Ark, which goes beyond the tale most of us know and delves into a lesser known character. Thirst tells the story of Sambethe, daughter of Noah, whose dreams foretell the flooding of the river, and how she tries to convince her father to prepare for the flood. This story had a dream-like and mesmerizing quality that sucked me in.

Chupacabra by Jennifer Knight

This story was very odd for me in the beginning, but by the end I was hooked. It uses the myth of the chupacabra, an urban legend about a killer beast that sucks the blood from its victims, to tell the story of a monster slayer named Eva who unexpectedly comes face to face with her past, while trying to help her sister. I loved the exotic locale of Chupacabra, which takes place in Puerto Rico, and the menacing feel as the story alternates between Eva’s point of view and the killer’s.

The Road Home by Stephanie Kuehnert

This odd ghost story was another of my favorites. Kuehnert writes like a seasoned professional, and her writing reminded me a bit of Stephen King’s. King takes small details and weaves them throughout his stories, details that take on lives of their own. This is not an easy thing to do, but Kuehnert does it brilliantly. Her story uses the (unfamiliar to me) superstition of making a wish on the last cigarette in the pack. The Road Home tells a sad but ultimately uplifting story of a ghost who is trying to find her way home, and the people who end up helping her. Oh, and there is a dog in the story, too.

The Gift of the Were-Magi by Mari Mancusi

Mancusi might be the best-known of this group of writers, since she just published Scorched, and her story in this collection doesn’t disappoint. Two werewolves named Orpheus and Luna are deeply in love, but unable to be mates because of pack rules. When Orpheus devises a dangerous plan that could allow them to be together, things don’t quite work out the way he envisions. One of my favorites of the bunch, this is probably the saddest werewolf story I’ve ever read!

Midhalla by Michelle E. Reed

The superstition in Midhalla is a familiar one: opening umbrellas indoors brings back luck. This story about a girl who works as an online psychic starts out normal enough, but eventually turns into a horror story of sorts. Reed ties in Egyptian superstitions with modern-day characters and offers up a cautionary tale about belief.

Bloody Mary by Dianne K. Salerni

I really enjoyed this story about the origins of the Bloody Mary myth. Salerni takes a very scary slumber party game and gives us a plausible explanation for it. Jealousy and witchcraft come together in this odd but terrifying tale of cousins who are in love with the same boy.

The Silverfoot Heretic by Pab Sungenis

This might be my favorite story! Sungenis uses the book The Wizard of Oz as the basis for a future society’s belief system, turning the familiar characters of that beloved story on their heads and creating a new reality that is both strange and comforting at the same time. Sungenis gives us a hopeful look at how stories are carried down from generation to generation, and how they shape our lives.

Very Superstitious was overall an enjoyable read. I loved the different ways the authors interpreted the theme, and I’m thrilled to have discovered some talented new authors. The only thing missing, in my opinion, is an afterward or explanation from each author about the origins of their stories and the myths, legends and superstitions they were based on. (Some are obvious but some are not.) But for an anthology that’s been written for a very good cause, you really can’t go wrong. Very Superstitious has something for every reader, and these stories will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading them.

Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great stories, some not so great.

[Megan Farve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I would rate this book 2.5 stars, but I gave it a 3 to be nice. Don’t get me wrong, I love the concept for the book, but most of the stories fell short for me.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Thoughts - 4 out of 5 unicorns - I really liked it!!
**Received the ebook as part of the tour for an honest review

The cover is beautiful and alludes to usual superstitions with cats, the moon, and the number 13. I think it is a very fitting cover even if the stories do not revolve around those particular superstitions.

I have to say that I find it extremely honorable for the authors taking part to help such a worthy cause. I am an animal lover, and I want to cry when I see animals hurt, abused, or thrown away. All animals deserve our respect and care just as people do. If you are not familiar with SPCA International, here is the website that you can visit for more information: http://www.spcai.org/

Okay there are several stories in this anthology, and they were all enjoyable. My three favorite stories were The Rescue by Shannon Delany, Chupacabra by Jennifer Knight, and The Gift of the Were-Magi by Mari Mancusi, so these are the ones I’m focusing on.

In The Rescue, a man must decide between trusting the legends about red dogs and the fae or his faith in his best friend. Shannon says she deviated from the tale of folklore, and I think it was a great change. The story had me from the beginning, but I do not want to give anything away. Shannon writes beautifully, and you get sucked into the world she writes about.

In Chupacabra, it is a tale of a family curse and a beast who murderers people. This story is another that is very well written that you can see everything taking place like you are right there in the story. I love when this happens because it is how I escape reality. Can love conquer all? I guess you will have to read the story to see ;)

In The Gift of the Were-Magi, Mari creates a fantastic world that I would love to read more about. Okay there are parts of this story that had me screaming at the book because it was going a direction I didn’t want it to, but I loved it all the same. The emotional twists let me know how vested in the story I am. Could you walk away from your own personal happiness to ensure that someone you loved would be happy?

I definitely recommend this story to all because first, it is for a fantastic cause, and second, it is a great collection of stories.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superstitious is an anthology perfect for a Halloween read. With story's from a Chupacabra, to a twist on the story of Noah. From a ghost hitch-hiker to a Silverfoot Heretic, and this is the story I am going to focus on for this review.
The Silverfoot Heretic is written by Pab Sungenis. Nick the protagonist comes from a family with a long line of being Tin men, and Nick thought he would follow that line, until he was tested and became a Monk. However with no flowers to be found, and the dry ground it is soon made clear that Nick and the tribe he belongs to must begin to think about moving to another location. When the third sign comes to pass it is up to Nick, now a Crow, the leader of the tribe, to make the decision to move.

The Silverfoot Heretic is a twist on the Wizard of Oz. Each person is chosen for a reason, Line-Men, Crow, each person has their own destiny. This tribe has been fed stories about the Wizard of Oz, from the very first people, right down to Nick, and it is up to each Crow what to tell the tribe members. Keep the secret or carry on the lie.

This is the first time I have heard of Pab and also read their work, and I really enjoyed The Silverfoot Heretic. I loved how the words were changed and adapted, scarecrow became Crow, lion men became line-men, etc to make a well known movie and story fit into The Silverfoot Heretic, it makes this short story unique but familiar at the same time.
At the end of The Silverfoot Heretic you find out that the history of the tribe isn't as important as you thought, that it's about making choices, not for you but for everyone who believes in you, who puts their trust in you, and overall, what is best for them.

Especially when it's all you have, hope is enough.

As a complete book I enjoyed the variety of different stories and authors in the pages. Some of the authors I had not heard or, some of them I had not read any of their work, and Very Superstitious gives you the chance to sample their work and get a feel for the author.
Very Superstitious was a quick but enjoyable read.

[Carrie Ardoin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

This is a collection of short stories that some well known indie authors got together and published fr charity (the SPCA). Authors include Mari Mancusi, Jackie Morse Kessler, and Shannon Delany, among others.

There are eight stories included: "The Rescue", "Thirst", "Chupacabra", "The Road Home", "Gift of the Were-Magi", "Midhalla", "Bloody Mary", and "The Silverfoot Heretic." The stories widely varied in main theme, but all had a supernatural element.

My favorite tale of the collection is "Bloody Mary" by Dianne K. Salemi. I am assumin it takes place is the late 19th century, but no date was explicitly given. In this story, a girl named Mary Louise entertains her 2 friends and her cousin newly arrived from Jamaica, by playing a game of Bloody Mary. Mary Louise's cousin sees something most unexpected in the mirror, and the consequences will be dire and lead to a curse for one of the girls. This story stayed with me even after I read it.

I also enjoyed "Chupacabra" by Jennifer Knight. It is a supernatural story told from two points of view--the creature, who uncontrollably murders people, and the girl who's hunting him. This does turn into a bit of a romance, but it wasn't cliched. I wondered what's going to happen to the couple next, as the ending was kind of a cliffhanger.

There are other stories her, about wandering ghosts, vengeful gods, and more. But these are the two that caught my attention most. I thought this was a great anthology to get me into the Halloween mood, and I love that it's for charity!

[S.A. Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of spook-licious tales that will taunt, and in a few cases, tickle the fear bone in any reader.

Throughout each story, vivid word choices paint living pictures. Well-developed settings draw the reader even deeper into each small world, while diversity breaths life and uniqueness to each. Some characters speak volumes through quick-witted and sassy dialog, while others hold their secondary positions to enhance the tales.

At points, unexpected paranormal elements mix nicely with old England or a drab forest. Each text is paced nicely, filled with action, mystery, and a bit of BOO. There's even tantalizing serenity to some prose--a calm before a storm within an ominous journey.

Lessons of love that could never, should never be, and some passions are just stronger than curses bleed throughout. Character growth takes a ride, and sometimes in unexpected ways. Intrigue is found among the stories, which are fairly quick and easy reads. A few even play on old tales, but all pull in ancient superstitions we all know.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bounced around quite a bit, read the stories all out of order. I received a copy as part of a blog tour. "Thirst" was an intriguing version of the biblical flood and Noah's Ark, well done. "The Gift of the Were-Magi" was a somewhat predictable, yet heart-breaking urban fantasy version of "The Gift of the Magi". "Bloody Mary" was a nicely YA gothic romance update on the Bloody Mary story and "Midhalla" was by far the strongest story and also the most gruesome. It does not have a happy ending and I admit I expected the author to pull one off. I'm glad she didn't as it would have weakened the story.

The quality of the stories ranges from fair to very good and a few of the legends and stories that were the inspirations were not ones I was familiar with . I'd have liked a little background on the stories the authors chose to use but that's a small quibble. I enjoyed this anthology.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t explain why, but I’m not a fan of anthologies. No particular reason; I’m just not. I picked up this anthology of short tales only because the proceeds for the sale of this book go towards a charity I feel strongly about.

In short, all these stories are well-written and have depth. Every novella is identifiable by each author’s unique voice and writing style, telling a story based on some or other superstitious belief. My two favorites are without a doubt The Gift of the Were-Magi by Mari Mancusi and Bloody Mary by Dianne K. Salerni. Unfortunately The Road Home by Stephanie Kuenhert and The Silverfoot Heretic by Pab Sungenis had me stifling yawns.

Overall this anthology is a quick read with stories that are well worth the time spent reading it.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these were pretty good, some of them not so good, but overall, it was a pretty good collection of short stories.

[Joy D. Fanning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories!! Anyone can enjoy this book and it makes for a great read around Halloween!