Двічі прокляті

Cursed #2

by Marie O'Regan (Editor), Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill

Збірка, що її ви тримаєте зараз у руках, просто просякнута прокляттями. Та ви в безпеці — когорта майстерних письменників ув'язнила магію на сторінках цієї книжки і вона здатна лише добряче полоскотати вам нерви та змусити замислитися над деякими речами у реальному житті. Тут зібрано філігранні стилізації давніх казок і сучасніші спроби завдати комусь шкоди надприродним шляхом, та це у будь-якому разі краще за травмування подіями, що відбуваються у світі останнім часом. Тож приємного читання!

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Retellings, Audiobook

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 18, 2023

Reviews

[Obsidian · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great horror anthology. All together a very solid collection though there were some weak stories here and there.

There were cursed objects, dark fairy tale, and just creepy towns and people. Definitely a great book to finish on a cold and rainy Friday in VA.

"The Bell" by Joanne Harris (5 stars)- it sets the mood nicely with a young boy who dreams of castles, kings, and queens and is given an opportunity to walk among them. Of course walking among them may have some consequences.

"Snow, Glass, Apples" by Neil Gaiman (5 stars)-Well you got to give to the guy, he loves him some Snow White. This is definitely not your childhood Snow White though. Told from the point of view of the "evil queen" and I shuddered at times. Loved this retelling.

"The Tissot Family Circus" by Angela Slater (5 stars)-I was very intrigued by this story. I wanted more at the end. Slater does a great job of painting someone with an unusual curse who has gone on for some time.

"Mr Thirteen" by M.R. Carey (5 stars)-Well well well. I was looking for a zombie story here, it's not one. It's actually really clever and loved the character of Lot who has an unusual curse brought about by a bitter ex. When she meets a mysterious Mr Thirteen, things change.

"The Confessor's Tale" by Sarah Pinborough (5 stars)-Well damn. Shoutout to a Clive Barker reference. This was so damn dark and I loved loved the gruesome ending. Follows a young boy who cannot speak who either had his mother rip out his tongue, or a wolf. You choose. Very good.

"The Old Stories Hide Secrets Deep Inside Them" by Mark Chadbourn (5 stars)-A woman named Hildy is a doctor (I assume of archeology) off on an exhibition to find the bones of a great Viking king called Ulf the Red and a woman named Hilda who was a volva or wise woman. But something about this exhibition seems to be brining about changes in Hildy.

"Awake" by Laura Purcell (5 stars)-What happens when Snow White awakens? Was she truly happy with her Prince Charming. Or was she still haunted by what her mother (not her stepmother in this one) tried to do to her. Loved this retelling.

"Pretty Maids All In a Row" by Christina Henry (5 stars)-Wow this got dark really quick. A woman named Terry who seems to know some type of magic that is warding off something 'evil.' Henry is slow to reveal the story here and where the evil truly lays. Loved it.

"The Viral Voyage of the Bird Man" by Katherine Arden (5 stars)-Do you all remember the story of the sailor who was cursed after he killed the albatross, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge? Well Arden takes it for a spin here. She had me following a man who saw the world changed a thousand times over who still cannot die and must tell his story.

"The Angels of London" by Adam L.G. Nevill (3.5 stars)-Not a bad story, but compared to others it was kind of all over the place. It took me a while to get invested in the story of Frank. Frank is a man who lives in a terrible building called "The Angel of London" and realizes that with his life and pay the way it is, he won't be able to keep paying the rent. And honestly realizes he is getting ripped off by a man named Granby who charges the rent. I had so many questions and none of them got really answered by the end.

"A Curse is a Curse" by Helen Grant (4 stars)-Ambiguous ending. I liked the story of two sisters who sit by a wall that apparently was built to keep something dark inside. But then it just kind of meanders before it gets to its ending.

"Dark Carousel" by Joe Hill (3 stars)-I read this one years ago in his other anthology. It didn't hit me the same at all during the re-read. A group of teens made to pay for something stupid they did. It felt like overkill to me this time through.

"Shoes as Red as Blood" by A.C. Wise (5 stars)-A story of a ballerina who is trying to break free of dancing for a prince and others. Doing what she can to make her mother happy she realizes she is going to have to take drastic measures so he ballet shoes no longer control her.

"Just Your Standard Haunted Haunted Doll Drama (5 stars)-A quirky story of two sisters and two brothers (who are dating) but have opposites magic that I loved reading about. A haunted doll causes them no end of trouble. I really would love to read more about them all.

"St Diabolo's Traveling Music Hall" by A.K. Benedict (4.5 stars)-This ran a little short for me. I loved the idea of dark traveling music hall where some people meet their just desserts though.

"The Music Box" by L.L. McKinney (3.5 stars)-I needed more backstory here. I thought it was a clever story, but the story takes place in the modern day and I had a hard time with the character (unnamed I think) who is doing house sitting for an older white woman. The character is a Black teen girl and I just don't know how realistic it would be for any Black parent to be all sure go to this old creepy white lady's house.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really good. In fact, quite possibly the best anthology I have ever read. The first half was near perfect, not a single unperfect story. The tone worked really well for me - everything was just so very competently done. I especially loved M. R. Carey's short story - in a way that really surprised me, having enjoyed but not loved The Girl with all the Gifts. What a perfect, perfect dark and wonderful story.

Highly recommend the anthology!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twice Cursed is a fantastic horror anthology with something for all horror fans. Some of the authors in this quick and easy to read anthology were new to me and it was a pleasure to get to read their works. It certainly has encouraged me to seek out other stories by these authors. This collection also includes some big names from the horror/thriller world and as always these authors don't disappoint. Thank you to the author's featured here for a fantastic and fun read.

[Barbara Behring · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology about curses. Each story had a unique take on a curse. Like every anthology there wre ones that I enjoyed more than others but I thought they were all good.

[h o l l i s]

I always find it hard to rate an anthology written by multiple authors because each is it's own valid story and deserves its own rating without being dragged down, or boosted, by the others around it.

Know this, though : there are some very big highs. And yes also some big lows. Breakdown incoming!

THE BELL by Joanne Harris -- this was quite short and.. not sweet. But made for an interesting twist on the post-broken curse story; just not one with a happy ending. Three stars.
SNOW, GLASS, APPLE by Neil Gaiman -- definitely one of the best but that's not really a surprise because it's Gaiman. This is, naturally, a twist on Snow White that puts her very much in the villain category and paints her as the opposite of sweetness. In fact this is an overall very dark and twisted retelling. You bet I loved it. Four and a half stars.
THE TISSOT FAMILY CIRCUS by Angela Slatter -- the way this tale spun out was a rather heartbreaking and definitely gives you a different take on a magical circus appearing out of nowhere. I could've read more about this one and think it would've been better had it been more robust. Three and a half stars.
MR. THIRTEEN by M. R. Carey -- all I can is.. mouths. Holy yikes. Two and a half stars.
THE CONFESSOR'S TALE by Sarah Pinborough -- this was a big wtf for me. Two stars.
THE OLD STORIES HIDE SECRETS DEEP INSIDE THEM by Mark Chadbourn -- this was so weak and considering the plot it could've actually been interesting and wasn't. No me gusta. One and a half stars.
AWAKE by Laura Purcell -- another Snow White story but an interesting take on the tale and one I would've loved to read more of. Four stars.
PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROW by Christina Henry -- this was bonkers and omg I cannot with the spiders absolutely not. Two stars.
THE VIRAL VOYAGE OF THE BIRD MAN by Katherine Arden -- a version of THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER that outlasts time and is brought forward into modern day. I'm of mixed feelings about this one but I thought it was really well told and a fascinating concept to bring the curse into the context of going viral. Three stars.
THE ANGELS OF LONDON by Adam L. G. Nevill -- this was uncomfortable and eerie and weird. I hesitate to say I liked it but the strangeness of it scratched at a place in my brain that somehow felt good? No idea. Three and a half stars.
A CURSE IS A CURSE by Helen Grant -- this felt like a vignette or snippet from a post-apocalyptic world which would've been interesting but I didn't love the writing or the characters and it felt, ultimately, pointless. Two stars.
DARK CAROUSEL by Joe Hill -- this has a really cool concept (because circus/fair grounds are eerie) but I'm left with questions, or wanting to know more, which sorta overrides the coolness of the curse. Two stars.
SHOES AS RED AS BLOOD by A. C. Wise -- I absolutely loved this one and the writing was fantastic. This will feel familiar, because we know the elements of this retelling, but the way it's told feels fresh and incredibly compelling. Four and a half stars.
JUST YOUR STANDARD HAUNTED DOLL DRAMA by Kelley Armstrong —-- this was a bit of a letdown because it felt like it was building up to one thing and then we never get any payoff. Two and a half stars.
ST. DIABOLO'S TRAVELING MUSIC HALL by A. K. Benedict -- loved the female rage and revenge element of this one, as well as the unique setting, even if on a whole it didn't wow me. Three stars I guess.
THE MUSIC BOX by L. L. McKinney -- what a low note (hah) to end on! Very disappointing. This hardly gives the reader anything, when it could've been saying so much, and felt incredibly weak. One and a half stars.

When I picked this up I didn't realize an anthology of other cursed stories had come before, I just wanted to sneak in one last autumnal read before the end of the month. But considering some of the strengths of these stories, even despite the weaknesses, I'll definitely be going back to read the first in this "series".

---

This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.

[C.L. Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a dark little anthology with some very well-written stories and a few that were just disturbing (especially since the allegations against Gaiman have come to light). I think my favorite was Mr. Thirteen by M.R. Carey, which had an illustrious atmosphere, pacing, and a smug twist!

[Mike Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sixteen stories about curses, the cursed and those who curse, told in a wide variety of styles. Some of the best revisit fairytales, showing them for the nightmare warnings they were before they were sanitised and made child-safe. A few are in classic horror locations: a carnival, a circus, a Music Hall theatre, where the line between illusion and magic can be crossed unnoticed.

Five of the stories stood out for me: Neil Gaiman's take on Snow White from the (allegedly) evil queen's point of view; Angela Slatter's travelling circus with a covert agenda. Mark Chadbourn's reflection on the hate and rage needed to sustain a curse; Joe Hill's story of drunken teenagers dooming themselves at a carousel that is more than it seems to be and A. C. Wise's blood-soaked take on the Red Shoes and the women who wear them. 

I've commented on each story below in the order they appear in the collection.

THE BELL by Joanne Harris ★★★

A classic 'fairy tale as a warning to the young' story. The moral seems to be - don't trust the rich - they're not like you and me. A timely lesson I think.

SNOW, GLASS, APPLES by Neil Gaiman ★★★★★

A dark but deeply plausible retelling of Snow White, told from the "evil" queen's point of view. This is not the Snow White of Disney but it's one the Brothers Grimm would have nodded at I think. The dispassionate tone of the queen's voice makes the story even darker when you understand how it's going to end. It also has the creepiest Prince Charming I've ever encountered. I don't think Pixar will be buying the screen rights.

THE TISSOT FAMILY CIRCUS by Angela Slatter ★★★★

An original 'Creepy Carnival' story that didn't go where I expected it to. The idea behind the Tissot Family Circus is very powerful. The need for its existence is horrifying but what it does brings hope. I loved the slow reveal. The more I learned, the more steeped in sorrow the story became. The shepherd's decision provided the perfect ending.

MR THIRTEEN by M. R. Carey ★★

This was disappointing. An original take on curses and the cursed. The potential for something tense and terrifying. Yet all that energy drained away into nothing, earthed by an I'm-not-taking-this-seriously-except-as-a-thought-experiment that left me feeling I'd wasted my time reading the story.

THE CONFESSOR'S TALE by Sarah Pinborough ★★

I couldn't connect with this. It was strange and as hard to ignore as a bad smell but it felt pointless to me. The concept of boy whose tongue has been taken becoming a confessor who is also a catalyst for evil was powerful. The storytelling style was as distant as a Norse saga. The evil was graphic but mundane. And the boy himself was a void. I didn't get the point of this or perhaps I was expecting a point the author felt no need to impose.

THE OLD STORIES HIDE SECRETS DEEP INSIDE THEM by Mark Chadbourn ★★★★

Hard-hitting andsurprising, this captured perfectly the hate, rage and malice at the heart of ancient curses. Setting the story in modern day academia showed that misogyny hasn't changed or lost its power over the centuries. Which led to the satisfying idea that maybe the power women once used to protect themselves can still be tapped into. I loved the mix of mystery, malice, misogyny and a whisper of magic.

AWAKE by Laura Purcell ★★★

A novel rwit on Snow White's happily eerafter, where the ever after goes on for ever and the happily part never shows up. I liked the tone, the pace and stoic resignation of the main character.

PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROW by Christina Henry ★★★

I liked the dissonance between the mundane tone of the story and the menace of the content. I wasn't sure if the curse and its effects were all in the old woman's head or whether they were real. Then I thought that what mattered was that the woman thought they were real. All of which distracted from thinking about the origin of the curse until the old woman finally had to confront it.

THE VIRAL VOYAGE OF BIRD MAN by Katherine Arden ★★★

The cursed sailor from Coleridge's 'RIme of the Ancient Mariner', survives to the present day, telling his tale again and again until, one day, a video of his recounting goes viral. I liked how his humanity eroded over centuries as he resigned himself to his curse of being unable to die but living only to be endlessly compelled to give his warninging "Heed me or become me'. The narration was well done. The emotion was strong. Having the mariner become a walking warning for Extinction Rebellion didn't quite work,

THE ANGELS OF LONDON by Adam L. G. Nevill ★★★

A grim little tale that unfolds slowly and mercilessly. It's a little static in the telling perhaps but the desperation behind the central idea and the nature of the main character's final choice make up for that. I wondered if Nevill saw this a metaphor for what capitalism does to those who have no capital? Was the real curse here being poor?

A CURSE IS A CURSE by Helen Grant ★★★

I liked the voice of the main character: straightforward, intelligent but with little knowledge of the world beyond her village. Not that that stops her from knowing what she wants and how to get it. The fable of the curse is nicely told. It has the feel of something passed down as part of an oral tradion. The phrases are a smooth a river-worn stones and as static. It sparked all kinds of speculation as to what really happened. The point, of course, is in the title, it doesn't matter exactly what happened or how what happened it labelled - a curse is a curse.

DARK CAROUSEL by Joe Hill ★★★★

The form and the tone of this story are compelling. It's classic horror: a slasher dynamic with a carousel nightmare twist. The imagery is vivid, the violence is palpable, and the outcome is grim. There's a gossamer-thin veil of ambiguity that substitutes mental illness for malevolent magic, suggesting that they may be indistinguishable. But it felt emotionally muted. I couldn't connect with the characters. Having this first-person account from a native of Maine delivered in an English accent, however well performed, added a distancing dissonance.

SHOES AS RED AS BLOOD by A. C. Wise ★★★★★

This was wonderful: complex, measured, truthful and engaging. It strips the glamour from fairytales, most of which are designed as warnings that girls who want more than they've been given will be punished. I liked how it showed that curses masquerade as promises, delivering punishment and pain as the price of happily ever after. It wasn't strident or overtly didactic. It nurtured suspicion into anger and anger into rage.

I want more of A. C. Wise's writing so I've downloaded her short story collection 'The Kissing Booth Girl and Other Stories'

JUST YOUR STANDARD HAUNTED DOLL DRAMA by Kelley Armstrong - DNF

I abandoned this as soon as I saw that it was about the two characters from Kelley Armstrong's 'Cursed Luck' series. 'Cursed Luck' (2021) is the only Kelley Armstrong book I've ever set aside. It's paranormal romance pap. I didn't want to spend any more time in the company of Kennedy and Aiden both of whom raise my hackles just by existing.

ST DIABLO'S TRAVELLING MUSIC SHOW by A. K. Benedict ★★★

This is a tale of revenge. It's dark, original and quietly gleeful at the harm done to those who deserve it. This is a wishfulfillment story for any woman who has ever been abused by a man.

THE MUSIC BOX by L. L. McKinney★★★

I saw the ending of this story coming but that didn't lessen it's impact. It's an extrapolation of the idea that those old women who preach to young aspiring ballerinas that "Beauty is grace and beauty is pain" are predators hiding in plain sight.

[fridge_brilliance · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of this was “wtf did I just read”, and a lot of that was due to Gaiman’s short story. If you, like me, picked this up with a curiosity about the theme as well as a few familiar names, gear up, for the overall theme turned out to be “how to get a good grade at being edgy and twisted”. Gaiman’s story in particular was gross and offputting: if choosing a different woman to be vilified in a fairy tale was at least on brand for “let’s out-edgy ourselves” theme, the extend to which this was taken was absolutely unnecessary. Turning the villainy switch from the queen to the Snow White — sure, whatever; doing so with a loving focus on sexual violence, incest and similar downright vouyeristic attention to detail — that’s garbage. I wish I could scrub my memory clean.

Thanks to Netgalley for an arc, all opinions are my own.

[Elentarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars

An interesting and entertaining collection of stories involving curses.  I listened to the audiobook and the alternating narrators were a treat.

"The Bell" by Joanne Harris ★★★½ - A short little story in which a day-dreaming woodcutter's son breaks a curse with unintended consequences.

"Snow, Glass, Apples" by Neil Gaiman ★★★½ - Snow White as retold from the "evil stepmother's" perspective. Nice writing, interesting "twist", but not terribly original in concept.

"The Tissot Family Circus" by Angela Slatter ★★★★ - This is a rather interesting curse and self-sacrifice by its current barer, involving the single day creation of a circus from blood, to provide a place for murdered children whose murderer's have not yet been found. Nice writing, interesting concept and twist.

"Mr Thirteen" by M.R. Carey ★★★★ - A bit long, but this story involves a collection of unusual curses and the interaction of two curse barers with original and surprising results.

"The Confessor's Tale" by Sarah Pinborough ★★★★ - A rather gory horror story involving a boy without a tongue - either his mother ripped it out or a wolf did.

"The Old Stories Hide Secrets Deep Inside Them" by Mark Chadbourn ★★★ - Strange goings on at an archaeology dig involving a Viking chief Ulf the Red and the wise woman Hilda. This one was well written but the story didn't really appeal to me.

"Awake" by Laura Purcell ★★★ A Snow White story in which Snow White will be forever haunted by her mother. I'm getting a bit bored with Snow White re-tellings.

"Pretty Maids All In a Row" by Christina Henry ★★★★ Terry, the wife of a serial killer, is warding her house from evil spirits when things go wrong. A slow reveal, dark, horror story. I like the spiders.

"The Viral Voyage of the Bird Man" by Katherine Arden ★★★★ This is the story of the sailor who was cursed to perpetually tell his story after he killed the albatross (the ancient mariner in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"). One day he tells his story to a girl with a cell phone and a social media account, and inadvertently goes viral. Amusing, but sad. This story reminds us of how times, society, and the world changes.

"The Angels of London" by Adam L.G. Nevill ★★★½ This is an odd story. Frank is renting a flat (if you can call it that) in a building called "The Angel of London". It soon becomes apparent that Frank is being extorted for more rent money, that he can't afford. But he isn't allowed to leave either, because of the upstairs owners of the building - who don't seem to be human - won't allow it. Some other arrangement needs to be made. Dark and creepy.

"A Curse is a Curse" by Helen Grant ★★ Nice enough writing, but there wasn't any point to the meandering story, unless the story was the medium for the curse story (a story within a story). In that case, the villagers got exactly what they asked for, and what they deserve.

"Dark Carousel" by Joe Hill ★★ An overkill revenge story that didn't really work for me.

"Shoes as Red as Blood" by A.C. Wise ★★★★ Enchanted ballet shoes aren't as wonderful as promised. I liked this story a great deal. Well written.

"Just Your Standard Haunted Doll Drama" by Kelly Armstrong ★★★½ A cursed doll causes mischief. Nicely written, but essentially a standard haunted/cursed doll story.

"St Diabolo's Traveling Music Hall" by A.K. Benedict ★★★★ This story was good and I can't tell you why without giving away the plot. Let's just say that some people get exactly what they deserve.

"The Music Box" by L.L. McKinney ★★★★ House sitting for a creepy old lady goes horribly wrong. Interesting concept.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real nice collection

[Sevde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daha da lanetli ismiyle yayınlanan ikinci kitap ilkinden çok daha iyi, ilk kitapta da çok sevdiğim öyküler olmuştu ama bu kitaptaki neredeyse tüm öyküleri çok sevdim, beğendim, merakla çevirdim sayfaları. Birkaç öyküde yer alan feminist tonu okumak da ayrıca keyif verdi.

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly really good. Anthologies can be so tricky, but this one should satisfy any fan of creepy stories.

[Elliot (Triple) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some tales were definitely better than others, but an overall spooky collection with some seriously awesome stories.

[Runalong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining themed anthology exploring cursing with a wealth of talent and I enjoyed all the stories. Something for everyone and a lot of writers well worth your time tracking other work by them

Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[Zen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I had some stories in this anthology that I really loved and some not so much. Now I need to tra k down a copy of the first one.

[Liz Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot! Recommended to me by a dear friend, I picked this book up and expected to be scared because I am a chicken. I will say that some of the stories are quite scary, but for the most part they are very creative and wonderful to read. Some are retells of fairy tales and others are completely new. I loved almost all of them.

[CuriousHerring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a fan of a collection of short stories, especially when it includes the works of Joe Hill and Neil Gaiman.

[Chrissy]

Just Your Standard Haunted Doll Drama - Kelley Armstrong 3.5 stars
This one is a Cursed Luck short story, set after the duology. Fun to catch up with some of the characters from the series. (And I hope this isn't the last story set in this world because I would also love to catch up with other characters who didn't appear in this story.)

[Steph Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a free DRC of this book via NetGalley, with thanks to the authors and Titan Books. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

This is an expertly curated anthology of expertly-written, dark, short stories. Each story has roots in fairytales and folktales that feel familiar (Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, witches, monsters, princesses, orphans and first-born or youngest children) but each has a unique twist to it, a new flavour, a fresh perspective.

There is not a single dud tale in this collection!

Although every story is different in content and style, they are linked not only in theme but in the beautiful writing and clever weavings of plot and characters that will disturb you while reading and haunt you afterwards.

Many of these stories linger in my mind long after other books and stories have passed through, and they carry with them an atmosphere of eerie otherworldliness that seems to confirm that the usual old stories have been tamed and toned down in their many retellings, while these tales sing wild warnings of blood and darkness and fear.

I definitely recommend this collection for any grown-ups looking for fairytale horror to remind them that wolves and witches await those who stray from the woodland path on a dark night.

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...

[Steph Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an expertly curated anthology of expertly-written, dark, short stories. Each story has roots in fairytales and folktales that feel familiar (Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, witches, monsters, princesses, orphans and first-born or youngest children) but each has a unique twist to it, a new flavour, a fresh perspective.

There is not a single dud tale in this collection!

Although every story is different in content and style, they are linked not only in theme but in the beautiful writing and clever weavings of plot and characters that will disturb you while reading and haunt you afterwards.

Many of these stories linger in my mind long after other books and stories have passed through, and they carry with them an atmosphere of eerie otherworldliness that seems to confirm that the usual old stories have been tamed and toned down in their many retellings, while these tales sing wild warnings of blood and darkness and fear.

I definitely recommend this collection for any grown-ups looking for fairytale horror to remind them that wolves and witches await those who stray from the woodland path on a dark night.

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

[5foot3-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twice Cursed (anthology-short stories) I found to be far better than Cursed (the first book in this series) and I gave cursed ****4 overall. Below is my star rating for each short-story in between the pages of Twice Cursed...I hope this helps.

1. The Bell-by Joanne Harris ****4
2. Snow, Glass, Apple-by Neil Gaimen ****4
3. The Tissot Family Circus-by Angela Slatter ****4
4. Mr Thirteen-by M.R. Carney *****5
5. The Confessor’s Tale-by Sarah Pinborough *****5
6. The Old Stories Hide Secrets Deep Inside Them-by Mark Chadbourn ****4
7. Awake-by Laura Purcell ***3
8. Pretty Maids All In A Row-by Christina Henry ****4
9. The Viral Voyage of Bird Man-by Katherine Arden ****4
10. The Angels of London-by Adam L.G Nevill *****5
11. A Curse is a Curse-by Helen Grant *****5
12. Dark Carousel-by Joe Hill ****4
13. Shoes as Red as Blood-by A. C. Wise DNF
14. Just Your Standard Haunted Doll Drama-by Kelley Armstrong ****4
15. St Diabolo’s Travelling Music Hall-by A.K. Benedict ****4
16. The Music Box-by L. L. McKinney ***3

[Kıvılcım · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kesinlikle ilk kitaptan daha iyi. Neil Gaiman'ın aşırı rahatsız edici öyküsü haricinde genel olarak hepsi başarılıydı diyebilirim. Korku edebiyatı sevmesem de bazı öyküler beni epey etkiledi.

Ama hadlerini aşan küçük kızlara ne olduğunu hatırlamıyor musunuz? Niyetleri ne kadar iyi olursa olsun, kalpleri ne kadar saf olursa olsun. Nessa, yatakta hem titreyip hem de terler içinde kalırken bile hikâyesi yeniden yazılıyor. Gerçek ne olursa olsun, hikâye buna dönüşür: Nessa, güzel ayakkabılar görür ve onları kendisi için ister. Ne kibirli şey ama! Hangi cüretle güzel bir şeyi ister? Hiç acı çekmeden dans edebilmeyi neye dayanarak arzular? Sırf annesini kurtarabilmek için bir laneti bile isteye kabul etmesinin bir önemi var mı ki? Aslında bu pabuçları hiç istememiş olmasının, yalnızca annesini mutlu edip dans etmeyi arzulamasının önemi var mı peki? Bu anlatıya pek uyduğu söylenemez, haliyle atılıyor. İyi kızlar fakir ölür, hayatta kalmak için sefil bir şekilde karın altında kibrit yakıp dururlar. Bir lanetin peşine düşmezler, hikâyenin iplerini kendi ellerine almazlar ve onları çekmeye asla cesaret edemezler.

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked most about this anthology was that every story was about a unique curse. There were two stories that basically retold Snow White but for the most part each story was original.

The only unifying feature was that each story be about a curse. Some people broke their curses some succumbed, some learned to live with them in symbiotic harmony. But all were curses make no mistake

My favorite story was the one about the cursed doll. It featured fun characters and interesting world building that I could see supporting a novel. (I think the author was Kelly Armstrong, I should look it up there might already be novels with these characters.)

The stories were read by multiple narrators who all did a fantastic job.

[Alice Lim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was much better than the first Cursed anthology, mainly because each of the stories was more interesting and more compelling in their narratives. I particularly enjoyed The Tissot Family Circus, Shoes As Red As Blood, Mr Thirteen, and Snow, Glass, Apples (which was easily one of the most disturbing and, as all the best Neil Gaimans do, have a couple of lines that succeed in heavily creeping me out). Many stories all had excellent descriptions of their respective environments. Overall, I would encourage readers to seek this one out if looking for interesting spins on curses, or age-old curses told in new ways.

[mary_of_t · Rating 4 out of 5]

סיפורי אימה זה תמיד כיף, חלקם מוצלחים יותר מאחרים - הסיפור על רקדנית הבלט עם הנעליים המכושפות (מזכיר מאוד את "הברבור השחור" אבל עם זוית מעצימה ומציאת אייג'נסי של הבת מול כשלון האם), שלגיה של ניל גיימן (מה אם המכשפה היא לא הרעה בסיפור), מפגש המקוללים (מר 13) הגרוטסקי של מ.ר.קארי, מסעו של איש הציפורים של קתרין ארדן (כנראה הטייק המקורי ביותר על נושא הקללה באוסף הזה).
הרוב היו בסדר גמור, כמו סיפור הקרקס של משפ' טיסו, הסיפור על הבובות היפות על המדף והסיפור על קופסת המוזיקה - דמויות מאופיינות היטב, עלילה מהודקת, טוויסט מעניין בסוף.
מחלקם נהניתי פחות, כמו "סיפורו של המוודה" של שרה פינבורו שלתחושתי קצת הלך לאיבוד בתוך עלילת האימה. אימה לשם אימה לא באמת מפחידה.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to give a fair review of a book containing several different stories from different authors. Some of these short stories are really good and quite creepy, and others are not. Some are based on old fairytales like Snow White, and I truly enjoyed them.
I was going to give the book three stars, but I'm changing it to four stars, because the good stories deserve it. The book is perfect for spooky season

[DaniPhantom · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Waking up was meant to be my happy ending. It was meant to be a second chance. But when they pulled me out of the coffin, I rose to a living death.”

What a great collection of stories!! My favorites had to be Awake, which is where the quote is from, and Dark Carousel. Love spooky retellings of fairy tales & folklore.

[Nerys Mellor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun collection of short stories. I really enjoyed some, most of them were pleasant enough but I also disliked a few so it was definitely a mixed bunch for me.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!!! It had such a great group of authors and was very well written!

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those were so good omg