Jessie

Tales From the Graveyard #2

by Susan Shultz

My name is Jessie.
And I cannot leave.

~

Jessie has always been an afterthought; forgotten.

At the hands of her cruel mother-in-law and spineless husband, Jessie’s spirit has been slowly broken. She is their household slave, a waste of time and resources, a useless parasite.

That is, until the mysterious Blacksmith comes along, who imbues Jessie with his silence and strength.

Jessie has been abused beyond repair. But thanks to the Blacksmith, her dark heart is finally full.

And for those who have crossed her, nightmares are about to come alive.

65 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2015

About the author

Susan Shultz is a writer/journalist living in Wilton, Connecticut with her husband and two children. Susan is the editor of The Darien Times, a Hersam Acorn newspaper located in Darien, Connecticut.

From her Amazon profile:
"I am a horror and anything else that moves me writer, poet and journalist. I enjoy writing about things that terrify me, and you. I consider a great privilege to allow me to frighten you.

I am an English major, from Staten Island, N.Y., now living in Connecticut."

Visit the author on:
Twitter: @SusnShultz
Blog: Creative Conjurings
The Darien Times
Photo Credit: Bryan Haeffele

Reviews

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Full Fathom Five and NetGalley.)

“My name is Jessie.
And I still cannot leave.”

This was such a sad story! Even though I knew where the story was heading (because we were told it in book 1), I couldn’t help but feel sorry for poor Jessie, and everything she went through. Being unwanted by her own family, having nowhere to go, being abused by her mother-in-law, and then what happened to her baby. Poor girl!



7 out of 10.

[Kerr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publish date: April 2015


Full review can also be found on: Paein and Ms4Tune’s Book Blog

This is pretty much a prequel. It goes back to the beginning and tells you how the graves came to be in Ainsley's garden. It doesn't quite explain WHERE the blacksmith came from, but it does explain why he stuck around. It's hard to say too much about this story, again as it's so short, just 58 pages and I don't want to give anything away - it's almost one long explanation. It shows how each of the graves got there from the point of view of the daughter-in-law and mother of the baby. As the next book is about a reporter however, we may just get to learn a bit more about the hows and whyfors.

Also, once I've read them all, I'll be able to review the collection as a whole! At the moment they're sort of part of the story and it's as hard to review as an 'intro book' - a book one that is just all about the introducing.

[✨Cassie ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan Shultz hauntingly tales is the perfect book to pick up during the Halloween season. Jessie (story 2)
In The Blacksmith, Ainsley introduced us to Jessie and the babies grave, with a little backstory. Now we get to hear Jessies story, and if it doesn't pull on your heartstrings. It dark with an underlying kinda love story. Tales From The Graveyard was a good, dark, haunting story. Each story was different, but had the same occurrence, Ainsley. I really enjoyed the way Susan writes... it's dark, fits with her stories.

[Magda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is a story that tells you all about the beginnings of the graveyard, the history of the house in which Ainsley later lived. It will tell you just a bit more about the Blacksmith and his poor lover. Because this time it's all about Jessie. A girl who was forced to marry a man she didn't love and live in a house with his mother who hated her and was apparently jealous of her.

While reading this, you can't help but feel sorry for the poor girl. It seems like everything and everyone was against her and if anything good happened to her it was soon taken away.

[†Reviews of a FearStreetZombie† · Rating 5 out of 5]

*stares in awe* wow...
That was awesome! This story was amazing! Oh man, I thought the first story was good, but this was better! I loved the flow of the story and to me, it just reached out and grabbed me. I couldn't put it down! I'm in awe of Susan Shultz's writing!

I really can't wait to read the next story, I really hope it lives up to the awesomeness of this and the previous story.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I gave myself a headache while reading this because of having a permanent "wth" look on my face. I love the idea of this story, but wish it was better developed. It was very choppy and just didn't flow well. I love the darkness in these stories, but wish there was more to them.

I will continue to read the rest of this series. I'm curious to see where this is all going.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continued dark brilliance

Susan Shultz first dazzled us with The Blacksmith. She amps the eerie up higher with Jessie. Her work is deep, dark, and powerful. I'm excited to continue reading her writing.

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received a copy of the collection from Netgalley, In exchange for an honest review.)

Actual rating - 2.75

This one wasn't quite as bad as the first one, but I still didn't enjoy it that much.

I'm hoping there's another improvement with book three.

[[ J o ]]

Read the first book in the Tales from the Graveyard series, The Blacksmith. 1 Star; therefore will not be continuing with the series.