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Deadly Beauties
An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here.
Hell has its demons. Lux has Foster Dad George in LUX AETERNA, a coming-of-age superpower origin story—of a darker sort. Lux is just one of five troubled girls who haunt this trio of dark paranormal tales that will appeal to fans of Laini Taylor & Francesca Lia Block.
In MAUDLIN CARNIVAL, a mysterious investigator hunts through the memories of Evelyn Jones in search of the clues he needs to prevent her tragic death. But time is almost out. What will happen to Evelyn if he should fail?
In ROZA MIRA, Svetlana, Catalina and Soojin have it all: beauty, youth, successful modeling careers… and a creepy man in black who watches them from afar. But each day he gets closer. They call him El Flaco, Geulimja, a Rasputin in a suit. Who is he and what does he want? The three girls will soon find out—whether they like it or not. And chances are good it will be "or not."
Hell has its demons. Lux has Foster Dad George in LUX AETERNA, a coming-of-age superpower origin story—of a darker sort. Lux is just one of five troubled girls who haunt this trio of dark paranormal tales that will appeal to fans of Laini Taylor & Francesca Lia Block.
In MAUDLIN CARNIVAL, a mysterious investigator hunts through the memories of Evelyn Jones in search of the clues he needs to prevent her tragic death. But time is almost out. What will happen to Evelyn if he should fail?
In ROZA MIRA, Svetlana, Catalina and Soojin have it all: beauty, youth, successful modeling careers… and a creepy man in black who watches them from afar. But each day he gets closer. They call him El Flaco, Geulimja, a Rasputin in a suit. Who is he and what does he want? The three girls will soon find out—whether they like it or not. And chances are good it will be "or not."
46 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 3, 2016
19 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Cherita Smith
3 books14 followersCHERITA SMITH is a writer of fictional words, doer of magical deeds, lover of social justice, dope street art and pretty, girly things. From the coastal edge of the City of Angels, she weaves speculative fiction tales of all kinds— from dystopian science fiction to paranormal urban fantasy for both teens and adults. Dark, lush and haunting with a dash of creepy thriller and sprinkle of fairytale myth is her preferred writing jam.
For updates on future books & exclusive free stories, visit her online at cheritasmith.com.
For updates on future books & exclusive free stories, visit her online at cheritasmith.com.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 22, 2017
Short Stories About Young Ladies.. Has A Supernatural Feel To It. I Skipped Over The First Story, "Lux Aeterna" - Girl Being Molested By Foster Father. But Other "2" Stories (Maudlin Carnival And The Roza Mira) Creepy And Good..
April 12, 2017
Deadly Beauties is a collection of short stories by LA author Cherita Smith, a fairly new-to-me author who has impressed me with her hauntingly beautiful style of writing that reminds me of Tanith Lee, except with an American urban flair. My favorite story in this collection was the last story, "Roza Mira" and the three young models who slowly become seduced by a mysterious man in black. These stories were dark yet beautiful, and very nicely done. Recommended.
May 13, 2018
Deadly Beauties by Cherita Smith is described as “A Short Collection (of) Dark YA Paranormal Tales of Troubled Girls.” Sometimes the title sells the novel, as this one did for me. The price on Amazon was USD 0.00 so there is also that but I would have paid to explore short stories with such a title.
Lux Aeterna This story and its premise might disturb some. Here is the first line and readers can determine whether they want to read further. “HELL has its demons. I have Foster Dad George.” (Kindle Location 27) This is a very good story.
Maudlin Carnival This is a beautiful story of hope and redemption by an unseen force. An inspector has been given the mission of inserting small time variations into the life of Evelyn. As a girl, she had a rough life. Now, at the old age of twenty-two, she is about to make a bad choice, one that is bad for her daughter, Eve. Can the inspector help? Who called for the inspector to make this temporal review and insert changes?
Roza Mira: Svetlana Svetlana wanted to go through the window to a better place but she had seen the Dark Man outside and did not want to meet him. For the present, she would continue to age. She had a birthday in three days and there was still fun to be had for a woman who was showing signs of aging too fast for a fashion model. She decided to party longer. The Dark Man had a different opinion. It was almost harvest time.
Roza Mira: Catalina For Catalina it was not a window; it was a mirror. Catalina also saw the Dark Man, one she called El Flaco. Rosario, Catalina’s sister, could not see El Flaco. Rosario was initially more successful than Catalina because she was thinner. Catalina was envious and dieted to such a strict regimen that she finally had more offers of work than Rosario. Before beginning her diet, the mirror showed Catalina two figures. Catalina on the left was beautiful, on the right she was fat. As her dieting became more successful, the two figures became similar. Catalina was no longer envious of Rosario but she did marvel that when she and Rosario were reflected in the mirror only she, Catalina could see the Dark Man. And then came harvest time.
Roza Mira: Soojin She didn’t use a mirror or a window to peer into a better place. Soojin meditated while doing another activity; swimming, listening to music, or painting. When engaged in other activities simultaneously with meditation, her focus was total. She disliked any interruptions such as offers of modeling work. Just like Catalina, Rosario, and Svetlana, Soojin was a successful international model. Just like them, she was under the influence of Roza Mira. This may have been a physical location or a philosophical view that inspired lifestyles. All the girls knew of the Dark Man, all had different names for him. Soojin’s mother knew of him but would not speak of how she knew. Soojin would acquire the same knowledge that other Roza Mira devotees had known before her. Harvest time would come and the world would be safe.
The first two stories are very good. The last three are very good with clever threads woven throughout to tie them together. I assigned this novel five Amazon stars and want to read more by this author.
Lux Aeterna This story and its premise might disturb some. Here is the first line and readers can determine whether they want to read further. “HELL has its demons. I have Foster Dad George.” (Kindle Location 27) This is a very good story.
Maudlin Carnival This is a beautiful story of hope and redemption by an unseen force. An inspector has been given the mission of inserting small time variations into the life of Evelyn. As a girl, she had a rough life. Now, at the old age of twenty-two, she is about to make a bad choice, one that is bad for her daughter, Eve. Can the inspector help? Who called for the inspector to make this temporal review and insert changes?
Roza Mira: Svetlana Svetlana wanted to go through the window to a better place but she had seen the Dark Man outside and did not want to meet him. For the present, she would continue to age. She had a birthday in three days and there was still fun to be had for a woman who was showing signs of aging too fast for a fashion model. She decided to party longer. The Dark Man had a different opinion. It was almost harvest time.
Roza Mira: Catalina For Catalina it was not a window; it was a mirror. Catalina also saw the Dark Man, one she called El Flaco. Rosario, Catalina’s sister, could not see El Flaco. Rosario was initially more successful than Catalina because she was thinner. Catalina was envious and dieted to such a strict regimen that she finally had more offers of work than Rosario. Before beginning her diet, the mirror showed Catalina two figures. Catalina on the left was beautiful, on the right she was fat. As her dieting became more successful, the two figures became similar. Catalina was no longer envious of Rosario but she did marvel that when she and Rosario were reflected in the mirror only she, Catalina could see the Dark Man. And then came harvest time.
Roza Mira: Soojin She didn’t use a mirror or a window to peer into a better place. Soojin meditated while doing another activity; swimming, listening to music, or painting. When engaged in other activities simultaneously with meditation, her focus was total. She disliked any interruptions such as offers of modeling work. Just like Catalina, Rosario, and Svetlana, Soojin was a successful international model. Just like them, she was under the influence of Roza Mira. This may have been a physical location or a philosophical view that inspired lifestyles. All the girls knew of the Dark Man, all had different names for him. Soojin’s mother knew of him but would not speak of how she knew. Soojin would acquire the same knowledge that other Roza Mira devotees had known before her. Harvest time would come and the world would be safe.
The first two stories are very good. The last three are very good with clever threads woven throughout to tie them together. I assigned this novel five Amazon stars and want to read more by this author.
January 28, 2021
These stories are dark. Like child abuse, death and mental illness kind of dark. They are about young people, but I'm not sure that makes them YA purely because of how creepy they are.
My favourite was probably Maudlin Carnival, as it had the most strange, surreal concept though it could be difficult to follow at times. It also had a kind of closure at the end that both other stories didn't have for me (the first being very short, the third being a bit vague on where it was going despite the strong message and judgement on society).
Let's just say these short tales are as horrible and hauntingly raw as they're meant to be. Not for the faint of heart YA reader!
-I received a free copy of this e-book in a giveaway. This does not influence my review-
My favourite was probably Maudlin Carnival, as it had the most strange, surreal concept though it could be difficult to follow at times. It also had a kind of closure at the end that both other stories didn't have for me (the first being very short, the third being a bit vague on where it was going despite the strong message and judgement on society).
Let's just say these short tales are as horrible and hauntingly raw as they're meant to be. Not for the faint of heart YA reader!
-I received a free copy of this e-book in a giveaway. This does not influence my review-
May 14, 2017
This is a collection of dark paranormal tales of troubled girls that represents an array of nationalities and status. These eclectic short stories are chilling and very intriguing. A haunting assembly that should leave the reader to the conclusion that the grass is not always greener on the other side after all.
September 17, 2017
super creepy. easy to read in one sitting. for sure a Halloween read.
June 10, 2020
Dark and interesting
These short stories were all dark and yet very interesting. The Inspector was my favourite. The models one made me sad.
These short stories were all dark and yet very interesting. The Inspector was my favourite. The models one made me sad.
May 1, 2021
Review to come
February 13, 2022
A collection of very dark short stories.
February 16, 2017
I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.
In some ways, it’s more difficult to review short stories because there’s less content than in a full-length novel, however, I did enjoy these short stories. They’re dark but interesting.
There wasn’t a lot to Lux Aeterna, but I did like where it was going with her power.
Maudlin Carnival was a little difficult to follow but it had an interesting premise. This investigator is looking through the memories of Evelyn Jones, trying to find some tidbit to help avoid her horrible death. Will he find something in time to help her?
The Roza Mira stories were my favorites. They combine real life problems of young successful supermodels with a bit of paranormal. These girls are so driven, but are they too driven? Will they give up too much to get the fame that they crave?
I definitely recommend Deadly Beauties if you like dark fiction. I’d like to read more!
In some ways, it’s more difficult to review short stories because there’s less content than in a full-length novel, however, I did enjoy these short stories. They’re dark but interesting.
There wasn’t a lot to Lux Aeterna, but I did like where it was going with her power.
Maudlin Carnival was a little difficult to follow but it had an interesting premise. This investigator is looking through the memories of Evelyn Jones, trying to find some tidbit to help avoid her horrible death. Will he find something in time to help her?
The Roza Mira stories were my favorites. They combine real life problems of young successful supermodels with a bit of paranormal. These girls are so driven, but are they too driven? Will they give up too much to get the fame that they crave?
I definitely recommend Deadly Beauties if you like dark fiction. I’d like to read more!
April 5, 2022
An interesting collection of stories that were a good one read but not fully engaging. They didn’t drag me in as much as I was hoping. Perceptions are interesting and the darkness of wants can be worrying but are not so deadly. It is three short stories that feel like they should be connected as they are short but there is no time to really know the characters or what is going on before they change again. Sadly lost on me.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews