Where Giants Fall: A Fantasy Anthology

by Angela R. Watts, Michaela Bush, Kara Linaburg

Man-eating monsters. Devils in the dark. Darkness lingering in the shadows.
Can light overcome it? Can the weak and fearful stand strong?
This anthology will keep you reading past your bedtime with heartfelt stories of light illuminating the darkness.

Genres: Fantasy, Christian Fiction, Anthologies, Christian Fantasy

349 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2022

About the author

ANGELA R. WATTS is the bestselling and award-nominated author of The Infidel Books and the Remnant Trilogy. She’s been writing stories since she was little, and has over 28 works published. She also writes articles for a few magazines and publishers. When she’s not writing, Angela is a freelance editor, blogger, anime-lover, and artist. She lives in Tennessee with her family and many pets. Angela loves connecting with readers, and you can follow her on social media to stay up-to-date with releases, or contact her through her website. angelarwatts.com

Reviews

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun collection!
I was lucky enough to be selected as one of the authors for this anthology, but it was one of my most anticipated releases even before I knew I was part of it.
These are all fantasy stories that follow the theme of light in the darkness. I love that theme in fantasy. I didn't fall in love with all of the stories. A lot of them were really fun, but not ones that I plan on rereading. My favourites were:
The Different Kinds of Falling: This is my story but reading it in print was surreal. I fell in love with it even more. I really can't wait for people to read it.
A Dance of Stones: Unique and fun, this one had me intrigued. I've never read a fantasy world quite like this one.
Into the Light: Agh...just so fun and sweet. I loved the characters.

Honourable Mentions: Nepenthes, The Beasts of the Sea, Light and Truth, The Silver Dragon.

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were all totally amazing, and I’m feel so proud and blessed that my story is one of them! Powerful, hopeful, inspiring—all these stories are AMAZING and I love them so, so much and really found encouragement and hope within each and every one of them. All are very different from each other yet all carry the message of light in the darkness and hope in the midst of great pain to triumph over all.

While I loved each and every story, I still had several favorites that hit me when I read them and they are: Light and Truth by Michaela Bush, Nepenthes by Kara Linaburg, A Dance of Stones by Jonathan Mast, The Different Kinds of Falling by Nathaniel Luscombe, Into the Light by Abby Smith, The Beasts of the Sea by Angela R. Watts, and, yes, my own story, What the Darkness Fears by Sarah Ryder (me!). (Also, ironically Abby and I both had a young, cheeky boy named Theo in our stories!)

And speaking of What the Darkness Fears, it was the short story I never thought I would or even could write. You see, I don’t write short stories well AT ALL and this one was the fifth one I tried that actually made it past the few paragraphs stage. So it being published as my first ever work is nothing short of a miracle, and I just wanted to encourage those of you who write to keep going, keep trying even if it’s a type of story you don’t normally write or do well at. Because if God keeps laying on your heart to write that story then it’s going to happen no matter what or how long it takes. And, who knows, maybe that chance story you persevered through will become your first published work like it was for me. ☺️

Highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend this anthology!

****Potential trigger warnings for self harm/cutting, attempted suicide, and miscarriage in two of the stories****

Content {NOTE: this is for all the stories, so not all content applies to every single one}: magic; magical abilities, places, and creatures; violence, injuries, blood, and fighting (not to semi detailed); demons; kids are nearly sold into slavery (they escape); a girl practices self harm/cutting and attempts suicide (not detailed); death and grief; characters are nearly sacrificed (nothing happens and they are saved); very mild swearing; miscarriage (semi detailed in letter form); betrayal by family; kids are burned at the stake (not detailed); kissing (not detailed)

[Matt Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because this is an anthology, and the first published one I’ve ever read, I’m gonna give my reactions to each story on its own;

When Devils Walked The Darkness: A historical fantasy as large in scope as it’s universe needed to be. The tone and theme reminded me of a fairy-tale.

The Children of Arnbjørg: There’s some serious political intrigue with this one. Who to trust? What to trust? Do you rely on your own experience or do you listen to your caregiver? I can tell Sara Francis has more to come in this universe.

No Hero: Such grandeur. Such gravitas. I really do get the feeling of a larger world with this one. A fascinating, gritty entry for sure, with an imperfect, though sympathetic hero.

Light and Truth: Only after I looked back T my previous entries did I realize this was the first story with a redemption arc. The subversion of the title of the anthology was clever; using the giant AGAINST the forces of evil was a thoughtful resolution.

Nepenthes: For a love story between the title character and another named Halfdan, a lot of pages were given to the background of the culture of the characters setting. I would have enjoyed the story more if, instead of world building, Kara Linaburg would have given us more of Nepenthes and Halfdans relationship.

A Dance of Stones: Are you stone or water? I found the philosophical discussion as epic as the battle scene and as heartbreaking as the end, though the end was quite satisfying.

The Different Kinds of Falling: This was a fun, race-against-time adventure that almost felt like a throwback to the “hidden world” stories of Jules Verne or Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Wavering Loyalty: Definitely my favorite part was the opening battle. The magic was awesome, all the soldiering was fun, and the dungeon sequences were suspenseful.

The Lord of the Harvest: Flawless. A perfect pulp-era type story reminiscent of Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith. And the author is a very smart and handsome man.

Into the Light: The slow-burn romance was cute, and the ending certainly caught me off-guard. Abby Smith’s characters were winsome and I would enjoy more content featuring them.

The Beasts of the Sea: So much to enjoy here; the gritty awesomeness of a Nordic landscape, an underwater Alice-In-Wonderland-type ride, and a Kaiju battle ending in a romance. I don’t know if there’s one genre that DIDN’T make it to this short.

A Breeze So Soft and Gentle: I would never call this a pleasant read, but it was certainly emotional. It’s if Richius Vantran from John Marco’s The Jackal of Nar had been given an entry in this anthology.

What the Darkness Fears: Dynamic characters, flashy action, and a coming-of-age development. It sets the stage very well for a full novel, if it’s ever developed further.

The Silver Dragon: Very reminiscent of Dragonheart since it’s about an unforgiving hero pursuing a dragon, then undergoes a redemption arc. The journey to the dragon was as suspenseful as it was heartbreaking, and the ride itself was intense.

And now, a final observation;
There seems to be a Viking trend among the authors. Four of the shorts were unequivocal in their Nordic setting, and almost all the rest shared the trait of a harsh setting. I’m or complaining about that, though. Vikings are cool, even if the historical figures were pretty horrible people.

[Angela R. Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so proud of this anthology and every single one of the authors. They outdid themselves and should be incredibly proud.

Huge thanks to Michaela for organizing this with me!

[Erin Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the publisher. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.

Where Giants Fall is an anthology comprising of 14 fantasy short stories, all inspired by a message of light conquering darkness, and every story reminded me in some way of John 1:5 – “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”. Another prevelant theme throughout this collection is one of loss and grief, being an uncurrent in many of the stories and the main thread in a select few.

While these short stories are written from a Christian worldview, the level of explicit faith in the stories vary, with some of the short stories being much more forward and clear in their presentation, which a few times came off as preachy but I applaud the authors’ purposeful intent. However, there were also some brilliant allegories that really spoke to me, and caused me to be self-reflective and encouraged.

The stories in this collection are a variety of lengths and levels of darkness, while still being appropriate for young adults. While life-long adult lovers of the fantasy genre will definitely enjoy this collection, it is also a safe introduction to darker fantasy for young teens, and would be an excellent tool for parents and teens to read together and discuss!

Another observation that is neither here or there, is that this collection has male-dominated stories, making it possibly a better fit for young boys than young girls interested in the genre. While I would have personally loved more female protagonists, I can’t say I would have changed any individual story’s characters.

Since I cannot cover all fourteen stories in detail, I wanted to pull out my three favorites to highlight:

No Hero by Michael LaVoice

“I am no hero, but by the gods, I can make her ready to be one.”

I am a sucker for a “man escorting little girl to safety” story! This story gave me some fantastic Dragon Age/Dungeons and Dragons vibes that really drew me in from the beginning! It contained several great action sequences that were balanced out with sprinkles of enchanting lore about heroes of old. I loved Roark’s journey of discovering hope and confidence, and the tender relationship between himself and the child. If you love D&D, The Last of Us, or A Quiet Place 2, this story will be a run-home for you as well!

Into the Light by Abby Smith

“Darkness enveloped him-so dense he could almost touch it.”

This is another story had some fan-freaking-tastic worldbuilding! It drew me in right away with an excellent depiction of very relatable fear of darkness – that feeling of waking in the middle of the night, and it’s pitch black, and you can’t find the light! Except in this intrigugin world, it is eternal darkness. This story had some wonderful characters, focusing on a small characters of well-formed individuals that told a tight and exciting story. Plus, there was an excellent ballance of high stakes and humor. I will definitely be looking to read more from this author, and would one-hundred-percent read a full-length novel in this world!

And finally, the best was absolutely saved for last in this anthology…

The Silver Dragon by R. J. Setser

“Heartache is poison to the mind when left alone to fester."

This story was captivating from the first sentence, and was written with a raw authenticity that is deep and reflective, like the calm in the middle of the storm. Written from a genuine heart wrestling with pain, anyone who has experienced deep heartbreak will find themselves in this story, as it explored grief and anger through the fantastical journey of a hurting knight hunting a legendary dragon. This story was absolutely incredible, giving me lots of chills and a feeling of being seen, reading like a D&D campaign colliding with David’s Psalms of anguish. The Silver Dragon is for anyone who has experienced loss, and needs guidance to find hope in the darkness of heartache.

Since there are a variety of stories in this collection, it was difficult to find a rating as some stories were 10 out of 5 stars, while a few were only 3 stars. Still, I decided that those big stand-out stories make Where Giants Fall something every fantasy lover should have on their shelves winning this anthology 5 stars!

Trigger Warning: This collection does include references to suicidal thoughts and self-harm.

[Jas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional collection of Short Stories, generally telling tales of one or more people overcoming great evil, all by having to rise above some challenge, whether that be personal, or external. There are some brilliant worlds created in these stories, along with some fascinating characters, all telling wonderful stories. The great thing about an Anthology like this, is that you get introduced to some great new Authors you might not know, and some brilliant new reading material. This was a wonderful Anthology, and following are short reviews of each of the short stories:
When Devils Walked the Darkness – AJ Skely 4/5– fascinating short story in which we follow a young girl ‘Elaine’, on the night of “SAMHAIN”, a night in which Devils walk the Earth, and claim the lives of not only young children – taking them from their homes, but they destroy farms, and kill the men that try and protect their villages. The villagers believe that ‘garlic’ worn around the neck will keep the Devils at bay, something they have used forever, but another, a Holy Man speaks the words of his God, saying he can protect them if only they will listen. They reject him, but as night falls and the Devil’s approach, (and the descriptive work is stunning of the various types of Demons that fall upon the terrified village), who will save them? This is a brilliant start to the anthology, and a really intriguing read (4.5/5)
The Children of Arnbjorg – Sara Francis 3.5/5 – The Children of Arnbjorg follows young Volundr, a 12yr old child in the Clan of Arnbjorg, on the cusp of becoming a man, but with a father who does not yet accept him. The story follows the family, as he and his sister, Aksinya, work with their father to try and determine what happened to their mother, as they think she was taken by the leader of another Clan, Jarl Dagur. This is a really intriguing story, there are multiple different aspects to the story here, and it was fascinating watching it unfold. Unfortunately it kind of lost it at the end, as the story built into something that seemed to be working into something really interesting, and then went somewhere else, and left us with several unanswered questions. It was a bit disappointing at the end after such a brilliant start.
No Hero – Michael LaVoice 5/5 – This is a captivating story that follows a Ranger, Roark, in a time following the end of a great war between the forces of good and evil. There are no longer any armies or ‘Heroes’ for good, and most of the forces of darkness, including their leader, ‘The Evil One’ have died as well, bringing about the Cataclysm and killing all of the magic users in the world also. It is a time of hardness and sorrow in the land, although the war is over, there are still creatures of darkness roaming the lands, destroying villages. Roark is no hero, having trained under his father, a true Ranger, his father having told him all these heroic stories of the past (they are referred to in this story, providing some fascinating world building). As Roark is hunting one day, he comes across a village under attack, and intervenes with a rather startling outcome. This is a wonderfully well told story, with an exceptional main character, and outstanding world building. One of the best stories in this anthology.
Light and Truth – Michaela Bush 4.5/5 -The is the story of Colina, a woman who is trapped in a city in which raiders have laid siege, and another faction is also laying claim, meaning the city is surrounded on all sides by those that wish to destroy it. Colina’s sister has run off with the Raiders, selling herself for a chance at life, telling Colina that this is her only hope, but Colina refuses to go out this way. Instead, she is going to give her soul to the city’s legend, a vengeful witch, in the hope that this will bring down death upon all of her enemies. But as she is about to do this, she is questioned by another magical source – is this the right choice? Will one act of rage really bring peace to her?
This is a really fascinating story as one grief stricken, troubled young woman, in a world in which woman are so often powerless, is given the option to make difference – but will she make the right choice? And what is the right choice?
This is a really powerful and well written story – with an exceptional main character – great read!!
Nepenthes – Kara Linaburg – 5/5 – This is a story with outstanding world building and some brilliant characters – one of the standouts in the series. With this rather savage tribe, that has developed as a result of their culture, tribalism, and desperate need to not only survive but protect what is theirs, they have become incredibly savage. They kill all who come to their island, with no exception. Even from a young age, the children are taught, encouraged to kill without mercy, but simply so they can survive. Thrust into this is Nepenthes – the young Queen of her people, now leader due to her Father’s untimely death. She has a powerful gift, the ability to affect history and even time through the absorption of written materials that detail history. I don’t want to give too much away, but this is a powerful story of a young women, trapped between ruling her people, trying to survive, but also desperate to bring back the father she lost by any means necessary. Into this story comes Halfdan, an outsider who Nepenthes goes against custom to save, and who becomes her friend, providing intriguing aspects to the tale. This is well worth the read, Linaburg has created a truly incredible world with a story not to be missed!!
A Dance of Stones – Jonathon Mast 4/5 – This follows the story of Dreanna, a young woman of the city of Lith who has fled the city after her sister has just died rather horrifically at the hands of an invading army, the Voda. Lith is surrounded by a very strong stone wall, but the Voda have developed water cannons to blast holes through stone, so once in range, the walls will be defeated. Dreanna has run, supposedly to get help, but also because she is scared. As she is running, she comes across this fascinating phenomena of large Monoliths Dancing in the sand, but only so she can see them.
Without giving too much away, it is here that Dreanna must confront her choices, to run, leaving her dead sister and her city, but also her future. She must also decide what to do about the rather curious Dancing Stones. Really interesting story, fascinating world building, and story development, really well done. Was a really interesting story.
The Different kinds of Falling – Nathaniel Luscombe 5/5 – the was an exceptional story, creating this visually stunning story, that you are instantly drawn into and find hard to leave. The story is about a young Man, Lysander, who is trying to rescue a ‘marked child’, from those known as the Dark Ones, people who follow Dark Gods, and make human sacrifices, preferably children or younger people, in the name of their gods. As such, Lysander and his group risk all (including their own lives), to save these children. We learn why Lysander does this during the story, as well as incredible background to the world they live in. I won’t go into much more of the story so as to not spoil it, but their journey is perilous and does not go as planned. Lysander and his rebels use special flying machines, the entire rebellion is mounted from the sky as the ground is the home of the Dark Ones – again, the world building for this story is just outstanding. This would make an extraordinary series, Luscombe has all the key elements, and writes brilliant characters. This is one of the real standouts of the series for me as it had everything you want in a short – exciting, thrilling, great world building, brilliant characters and a clever ending that wraps up the short, but leaves it open enough for a possible adaption for a series (That is a hint there!!) – Don’t Miss This One!!
Wavering Loyalty – M.H. Elrich 3.5/5 – This story is about a Human General, Daniel, who is part of a civil war after the Queen has claimed the throne on behalf of her unborn child, the King having just passed away, and her now claiming she is pregnant with the true Heir to the throne. However, the Kings Brother claims she killed the King, and is not pregnant, and he is rightful Heir, especially since she is only Queen through marriage and has no claim to the throne.
There are Elves and Dwarves as well, and because the Queen is allegedly ‘Evil’, she has Dark Elves.
The story is written from Daniels point of view, after he is captured, and tortured (by being deprived for a couple of days of food), for the whereabouts of the Prince by the Evil Queen.
The story is written reasonably well, but uses a lot of well used tropes, so is pretty standard. One thing that did bother me was that this ‘healthy’, well trained General, was feeling dizzy and unwell after only a day without food. As a rule, all humans follow the rule of 3 – 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food, before they die. So a healthy Knight, and the General, should have been good for days (even a good couple of weeks maybe), before he caved. It was the use the attention to detail, as well as lots of well used storylines that made this a bit of a slow story.
The Lord of the Harvest – Matt Starr 4/5 – Interesting story of Hiroc, a warrior who is guardian of a small village that is visited by followers of ‘The Lord of the Harvest’, an alleged God looking for converts (commonly known as slaves). This leads Hiroc, and his partner Brigid on an interesting adventure to go and meet, ‘The Lord of the Harvest’. This is a Fantasy story that has heroes, fighting, adventure, and really reminded me of ‘Hercules’, that true Hero fighting through hoards of enemies against a powerful foe to save the innocent. It was a great fun read with some funny moments to lighten the more brutal elements – well written.
Into the Light – Abby Smith 4.5/5 – This was an utterly fascinating story, with exceptional world building, one in which you are immediately drawn into this world, and engaged by what is happening. It follows Ronan, a young man, trying to survive in a rather brutal world, in which there is no light, a strange darkness has fallen on everything, and if you delve into the darkness without a light, you won’t survive. Ronan works at a coal mine to survive, having taking on the job from his now deceased Uncle, and to care for his younger cousin Theo. This covers how they try and survive in this strange world, struggling to just exist, until a significant event happens (No Spoilers). Really interesting story, and well worth the read. Amazing world building and great characters!!
The Beasts of the Sea – Angela R. Watts 4/5 – Rune was born with a disability, a crippled leg, and has never been able to join his male villagers at sea. Now, as their ships have gone missing, along with his Father, Brother, Uncle and many others, he is left with the women and children of the village, wondering what has befallen them, thinking that the beast of the sea has taken them. In a last ditched effort to save his people, and the males of his village, Rune takes a small boat, and rows out to sea, hoping to take on the beasts that have taken so much, to either offer himself as a sacrifice in their place, or to try and save them – what follows is an incredible adventure. This is a really intriguing story as a young man struggles with his own challenges, both mental and physical. There is some great story telling and world building, and a really fun story.
A Breeze So Soft and Gentle – S.D. Howard 0/0 – I am not quite sure how this story ended up in a fantasy collection, as I didn’t really see the fantasy element in it? This story should have come with a warning for anyone that has lost a child through miscarriage, or dealt with this as there is quite graphic depictions within the story that could be disturbing to anyone that has had to go through this traumatic experience. The story itself is a letter telling the story of how they empathise with the person they are writing to, as they have had their own experience of going through a miscarriage and losing their child. It is well written, from that point of view, but very sad, and quite depressing to be honest, and again, I don’t see how it fits into this collection?
What the Darkness Fears – Sarah Ryder 4/5 –This is a great story following a man called ‘Archer’ in prison. As the story starts to unfold, we learn that he has been jailed after he lost his best friend, and the man who worked for him Colin, who was trying to rescue him. I don’t want to give too much away, but there is much more to this story than first appears, and as we learn more about Archer, we learn that he is not the person we first believe, and this becomes a very intriguing story. It is full of some really great characters, some brilliant fight scenes, and it would actually make a wonderful start to a longer story or series. This was an awesome short story.
The Silver Dragon – R.J. Setser 3.5/5 – This is the story of Athias, who is on a quest to find the legendary Silver Dragon that grants a ‘wish’ to the one who manages to survive the treacherous journey and climb through the mountains. The start of the story follows Athias’ journey, and to be honest, is a little long winded, although it does give some background on why he is undertaking his journey (I will let you read it). This is however a rather fascinating story of how one man’s quest for vengeance, for revenge, possibly even justice, will see him searching deep within his soul to see if this is the right choice or not. Whilst it is a bit lengthy in parts, it is still a really intriguing and creative story with an interesting twist on Dragons.

[Emmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

[ARC Review]

Where Giants Fall is marketed as a clean, Christian Fantasy Anthology. Though true, some stories are more christian than others, and I think many of the stories would be enjoyed by both christian and non-christian readers. I'd class most of these as YA, some more adult, but none of them would really be unsuitable for YA.

I found this an incredibly difficult anthology to rate. There were more than a couple of stories that I either didn't finish, or found myself skimming great parts. Some of these had tense issues, or big plot holes but with most of these I just didn't feel connected to the MC or I found myself confused and kicked out of the story.
But then there were others that gave me 'the feels' which is what I read for.

Favourites:
- When Devils Walked The Darkness: a very simple story, really. And very typical christian fiction. The kind that you'd tell your child for bedtime. But it was very prettily told.
- No Hero: I loved the MC in this one and his own convictions about himself, and would have enjoyed to read another story in this universe I think.
- The Different Kinds Of Falling: this had almost everything of what a good fantasy short story needs. I cared about the MC and wanted to see him win. Little flying contraptions, floating cities and a rescue of children taken by 'the dark ones'. There was pain, action and just enough worldbuilding to make it vivid without dumping the kind of description on me that would overwhelm such a short story.
- A breeze so soft and gentle: this story was the reason I got the anthology in the first place. I've read of this author before, and this particular, where he clearly shares his experience with miscarriage through the MC in this fantasy story, was all I expected from it. Very immersive and beautiful. I could tell the author poured his heart and soul into this one.
-The Silver Dragon: although the epilogue was a little simple for me, I did really love this story. A story of loss, bitterness and seeking revenge with the help of a dragon. Very well done.

Sexual content: none
Coarse language: none
Violence and gore: mild to moderate

Conclusion
I was a little disappointed in the quality of a few of the stories, but impressed by several others so I'm grateful i got the chance to 'meet' a few new authors. If you appreciate a bit of christian light VS dark in your fantasy short stories, then I'd say give this one a go!

*I received a free digital copy. This does not affect my review, which I leave voluntarily.

[Alex Silvius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection. If I had to choose two favourites, they would be Beasts of the Sea by Angela R Watts and The Different Kinds of Falling by Nathaniel Luscombe. The reason I'm giving four stars and not five is because I didn't love every story in this collection, but the collection did feel complete and full. I'm glad that all the stories are in here. They add well to the collection.

[Mary Emma Sivils · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a lot of fascinating ideas in this anthology! Overall, though, it sort of missed the mark for me.

I'm pretty picky when it comes to short stories, so I think my main problem with Where Giants Fall was completely a matter of taste. I prefer short stories that focus on the character's emotional arc, and most of these seemed to focus on the action of the plot. I do think some of the stories could have used more polishing as well.

However, there were so many great themes and messages about good and evil, light and darkness—and all the fantasy settings were definitely a plus. I'm glad these authors are providing fantasy stories that focus on hope and truth!

[Abby Smith (Weigand) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved each of these stories and am so honored to be a part of this anthology. I’m a little biased but Where Giants Fall is definitely worth the read!

[M.H. Elrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthologies are nice for reading when you're in-between books or when you need something to read at a doctor's office. That's why this book took me so long to finish-not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I read it in my "in-between" times. As one of the contributors to this anthology, I felt it necessary to finish it and give my brief, what I loved about each story synopsis.

When Devils Walked the Darkness-This one was great because of the concept of fighting the darkness with the light inside you that comes from God. It reminded me of people who share God's light with others, so that they can carry God's light in themselves, too. That is what I enjoyed most about this story.

The Children of Arnbjorg-This was a heartbreaking story, but I will say that I like Volundr's character growth.

No Hero-This one was probably the most secular of the stories because it plays with the idea of being a hero and mentions gods multiple times. That being said, it was one of my favorites because of the ending, which shows how the main character fights back the dark. And that is the vaguest way I can say that without spoilers. I also like the twist on the idea of a hero, because I would say the main character is a hero, even if he doesn't think of it that way.

Light and Truth-I really like how Michaela distinguishes between the darkness of witchcraft and the Light of the I AM. I enjoy seeing how the main character has to help her people realize that truth as well.

Nepenthes-This was the most romantic of the short stories, so, of course I loved it. Besides the romance, Kara does a great job answering the question: should we change history to make it so our loved ones didn't die? If so, what would happen? That answer drew me into the story.

A Dance of Stones-To be entirely honest, I wasn't sure what I read when I finished this. Was it metaphoric? Was it literal? I'm not sure, but I enjoyed the ethereal, mystical, dream-like way Jonathan wrote this story.

The Different Kinds of Falling-This one was so cool. I could picture the floating ships and different flying adventures in my head. It had so many twists and turns (literally and in the page-turning way) that I really enjoyed it. I also felt like I could have read a series about these people.

Wavering Loyalty-Great story. Enough said. (In case you didn't know, I am the author of this one, so that was a bit of a joke. 😄)

The Lord of the Harvest-Although this story was too graphic for me to finish, I did scan it and from what I could tell, I would have enjoyed the fact they were getting rid of false gods.

Into the Light-This was really good! It reminded me of a story I wrote with my friend when I was a young girl about light-powered people and dark-powered people. That doesn't mean it was childish, just that the idea was similar and it made me enjoy the action more. Another short story I would love to see as a novel.

The Beasts of the Sea-I loved this story. The underwater sea creatures, both good and bad. The idea of a place where ships go to die. The emotional stakes. Yeah, this story had all the feels and definitely made me want to read a whole book about Rune and Blitha.

A Breeze So Soft and Gentle-These emotional letters had me metaphorically reaching for my tissue box. Very sweet, very touching.

What the Darkness Fears-The redemption arc and the action scenes are really good in this story, but it definitely felt like a portion of a larger story, than a story that stands on itself. So, she needs to write this as a book, too. 😉

The Silver Dragon-I really felt the pain of the main character in this one. It was fascinating to see how the character struggled through grief, and I felt the emotions keenly. A bit rushed at the end, but I liked it a lot!