Ashley’s Reviews > One Bad Night & Other Stories > Status Update

"One Bad Night," Stephen Graham Jones — This would have been a five if not for the ambiguous ending. Like, this isn't gory or scary, but it is absolutely horrifying. Can someone please explain the last paragraph to me, though? Also, do not read this if you are sensitive to animal deaths, okthxbyeee. 4.5/5stars

"A Meditation on the Existence of Certain Cutlery (There is No Spoon)," S.A. Barnes — I'm deducting a star for the existence of a trope I really dislike, but this was good otherwise. 4/5 stars

"47 Pineview Way," Jennifer Thorne — This was five stars until the ending, and I'm not sure what I wanted from it, but I didn't get that satisfying resolution feeling. Still, this is the most unsettling and unique story in this collection so far. 4.5/5 stars

"A Necromancer's Guide to Reconnecting With an Ex," Rachel Harrison — If this had been just a little bit longer, I would have given it five stars. I needed just a little bit more. 4.5/5 stars

"Lady Jawbone," Kylie Lee Baker — Ugh, this was well done, but I didn't like it. I don't like ambiguous horror, and besides this being set in a match factory (think Radium Girls) everything else was up in the air. Not the type of thing I was expecting from this author after having read Bat Eater. 3/5 stars

"My Lithopedia," Del Sandeen — This one started off really interesting and creepy. A woman's mother dies and they find out she had a lithopedion inside of her, a stone baby, the MC's twin. This is a real thing apparently??? Ugh. Anyway, the baby starts being creepy, but the further this went on the less I liked it. What was the point? Felt very surface level. Also, lots of story inconsistencies. 2.5/5 stars

”Two Observers of the Slaughter Rites on Gannet Island,” Kay Chronister - This was so eery and fascinating. An anthropologist and his wife visit a secretive island to find out about their ritualistic behaviors. 4.5 stars