Mercedes M. Yardley

Whimsical, lyrical writing that is very much akin to Neil Gaiman. I could hear the cheery narrator in my voice delving out death after death while lamenting the beauty of flowers and love at first sight. The dialogue was a bit stiff and old-timey for my tastes since it does appear this is modern day, while not my my first choice, I can see it not being a deal breaker.
I enjoyed the lighthearted yet brutal nature of the book. If you've missed the vibe of 'Good Omens' and need a dose of whimsy, magical realism, gorgeous flowery writing, a high body count (and I mean HIGH) and something fun and off-kilter then I'd suggest this. It's very much a mood readers dream to come across this type of book.… (more)

Content Note: sexualized violence/rape, child sexual abuse, abuse in general

“Plot”:
The short stories in this collection range from the very short to the slightly longer. They are all rather dark in content and have a fantastic element or two.

There has rarely been a more aptly named short story collection than this one: the stories indeed all find the beauty in sadness, or at least try to. For me, it got a little monotonous, but that doesn’t mean that the stories are bad.

Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2024/08/22/beautiful-sorrows-mercedes-m-yardley/… (more)

Darling by Mercedes M. Yardley brings to you story of a town, Darling. A small town with a history is definitely going to captivate you. Although, the plot took a long time to reach somewhere, still it did not lose its charisma. Cherry, a caring mother is running from her abusive husband, lands in her hometown as she has no other place to go. And, after that the plot takes many twists and turns but you need to be patient to enjoy this. The only thing I could not understand was Cherry's character. She is a caring mother, no doubt, but her relations with every other man in the town was totally a no from me. The climax was a bit different.

Definitely 4 stars from me. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an opportunity to read and review the book.… (more)

Another fantastic Crystal Lake Publishing anthology! This collection of dark fiction short stories is in the same vein as Gutted. All of the tales within have either beautiful writing, an interesting twist, or something to say about our shared humanity - many of the stories contain all three. Every story is well-written, and a few are quite creepy and/or disturbing. My only single complaint is that a few stories pile on the emotional descriptions a little too heavily for my tastes. I'd rather have one effective gut-punch sentence than several pages to describe someone's pain. However, I also see this as a generational thing. I think it is the younger authors that tend toward the emotional overload, which I believe reflects the times we live in, in which everything has to be exaggerated in order to even be noticed. In horror, it's the modern version of overdosing on gothic melancholia, and in that light I respect it. Either way, this book in totality was an extreme pleasure to read. Highly recommended for anyone who digs the dark side of poetic prose.… (more)