The Broken Darkness ♦ Theresa Braun | Review

There are thirteen (13) short horror/paranormal stories in this book. Some stories are going to be better than others, just like in most collections of short stories. The remaining stories were either excessively anticipated or without substance, except for four that I thoroughly loved.
The first time I came across Theresa Braun, was through another anthology, which I reviewed last year: Emporium of Superstition.

Dare to enter the pages where ghosts, demons, monsters, other realities lurk…

In her debut collection, Theresa Braun explores the inner workings of the human heart and what it is we most desire—forgiveness, acceptance, love, fame, or merely to escape who we really are. Whether we are battling ghosts, demons, mythical monsters, the past, or other dimensions, we are really facing the deepest parts of ourselves. These thirteen tales of horror and dark fantasy may appear to be a matter of good versus evil, but they are all a reflection of the hidden corners of the soul that are often shades of broken darkness. The characters in these stories must face their inner and outer terrors, or else suffer the consequences.

The Broken Darkness ♦ Theresa Braun

Opinion

Braun is fantastic at drawing a reader in and offering surprising turns as well as such intriguing and addictive stories, even though I did not like every story the same. Each narrative, the settings, the language, and the characters were extraordinary, even though some were weird!

Here is a small summary of all 13 short stories with my star rating for each of them:

1. Dead Over Heels: ★★★★★ – Two persons get on their first date and something unexpected occurred during their stay at a haunted restaurant. They dismissed it and didn’t bring it up again. Up until a few months later. Their curiosity dragged them to the same restaurant in an effort to get a repeat. But their lives will be altered forever this time.
2. Collecting Empties: ★★★✩✩ – On my Kindle Paperwhite with font size 2, this story is just 4 pages short, and it is kinda weird and one of the stories I did not enjoy as much as others.
3. The Celestial Assignment: ★★★✩✩ – This one only got 3 stars, because I just like stories about angels. The story centers on an angel gaining wings. And he recently received the mission to become Celeste’s guardian angel.
4. Guilty As Cell: ★★★✩✩ – This story left my slightly confused and I still don’t know what to do with it. But it wasn’t bad at all.
5. Lost Time: ★★★✩✩ – In this very short story, a car driver unintentionally ran into a sinister, shadowy figure along the side of the road. Kind of weird, but still good.
6. Heathen: ★★★★★ – Because of his Satanism, Devlin had run into difficulty at his former school. His mother sent him to the Academy of Holy Angels because she was sick of his shenanigans. His Satanism became known throughout the school. After hearing the news, several students made the decision to act alone. (As a member of The Satanic Temple I had to like it a lot, even though my satanism is different.)
7. Stillborn: ★★★★✩ – This short story comes with an unexpected but lovely twist at the end. More would just spoil everyone.
8. Legend Trippers: ★★★★✩ – This story deals with The Goat Man mythology. A creature that calls individuals to the train tracks and then leads them to their ultimate demise. It almost received 5 stars from me.
9. Dying For An Invitation: ★★★★★ – This was brilliant. Dacie had experienced a presence around her ever since she was a young child. When she was a child, this presence would reassure her and even engage in play. Let’s go back in time to almost 20 years later. She once more discovers herself being comforted by this presence following a death in the family. Was it a specter? Or was there something more evil waiting in the wings?
10. Homecoming: ★★★★★ – It concerns a couple that went on holiday to Ireland. They were unaware that the Ashrai myth was true. This story made me to find out more about this mythology and travel to Ireland yesterday.
11. Stay Tuned: ★★★✩✩ – This is the only short story which I enjoyed the least. It hardly got 3 stars. Something, I can’t really name it, was off about it.
12. While My Guitar Gently Weeps: ★★★★★ – Another brief reading. This time, the story concerns a man who unintentionally went into a spooky bar. He was able to make a connection with a random stranger within minutes of having his drink. After some discussion, a deal was reached. a perilous transaction. Oh, if this isn’t the devil within?
13. Heirloom: ★★★✩✩ – Although I enjoyed the concept, I found the story’s flow and understanding to be a little off. It was a little disturbing. But I’ve never been a big fan of transportation into other dimensions through special/magical objects.

[rating-report]

Conclusion

What a wonderful and short read! The Broken Darkness is a horror anthology I enjoyed very much! Nasty little tales that created complex people, some of whom suffer horrible fates. This was a fantastic read thanks to the variety of narrative lengths.

I received an advance review copy through BookSirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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