Search
Search results
Louise (64 KP) rated The Mistletoe Bride and Other Haunting Tales in Books
Jul 2, 2018
I am not going to ramble on and on giving you a synopsis for all the stories but I will let you know some of the ones that I enjoyed the most out of this collection. I really wanted to start reading some more short stories so I have continuously made an effort in reading a collection per month. With each book there are obviously going to be some better than others. I think the hardest thing for the authors is to create a really good and atmospheric story that will truly grip you and Kate Mosse has certainly done that in some of these stories. Others were a bit weak and easily forgettable.
The stories included are:
The Mistletoe Bride – 4/5 stars
Duet – 3.5/5 stars
Red Letter day – 2.5/5 stars
The drowned village – 3/5 stars
The house on the hill – 3/5 stars
Why the yew tree lives so long -1.5/5stars
Sainte-Therese – 3/5 stars
The ship of the dead -4/5 stars
La Fille de Melisande -2/5 stars
The revenant -5/5 star – FAVOURITE
On Harting hill -3.5/5 stars
The princess Alice -3/5 stars
In the Theatre at night 2.5/5 stars
The yellow scarf -3.5/5 stars
Syrinx 1/5 stars
Each of these stories comes with an authors note as what inspired her to write them. There are also some black and white gothic illustrations before each of the stories drawn by Rohan Daniel Eason which sets the tone. The stories are set in Sussex, Brittany and Languedoc that are based on Folk tales ranging from the 1800’s to the present day.
I will admit as writing this review I had to check the stories again to see which ones were which as they are somewhat forgettable. The ones that have clearly stuck with me is ‘The Mistletoe Bride’, ‘Duet’ and ‘The Revenant’.
The revenant was the best story by far in the book, it was eerie and creepy and had me on the edge of my seat with my pulse racing as I was actually scared but couldn’t stop reading. It is probably one of the scariest short stories that I have read! Mosse manages to create an intense atmosphere and completely grips the reader. The writing style is very easy to read and flows beautifully.
I would recommend this to people who are looking to read some short-stories that have historical fiction with supernatural elements and a bit of horror.
Overall I rated this 3.5/5 stars
The stories included are:
The Mistletoe Bride – 4/5 stars
Duet – 3.5/5 stars
Red Letter day – 2.5/5 stars
The drowned village – 3/5 stars
The house on the hill – 3/5 stars
Why the yew tree lives so long -1.5/5stars
Sainte-Therese – 3/5 stars
The ship of the dead -4/5 stars
La Fille de Melisande -2/5 stars
The revenant -5/5 star – FAVOURITE
On Harting hill -3.5/5 stars
The princess Alice -3/5 stars
In the Theatre at night 2.5/5 stars
The yellow scarf -3.5/5 stars
Syrinx 1/5 stars
Each of these stories comes with an authors note as what inspired her to write them. There are also some black and white gothic illustrations before each of the stories drawn by Rohan Daniel Eason which sets the tone. The stories are set in Sussex, Brittany and Languedoc that are based on Folk tales ranging from the 1800’s to the present day.
I will admit as writing this review I had to check the stories again to see which ones were which as they are somewhat forgettable. The ones that have clearly stuck with me is ‘The Mistletoe Bride’, ‘Duet’ and ‘The Revenant’.
The revenant was the best story by far in the book, it was eerie and creepy and had me on the edge of my seat with my pulse racing as I was actually scared but couldn’t stop reading. It is probably one of the scariest short stories that I have read! Mosse manages to create an intense atmosphere and completely grips the reader. The writing style is very easy to read and flows beautifully.
I would recommend this to people who are looking to read some short-stories that have historical fiction with supernatural elements and a bit of horror.
Overall I rated this 3.5/5 stars