Genre: Urban Fantasy, Contemporary, General Fiction
LGBTQ+ Category: Bi, Gay, Lesbian, Non-Binary
Reviewer: Dan
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About The Book
Seven stories, from tricks to treats: A man discovers the benefits of autumn cologne; a haunted Broadway-themed house; a witch in some trouble; Lucifer’s daughter has a surprise for dear old dad; a pair of pre-teens on an autumn treasure hunt; a costume party; and a broken down car, a thunderstorm, and a creepy mansion.
The Review
Let me start by saying I don’t like short story collections. Yes, some authors excel in the genre, masters of the difficult craft that is short fiction, and I can appreciate short stories as a one-off, quick read. I very much love having them read to me on podcasts like LeVar Burton Reads. But usually, I find that sitting down to read collections of short fiction falls a little flat for me. It’s nothing against short stories. There’s something about the genre that eludes me. I can’t write them either.
With all that said, I loved this collection. Each story of the seven stories felt unique and had tight, well-written language and plots, good style, and a few had characters that I wanted so much more about. They all felt like they contained an entire world and I wanted more from each world. I also liked that the characters spanned different races, cultures, genders, and sexual identities without feeling ham-fisted about how much diversity they could cram into one collection.
This is my first read from Leibowitz (which is sort of a crime, I’m starting to realize) and I’ll definitely seek out more from this author. I would recommend this to anyone who’s still yearning for the fall and isn’t quite reading to let the winter holidays take over (like me), or to anyone who wants a couple of sweet, short reads that will generally make you feel better than you did going into it.
The Reviewer
Dan Ackerman is a writer and educator who has lived in Connecticut for their entire life. They received their BSED from CCSU in 2013 and wrote their Master’s thesis on representations of women in same-sex relationships in contemporary Spanish literature and cinema. Currently, Dan is studying for a second MA in ABA and works in a center school for students with a variety of intellectual, developmental, or multiple disabilities. In their spare time, Dan continues to read and write, supplemented with a healthy amount of movie marathons and gaming.
