Hello lovely readers, I have another special October creepy #ShortReadsSaturday review. This one is for those who like ghost stories that aren’t too hardcore.
Chills
A Short Story Collection
Author: Sahar Sabati
Category: Short Scary Stories, Psychological Thriller, Ghosts
Suitable for: Teens+
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Format Read for Review: Kindle copy provided by Lola’s Blog Tours & the author in exchange for an honest review.
Pages: 73
Description & brief review of each short story:
Double Double
A woman with a haunted past of her own starts seeing strange doubles of a certain family around town. This story was one of my favorites because it is a creepy little ghost story. I thought the ending was predictable but also had a little surprise to it.
The Mug Shot
A woman finds herself cornered by a criminal she recognizes from his mug shot, will she live to tell the tale? I thought this story was eerie. It was frustrating reading the conversation between the two because it was clearly not going well. The fear in this one is in the suspense and the “not knowing”.
Karma
Could he do the unthinkable for the woman he loved and will they survive the guilt? I thought this was a creative story but it was also a little *face palm* for me. Why didn’t they just communicate better, that would have solved everything. I also didn’t really buy into the “love” between mere acquaintances. People who like the drama of Romeo and Juliet will like this one but it wasn’t my thing.
The Car in the Fog
This one had a slow boring intro about some students and their study habits, but then it got really creepy as the car followed them in the fog, and downright chilling as a victim reveals her demise. This one reminded me of Mug Shot but with an ending that offers closure. The bit with the painting was anticlimactic. Overall, spooky story.
Monster in My Closet
This was one of the scariest stories. A closet door slowly opens while an unsuspecting person is consumed with sleep.
Misty Eyes
A women chooses not to risk the perils of driving in the fog and stays home from work. Throughout the day as she mixes working from home with enjoying the view she notices many people in burgundy coats walking by her house in the fog. I thought this story had a really cool eerie setting. It felt a lot like a scary movie. This was a fun one.
Mindy’s Melody
A lonely widower makes a wish to see his late wife one last time. This story had a lighter note and I thought it was a good hopeful ending to a dark compilation.
In Short: I’m a big fan of scary genres and while this one isn’t that scary what it does do is encourage your imagination to wander to dark places. It has the kind of stories you tell around the campfire or at sleepovers. I recommend this book to those who like ghost stories, and creepy stories that are not too scary or gruesome. This book acceptable for younger readers who enjoy horror.
“My entire body stiffened, because this time I was certain of it — the door was more open than is had been the last time I had looked over at it.”
(Yes there is a typo in that, it’s not a misquote.)
Pros: Overall creative and entertaining short stories. I did love that the characters in some of these stories did actually call for help. I thought a lot of the scenarios were realistic which makes them scarier. I’m a big fan of ghost stories so a lot of these hit the spot. Many had chilling, haunting endings.
“A little over an hour later, the lights in my living room and dining room started flickering.”
Cons: Could be scarier and the stories got a little repetitive. I would suggest not reading them all in one day. I felt like the characters didn’t have different voices. Some typos that were a little distracting; wrong words and a new paragraphs starting mid-sentence.
Parent’s Guide: Some violence and gore. Reference to a rapist without any graphic content.
Thank you, Lola for hosting this review opportunity.
About the Author:
The author of Spirit Within Club and Chills: A Short Story Collection, Sahar was born the first of three siblings and the first of eight cousins who grew up together. Thrust in the role of head of the brood at a very early age, she honed her imagination by creating stories and plotlines the eight of them could play to all summer long. But soon, her interest in the paranormal took its toll on said brood. Worried on the long-term effects (as well as potential therapy costs) of this continual exposure to increasingly scary stories her oldest was (too) expertly weaving for their terrified ears, her mother gave her a typewriter — and a writer was born. Many books, a couple of screenplays, countless short stories, numerous essays, two blogs, and one Facebook page later, Sahar joined the ranks of Blogcritics, delving into the world of reviews.
You can find Sahar here: