Unpaid Librarian

@BlackSpineShelf@pixelfed.social
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Spoiler-free Book Review Blog πŸ’€ Horror πŸ‘½ Sci-Fi πŸ”ͺ Thriller πŸ“š Occasionally other genres I'm reading all the weird ideas out there for you!
Once again, I fell for a special edition πŸ˜‡
These Stephen King anniversary editions from Hodder & Stoughton are absolutely gorgeous, and I couldn't bring myself to leave them behind. The covers, the colors, the details.
This is what happens when design meets my weak spot.
I'm a huge Stephen King fan, as I'm sure you've already noticed. πŸ“šπŸ–€

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Just got these beauties as the latest additions to my Stephen King collection from Hodder & Stoughton 😍

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Fairy Tale by Stephen King: Short Review
A teenager helps his reclusive neighbor and his aging dog. Responsibility is something that starts out feeling ordinary, but it slowly opens the door to a hidden world with its own rules and consequences.

This isn't your typical Stephen King horror story. There's no constant dread or relentless scares. Instead, it's a dark fairytale built on rules, responsibility, and strong character work.

It's all pretty well paced, the world feels clearly defined, and the characters carry the weight of the story.
Radar deserves a mention. If you know, you know.

I really loved reading it. I found myself laughing and crying, and more than once, thinking, "Yeah, this is classic Stephen King."

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I didn't jump on this one right away. The beginning felt a bit stiff and a little dated, but there was an early sense of unease that kept me going. Once I got into the writing groove, the tension did its thing.

After a few chapters, I realized I was reading faster than I intended. It's not that it's flashy or addictive, but the pressure just keeps building up. I've thought about putting it down and not reading it late at night. I've had some trouble with that.

For me, the characters were the best part. Dr. Barrett was just the right mix of annoying and tolerable. Florence had me feeling a bit uncertain about her. Fischer didn't say much, but he was the most important person there. This book really shines when it's about people trying to impose order on something that's just not having it.

The house doesn't go out of its way to scare you. It holds back. Each scene builds up pressure, and by the end, it all pays off. A few moments dragged a bit, but the core of it stayed sharp.

πŸ“– I've got a full review on the blog!
πŸ”— Check out the link in my bio.

What's your personal favorite haunted house story?
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You’re out hiking in the woods and suddenly spot a staircase that leads nowhere.
Do you climb it? I probably shouldn’t have. But here we are.

I struggled with this one at first. The opening felt slow, mostly because the characters seemed deeply committed to staying stuck in their own problems. I kept wishing they’d actually do something about it.

Eventually, it clicked that the story is meant to feel stagnant. Once that became clear, my irritation turned into understanding.

When the book found its rhythm, I genuinely enjoyed it. The restraint started working in its favour, the concept carried the narrative, and the slow, lingering unease became oddly satisfying.

The horror stays controlled. The woods and the staircase function more as ideas than active threats. Atmosphere does the work while the plot politely stays out of the way. I respected that, and by the end, I had a genuinely good time with it.

πŸ“– Check out the full review on the blog!
πŸ”— Link is in my bio.
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#horrorbooks #psychologicalhorror
#atmospherichorror #horrorfiction
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I generally like my Stephen King the way he seems to like writing it. It's a bit uneven and a tad dark.

For me, this collection worked best in small doses. Reading it straight through just showed how inconsistent it was, but spacing the stories out let the stronger ones shine and the weaker ones fade without a fight. My engagement went up and down depending on the story, and that felt familiar rather than frustrating.

Some pieces pulled me in enough that I slowed down because I genuinely wanted to see where they were going. Others amused me for a bit and then just sort of disappeared from my mind. Not every idea felt fully developed, and not every ending was a hit, but that's just how I've always felt about King's short fiction.

I kept reading because of the variety. I'm feeling a bit uneasy, uncomfortable, and sometimes a little sad. It's about everyday people dealing with one super annoying situation, and just the right amount of tension to keep me hooked.

πŸ“– I've got a full review on the blog!
πŸ”— Check out the link in my bio.

How do you usually read short story collections, all at once or one story at a time?

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