| Title | : | Collected Easter Horror Shorts (Collected Horror Shorts Book 2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 466 |
| Publication | : | First published April 1, 2017 |
Whether you like Easter or not, you’ll certainly have a different view of it after you read the stories contained within these pages.
Grab an Easter egg, dim the lights, get cosy and get ready for some chilling tales by some of the horror world’s finest.
C.S.Anderson – He Has Risen
Christopher Motz - Magic Awaits
Veronica Smith - It’s Not All About Bunnies and Chocolates
Peter Oliver Wonder - Easter Gunny
Mark Cassell - The Rebirth
Andrew Lennon - Trying To Write A Horror Story
Mark Lukens - Mia's Easter Basket
Lex Jones - SonnesHill
JC Michael - Lord of The Dance
Steven Stacy - Echoes of The Bunny-Man
Weston Kincade & David Chrisley - An Easter Prayer
Christina Bergling - Hatch
James Matthew Byers - Killer Jelly Beans from Outer Space (poem)
Jeff Menapace - Paying It Forward
Jeff Strand - Rotten Eggs
Lisa Vasquez - Bunny and Clyde
Mark Fleming - Sulphur
Suzanne Fox - Last Supper
Briana Robertson - Baby Blues
Latashia Figueroa - Easter Eggs
Amy Cross - Lamb to Slaughter
Kevin J. Kennedy - A Town Called Easter
Collected Easter Horror Shorts (Collected Horror Shorts Book 2) Reviews
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Ok, before anyone states the obvious, let me address it. I rarely read short stories and/or collections like this. And when I do, I am extremely critical of them, mostly because I find it hard to connect with a plot and characters that only exist for such a limited number of pages. But this horror collection, solely dealing with Easter themes was just too unique to pass up. Then I saw the likes of Amy Cross and Mark Lukens, so i just had to go for it. And all the stories had their own individual charms, some a little more than others. Easter Eggs by Latasha Figueroa and Sonnes Hill by Lex H Jones were the standouts to me. It is a very long book, and I started to feel the fatigue by the 300 page mark, but I managed to make it through. I would recommend maybe piecemealing the stories over a week or two ahead of the holiday to avoid that same way. Overall, this was a good time and I swear to God that I’ll never look at eggs or rabbits the same way ever again. Somehow jelly beans are still ok. Makes me want some right now. Tangerine or wild cherry should hit the spot. Anyway, for all that celebrate the holiday, enjoy it next weekend!
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A simply superb collection of horror shorts by various authors, all with an Easter theme. There was seriously not one story I didn't like (even the poem) and all were exceptionally well written with a vast amount of premises that were as fascinating as they were chilling. I really can't pick a favourite as they were all exemplary.
I don't think I'm ever going to think of bunnies the same way again and I certainly won't be in a rush to crack open the egg surprises this coming Easter. -
Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Reading short stories around a special time of year is most fun for me. I've read the Christmas book around that time and the Halloween book around Halloween as well. It was so much fun to read these stories when you're in that one holiday vibe. So I decided to pick this book up somewhere around Easter. If you like horror stories, I'd definitely recommend one of the short story books from Kevin J. Kennedy. I'm sure every one of his books has a good story for every reader.
A longer review can be found at Bite Into Books
I will keep saying this: If you like horror stories, you should have read at least one of Kevin J. Kennedy's short story books. It's also nice to pick up one of those once in a while, because you just KNOW there are going to be a lot of stories that you'll like. The ones you don't like, just DNF them, because you will get good ones after that as well. Mister Kennedy and his great team of authors did it again! I loved this book. -
I love these horror shorts! It gives me a great opportunity to find other horror authors to follow and read! And believe me, I’ve added several after reading these stories!!
With each story taking place on Easter, about Easter events/traditions, or dealing with eggs, etc, it was a fun set of short stories to read leading up to Easter time. Some of my favorites focused on a magic healing cave, the rearing of a little lamb, and a strange egg. Loved these!! Cant wait to read the next installment! -
Review Pending.
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When Kevin J. Kennedy sent me a copy of Collected Easter Horror Shorts, I could not wait for Easter to roll around! Unfortunately life got a bit too busy, so I wasn't able to finish the book before Easter... But this certainly isn't a book you want to rush!
If you're looking for a crazy rollercoaster of horror short stories all centered around a seemingly unlikely holiday, you have to check this one out! I will never think about Easter the same way again!
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the authors in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
My thoughts:
Oh my goodness. This collection is incredible! So many of these stories have stuck in my mind long after I finished reading them. Some actually gave me nightmares! They're all so creative and interesting!
Here are my rating breakdowns for each story along with some immediate thoughts/reactions:
Forward by Nev Murray
All the chocolate talk made my mouth water! Hey Nev! Feel free to send me British chocolate! ;-)
Lamb To Slaughter by Amy Cross - 3/5
What an interesting and dark concept.
Sonnes Hill by Lex H. Jones - 4/5
I liked the messaging in this one. Especially the bit about the communities that dry up! Phew! What a fun twist on this tale.
Easter Eggs by Latashia Figueroa - 4/5
Oh I loved this one. A bit tough to read at parts, and there were a few grammatical errors. But what a creepy story!
The Rebirth - 3/5
Woah. This was a weird one but dark and interesting. I have so many questions!
Baby Blues by Briana Robertson - 3/5
Ooofh. This one was horrifying and so sad.
Mia’s Easter Basket by Mark Lukens - 5/5
Woah! This one took a turn I wasn’t expecting!!
He Had Risen by C.S. Anderson - 4/5
A bit repetitive but a fun, but dark, zombie tale!
The Echoes of the Bunny-Man - 5/5
What a terrifying story!! And the authors note afterward....
Killer Jelly Beans From Outer Space by James Matthew Byers - 5/5
Such a fun and dark poem! I’ll never look at Jelly Beans the same way again!
Rotten Eggs by Jeff Strand - 5/5
Woah!!! I did not see that ending coming!
A Town Called Easter by Kevin J. Kennedy - 5/5
Woah! What a nightmare!
Lord of the Dance by J.C. Michael - 4/5
Wow! I did not see that coming. What an interesting and terrifying idea!
Easter Gunny by Peter Oliver Wonder - 5/5
Oh. My. God.
It’s Not All About Bunnies And Chocolates by Veronica Smith - 4/5
Terrifying and brutal!!
Last Supper by Suzanne Fox
This story was for me. Too sexual.
Bunny and Clyde by Lisa Vasquez - 4/5
Such a sad tale.
Magic Awaits by Christopher Motz - 5/5
Such a terrifying idea!! I loved this one!
An Easter Prayer by Weston Kincade and David Chrisley - 2/5
Hmm. I’m not sure I really understood this one. I felt like I was missing something going into it.
Trying To Write A Horror Story by Andrew Lennon - 3/5
Slow to start, but that ending!
Hatch by Christina Burgling - 3/5
What a strange tale!
Sulphur by Mark Fleming
Yikes. This was wasn’t for me. I can’t do stories about drunk driving.
Paying It Forward by Jeff Menapace - 5/5
Holy cow. This is an intense one! That ending...
Afterword by Kevin J. Kennedy
Perfect conclusion! I would LOVE to see more anthologies :-D
My final thoughts:
Bravo! Another amazing collection. Of course some of the stories just weren't for me, but I loved most of them. I cannot wait to re-read this next Easter! -
Kevin J. Kennedy edited Collected Easter Horror Shorts (Collected Horror Shorts Book 2). As the title says, it’s a collection of short stories connected to Easter in one way or another. Some are about mysterious eggs. Others are about resurrection. Still others are about bunnies, and some just happen to take place on Easter. I have to say that my favorite sub-theme is that of mysterious eggs that hatch into something unexpected. Like most anthologies, you’re likely to find some stories you like better than others; I think it’s a solid 4/5 overall, which is what I end up giving most anthologies.
Lex H. Jones’s “Sonnes Hall” introduces a mixed-race gay couple who move out into the countryside and are surprised at how tolerant their neighbors are. When one of them develops a serious illness, they discover that there are some unusual happenings in the area. Latashia Figueroa wrote a story about a child named Brian, his mother Angela, his mother’s abusive boyfriend Pete, and the neighbor Mr. Eldridge. Brian goes to Mr. Eldridge for a sense of safety, only to result in Pete’s attention focusing on Mr. Eldridge. This is a mysterious egg story, and it’s dark and excellent. Mark Lukens’s “Mia’s Easter Basket” introduces us to Mia, who gets mysterious packages from an old man on each Easter–packages she can’t let her daughter see.
C.S. Anderson’s “He Has Risen” is a great tale of the zombie apocalypse in which one man who got drunk and fell asleep on sentry duty has to pay for his sins. Jeff Strand’s “Rotten Eggs” is a story of a prank involving hidden Easter eggs that someone carries much too far. Jeff Menapace’s “Paying It Forward” shows us what can happen when you don’t do some research before obeying your fortune cookie’s instruction to “Be kind to strangers.” Veronica Smith’s “It’s Not All About Bunnies and Chocolate” sees six-year-old Lilymairose’s mother Jean trying to get her daughter one of the wildly popular “Hatch-A-Pets” for Easter. Still loving those mysterious egg stories!
The stories I’ve listed so far are my favorites, but there are others that are still quite good. Amy Cross’s “Lamb to Slaughter” introduces us to a rather different idea of what should happen on Easter, involving sacrifice. In Mark Cassell’s “The Rebirth,” teacher Kelly brings to school a beautiful wooden egg she found outside of her door. (Another mysterious egg story!) Briana Robertson’s “Baby Blues” is a really difficult (and potentially traumatizing) glimpse into what can happen when a mother falls deep into the grip of depression. It’s really tough to read about that. There’s a poem called “Killer Jelly Beans from Outer Space” that’s pretty funny. Kevin J. Kennedy’s “A Town Called Easter” is a monsters-run-amuck story about giant bunnies. This one is not humor.
J.C. Michael’s “Lord of the Dance” was really amazing right up until the confusing end. A man who witnessed Jesus’s death on the cross has been killing one person every year at Easter at the behest of the voice of God in his head–for two thousand years. Peter Oliver Wonder’s “Easter Gunny” is told from the perspective of a mini Australian Shepherd who tries to figure out how he’s supposed to fit in with the family’s Easter celebration. My only problem with this one is that sometimes he seems to think like a dog, and at other times he seems to think like a human, and it’s jarring. Suzanne Fox’s “Last Supper” is a fascinating revenge story with multiple layers to it. Lisa Vasquez’s “Bunny and Clyde” was a bit confusing at first, but turned into an interesting story about grief and loss. Christopher Motz’s “Magic Awaits” has a man’s boss invite all of his employees’ kids to an Easter scavenger hunt. Some of the details in the ending are what really made this story for me.
Christina Bergling’s “Hatch” is another excellent mystery-egg story, featuring a young man who finds a rather unusual and homely egg and becomes obsessed with it. (I did find some of the description odd, though, like “her pupils bounced against her irises,” which, what?!) Mark Fleming’s “Sulfur” seemed unreasonably confusing until the end, but that end was worth it. It involves a very hungover man and a little girl hurling eggs.
Of the stories I wasn’t as fond of, one was a revenge story that seemed disproportionate and I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the role the gay man was cast in. Another is a tale of toys in a festival claw machine that break out and start attacking; the beginning could have been skipped entirely and only served to completely confuse what was going on. Another story, about a writer, got a bit too cutesy. It tries to be meta-meta; the nod to Stephen King’s Annie Wilkes doesn’t solve the fact that this feels too much like “Misery”; and one character’s actions come entirely out of left field and needed at least a little foreshadowing.
Overall this is an excellent collection of horror stories, and definitely worth reading.
Content note for domestic abuse; child death, neglect, and abuse; suicide; animal cruelty and death; standard horror warning for bits of gore and death.
Original review posted on my blog:
https://www.errantdreams.com/2021/04/... -
great collection of Easter Themed Horror stories. No real "Klunkers" here all from good to excellent stories. A Great Read
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Loved the book
I liked the idea of the Easter bunny being bad it made for some interesting stories . One or two was a little off putting like Easter Funny...but that's just me -
A great horror anthology with a wide variety of interpretations of the Easter theme. Some stories just happen to play at Easter time, others take it a step further with weird easter eggs or creepy bunnies.
Over 20 stories await the eager reader, and while I found one or two foul eggs in the basket, the majority were a sweet treat. Usually, I rate every story in an anthology, but I didn't take notes along the way, so I would have trouble recalling the details of each and every piece here.
While I recognized a couple of authors' names, my three favorite picks are from writers I haven't heard of before: 'Easter Eggs' by Latashia Figueroa, 'Hatch' by Christina Bergling and 'Sulphur' by Mark Fleming. Special mention: 'Baby Blues' by Briana Robertson for most depressing story, and 'An Easter Prayer' by Weston Kincade & David Chrisley for most original (and cuddly) story. -
First of all, this anthology gets 10 points for the Easter theme. Such a unique spin on horror and every single story was so unique both in voice and in plot. This is a great little collection and it's packed full.
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I read and enjoyed the Halloween and Christmas horror anthologies and I was surprised to learn that there is an Easter version. The stories are a little longer, but just as varied and in this case completely original. Who can come up with plots where the Easter bunny is evil and creepy? Well, several authors it turns out, including Kevin J. Kennedy who, in A Town called Easter, transforms the furry magical creatures into monsters from your worst nightmares; or Christina Bergling, who turns a sweet Easter surprise into carnage. I was also surprised to see how the length of the story has nothing to do with character development. Latashia Figueroa really makes you care about her characters in the excellent Easter Eggs and Briana Robertson breaks your heart with Baby Blues. But my favorite one was Easter Gunny, by Peter Oliver Wonder, which will leave dog lovers very conflicted, while bringing tears to our eyes. I was a little worried, as a practicing Catholic, that some stories might offend my religious sensibilities, but even the ones that touch on the subject are restrained enough in that regard. There is no restraint however when it comes to blood, guts and plain awesomeness.
I received a free copy from the author, but I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, Kevin J. Kennedy! -
Who needs an Easter egg when you've got this to devour over the Easter weekend. A fab collection of horror stories, some I liked, some I didn't. But for a freebie & any horror lover that wants shorter reads, this is the book for you. Happy Easter guys! 👯🐰🐣🌞🌼
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Incredible!!!
I am a big fan of Kevin J Kennedy’s anthologies and this one does not disappoint. The authors are some of my favorites. So well written and go from straight in your face horror to psychological horror all with the Easter theme. Just amazing loved every story he’s so good at choosing which ones to put in his books. Check this out just great!!!! -
Another great book of shorts by Kennedy. He really knows how to make holidays creepy.
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You'll Never Look At Easter The Same Again
The fact that this is a collection of stories means that some are really good and some are downright dumb. However, that being said, you should read this book anyway. Even the dumb ones have a redeeming quality or two. They're not all horror stories, if you think about traditional horror. Some are just sick. Some are quite humorous and some will scare the pants off you. Read it and see what I mean. -
As a contributor to this collection, my review only covers the stories that are not mine. Much like Collected Christmas Horror Shorts, I enjoyed the variety and uniqueness brought by each author. It is fascinating to see all the different ways a holiday can be turned to horror. There is some brilliance, some terror, and also some mundane in the pages, but the collection achieves a good balance.
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Holiday of horror
Something for all who enjoy a good scary story. Spooky tales of Easter eggs to horrifying bunny rabbits. Horror doesn't take a holiday...it IS the holiday!!! -
3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads.
This was an incredibly fun collection of short horror stories. I loved that all were Easter-related -- what a unique concept! It was extra thematic for me as I read this around Easter time with Peeps and Easter chocolate in tow. It was a very enjoyable experience.
Plenty of creativity lurks within the pages of this one: killer jelly beans and monster Peeps; stories of resurrection gone wrong; zombie-like bunny creatures; chilling children; a sinister scavenger hunt; a claw machine filled with toys crawling with life and a desire to escape; and so much more!
Only a few distracting spelling issues kept this from being a straight four-star read.
Some of my favorite stories from this collection:
"Easter Eggs" by Latashia Figueroa is about a young boy who befriends an elderly neighbor. With the help of unexplainable and unexpected allies, they all take on the boy's abusive stepfather.
"Last Supper" by Suzanne Fox details a deadly dinner party, where salmon is served alongside a heaping portion of revenge.
"Hatch" by Christina Bergling in which a homely-looking egg is much more than it appears to be, and the little boy who finds it may never be the same again.
"Sulphur" by Mark Fleming is about man on a drunken binge. He believes the little girl who lives next door is out to torture him as she gleefully tosses Easter eggs at him and his property, leaving a disgusting and smelly plume of sulphur in the air. But why does she continue to pester him? Why does the smell of sulphur follow him around like a looming cloud? -
Awesome anthology
Where do I begin? There were too many fantastic stories in this book, I would not be able to write all the titles and authors down in this review. Some of the authors I had not heard of before, Letashia Figueroa, Peter Oliver Wonder and David Chrisley, but I intend to read more of their work. In the whole book there was only one story I can honestly say that I did not like, but in deference to the author I won't say which one it was as everyone's taste in stories is different and other people may love it. There were twists in the tale and outcomes you never saw coming, people getting their just desserts and those that didn't deserve it but got it anyway. I think to sum it up there is something for every horror fan. At the end of the book there is a meet the author section with links to the author's Amazon, Facebook and other contact sites to make it easier to follow your favourites. -
I was specifically looking for something that I thought would help me in a reading challenge for the month...finding 12 Easter related words...and this seemed like it would fit the bill. It did actually, in fact, it contained every word I was looking for with the exception of Passover (so I read The Passover Murder by Lee Harris). The first couple of stories in the collection were there to kind of draw you in because they were relatively "scary" but not really bloody and disgusting. I can't say that for the rest of the book...it got pretty gruesome and I will never look at one of those machines filled with stuffed animals that you try to snag for a quarter the same way again. It wasn't horrible and they were shorts so I could read one and then take a break before I read another. If you enjoy the bloody, gross out kind of horror (I'm a wimp...give me psychological horror that's less messy) this is a decent collection of horror shorts.
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I've had this book for a couple of years now but decided to read it due to Easter time,naturally lol.
Overall the book was decent, some stories didn't really make sense or capture my attention, but most were entertaining. I quite enjoyed the twists of religion and use of the Easter bunny! Although I don't think I can look at a chocolate bunny the same, at least for a while!
Favorite Stories:
Mia's Easter Basket - Mark Lukens
Magic Awaits - Christopher Motz
Least Favorites:
Lord of the Dance - J.C. Michael
An Easter Prayer - Weston Kincade
Happy Reading
-A -
Review: COLLECTED EASTER HORROR SHORTS (ed. By Kevin J. Kennedy)
CHILLING: that was my takeaway from Kevin J. Kennedy's earlier horror anthology, COLLECTED CHRISTMAS HORROR SHORTS, and it's my takeaway here as well. These stories are implacable, cold, and very, very, scary. I expect nightmares. I expect flinching at sudden sounds and glancing over my shoulder. I expect trying to forget, and finding these stories lingering on. A feast for the horror lover, indeed. -
Read this book for Easter! It was great. Loved all the stories! No cute bunnies, chicks, or died eggs in this one. Each story is different with Easter horrors. Each story is well written and very captivating. Action packed with terror. Gives you a different outlook to the season. I definitely recommend this all horror lovers
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Easter Shorts
As always I enjoy everything Amy Cross writes and this was no exception. It has also given me several more authors to look to for more reading material.
