Bloodlines by Amanda Pillar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As we all know, book reviews are subjective. So let’s start with some facts.
~ Bloodlines is an anthology of 16 short stories that all feature the use of blood.
~ I am one of the contributing authors, so naturally I want to persuade you to buy a copy for yourself and your significant others.
~ In March 2016, Bloodlines won the Aurealis Award (Australia) for Best Anthology, so when I say it’s a fine collection, at least a handful of judges agree with me.
Now for the subjective section… all of the stories hold their own in this anthology, but quite a few set you on your heels. For me, the four most memorable (everyone does just three) are:
• Joanne Anderton’s haunting creation in “Unnamed Children” is not a place for the faint hearted…or those with low blood pressure
• Kathleen Jennings’ quirky “The Tangled Streets” left me feeling like I had met the protagonist before but had somehow forgotten her history
• Dirk Flinthart’s off-the-cuff “In The Blood” involves a mortal deciding to go toe-to-toe with one of Unseelie, which always ends well, right?
• Stephanie Gunn’s lyrical “The Flowers That Bloom Where Blood Touches Earth” was the one story in this anthology that I simply didn’t want to end
So there you have it. Grab a copy – digital or carbon based – and draw your own conclusions. You won’t regret it.