Soleil Noir of Beyond the Invisible posted her review of Needles & Bones.
“Needles & Bones is a collection of poems and short fiction by a double handful of brilliantly creative artists-with-words.”
Someone Has Broken the Looking-Glass Girl (poem) by Lea C. Deschenes.
“Lea’s poem is heartbreaking in its elegant simplicity. Each line sinking in like a knife, and yes indeed, you do “almost learn to love being cut”. As one of the lines read.”
Light as Mist, Heavy as Hope by A.G. Slatter.
“I liked Slatter’s voice and her short, to-the-point scenes. A great read!”
Heart of the Desert by Nyla Nox.
“Nox’s voice is as enchanting as any storyteller’s should be.”
The Train by Cyndy Lynn Speer.
“Ah, and of course Ms. Speer would be in this anthology. Her voice is so lyrical and poetic that it, too, could be classified as a hybrid. A very satisfying read, and I love the details of the story behind it. Hester is certainly an interesting girl, and she gets an interesting ever-after.”
Sister Night, Sister Moon by Catherine Schaff-Stump.
“From a conceptual level, it’s fascinating, especially to those of you who are in the arts. Acting, painting, writing, photography, drawing, anything. It can be easily taken as Allegorical.”
Subterranean Song (poem) by David Sklar.
“A story set to poetry, literally, and utterly enthralling. I loved the imagery Sklar speckles through his verses. I cackled delightfully over his version of -er-hell.”
And At That Time Shall Michael Stand by Berrien C. Henderson.
“I’m a sucker for caricatures of the heavenly-and fallen- hosts and this thoroughly satisfied that very odd fascination.”
Answer Me by Adrienne J. Odasso.
“I think this one could be classified as Urban Fantasy…and as such, a very entertaining read.”
Metal Feathers by G. L. Simmons.
“Sometimes, something must come to an end before you can start over anew. A very charming tale, and damnit, I want to see that dress in the final scene. I wonder if Mr. Simmons accepts fan art…”
Swamp Angels by Andrew S. Taylor.
“There’s only one real way to describe why I kind of liked this one, and I’m chalking it up to morbid fascination in human sexuality.”
The Strange Horses (poem) by Kristine Ong Muslim.
“A sobering poem, and deceptively dark. Considering 600 of Ms. Muslim’s poems have been published? Yeah, I think its safe bet to say the lady knows her stuff. I’m definitely going to find her other works.”
Mother by J. C. Miller.
“I liked the contrasts in the concepts. The relatively fast pace of the story. It’s written much like the fairytale of old. No excess detail where its unneeded. It also had a very fitting end.”
Sleepwalker by Darin C. Bradley.
“Mr. Bradley, like a magician, pulls one doozy of a rabbit out of his hat and all the pieces come into place. A curious story, but one I enjoyed very much.”
Gravity, A Fable by Kris Vaagen.
“The concepts in this story are so intriguing that i find myself compelled to find more of Ms. Vaagen’s work in the future.”
At Sea by Felicity Bloomfield.
“Salty is indeed a hard woman and I loved her character for it. She is everything I loved learning about pirates since I was a little girl. Ambitious, Opportunistic and Cunning. She’s a woman with a plan.”
Being Dead by V Addeman.
“Those last few sentences make the piece. Just wow. Powerful little story.”
Terra Incognita or Drawn (poem) by David Harrity.
“A beautiful and thought provoking piece that left me in a “feel-good” state. But then, I’m a bit weird, so your mileage may vary.”
Benjira’s Bride by Lida Broadhurst.
“It moves pretty quickly and does not waste time on extraneous detail.”
Memorabilia by Rudy Ch. Garcia.
“Descriptive and yet still managing to be fast paced, I know many will find it entertainning. Plus, there be dragons. What’s not to love about that?”
Widow’s Walk by Meredith Holmes.
“This little story sealed the deal for me, I think I’ll enjoy her longer works just by tone and themes of this one. Definately one of the many gems in this Anthology.”
Dancer, Daemon by Jason Rubis.
“I have a penchant for the unconventional, and this story is certianly unconventional, not to mention entertainning. I loved all the cool worldbuilding bits, the culture of the Dancers, the ranks of which, Kaso used to belong. Also the intruging concept of how Daemons are created. Fascinating. A very good read.”
Rag Woman by Lea C. Deschenes.
“A fabulous exit to the anthology.”
Go here to read the rest of the review. Go here to read an excerpt of Needles & Bones.