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What a wonderful anthology. We even get a Charlie Parker story thrown in which I appreciated.

I can't really say too much about this one besides every story was wonderfully written and some scared the crap out of me. Yep, scared to the point that I didn't like to read this one too close to my bedtime cause I kept having nightmares about things in the woods coming closer or some unknown thing "chittering" at me in the dark. There are 19 stories (or chapters) altogether. Per usual I rate based on all of the stories, but provide individual ratings for those who are interested.

The Cancer Cowboy Rides (3.5 stars)-A slow start to this collection. A mysterious man has something terribly wrong with him and then it spreads. I liked the characters in this one though I thought the ending didn't really work.

Mr. Pettinger's Daemon (4.5 stars)-Someone goes digging and finds more than they bargained for. I thought this was an interesting story especially with the backdrop of the war in this one.

The Erlking (5 stars)-What a dark story that definitely will have you scared to open any windows or go wandering in the darkest parts of the wood.

The New Daughter (4.5 stars)-Reminded me a bit about the earlier story with a man and his son and daughter moving to a new home with a mysterious fairy mound.

The Ritual of the Bones (5 stars)-I wanted this to be longer! Wow it was great and also I now have a horror of boarding schools in England. Good job!

The Furnace Room (4 stars)-Not bad and definitely creepy. The ending made me shudder a bit and I liked how Connolly played with the whole see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil trope.

The Underbury Witches (4 stars)-I liked this one and this and some others in here shows a growing horror of women who are not what they seem, but are always feared and loathed by some of the men in the stories. I do think that the ending in this one didn't really work though. It felt like a weird thing to do when I think the story was tidied up enough.

The Inkpot Monkey (3.5 stars)-Not bad, but just kind of okay compared to the other stories. Also slightly humorous and dark.

The Shifting of the Sands (4 stars)-Seriously mysterious villages are not our friends people.

Some Children Wander by Mistake (5 stars)-Look I don't like clowns. This story did not help with that. At all. Shudder.

Deep, Dark Green (4.5 stars)-A very sad story about an old man's first love and what became of her. FYI, don't go swimming in weird lakes.

Miss Froom, Vampire (5 stars)-I thought this one was pretty cute in a morbid kind of way. I definitely got a Blanche DuBois moment with Miss Froom and the kindness of strangers.

Nocturne (4 stars)-Very creepy and dark and a piano plays a part.

The Wakeford Abyss (5 damn stars!)-Ugh. Chittering.

The Reflecting Eye: A Charlie Parker Novella (5 damn stars!)-Wow. So now I know why my friend yelled at me to go back and read this collection before continuing with my next Charlie Parker book. It sets up so much that I felt a little lost in when I was reading "The Black Angel."

The Bridal Bed (3.5 stars)-A bit of a letdown after the Charlie Parker novella. Not bad, but should have been in the first part of this collection.

The Man from the Second Fifteen (4 stars)-I think Connolly loves telling stories about places that seem okay and then you find out something dark and ancient is there and wants to rip your face off.

The Inn at Shillingford (5 stars)-In this case we have a haunted inn.

Mr. Gray's Folly (4 stars)-A story again showing how men are afraid of women. I loved the twists in this one, but thought the ending was a little... I don't know. I wanted it to be more. I loved the ending in the last one and would have liked that type of ending here.

The Cycle (5 stars)-Yeah, I thought it was about that too. Not so much. Two wannabe rapists get their just desserts.