(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).
(This review may contain spoilers).
The blurb of this collection of short stories sounded really intriguing, so when I won a copy in a Goodreads giveaway, I was really happy.
I really did enjoy reading this book. It was a really quick, easy read and the stories were really interesting. Although they did all have the same underlying theme, I felt that there was a good variety of stories that all dealt with something that every person experiences.
I did feel drawn into each of these stories and despite them being short stories, I felt that the author did a good job of showing well-rounded characters and interesting storylines.
I think my favourite of the short stories was probably Burn Unit. There was a lot about that that really resonated with me and by the time I reached the end of the story, I had a lump in my throat. I think that short story is one that could have been expanded and it’s one I would have liked to see more of the characters. I think it would have been good to see the aftermath of the story.
One of the other stories that particularly spoke to me was the Lazarus Project. Although the narrator of that story didn’t reveal too much about himself, I felt that worked with the story and it enabled me to feel more of a part of the world.
The first story was especially difficult to read, I felt. It was something that could happen in reality… probably has happened, though not necessarily on that scale. I felt the author did a good job of showing how a tragedy on that scale could affect so many people… but it was also nice that the story ended on a bit of a more hopeful note.
I felt the final story was good in that it dealt a bit more with memory. It did almost feel like that story should have been the longest, since there was quite a lot that was happening in this.
I felt Cabin #5 showed the effects on war on the people left behind, as well as the soldiers themselves, really well. It was a depressing read, but still really well-written.
In the future, I would look into reading more books by this author. This collection of short stories was really well-written and easy to read.
Ink of Blood 