"Where the Veil Is Thin" is an enthralling anthology that takes a deep dive into the realm of faerie stories, offering a fresh and mature perspective far removed from the sanitized versions often told to children. This collection brings together tales from around the world, exploring the diverse and rich folklore of creatures that exist just beyond human perception, in a world separated from ours by the thinnest of veils.

I have a kind of love-hate relationship with short stories... and most times i end up not liking it as much as i had hoped. it happend with this one too. All the short stories blurred together...When they had started and maybe got a little interesting, they were just...finished. I did not get to know the characters or the story...just swish swish and done.

**Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for giving me an electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

I loved these stories! I honestly don't know why it took me so long to read them.

Story 1 THE TOOTH FAIRIES: — QUEST FOR TEAR HAVEN — Glenn Parris: This story held me tight and creeped me out. This was my favorite line: "Cats, on the other hand, were wily creatures with an innate sense of the occult."

Story 2 GLAMOUR — by Grey Yuen: I wasn't a fan of this one; it felt like something that would be in the middle of a novel. This was my favorite line, I liked how descriptive it was: "Like everything on the street, the apartment was an old relic with a new skin draped over ancient bones, except this one had nothing in between , no meat, no substance."

Story 3 SEE A FINE LADY — by Seanan McGuire: This was my favorite one and I would do exactly what Frankie did. My favorite line is: "It wasn’t the sort of horse that went unnoticed. It wasn’t the sort of horse that went unremarked. It certainly wasn’t the sort of horse that belonged in Target."

Story 4 OR PERHAPS UP — by C. S. E. Cooney: This one was interesting I liked the imagery and descriptions. My favorite line is: "Hell, I should’ve remembered all those aforementioned fairytales (of which mamita and I were both so fond): that swans nearly always show up where dead girls drown."

Story 5 DON’T LET GO — by Alana Joli Abbott: This story was cute, I enjoyed reading about the fairies and myths. My favorite line is: "Rain had decided that if there was someone not to be trusted, it was that woman, who reminded her of nothing so much as fire— beautiful but destructive, and quick to burn."

Story 6 THE LOOPHOLE — A Story of Elsewhere by L. Penelope: I enjoyed the supernatural elements to it, I feel like this would be a great ending to a novel. My favorite line describes the sadness of Rhenna and really pulls you into her story: "This was a part of exile that she hadn’t expected. Not just being unable to go home, but unable to create a new one in this peculiar, human world."

Story 7 THE LAST HOME — OF MASTER TRANQUIL CLOUD — by Minsoo Kang: In the beginning I felt as if I was in a history class, but once it got to the story of what happened to Tranquil Cloud, I was hooked. I found myself liking the fox people and I would do exactly what Tranquil Cloud did. My favorite line is: "But my sorrow and rage over how I died turned me into a fox spirit so I could avenge myself. I met other fox spirits who had been women and girls who died under such circumstances. We came together, and we helped one another."

Story 8 YOUR TWO BETTER HALVES — A Dream, with Fairies, in Spanglish by Carlos Hernandez: I use to love chose your own adventure books! My path was, F, D, I, Q, LL, H, L, C, R, !, I chose LL and Q as my final form. That was fun!

Story 9 TAKE ONLY PHOTOS — by Shanna Swendson: If I had cleaning fairies, my life would be so much easier. I would have taken the rock too since the description was cool. "I didn’t want to say that the rock spoke to me because that sounded odd, but something about it had captivated me. Even now, I didn’t think I could articulate why. It was sparkly and a funny shape, but not so strange or beautiful that it should have even caught my eye."

Story 10 OLD TWELVEY NIGHT — by Gwendolyn N. Nix: Unless I am mistaken I believe this was a Persephone and Hades retelling. It was really cute, and felt genuine.  My favorite line is: "The apple-god toppled, his ancient soul bare before the hacking picks and daggers of the mischief-things. Datura had brought a blight to the copse with her wants and dreams and wishes. And she still felt like she hadn’t seen anything, still ached that she hadn’t done anything."

Story 11 THE SEAL-WOMAN’S TALE — A Tale of Arilland by Alethea Kontis: This story didn't hold my interest as much, I did enjoy the shapeshifting aspect of it.

Story 12 THE STORYTELLER — by David Bowles: I liked the stories and the family dynamics in this story.

Story 13 SUMMER SKIN — by Zin E. Rocklyn: This one creeped me out due to her loosing time, and taking the skin of another person. I feel like I need a shower or something in order to take my mind off it again.

Story 14 COLT’S TOOTH — by Linda Robertson: Nope, just nope. I am now scared of the tooth fairy and barbers.

Apparently the tooth fairy is much, much scarier than I ever remembering thinking as a child. There are no less than three, yes 3, stories about evil tooth related fairies in this anthology. Who knew? Lol.
Overall this is just an okay anthology. I was disappointed by the Seanan McGuire story; which is the reason I picked this one up at all. But finding new, upcoming author Gwendolyn N. Nix is hopefully worth my time.
Here's some quick notes about each story:

Story #1 - The Tooth Fairies, by Glenn Paris
This story is a bit disturbing... but that might just be because the fairies are harvesting blood from a child, and a spider takes at least one of them out. *shudder*.

Story #2 - Glamour, by Grey Yuen
I read this story this morning... it was so dull I can’t remember anything about it.

Story #3 - See a Fine Lady by Seanan McGuire
Oh Ms McGuire, whose has the ability to both invoke dreamy intrigue and make me laugh at the same time. Nothing like a unicorn in Target to make on chuckle; but then to have it poop on the merchandise? Yep that’s pure ridiculous gold.

Story #4 - Or Perhaps Up by CSE Cooney
This story is very subjective and existentialist. It didn’t really grab my attention but someone in the right frame of mind might glean some wisdom from it...

Story #5 - Don't Let Go by Alana Abbott
Drop me in a story about fairies in Ireland any day and I'm likely to be pretty happy. Add in a handsome local and a bewildering visitor; and you've probably got a story I can get behind.

Story #6 - The Loophole by L. Penelope
Loved this one!! Took a couple pages to figure out what was going on but the ending is just wonderful. Dark but romantic.

Story #7 - Your Two Better Halves, A Dream With Fairies in Spanglish by Carlos Hernandez’s
Choose your own adventure books were at the height of popularity when I was a kid and the perfect age to love them. I’ve read dozens if not hundreds. But here’s the thing... they gave page numbers and we had paperback copies. On an e-reader with only letters and no hyperlinks it’s a disaster to try and read this

Story #8 - Take Only Photos by Shanna Swendson
Adorable! I really like the writing style of Swendson and am going to check out what else she has written. Some cute jokes, perfect portrayal of an introvert who just needed someone to reach out and be friends with. Oh and there are fairies. 😉

Story #9 - Old Twelvey Night by Gwendolyn N. Nix
”It’s crisp and good, but once you bite-even just a nibble-you have to eat the whole thing.” A quote regarding apples.
Wow! Love this. It’s creepy, compelling, and oddly relatable in a disturbing way. The only thing disappointing is to learn Nix hasn’t written much else. But she’s still young so here’s hoping she emerges. I’d sign her!

Story #10 - The Seal Woman’s Tale by Alethea Kontis
A classic tale spun with trolls instead of humans; and a survivor in the end. Lovely.

Story #11 - The Storyteller by David Bowles
Super short, a little sweet; but ultimately a let down.

Story #12 - Summer Skin by Zin E. Rocklyn
Predictable but still fairly well written.

Story #13 - Colt’s Tooth by Linda Robertson
Another evil tooth fairy story. Who knew so many people had bad thoughts or dreams about the tooth fairy! This one is okay; but nothing special.

In the end the best story, by far, is from Gwendolyn N. Nix. I really hope someone signs her immediately to a publishing deal as I need more of her work!!!

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Where the Veil is Thin did a wonderful job of taking a focused theme and exploring it in all of its potential. I had no sensation that one story echoed any other and found many new authors I would gladly read again, only having been familiar with a few of those included in the collection. Well done! A haunting read!

A good taste of creepy. The tooth fairy tale had me reaching for my teeth the entire time and just cringing. Loved it.

My main reason for picking this up is 1. Fairy stories (grew up with and loved them so an obvious choice there) 2. Seanan McGuire (eerie fairies so of course). However, I often find myself wanting a great gem of an anthology. I’ve loved a few here and there. It’s not that there’s not great stories here but my main complaint is that the book as a whole did not really grab me in the way a book should (even for an anthology). A story, in itself, should make you want to keep reading way into the night. I often found myself sighing, not out of good book feels but out of ‘i am bored’ feels. So was it okay? McGuire’s story, as always, was quirky, funny weird and strange story. That’s what I liked. As a book of stories that you sit down with and enjoy because you like to read? Not so much, no.

This eerie and enchanting anthology is sure to delight those looking for a little extra punch to their faerie stories. I loved this collection of mysterious and masterful tales; I will be buying this beautiful book, no questions asked!

As with most anthologies, this was a bit of a mixed bag. I thoroughly enjoyed some of the stories here while finding myself skimming through others.

this is a really enjoyable collection of stories, I liked each story and that they flowed well together. Overall this was a great read.

Honestly a little disappointed by these stories, while the concepts were fun I think the writing was a bit lackluster. I think I would have appreciated it more if I were younger, but the tone and style are something I think I've outgrown, despite some of the darker themes. I enjoyed the variety of fair folk, but some stories were definitely better than others, and those were few and far in between. Wouldn't really recommend.

There are a lot of different short stories by different authors in this book but most of the stories didn't really grab my attention and I don't find them interesting. However I did enjoy the story teller story the fairie story where you got to pick and choose what happens next.

The Pros: Stories I Liked

See A Fine Lady by Seanan McGuire: Hands down, one of my favourites from this collection. It was quirky and interesting and just crazy enough to be believable. It reminded me a lot of Seanan’s Wayward Children series so I really enjoyed this!

Don’t Let Go by Alana Joli Abbott: I remembered this fairy tale from another book, but it was nice to see a more urban version of it. I thought the author did a great job of capturing character personalities and details in such a short amount of time. I was very much invested in this story – and I think I’ve found a new author to binge-read!

The Loophole by L. Penelope: I loved reading this one! The introduction of a mythical creature I’m not familiar within an urban fantasy setting worked so well! The story was short but intense and I was sucked in from the start! Great premise, great execution, and another binge-worthy author added to the list!

Your Two Better Halves by Carlos Hernandez: This was an interactive story and it was so much fun! Readers could have various different endings, and I enjoyed trying all of them. I only wish I didn’t have an ebook of this one, as it made it difficult to flip back and forth. Overall, a fun read!

Old Twelvey Night by Gwendolyn N. Nix: What an interesting concept! I will never look at apple trees the same way again. I fell for the writing, the ambiance, and the characters in this story. Everything was well-developed; I just wanted more! Great unique concept and characters I really connected with!

The Storyteller by David Bowles: This was a very sweet and heartwarming tale. It fits perfectly in the scope of a short story, leaving things open-ended for the reader’s imagination.

The Middle: Stories that were Okay

Or Perhaps Up by C.S.E. Cooney: This story grew on me, but I didn’t fully understand the worldbuilding or its attempts at speaking about life and death.

The Last Home of Master Tranquil Cloud by Minsoo Kang: Interesting story, I liked the feminist themes it had. However, there was a lot of telling vs showing that stopped me from connecting with the characters.

The Seal-Woman’s Tale by Alethea Kontis: I would probably have liked this story if it weren’t for the plethora of plot holes. It’s one of my pet peeves and while I can forgive a couple, there were just too many for me to enjoy this story fully.

The Cons: Stories that didn’t work

The Tooth Fairies by Glenn Parris; This was a case of wanting more than the story gave. The premise was intriguing, but the characters had no personality to them (except one was annoyingly repetitive). If I had been given just a bit more backstory, something to root for, I would probably have liked it.

Glamour by Grey Yuen: An interesting interpretation of changeling children, but there was so much unexplained! I needed to understand more to really love this story, and the details just weren’t there. All in all, a confusing read.

Take Only Photos by Shanna Swendson: The plot was okay here, but I didn’t like the main character. She was too aloof and I just didn’t care for her – and so, I didn’t care about the story.

Summer Skin by Zin E. Rocklyn: Another case of intriguing premise but not enough detail. This was a darker tale than most, and it could have been very creepy. But it needed more of a backstory to hold it up and I was disappointed by that.

Colt’s Tooth by Linda Roberston: In this case, the story was too short for me to be invested. Everything happened so quickly and I didn’t feel satisfied with the setup or the conclusion of the tale.

Well, there you have it! A break-down of my thoughts on every single story that was a part of this anthology collection! It was actually a very fun reading experience and I am definitely going to try reading more anthologies from here on out! Overall, I’m giving this 3/5 stars.

Well this was lovely anthology. Such and odd but welcome surprise to come across a multiple choice story. Ooh wish those would become published more often in books. Favorite was. All super good but my favorite
Or Perhaps up by S. E. Cooney

Some stories were great, others not so much.

Highlights would have to include McGuire, Hines and Hernandez.

All were about the Fair Folk in one way or another, whether from humam perspectives or the fae themselves.


If youre a fan of fairies, i would definitely recommend giving it a chance

I loved this collection of stories! It was the perfect combination of familiar and strange folklore and fairytales. I enjoyed every bit of it.

3.5 stars overall.

An anthology about faeries and hidden creatures? Count me in! "Where the veil is thin" has 14 stories with only one author (Seanan McGuire) known to me. As always with anthologies, I enjoyed some of the stories a lot while others fell short. The book begins with a story I mostly enjoyed featuring tooth fairies and then continues with an interesting short that includes my favorite Tam Lin. McGuire's story, which features a unicorn in Target follows and then come a few of the stronger stories in the collection "Or perhaps", "Don't let go", "The loophole", and "The last home of Master Tranquil Cloud" all of which I enjoyed and found engaging. After these stories is a choose your own adventure short story which I found amusing but not particularly memorable. "Take only photos" and "Old Twelvey Night" were also only mildly interesting to me and honestly, the other story I really enjoyed toward the end of the book was "The seal woman's tale," though the "Storyteller" was heartwarming. Overall, I enjoyed a little over half the stories and found a few new authors to check out.

I couldn't connect with most of the stories, although the folklore influence was there along with good ideas. It seemed many of them were longer than they should and didn't make me feel much interest in what was happening. I only liked the stories by Parris, McGuire, Kang, and Swendson.

'Where the Veil Is Thin' is a rather dark faerie anthology edited by Alana Joli Abbot and Cerece Rennie Murphy and featuring other names like Seanan McGuire, C.S.E. Cooney, David Bowles, Minsoo King, and many more.

The stories contained with in are far from the whimsical tales of children, but they're born of tales from around the world. Some benevolent, others.. well, some things just barely out of sight.. existing on the periphery of our world.. are best left there.

I eagerly began this collection, in part.. because I'd never read anything from Seanan McGuire, but I'd heard great things about her. The introduction at the forefront of the book.. however, from Jim C. Hines, absolutely set the atmosphere as he spoke of harmless stories we learn as children.. things like the trading of a tooth for money under our pillows in the night, then drew those ideas together with what many of us have become accustomed to reading as adults.. the risks included when we engage in a fairy bargain. And.. let's face it, that's exactly what the tooth fairy trade-off is.. a bargain.

It's funny that as I've read dark fae stories over the years and learned some of the rules, incur no debts with thanks and apologies, don't enter into bargains if you cannot fully see all the possibilities left out of the structure of wording, and never eat things provided by them.. especially across the veil in their world.. I never really sat back and connected them with those childhood experiences.

The first couple of stories were admittedly, mildly interesting perspectives on the old tales, but the anthology did indeed begin to pick up when I reached McGuire's offering.

'See A Fine Lady' was such an unorthodox story right from the start. Set in our very modern world, not just the urban space.. but literally a Target store, an employee sees a most extraordinary thing. Attempting to get closer, to convince herself she isn't crazy, things only become more bizarre. A seemingly simple decision made leads to a much more complex situation.

My favorite story in the collection is 'Or Perhaps Up' by C.S.E. Cooney. I had never heard of her before, but Wikipedia states she's best known for her fantasy poetry and short stories and has won the Rhysling Award for her poem 'The Sea King's Second Bride' and the World Fantasy Award--Collection for 'Bone Swans.

It feels almost tragic that I've never read anything penned by her before, as she writes with an ethereal mixture of hope and despair that tugs right at my heart. I seldom become so invested in a short story as I did with this one. She managed within just a few pages to make me care deeply for each of her characters and I love the world she created. This story and this author were an unexpected gem buried within the pages for me.

Another highlight was 'Don't Let Go' by Alana Joli Abbott which delves into a side of Nordic lore I don't see often and mixing it seamlessly with Celtic legends I knew well. The story which seems to start off so lightly, progresses into a darkness with a glimpse of shadow and then small, subtle movements until you are desperately hopeful and fearful at once.

There are plenty of wonderful stories in this anthology and if you enjoy short stories, you should definitely pick it up. I have a couple of others that really stood out for me.. like 'The Loophole' by L. Penelope and 'The Seal-Woman's Tale' by Alethea Kontis. One is surprisingly sweet and the other borders on the horrible in spots, but both will leave an indelible impression on the reader.. and I loved them.

Like with any short story collection you will find some stories that will resonate with the reader. And some will not. I will say that most of these were quaint (not bad or great), but just fine. I did like the stories written by Glen Parns, Seanan McGuire, and Minsoo Kang.

If I had to tell any potential readers anything is that, there are some fairly loose interpretations of fae here. Expect light hearted, somber, fantastical, surrealist, horror, all of the above. At least there will be something for every reader to enjoy.