Unfortunately I ended up DNFing this book at the 30 percent mark. I was just not able to enjoy it or get into it like I had anticipated. Thanks for the chance to read it.

Alright, first things first, the cover is amazing and that's what grabbed my attention first, and also the fact that I love horror shorts.

Like any other short story collection, this was a mixed plate, and I really appreciate how true to the content the blurb was, horror, fantasy, and sci-fi with a side of dark. Some I enjoyed others I didn't care for. I have to say I liked the ideas more than the writing, I just found it not gripping enough and that is not to say it wasn't well-written. I think this collection would appeal more to teens and YA readers, more for the writing style and not for the content, it just wasn't able to grab my attention and I had to force myself to finish it. Some stories I read made me chuckle out loud until the weight of how grim it actually was settled down on me, hiding well behind the pretence of dark humour, I kinda like stories that force you to read between the lines.

All in all, it was enjoyable, and more for the fact that it's short and I think everyone will be able to find something of their liking in this collection.

Thanks to Netgalley, publishers, and the author the eARC of #UnsafeWords. All opinions are my own.

True rating is a 2.5. While I did like the author's writing style, something about this collection just didn't hit with me. It didn't feel 'horrific' enough, I guess. I think a large part of my issue with it is that the stories very often ended abruptly- in a way, the endings didn't even seem like endings. The stories just seemed to suddenly end with no rhyme nor reason. I think that the horror of the stories needed more time to linger with the reader to truly have an effect, which those abrupt endings never really allowed to happen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read only the first two stories and stopped reading as they were not to my taste. This is no reflection on the writing skill of the author.

Unsafe Words by Loren Rhoads is the first full-length collection of the author's award-winning short stories, which live on the boundaries between horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction.

Rhoads is amazing at building a complete world for her stories to reside in, especially considering how brief these stories are.

Among my favorites are "Here Be Monsters," a haunting story that pits a girl versus an evil entity that roams more than just a house. Another is “The Arms Dealer’s Daughter,” a sci-fi short that takes place on a planet full of varying life forms, and leaves a few questions answered ambiguously.

I also enjoyed "Valentine," which had a bit of a Highlander feel about it, and "Never Bargained for You," about a succubi set in the L.A. rock scene of the early 70s.

A few others, like "In the Pines," about a missing girl, and "Grandfather Carp's Dream," about a fish trying to escape home, I enjoyed, but felt they ended a bit abruptly.

The collection of stories in this book also include a lot of graphic erotic horror, which I'm not a fan of, but there were enough other stories around those scenes that it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book as a whole.

this collection of stories wasn't that bad, it put some halloween mood in me, and I liked some but some others not so much....

I liked the first story the most.
Unfortunately, in my e-copy, the stories were back to back, basically no distinction, so I always had to go back and reread because I didn't know that a story has ended and I was reading another one (and many times, the stories worked because they ended abruptly).

I’m the first person reviewing this, it seems, and as per usual one hopes to say the nicest of things, but this one didn’t really work for me. I’ve actually never heard of the author prior to reading this, though it seems she’s been around for a long while, writing random genre fiction and collaborations, editing, etc. In her foreword, Lisa Morton says she’s love to live in Rhoades world/worlds. And I wouldn’t, in fact wouldn’t even want to visit them. Not for me, not the right scene. Seems like it might have been an interesting place to visit, all sorts of speculative genres, sexy, queer, dark, etc. but it’s just…and this may be the best way I can describe is…is too goth. Not gothic, mind you, goth. Oh, it can be explained like this…in her afterword the author talks about being on a family trip at the age of 10 and reading Dracula. And also the author has lived in San Francisco for great many years. So basically these stories read exactly like you would imagine stories by someone who read and was mesmerized by Dracula at ten and has known way too many gay men would write. Genre wise they range, widely, from a fairy tale to what can be best described as homosexual pornography. There’s science fiction and fantasy and even some straightforward regular/relationship fiction thrown in. A total mixed bag and quite well written mostly, but tonally very similar…and mostly too goth. Not a terrible collection by any means, but definitely an acquired taste. I’d say if you love vampire fiction, you’ll probably enjoy this. That certain level and quality of decadence and dreaminess and club music that puts me off most vampire fiction is definitely a feature here. The worlds the author writes about are unsafe indeed. Fraught with dangers, supernatural creatures and sadness. They are, much like this collection, hip in a very specific way and thus require a specific audience. It wasn’t for me, but it seems to have gotten some very positive reviews from other authors and other readers, so don’t take my word for it. But do be warned if you’re trying the Netgalley version, it’s kind of a mess. The stories are not in any way separated, in fact they start and end without any notice, often within the same paragraph. A weird formatting snafu. So yeah, that’s about it, plus it stands to mention this is a relatively short collection, so whether you end up agreeing with me or loving it, it won’t cost you too much time either way. Thanks Netgalley.

This is a great collection of diverse stories. I enjoyed them all. This author definitely has a way of writing that when you are finished, you are glad to be alive and not going through what these characters had to. She really makes you feel like you are there with them.