I just read this on the plane, a perfect quick read, getting me into a much needed autumn gothic mood. This is the first I have read of Silvia Moreno Garcia, but I found her writing very engaging - even though I thought the characters to be fairly flat (yes, yes I know it was only 40 pages, leave me alone)- but the writing and the atmosphere it created made it all worth it.

In contrast to The Doll's Story, The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia knows how to take a simple story and spin it into something luscious and dramatic. We have lovely tension from the start, with the unlucky younger sister matched against the beautiful older one, the village surrounded by woods, a prophecy of a stranger, and dark and mysterious men. The Lover is a fairy tale and something of a coming-of-age story, with Judith figuring out her desires and her destiny. A fairy tale-like short story doesn't give you a whole lot of space for character development either, but Moreno-Garcia lets enough time pass throughout the story to allow for growth to take place. Judith grows in awareness of herself, she struggles with how her life has taken shape, and when she makes a choice in the end, you can see how she got there from who she was at the beginning. I've read a few books by Silvia Moreno-Garcia now and you'll find the same Gothic atmosphere here, if in a condensed form. It is also quite a sensual story, highlighting this idea of desire as a guiding force. I would have loved to read more, but I guess I'll just have to pick up her next book.

Reviewed alongside 'The Doll's House' by Lisa Unger.

The Lover was a quick short story by an author whose work I have enjoyed in the past. While it certainly keeps in form with Ms. Moreno-Garcia's creepy, supernatural themes that most of her work favors, I didn't enjoy this short story as much as other things I have read by her. Perhaps it was because it was a short story and there simply weren't enough pages for any kind of real character development to happen. Perhaps it was because I didn't particularly care for any of the main characters (they ALL seemed very self-centered and ill-intentioned.)

It's hard to discuss the plot without giving too much away, but there was definitely a sensual and supernatural vibe throughout the story...it almost felt a bit like a grown-up fairytale: a mysterious stranger, a hidden cabin in the woods, a complicated family dynamic involving a rich/poor tension. I did like the setting.

I like the concept that the author was working off of but I think my intense dislike of all of the characters made it hard to really get into the story and that combined with the very short length just made it an ok read for me. I would still read other works by this author, but would probably not recommend this particular one to my fellow readers or book audiences.

This was a fun, quick read with great foresty/slightly spooky vibes. A good autumnal read. Having read a book from this author before, I had an idea where the plot was going but wasn’t disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a sensual and suspenseful novel that explores the dark side of desire. It's a captivating and dangerous world that will leave you breathless.

I really wanted something short and spooky so I picked this up, and I think I got it from this but honestly, I was more overwhelmed than anything. I love Silvia Moreno=Garcia's writing and this is definitely her writing, but not her best. Fun overall though!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is absolutely magical. Even in a short story, she immerses you in the world so quickly, while you barely notice. The characters are developed well, even in the short amount of time. I appreciate how each character has elements of tropes, but she grows them beyond that. This is easily a romantasy, but dark and twisty. Pulling on fairytale strings, leaving you aching for more. Here's hoping Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes more in this genre, be it short story or full novel. I am here for all of it.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I really can't get my head around this one - it was a quick, quirky read but also all over the place. I got some of the characters mixed up and a little lost in the story. Overall, it was a fast and somewhat fun read!

This was the perfect read for Halloween! It was dark, gothic, and atmospheric. A++ for the imagery and overall vibes of this.

Not my favourite by Moreno-Garcia, but I’m glad to have been able to continue on with her works! Her way with words and descriptions are so vivid, and I can’t help but in love with the worlds she crafts. While this wasn’t my favourite, I still found things I enjoyed!

Strange, dark, and a touch haunting. I got almost a dark fairy tale vibe from this and enjoyed every bit of it. The ending 👩🏻‍🍳🤌🏼

I would love to thank Amazon Original Stories, Silvia Moreno-Garcia and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Judith knows one thing: The day she finds a branch in front of her door, she certaintly knows that her Lover will arrive from the forest. So when the mysterious newcomer arrives in town, she knows for sure it must be him.
But things take a weird turn when her bigger (and toxic) sister Alice marries him. So she escapes at the cabin in the woods.

The hunter, Nathaniel plays a mischievious game juggling between the sisters and Judith doesn't know what to believe anymore. Until another stranger in town starts acting coy and gains her attention.

This is a short story, but it was impactful and nice. The ending was the most satisfying one I had seen in a while. Everyone got what they deserved. The characters weren't the most enjoyable, but they were realistic.

The plot and the setting were great! The depth was somehow there, but this was still too short for me to get invested in. However, because this was my first Garcia story, now I'm even more curious of her other full-lenght novels.

3.75 stars rounded up.

In Silvia Moreno-Garcia's "The Lover," the challenge of connecting with characters in short tales is effortlessly overcome through the richly drawn protagonist, Judith. Despite the brevity of the narrative, Moreno-Garcia's skillful portrayal breathes life into Judith, offering readers a three-dimensional character with depth and complexity.

Set against a backdrop of eerie atmospheres and mysterious elements, "The Lover" unfolds as a captivating adult fairytale, perfect for those craving an atmospheric read during the spooky season. Forbidden romances, ominous forests, abandoned huts, and hints of the supernatural add to the allure of this dark and enchanting tale. With Moreno-Garcia's exquisite prose guiding the way, readers are drawn into a world where magic and mystery intertwine, leaving them spellbound until the very end.

I don’t know how this author doesn’t it but I was captivated by story from start to end. This story was beautiful and our characters were great. This is definetly worth the read.

I have previously heard of this author and was excited to receive an ARC by her. This book was great and I look forward to exploring more books by this author.

Judith is a young woman who longs for love and companionship, but fears she will never find it as her sister, Alice, has always been revered as the “pretty one”. When two strangers arrive in their village during the brutal winter, one a hunter and the other a vagrant, Judith thinks that the handsome hunter may finally be the man she has been waiting for. However unexpected turns occur when the hunter ends up wedding Alice instead. Heartbroken and confused, Judith continues to have complicated new relationships with both newcomers and finds that not everything is as it seems.

This was my first read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and I instantly understood the hype of her writing. The story was lush and vivid and the setting felt very much like an old fairytale. Since this was a novella, I didn’t feel super attached to the characters individually, but the overall story was written beautifully and I can definitely see myself picking up more of her books as I know she has quite a backlist of titles.

This was exactly my brand of dark, weird supernatural-ish fantasy romance that just works for me. I absolutely loved my time with this little short story. I have already revisited it. I would love to see more along these lines from Moreno-Garcia.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

A wonderfully gothic, dark fantasy with elements of horror and romance mixed in. A fun and interesting short story by one of the best authors.

A short folklore or dark fairytale like read that I had much fun with. It reads very easy, and since this was my first read from this author, I can say that I really liked her writing style.

If you like fairytale or folklore style stories, and you want to try this author’s writing, I recommend this.