I found when reading this that I enjoyed some stories more than others, but also some stories didn't make much sense to me. I found some stories were cut off at certain breaks in the page and it made it confusing to follow along. I do like this author and would recommend but I would say to take your time. I'm sure the official copy of the book is easier to follow along but there was a story in the arc copy that stopped at a point and I wasn't sure if it was the ending of the story or just a weird break. Nonetheless this author is very good and I would definitely give it another try with the officially sold copy.


Thank you Netgalley . All opinions are honest and my own.

Who Lost, I Found is a collection of Black Southern speculative tales from author Eden Royce, who weaves together subgenres like a sweetgrass Southern Gothic, weird fiction, dark fantasy, and folk horror.

Wonderfully written and very creepy! Highly recommended!

This book was an amazing array of short stories. I learned so much from reading every story. I could vividly see each plot unfolding and was sad when each story ended. I will definitely be reading again and again

I was interested in this collection of short fiction because I knew that many of the stories focus on Gullah Geechee traditions and lore, something I’m always curious to learn more about.

Royce’s stories often have a mythic, fairytale-like feel to them—not in the sense that they are whimsical, although there is a fair amount of wonder and magic, but in the sense that there is darkness and sadness amidst the surreal happenings. In one tale, a mother and daughter tend to a boarding house that can walk away from the sea whenever hurricanes come. In another, tobacco farmers fear the evil entity that lurks in the fields at night. An unearthly hairdresser weaves the power of change into a client’s braids. A prison warden’s quest to procure the last meal for a death row inmate becomes a strange and poignant odyssey.

The collection is full of strong, proud women who feel a deep connection to Gullah magic and who work to share their power with those who need and deserve it. Royce’s writing is beautiful and poetic, a pleasure to read even on the occasions when found some pieces to be slight or opaque. Recommended if you’re interested in folk horror, cosmic horror, weird fiction, and dark fairy tales, or if you just want a window into a fascinating culture in the South.

This was easily a five star read! I can't say that I've enjoyed a short story collection this much in a long time. I started to make a list of favorites, but honestly, I don't think that I can give a single story in this collection less than 4 stars. That is a rarity in collections, for me as a reader anyway. I live in North Carolina but Charleston is one of my favorite cities in the U.S. I'm happy that these stories were set there and describe the food and culture so vividly. It brought me back to Charleston!

This collection is a mix of magical realism, fantasy, and satire (realism). I absolutely loved the idea of a seaside house that grew crab legs and moved away from the sea during a hurricane. I loved the ghost stories and humor and sadness that many of these stories brought. It's like Eden Royce created her own southern mythology with these stories. I'm listing the ones that I gave 5 stars below but the rest were 4 stars:

"Every Good-Bye Ain't Gone"
"Sweetgrass Blood"
"Folk"
"The Stringer of Wiltsburg Farm"
"Room and Board Included, Demonolgy Extra"
"Hands Made for Weaving, with Nails Sharp as Claws"
"Miss Beulah's Braiding and Life Changing Salon"
"Don't You Weep"
"The Salt Cure"
"For Southern Girls when the Zodiac Signs Ain't Near Enough"

Even though my only child is an adult now, I might read some of her kid's books. I really hope that some time in the future Royce will write novels or novellas for adults, because I would read them all.