Ordinary Souls

Ordinary Souls was an eclectic blend of extraordinary occurrences in ordinary lives. There was a story about a cursed mirror and there was a story about living on a other planet. It was fascinating how the author mixed in different genres of stories and somehow made it work.

Most of the stories were perfect in my opinion. However, my favorite would have to be Journal Entry from the End of the Universe. It showcased the author's vivid imagination perfectly.

I found Maria to be quite interesting but it felt a bit incomplete. Vapors was a bit confusing to me as well.

Agoraphobia was also one of my favorites. I saw in the author's notes that she wanted to try writing in the second person and it worked quite well here.

The Outing also stood out to me. I can definitely understand why the person who proofread it was concerned about the author's husband. I would have been to. Lol.

This is a book that has something for basically everybody. It can be read by teenagers as the violence in the book was not overwhelming. Based on this book, I would love to try some more of this author's writing.

Violence: Moderate
Sexual Content: None
Profanity: None
Religious Themes: There was talk of a demon in one story.
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Mention of moonshine as well as driving drunk.

Ordinary souls in extraordinary circumstances. That’s the basic premise of this collection. I was vaguely familiar with the author through a Canadian anthology she edited and I enjoyed, but this one intrigued me all the same. And it didn’t really disappoint, either. Bailey’s writing style is very plain, the main start of the attraction is her imagination, though. I really liked some of the plots, they span the gamut of speculative fiction from scary to sci fi to strange, but were mostly a good deal of fun. There are a lot of prequel stories in this volume, almost made it seem like a promo thing, but a lot of them were perfectly enjoyable as standalones, the only one that didn’t really work for me was the fantasy one that had something to do with portals. Otherwise, there are haunted antiques and places, immortals, spaceships and so much more. The plainness of the writing actually worked well to compliment the theme, the ordinariness of these souls as juxtaposed to the wild realities they get thrust into. This collection isn’t going to set the world on fire, but it’s plenty entertaining and the author deftly handle going from natural to supernatural and back again. Certainly impressive for someone who lists Koontz at the top of her favorite authors. What, how, why? I mean, that’s just an embarrassing choice. But then again it’s the one easily surpassed, so one can say with confidence that Bailey is writing with more promise, soul and imagination that her favorite author, already. So yey. A quick and entertaining read, I did have fun with this one. Thanks Netgalley.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley..

This was my first book by this author.
This is an unique collection of stories.
While it wasn't my favorite collection, it was definitely interesting.

This is a lovely collection of short stories that all contain an element of mystery and just enough doubt about what is 'real' to cause hesitation and doubt.
Short stories require a lot of information in a short space; this collection does just that. Characters are well drawn and the action moves swiftly.
An interesting addition is the explanations of where the stories came from by the author- it enhances each story.

Good read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this collection. Wonderful stories. Really look forward to purchasing this book for my collection. Will recommend to others.

Now that's a book of short stories! I loved this book- you never knew what to expect. Will it be in the future, on another planet, or just an ordinary Wednesday? A mix of genres, but each with something unexpected. A few even left me with a smile on my face. I will look for other books by this author now!

Ordinary Souls is a wide variety of short stories with a bit of creepiness, a dash of horror, a dose of supernatural and a smattering of heart.These realistic characters are all ordinary people just getting through their day, when something happens that shakes things up.. How does individual respond to the event, big or small, that makes the one day in the store different from the days before?
These stories will leave you with a wide range of emotions-from horrified to inspired to saddened to hopeful and in some cases twisted.
"And Lead Us Not" kept me guessing and as it went along I could feel my gut twist....but all it not always what it seems.
If I had to pick a favorite I'd say, "Agoraphobia" would be it. Pain, vulnerability, fear...hope. This left me feeling good.
"Weary Traveler" confused me, in a good way. The narrator was confused and we feel that so very well. In the end we realized why she was so confused and we understand.

J.S.Baily doesn't rely on vampires, zombies or serial killers running around with nail guns, chainsaws and ice picks to creep us out. Perhaps the real monsters are in our own heads...or they're in our own species, and that's the scariest thing of all.
#OrdinarySouls #Netgalley

****Review*****



Short-twisted stories.


Perfect if you only have a few moments to yourself. A wide variety of short stories that hold you enthralled from start to finish. Thanks to these short stories I know have three other books by the same author I am going to read. I enjoyed these short stories and hope other will find them as delightful as I did.
Thank you to Netgalley/J.S. Bailey/BHC Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this wonderful book. The stories are either scary, makes you think, thrilling or something in between. My favorites were Imaginary Friend, Journal Entry and Weary Traveler although it was hard to pick out a favorite. There wasn't a story that wasn't a fun read. Give this a try if you like a little horror in your life.

Short story collections can be very hit or miss for me, because well they are short and usually just a taste of a story. I judge them on if I enjoyed reading them and if they make me want to read more by the author, This collection was a yes on both counts. Each of the stories left me wanting them to be longer, I was invested in the characters/situations and I think that makes them good short stories. I would definitely read more by this author.