Doorbells at Dusk: The Day of the Dead by Amber Fallon

The bar had descended into chaos.

To get into the Halloween spirit, I'll be reading (and dissecting) the Halloween-themed anthology Doorbells at Dusk. My thanks goes to Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi and Corpus Press.

(Book Buy Link: Amazon)

~𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓪𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓭

Synopsis: Attending a Day of the Dead themed celebration at her favourite watering hole, one woman can’t believe her eyes when people start dying.

The Day of the Dead initially confused me, as for one, the holiday is entirely different from Halloween, originating from separate cultures and beliefs. It’s just odd, taking into consideration the very subject matter the anthology is built upon.

Anyway, moving past that error, the story itself wasn’t bad, but it fell short. Not only did it feel a little rushed, but one thing I found to be glaringly obvious was the revelation that came at the end – I mean, of course it was the costumes; from early on it was clear that the direction would heavily relate to that very aspect. I however did enjoy that it evoked speculation on the unfolding disaster – what force was responsible for it all? The vague conclusion left my mind running for a while after.

Not one of my favourites, but I didn’t hate it either.

Rating: 🎃🎃

 

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Amber Fallon lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two dogs. A techie by day and horror writer by night, Mrs. Fallon has spent time as a bank manager, motivational speaker, produce wrangler, and butcher. Her obsessions with sushi, glittery nail polish, and sharp objects have made her a recognized figure. Amber’s publications include The Warblers, The Terminal, Sharkasaurus, Daughters of Inanna, So Long and Thanks for All the Brains, Horror on the Installment Plan, Zombies For a Cure, Quick Bites of Flesh, Operation Ice Bat, and more.