So innocent, they simper as they press the screaming babes to their breast. People are always so quick to coo over children.

besides, animal harm, while enraging, is one of the less-romanticized realities of the natural world, as the author reminds us while making a different, but equally true, point: it isn’t a pretty pink story of princesses and shaded forests, and those of you who can’t bear animal cruelty are maybe too gentle for it, but if you hang in there, i promise you it’ll be worth it, because every dog has its day, even dogs with shitty masters. To its “stepmothers get to say what needs to be said” situations:Īll the way through to its high-five of an ending. There’s gravy everywhere practically a gallon of flavorsome beef extract, seasoned with allspice and caramelized onions, a rub of thyme, a bay leaf cooked to gossamer.

“You’re not supposed to say that,” the young prince whimpers, looking up from his dinner of sausages and truffle-infused mash, savaged and pearled with the bites he’d drooled out half-chewed. I do not like lovecraft nor anything related to lovecraft other than my hometown of rhode island.Īnd if i’d remembered her name when i came upon this one, who knows - maybe i wouldn’t have read it, but my dummy brain had my back this time, and this story is now in my “free tor short hall of fame,” along with Fabulous Beasts**, Red as Blood and White as Bone, and all of the bardugo ones.Įverything about it is wonderful, from its “kids-are-gross-assholes” opening paragraph: many of the shorties fall into that “good-not-great” category for me, which is partly down to length, as more words = better as far as i’m concerned, and also just down to personal taste - the freebies give me a risk-free chance to try out authors i might not read otherwise, and not every author is going to be my favorite ever.įor example, with this author, i had seen her books at the store, and been drawn to them by their very karen-targeting covers* with dollar bills clutched in my hands only to be just as forcefully propelled away by the promises of the lovecraftian horror within. “You will hurt terribly.”Īnd this - this is my reward for dutifully reading a free tor short each week.

“Oh, you little prick.” I smile in the penumbra of the dusty, green light, all teeth and hate.

These Deathless Bones by Cassandra Khaw