Official Review: Given Hell by Lucille Washington

Aubrey Lewis · Post by **Aubrey Lewis** » 17 Feb 2020, 08:37

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Given Hell" by Lucille Washington.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Given Hell is a thrilling horror anthology containing seven short stories which will stay in your mind for a while. With a writing style that's slightly similar to R.L. Stine, Lucille Washington weaved ten story plots in this one book with short yet memorable endings.

To give a brief summary of each story, “Evil Streak” is about a young boy who suddenly realizes that he has been kidnapped. “Flower Horns” is about a man who tries to find love again, but the person he finds is not who he expected to be. “Deeper” is about an old woman who came to a mansion bearing news of a treasure. “The Full Moon Killer” talks about an unknown creature who killed people at night. “Vina and the Dudeleys” is about a girl who’s unsatisfied with her poor, pitiful life. Lastly, “Night Eyes” is a story about the outbreak of deadly eyeballs which attack the human skin, especially the throat, and it’s up to two individuals to capture them. “Night Eyes 2” is the sequel to this story.

What I liked about the book was the fast-paced writing style of each story. This is something that’s normal in anthologies, which is why I prefer reading this kind of genre the most. Each story has its own unique yet weird plot; they aren’t that scary, in my opinion, but there are a few thrilling ones like the last two which are “Night Eyes” and “Night Eyes 2”. The prospect of the Night Eyes tearing at human flesh and could possibly be anywhere made my heart race with anxiety since there was no guarantee that the main characters will be able to survive in the end.

What I disliked about the book, on the other hand, was the poor editing and the overly strange and useless plot in some of the stories. There were numerous spelling and grammar errors which made it difficult for me to take the book seriously. Also, I usually like reading weird horror tales, but in this book, there were bland and disgusting stories like “Evil Streak” and “The Full Moon Killer” which weren’t my type at all.

All in all, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I deducted one star due to the below-average editing. I had a hard time deciding whether or not I should deduct another star, but because of the last two stories in this anthology which I found thrilling and a bit scary, I decided to retain the three stars instead.

I recommend this book to those who love reading scary story collections like this one, especially ones who don’t mind gore or graphic descriptions. There were sexual or mature implications in this book, so I don’t recommend this for younger readers.

******
Given Hell
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That Reviewer · Post by **That Reviewer** » 27 Feb 2020, 06:25

I liked a collection of short stories. It's easier to read as you don't have to endure the boredom of a full story.

Maconstewart · Post by **Maconstewart** » 08 Oct 2020, 11:24

That Reviewer wrote: ↑27 Feb 2020, 06:25 I liked a collection of short stories. It's easier to read as you don't have to endure the boredom of a full story.

Aubrey Lewis wrote: ↑17 Feb 2020, 08:37
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review

Given Hell is a thrilling horror anthology containing seven short stories which will stay in your mind for a while. With a writing style that's slightly similar to R.L. Stine, Lucille Washington weaved ten story plots in this one book with short yet memorable endings.

To give a brief summary of each story, “Evil Streak” is about a young boy who suddenly realizes that he has been kidnapped. “Flower Horns” is about a man who tries to find love again, but the person he finds is not who he expected to be. “Deeper” is about an old woman who came to a mansion bearing news of a treasure. “The Full Moon Killer” talks about an unknown creature who killed people at night. “Vina and the Dudeleys” is about a girl who’s unsatisfied with her poor, pitiful life. Lastly, “Night Eyes” is a story about the outbreak of deadly eyeballs which attack the human skin, especially the throat, and it’s up to two individuals to capture them. “Night Eyes 2” is the sequel to this story.

What I liked about the book was the fast-paced writing style of each story. This is something that’s normal in anthologies, which is why I prefer reading this kind of genre the most. Each story has its own unique yet weird plot; they aren’t that scary, in my opinion, but there are a few thrilling ones like the last two which are “Night Eyes” and “Night Eyes 2”. The prospect of the Night Eyes tearing at human flesh and could possibly be anywhere made my heart race with anxiety since there was no guarantee that the main characters will be able to survive in the end.

What I disliked about the book, on the other hand, was the poor editing and the overly strange and useless plot in some of the stories. There were numerous spelling and grammar errors which made it difficult for me to take the book seriously. Also, I usually like reading weird horror tales, but in this book, there were bland and disgusting stories like “Evil Streak” and “The Full Moon Killer” which weren’t my type at all.

All in all, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I deducted one star due to the below-average editing. I had a hard time deciding whether or not I should deduct another star, but because of the last two stories in this anthology which I found thrilling and a bit scary, I decided to retain the three stars instead.

I recommend this book to those who love reading scary story collections like this one, especially ones who don’t mind gore or graphic descriptions. There were sexual or mature implications in this book, so I don’t recommend this for younger readers.

I agree with both you and That Reviewer in that short stories like these are nice since you don't get locked into the mundane parts of a novel that could've been a short story if not for the "filler."
It is too bad about the lack of proofreading. It sounds like a good collection, otherwise.