So, here I am again, having read an entire anthology just because there’s a contribution from Seanan McGuire. I always think this is a brilliant idea when I first stumble across the book but my excitement generally turns to dread when I remember that short stories and I have a love-hate relationship. I love some and I hate some. Sometimes the love outweighs the hate but more times than I can count it’s the other way around.
Taking on faeries (“Yes, but we don’t like to use that word.”) are fourteen authors. Included in the mix are stories of love and betrayal, a unicorn named Kevin, changelings and a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure that knows when you’re cheating.
The Tooth Fairies: Quest for Tear Haven by Glenn Parris
Night always invited wayward blood thirst in one form or another.
Glamour by Grey Yuen
“The door! We saw the door. I swear it! It had a mouth and it screamed!”
See a Fine Lady by Seanan McGuire
“It’s always so much easier to do our shopping when someone can see us.”
Or Perhaps Up by C.S.E. Cooney
“Family does not pull family under. We pull each other out.”
Don’t Let Go by Alana Joli Abbott
“You shouldn’t have seen that.”
The Loophole by L. Penelope
“Seems like my last meal isn’t agreeing with me.”
The Last Home of Master Tranquil Cloud by Minsoo Kang
“Even as we speak, the fate of the man who has done me wrong is being sealed.”
Your Two Better Halves by Carlos Hernandez
“Your choices are your opportunities.”
Take Only Photos by Shanna Swendson
“What else that’s supposed to be imaginary is actually real?”
Old Twelvey Night by Gwendolyn N. Nix
It happened the same way every time.
The Seal-Woman’s Tale by Alethea Kontis
Ah, humans. My guilty pleasure, my fatal flaw. They were always just so … fun.
The Storyteller by David Bowles
“Would you like to hear a story?”
Summer Skin by Zin E. Rocklyn
It would be nice to be noticed.
Colt’s Tooth by Linda Robertson
“You’re not going anywhere ‘til I get those teeth!”
All of the anthologies that came before this one are now collectively pointing at me and sneering, ‘Have we taught you nothing about yourself?’ While this book already boasts multiple five star reviews, I wandered through it underwhelmed. I’d encourage you to read some of these five star reviews before deciding whether or not this is the book for you.
I loved Anna Dittmann’s cover illustration but unfortunately I didn’t come away with any favourite stories.
Content warnings include mention of assault, murder, self harm, sexual assault and torture.
Thank you to NetGalley and Outland Entertainment for the opportunity to read this anthology.
Once Upon a Blurb
These are not your daughter’s faerie stories …
Around the world, there are tales of creatures that live in mist or shadow, hidden from humans by only the slightest veil. In Where the Veil Is Thin, these creatures step into the light. Some are small and harmless. Some are bizarre mirrors of this world. Some have hidden motives, while others seek justice against humans who have wronged them.
In these pages, you will meet blood-sucking tooth fairies and gentle boo hags, souls who find new shapes after death and changelings seeking a way to fit into either world. You will cross the veil – but be careful that you remember the way back.
Schizanthus Nerd 
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