“Someone to Share My Nightmares” Weekend: Book Review by Elle
Someone to Share My Nightmares
Sonora Taylor
If you’re looking for erotic nightmares or heavy doses of ‘sensuality’, you’re probably not going to find it in Someone to Share My Nightmares. What you will find, however, is a collection of intriguing horror stories with dashes of romance and relationships.
This is the first full collection I’ve read from Taylor, and I really would like to dig into more of her work. Someone to Share My Nightmares explores attraction and relationships, often with that extra added dose of something to ensure things don’t go as smooth as the characters would like. However, there were a few stories that bit weaker than the others, though when the stories work, they do work really well. But it’s both a blessing and a curse with short story collections – like Greatest Hits albums, not every track is going to be to every single taste.
“Someone to Share My Nightmares” is the opening, title story, and it’s one of the strongest. Our protagonist’s filmmaker hero died in her town, a place he was drawn to because of the darkness of the local forest. And the forest is, indeed, dark and creepy, and our protagonist does not go in there after dark, because she knows better, but others – such as the actor who arrives to retrace the director’s footsteps – don’t. This has a good build up, and towards the end it tilts fully into the tension.
“Petal, Page, Piel” was another strong one, with an excellent little twist at the end. This was delightfully dark.
“Bump in the Night” was a fun story, as a woman hires a plumber, though she has more in mind than getting her toilet fixed. But this particular plumber arrives with something else, and the two women engage in a battle for their lives. I really liked this, and it had more of an Urban Fantasy feel to it than the other stories, which helped it stand out.
“Metal Meticulous” breaks up the stories offered with a bit of poetry. I find poetry can often be a bit hit or miss for me, and I didn’t quite get along with this one. Still, it’s a nice technique to have a poem among the stories, and it does give the reader a little break from the longer works. “The Parrot” is the only story I’ve read previously, and enjoyed it on both readings. A widower deals with a malfunctioning Alexa-type device created by his wife, and the way Parrot builds on the tension works really well. Definitely as good on a second read.
“Candy” is definitely a standout in the collection. A woman seeks out the chocolates only available around Valentine’s Day, but a man grabs the last box. It’s set up almost like a Meet Cute, but of course Sonora twists it into something darker. If you’ve been single for any length of time, I think it’s easy to relate to that grab for the Valentine’s chocolates as soon as they go on sale (personally, my favourite day was 15th Feb – when everything is reduced!) and give yourself that little perk-me-up when couples get a bit too sickly sweet. A great piece of fiction.
“The Sharps” I really enjoyed, to a point. The opening is good and sets up the isolation really well, the creatures are scary and dangerous, and it makes for a great eco-horror story. Unfortunately it felt like it went on just a touch too long, and the ‘romantic’ subplot felt a bit squeezed in. Of course, without the arrival of Joseph it wouldn’t fit in the collection, but I think this story might have worked stronger if the focus could have remained on Camila and the Sharps.
“You Promised Me Forever” feels fairly slice-of-life, as a newly turned vampire realises what ‘forever’ really means in relationships between immortals. It’s relatable, and the characters were endearing enough, especially with the friendship between Carrie and her best friend who tries to help her.
“’Tis Better to Want” is the final story, and a perfect one to read as we enter the stretch of colder weather and longer nights. A woman falls for Krampus, and eventually gets what she wants. This is the most erotic piece in this collection, tinged with darkness, and Taylor handles the whole “she’s known him since she was a child” thing really well.
This is a really decent collection from a very good writer, and the ideas contained here are all really intriguing ones. It was great to read this collection, and I’ll definitely be picking up more on Sonora’s books in the future.
Grade: B
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter & Instagram: @elleturpitt
I received this paperback from author Sonora Taylor for review purposes.
