Dearest Clementine

Clementine has been taken by a creature of darkness.

Dorin is a fiend in love who must find Clementine before losing her forever.

While on his desperate search, Dorin pens eight dark and romantic monstrous tales, written only for Clementine. Each story serves a purpose, and that is, do monsters have the ability to love, too?

Dearest Clementine is a short story collection filled with dark romantic tales. 

Title: Dearest Clementing

Author: Candace Robinson

Genre: Short Stories / Horror

Hardcover:  132 pages

Publication Date: 08/06/2020

Language: English

ASIN: B07ZTTCTYL

My Review

This short story collection is a succulent piece of fiction bearing heart and teeth: ferocious, mysterious, and highly imaginative. Accompany a monster named Dorin, who has lost his love and writes her letters and tells monstrous tales while searching for her.

As the collection begins with a Dorin's first letter to his Dearest Clementine, who first wishes that he was dead. Dorin's reflections on his love and loss proceed with the tales he writes about as a vehicle for the emotional toils he is going through. So, we meet a young woman who made a wooden puppet boy who dearly wished for Freewill, more so than being human in SAIL INTO THE UNKNOWN, 1872. From there we land in 1982, in A PIECE FOR HIM....which was my favorite of the short stories. It tells the story of an immortal whose mortal love is dying and she will try to save him by giving him a new body. Very engrossing this one was. From there it proceeds to a cabin and a lonely lover in LURED IN FOR DEATH and moves on to an invitation to dance with the devil in DARKNESS CAN BE GOOD. If you are a fan of Halloween, you will enjoy LAUGHTER IS ALWAYS BETTER of a girl who has always wanted to be a special effects horror movie artist. OUR HEARTS WITHER TOO was another favorite of the short stories. It tells the story of Morgen who ages just as humans do but needs a new heart each month to keep herself alive. Is she a monster or only stealing hearts to survive? Stories from the future are among the collection as well. In SOMETIMES WE'RE NOT HUNGRY, 2032, Siri is suffering in her wait for Camille in a world where "Ravs" may have a part in her disappearance. The concluding short story in the collection is dark and fairy tale and takes place in a remote, snowy-wite wood and a girl that's not really a girl, in WRONG IS POSSIBLY RIGHT, 1742.

In the meantime, Dorin is desperate to tell Clementine how he feels and about his fears for her. Will he be able to find her and save her from the Underworld?

***

This was my third book by this author I enjoyed reading all of them so far. Dearest Clementine differs from the other two I read in that it is all teeth and bite, and I loved it. This collection of tales shows an immense range of creativity and imagination and every story in between Dorin's letters leaves the reader with bits of the grotesque, longing and heartache.

I loved the voice in these monstrous tales. I haven't read one like that in a while. The underlying darkness, wretched times and longing capped with undying love and romance made these heartachingly sweet and bitter at the same time.

This is the perfect autumn read!

Enjoy

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for a voluntary review.

All opinions are my own. Thank you!