"The Awakening and Other Stories" is an exquisite collection of eight short stories with varied themes including ghosts, vampires, suicide, witches, Ouija boards, and demons. In "Ghost Story" Jessica confronts a ghost from her grandmother's past. In "The Awakening" Sabrina awakes from a vivid dream about a vampire. In "End of the Line" Cassie attempts suicide by train. In "Milsa Loris" the former inhabitants of the deserted town of Milsa Loris return to the ruined city for a ten year reunion; but what does the old witch Noraleen have planned? In "The Old Vampire" Hailey still dreams of a vampire lover. Who keeps knocking on Grandad's door in "The Knocking"? In "The Boy on the Beach" Kate's grandmother warns her from beyond the grave about the boy with the green eyes. In "Snowglobes" Eddie and Maggie visit Calvin's Cabins on Christmas Eve.This collection is well-edited and a pleasure to read. My favorite story was "The Awakening". These are the kind of stories I wish I'd written. They are short, to the point, and beautifully and elegantly told. Somber and melancholy, they will haunt you for days to come. My only complaint is that I think this collection should be renamed End of the Line, not only because of the chosen cover art, but because each story has death (or at least life as we know it) as its underlying theme. Warnings: This book contains some coarse language, violence, and adult themes.I received a copy of this book via the Shut Up & Read group Read It & Reap program on Goodreads for the purpose of providing an honest review.
