Darkness & Moonlight: A Worldsmyths Anthology

“I have always loved writing short stories, but dreaded reading them. I would become so invested in my characters, I hated saying goodbye so quickly, so I’ve never taken the time to go out of my way and read short story collections before. Can I just say; What a fool I have been! I was given a free copy of ‘Darkness and Moonlight’ A Worldsmyths Anthology in exchange for an honest review. This collection, in so many ways, took me back to my childhood. Fae and dragons and gorgons, it has it all and some of the stories gave me the familiar sense of being tucked up in bed by my grandma and whispered bed time stories that both fascinated and terrified me at the same time. However, there was a dark and tragic twist with so many of these tales, that I related to as an adult with very adult emotions. Emotional connections with characters were easy to make throughout the collection, and even with some of those connections being brief, I felt that I had come to know many of them personally, such was the level of writing and skill the authors have curried with their audience. My favourite stories in particular were to do with the Fae and all of their wicked mischief, notably: ‘Into The Brambles’ by Freya Bell & ‘Of Full Moons and Moonshine’ by Marty Keslar But then, so many of these stories played out so visually in my mind as I read, I couldn’t help but be completely engrossed in the world’s each author had created. Many of these stories I could see adapted for screen, particularly ‘When the Raven Ate The Moons’ by Nicole L. Soper Gorden and ‘Daughter of Darkness & Son of the Sun’ by Kieran Lamoureux. Darkness & Moonlight – A Worldsmyths Anthology is a wonderful collection, with so much magic embedded in every story that it may just help the cynical non-believer, like myself, believe again, and isn’t that the real magic of it all? These are the tales that stick in your imagination and if you have the opportunity, it is definitely worth the read, and revisiting . It’s honestly been a pleasure to experience and I’d like to extend my gratitude to each author for the opportunity of being transported to their worlds, if only for a little while. “