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A review by mxhermit
His Hideous Heart: 13 of Edgar Allan Poe's Most Unsettling Tales Reimagined by Dahlia Adler
5.0
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Content Warnings: Animal death, fire, ableist comments, blood, death (cancer), abuse of a child/teenager
Representation:
Rep: F/F (Night-Tide), disabled MC (Changeling), MOC/WOC MCs (The Oval Portrait), Portuguese LI (Lygia), trans girl MC & French-Filipino LI (The Murders in the Rue Apartelle, Boracay)
This list may not be 100% complete, but is compiled to the best of my knowledge.
-----
If you're looking for the perfect collection of stories to curl up with, to haunt you into the wee hours of the morning and beyond, look no further than this: His Hideous Heart, edited by Dahlia Adler and contributed to by many more names from across the literary world.
Taking inspiration from some of Edgar Allan Poe's most well known works, and from some possibly not so well known, each story or poem collected and reimagined therein is one sure to inspire chilling thoughts as you wonder about where the story will go, what will have changed, and just who you might be cheering for in the end.
Thank you to Cat from Flatiron Books for having me on the His Hideous Hearts blog tour. It's been a blast. :)
What I Enjoyed
The authors within His Hideous Heart took inspiration from a classic source and brought that into modern places. There were elements of desperation and terror and anger and the need for justice that many feel and need. Whether it's someone getting a privilege or an absolution they don't deserve, or another person tearing a character down because of their accent, their heritage...a fragment of a Poe story waits for them within.
The eeriness, the elements of the supernatural, the depths of depravity that humans themselves are capable of, all of these facets combine to weave an intense tapestry of stories.
I loved how I was able to find satisfaction in the crafting of these stories. I won't say that they're 100% faithful to the originals, as I haven't read all of the Poe versions, but let's say that the contributors to His Hideous Heart were able to find endings that twisted the themes of the stories, embodied the soul of them, and found wicked beauteous finales.
The diversity of the tales was also terrific, much improved over the originals. From the Philippines to Barbadian immigrants to trans girls and more, there was so much to find within these pages.
An exceptionally helpful facet of the book, if you've never read the original Poe tales before or if you need a refresher, if that His Hideous Heart includes the corresponding works at the back of this anthology. They're well worth a look because what would this collection be without Poe's classics?
What I Didn't Enjoy
While normally of fan of amanda lovelace, I wasn't entirely taken with her rendition of The Raven, here entitled The Raven (Remix). It didn't flow smoothly for me and made it difficult to take in amongst all the other stories.
To Sum It Up
This was one of my favorite anthologies in memory. How often can you say that you enjoyed almost every entry and cannot wait to go back for a reread? I look forward to the publication date of this book and the opportunity to secure the audiobook and experience these tales from a whole new perspective.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Quotes included are from an advanced reader copy and may not reflect the finalized copy.
Content Warnings: Animal death, fire, ableist comments, blood, death (cancer), abuse of a child/teenager
Representation:
Rep: F/F (Night-Tide), disabled MC (Changeling), MOC/WOC MCs (The Oval Portrait), Portuguese LI (Lygia), trans girl MC & French-Filipino LI (The Murders in the Rue Apartelle, Boracay)
This list may not be 100% complete, but is compiled to the best of my knowledge.
-----
If you're looking for the perfect collection of stories to curl up with, to haunt you into the wee hours of the morning and beyond, look no further than this: His Hideous Heart, edited by Dahlia Adler and contributed to by many more names from across the literary world.
Taking inspiration from some of Edgar Allan Poe's most well known works, and from some possibly not so well known, each story or poem collected and reimagined therein is one sure to inspire chilling thoughts as you wonder about where the story will go, what will have changed, and just who you might be cheering for in the end.
Thank you to Cat from Flatiron Books for having me on the His Hideous Hearts blog tour. It's been a blast. :)
What I Enjoyed
The authors within His Hideous Heart took inspiration from a classic source and brought that into modern places. There were elements of desperation and terror and anger and the need for justice that many feel and need. Whether it's someone getting a privilege or an absolution they don't deserve, or another person tearing a character down because of their accent, their heritage...a fragment of a Poe story waits for them within.
The eeriness, the elements of the supernatural, the depths of depravity that humans themselves are capable of, all of these facets combine to weave an intense tapestry of stories.
I loved how I was able to find satisfaction in the crafting of these stories. I won't say that they're 100% faithful to the originals, as I haven't read all of the Poe versions, but let's say that the contributors to His Hideous Heart were able to find endings that twisted the themes of the stories, embodied the soul of them, and found wicked beauteous finales.
The diversity of the tales was also terrific, much improved over the originals. From the Philippines to Barbadian immigrants to trans girls and more, there was so much to find within these pages.
An exceptionally helpful facet of the book, if you've never read the original Poe tales before or if you need a refresher, if that His Hideous Heart includes the corresponding works at the back of this anthology. They're well worth a look because what would this collection be without Poe's classics?
What I Didn't Enjoy
While normally of fan of amanda lovelace, I wasn't entirely taken with her rendition of The Raven, here entitled The Raven (Remix). It didn't flow smoothly for me and made it difficult to take in amongst all the other stories.
To Sum It Up
This was one of my favorite anthologies in memory. How often can you say that you enjoyed almost every entry and cannot wait to go back for a reread? I look forward to the publication date of this book and the opportunity to secure the audiobook and experience these tales from a whole new perspective.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Quotes included are from an advanced reader copy and may not reflect the finalized copy.