“Bleached Reminders is a treasure of a book.”

Review by Rayleigh Setser

Sacrifice Rock-a place of grief, of loneliness, of tearful goodbyes as a girl lays to rest her deceased pets. But in a forest as quiet and gentle as this, is she really alone after all? Is it truly a place of goodbyes?

Bleached Reminders-left behind after death, often hated, precious memories left for those to come.

The Soul-Filled Skulls of Epsie Rees-a witch born to a coven intolerant of the magicless. But she has a secret: she can see animal ghosts living in the skulls they once inhabited. But no one believes her. Will Epsie Rees find a way to prove to the coven that she is indeed a witch? Or will she and all her animal friends face certain doom?

A collection for lovers of both animals and bones, Bleached Reminders will leave you contemplating the finality of death while also comforted by the warm love of beloved animals.

This took me back to being 12 years old on my farm. The first story hit me so hard...I had expected the emotions associated with losing pets because of the premise of the anthology, but I wasn't fully prepared for how much I'd see myself in those opening pages.

Bleached Reminders is a treasure of a book. It could've just been a short story and a good one at that, but instead, the author has a unique skill-set to work outside the obvious and she setup a beautifully styled anthology that I feel was far more impactful than a singular short story would've been (even at only 66 pages). I saw myself in Sacrifice Rock, I was inspired by the poem (Bleached Reminders), and then I was pulled into the life of Espie and taken on an adventure that perfectly summed up the first two. I've read a few of Effie Joe Stock's writings now and I have to say, her talent for packing a punch in very few words astounds me. Her prose is exquisite and her poetry is powerful. I really loved reading this anthology!

As far as content goes: No cursing or romance. This is a gothic, autumnal collection so, as the blurb clearly states, there darker themes and magic contained within, but no gore or anything spooky.

Content Ratings:

3. Mild action (common injuries with some details).

0. None.

0. None

Other Trigger/Content Notices:

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