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| Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers ⭐⭐⭐ |
I really wanted to love this collection more than I did. That's not to say I didn't like it, because honestly, I liked most of the stories! I found the thread of family, love, and culture at the heart of this collection really powerful, and each story was one of a kind whilst still loosely connecting to the tales that came before and after. My main criticism is that, though entertaining and thought provoking, the stories themselves were very short. For me personally, I couldn't connect emotionally with many of the characters because we only spend tiny windows of time with them. I would've enjoyed more characterization with fully fleshed out thoughts and feelings - I just felt like many of the characters lacked the kind of emotional depth that I really adore.
I was also excited by the Cherokee/Native element of these stories - I had hoped for some Native folklore and/or mythology, but most of the horror in this collection is more along the lines of classic. With that said, however, I really liked the twists that Andrea L. Rogers' put on the stories we know so well. Also, politically speaking, Man Made Monsters hit the nail on the head and did an astounding job showcasing how normalized things like cultural destruction, child abuse, and sexual abuse has become in our world.
I also loved how many strong females are in this collection, as well as how connected the beginning story and the final story is. Overall, I liked Man Made Monsters and would recommend it to anyone who likes horror but who might also like delving into topics such as generational trauma and racial politics. I wanted a bit more from these stories, but I still really enjoyed reading them!
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