Review: What's in a name
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 9, 2012
Dark Blessings: A Collection is a title very aptly named.First of all it truly is a Collection of works by Mr. Allen.  Secondly, it is on the Dark side yet there are Blessings throughout.Given this is my first 'Collection' to read and review, I'll just give my overall impression.I love how Mr. Allen introduced each piece with a bit of personal history and set them up for the reader. In some ways, I felt a connection to Mr. Allen despite the fact that we have never communicated in any way.As I've stated previously, 'dark' bodies of work are not my personal reading preference.  That being said, I really like Mr. Allen's ability to bring the reader into the mindset of the main characters. Sometimes they are on the quirky yet lovable side. Other times they are downright scary. Case in point is the last story.I will note here that the last body of work, 'House Guest', I have already done a separate review on...not realizing that it was in this collection.Disclaimer: I won this book but the review stated above is my own personal opinion. It was not in any way solicited by the publishing company.