Review: Collection to read
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 10, 2012
Book Title: The Trees: A collection of StoriesAuthor:  Todd BrabanderPublished By: Todd BrabanderGenre: Horror (Flash Fiction)Recommended Age:  18+Reviewed By: Emily Tuley / AngelsCryHavocBlog Reviewed For: Great Minds Think Aloud Literary CommunityRating: 3 RavensLiving in the Pacific Northwest it was a treat to find this book and also have my curiosity for it wet already being as I'm originally from the east coast and some things here are every bit as intriguing as they were five years ago when I first moved here. It's amazing how sometimes you just realize you haven't gotten out of your home after moving as much as you thought you had. But with the little rant on the side I have to carry on with my work.The Trees is a collection of short stories each one was compelling but, one or two lacked the connection I felt that the others held in the book. I wished some were more elaborated upon I felt some were lacking in detail but others were very well written and achieved what I felt was the desired affect they were going for shock, horror, and a little surprise.Larouche: A very nice short story about the town of Astoria, the characters were intriguing and I felt that if the author had taken the time it would have and could have been stretched into a novel all it's own, it shows the potential of the writer and what he is very capable of accomplishing even sending a few chills up my spine and creating a curiosity for the unknown.Happiness is a Dead Ladybug:  Emotional pull of a story that leaves you feeling empty just as the Robot does later. It could have had more depth and filler but I felt that it was just as it should be perfectly empty it also has a moment of tension build up that has you thinking something more might just happen.Sheltered: This was a wonderful tale, the horrible thought that the children had been held captive in a cellar and that the world around them was going through a post apocalyptic uproar was intriguing only to later have it found out that their grandfather was a crazy old man that had lied to them all their lives even as far as having the granddaughter still stuck with a bit of Stockholm syndrome.The Tree: This was a wonderful story even like the character I found myself believing in the innocence and helpfulness of all the other trees and that one shouldn't always trust what one is told...The first Date: This one left me a little baffled I wasn't sure where it fit in and it's ending had me a little lost with the time I took to flip back and read it again I have to admit I am not sure where this one comes into play but if we were to be left curious and a little confused it worked.