Mystery Lights

I picked this arc up because I love a good short story collection, but I found that I felt nothing except boredom while reading this. While the writing was fine, the plots of the stories fell flat. While I love the no plot vibes in full-length books, the lack of real plot in these stories left me un......more

(3.5) An odd, sometimes uneven collection, Mystery Lights, sitting as it does somewhere between conventional literary fiction and the strange and speculative. Going in, I expected more of the latter, and I’ll admit to being disappointed that some of the stories are more straightforward than anticipa......more

Have you ever felt like an alien or an outsider? Ever wonder what monsters lurk beyond city lights, deep within the depths of the desert and even within your own walls? Then these stories are for you! “Mystery Lights" is a riveting collection that grips you from the first page and refuses to let go.......more

Probably my favorite short story collection I've read this year. Lena Valencia is like if Shirley Jackson and Georgia O'Keeffe had a child who was in the gifted program who saw a ghost in the desert one time. Dogs ⭐⭐⭐⭐ You Can Never Be Too Sure ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mystery Lights ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The White Place ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bright Lights,......more

A bit of a flash in the pan. The stories were great while reading because I loved the whole horror desert theme (hadn't read anything similar, and it's why I even picked this up in the first place), but I don't think I'll remember I read this in 2 weeks. The best stories were the middle ones. The Wh......more