Olivie Blake
In a fascinating collection of short stories, the author of The Atlas Six and Alone With You In The Ether allows her readers to indulge in multiple new multifaceted narratives. Long time lovers of Olivie Blake’s work know that her talent lies in her writing style, due to her creative approaches in how to format each chapter. Her captivating stories have gotten attention recently in upcoming years, as her self published books officially were brought to traditional publication. The Fairytale Collections is a series of three physical short books with a group of different short stories implemented into the pages. Each story typically has a romantic headlining or subplot, and a theme of constant fanatical dark undertones. In mind of her multifaceted story telling, there is no lead as to how the story might come to an end.
Pins and Needles
In the opening short story of the pair of anthologies, Olivie Blake starts off with the tale of a teenage girl who is in opposition with one of her peers, who takes any opportunity to go against her. Starting with childish name calling onto physical violence, she finds she’s had enough of the constant abuse and gains no repercussions in the end. In line with the gothic horror, the tone of a coming of age story is quickly darkened when she finds knowledge of a spiritual revenge plan. She creates a voodoo doll that replicates her pear in order to puppeteer them manually, from silly pranks as tying his shoelaces into more horrific lines. The ending of the ten page story holds a twist in which aligns with the revenge plan and explains some of the underlying romantic tension between the two characters.
The Wish Bridge
The story of the Wish Bridge is told as a legend seemingly, in which it tells the tale of an unnamed girl who sits in an ever changing bridge that sits across rivers it decides to appear to. Thoughts who are able to find her need her the most. Though initially appearing to be about the people to come along the bridge and make wishes, the story brings in the humanity of the girl who sits by the water waiting for people, never being able to leave.
She finds company in the stories that she is told through those who give her wishes, yet she finds true companionship when a boy finds her on the river and keeps her company. He promises to come back and find her, and ultimately keeps appearing throughout the months trying to find her near river banks. In the midst of the months apart, there are a few subplots of those who are granted wishes, and how it benefits and hurts them in the end. In the midst of the anthology, the wish bridge is one of the most beautiful, yet the most wholesome of them all. It ends vaguely, but keeps enough reasoning for the reader to understand that the story means more than just the love story. It’s a tale of friendship, sacrifice, and evolving.
The Animation Games
Blake’s gothic tale of a seemingly loving couple in a time where love is usually decided, the Animation Games takes place in a historical setting in which starts with the means to have a beautiful ending. The couple is set to marry and go by the typical happily ever after a lot of couples stride for in times that are limited. Though things take an unexpected turn when the male lead takes part in accidentally unaliving his fiance. With no intentions of being caught, he covers up his wrong doing and tries his best to act as if nothing had ever occurred.
Time passes and he slowly forgets about the woman he had loved all those years back. Soon, he realizes misplaced items and voices echoing in his head. It wasn’t long before he understood that she had come back just to haunt him for his mistake. Her intentions were clear, and after his own death, they find that their souls come back every few decades in order for them to keep them on the hunt for revenge against the other.
Out of spite, their spirits haunt the other until they decide to strike once again, ultimately starting a century long battle of their spirits reanimating to get back at the other. It tells the horrific story of a love and stubbornness, creating an illusion to the reality of grudges preventing love. The story builds up, and the love between the two characters is evident when with the actions and harm they cause the other. It ends as any beautiful love story, resolution, though the contents of the story harbors dark comedy and a lively writing style.
