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Pretty Marys All in a Row

Gwendolyn Kiste (Goodreads Author)

4.01 · Rating details · 173 ratings · 49 reviews

You’ll find her on a lonely highway, hitchhiking at midnight. She calls herself Rhee, but everyone else knows her by another name: Resurrection Mary. And when she’s transported home each night to a decrepit mansion on a lane to nowhere, she’s not alone.

In the antique mirror, call her name three times, and Bloody Mary will appear. Outside, wandering through a garden of ...more

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Paperback, 94 pages

Published November 28th 2017 by Broken Eye Books

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Feb 13, 2018 Richard rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: novellas, scifi-fantasy, heroines

Mary Mack. Mistress Mary. Mari Lwyd. Resurrection Mary. Bloody Mary. They’ve been the subjects of terrifying legends or strange nursery rhymes for ages. Have you ever wondered what’s beyond their creepy songs and sightings? In her haunting new novella, talented, on-the-rise author Gwendolyn Kiste aims to explore their stories more, not necessarily their origins mind you, because that’s boring, but explore where they go and what they do when they’re not disturbing us.

Once upon a time, the

...more

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Aug 26, 2018 Mindi rated it it was amazing

I have officially found a new favorite author. Gwendolyn Kiste has a gift for fantastic storytelling, and I'm over the moon to have found her.

I absolutely adore the way Kiste takes fairy tales, urban legends, and nursery rhymes and weaves them into her own dark tales. In Pretty Marys All in a Row the five Marys are phantoms who live together in a rundown mansion at night, feeding each other the fear they have collected in order to stay vibrant and retain their traditional roles. Resurrection I have officially found a new favorite author. Gwendolyn Kiste has a gift for fantastic storytelling, and I'm over the moon to have found her.

I absolutely adore the way Kiste takes fairy tales, urban legends, and nursery rhymes and weaves them into her own dark tales. In Pretty Marys All in a Row the five Marys are phantoms who live together in a rundown mansion at night, feeding each other the fear they have collected in order to stay vibrant and retain their traditional roles. Resurrection Mary, or Rhee, hitchhikes the same lonely highway every night. Bloody Mary appears in your mirror if you dare to whisper her name three times. Mary Mack all dressed in black is forever building her own coffin, while Mari Lwyd (a Welsh folklore Mary) carries the skull of a horse with her everywhere. The last Mary, Mistress Mary, is quite contrary and acts as the matriarch of the group, when she isn't tending her garden. They all consider themselves sisters though, and feel a strong connection to one another. However, some of the Marys are falling into obscurity, and they are starting to rely on Rhee and Bloody Mary to keep them going. And now there is a shadow presence who threatens all the Marys, and only Rhee knows about the threats that he whispers to her in the dark.

I love how Kiste takes all these women from old nursery rhymes and urban legends and breathes new life into them. Sadly, a number of these Marys are becoming obscure in real life, as these old chants and nursery rhymes fall out of use. I had to look up Mari Lwyd, who was a wassailing folk custom in South Wales. At Christmas men would carry a horse skull under sackcloth and sing at the doors of houses, much like caroling. The tradition has declined though, and that makes her part in the story even more relevant. I remember chanting about Mary Mack during a clapping game as a child, but my husband had never heard of her. The stories and the traditions around each Mary are slowly becoming obscure, and Kiste uses this to craft an enchanting story that blends horror, fantasy, and folklore all into one. I'm so in love with her stories, and the way she rewrites old stories and legends with such a fresh and invigorating voice. I cannot wait to read more from Kiste. ...more

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Jul 17, 2018 Jack +Books & Bourbon+ rated it liked it

One of the shortest and most frustrating reads of 2018 for me, Pretty Marys all in a Row really had the potential to be something truly amazing. But though the initial concept is quite unique (and just damn cool as well), author Gwendolyn Kiste just couldn’t quite stick the landing. And that was where the frustration came from; I really really REALLY wanted this book to deliver on the awesome premise. And damn, just look at that cover!

The highway, my forever companion, is a trimming of black ...more

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Jan 09, 2019 Robert Vanneste rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5 . An original story or to me anyway . It was inconsistent in places but overall an easy read .

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Nov 15, 2017 Eddie Generous rated it really liked it

Unnerving Magazine Review
Mary is a name synonymous with ghosts, the kind of lurking visages that come when called and scare with presence rather than action. This is a tale that explores these Marys trapped in ghastly duty, and, damn, what an intriguing idea.
It’s interesting in a way beyond a single note and the progression of the story is unpredictable, impressive. Thisprobably in part because it’s a topic I’ve never considered, but now am thinking about, wondering the how and why of the name ...more

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Jan 22, 2019 Orrin Grey rated it really liked it

One part Candyman, one part Final Girls, stir until it's something that feels like you could play it as a World of Darkness expansion, and you've got an idea of Gwendolyn Kiste's brilliant little novella. Four of the five Marys may be drawn in broad strokes, but they're drawn so as to always leave you wanting more, especially Mary Mack, perpetually building her own coffin, and petulant Mari Lwyd, quaffing mead from her horse skull.

Short enough to be read in an evening but expansive enough that ...more

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Jan 07, 2019 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, horror, kindle, ghost

I first heard about this novella on Twitter, where several people mentioned how good it was. So I picked up a copy late last year with the intention of reading it in 2019.

Resurrection Mary. Bloody Mary. Mistress Mary Quite Contrary. Mary Mack. Mari Lwyd. We all know the names from urban legends, nursery rhymes and old myths, but no one knows how they spend their afterlives when they're not haunting.

Well, this is that story.

Rhee spends her time haunting a stretch of highway and grieving over her ...more

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Sep 18, 2018 Lilyn G. | Sci-Fi & Scary | "Empathy" - Look it up. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, fantasy, onkindleunlimited

Though I know I've read at least one short story by Gwendolyn Kiste in anthology, Pretty Marys All in a Row was the first time I actually set out to read something specifically from her. I had actually originally intended to just skim it to get a sense of her style and whatnot. However, within pages I was absolutely hooked.

This is a dark fantasy novella with its roots in horror. The concept was so unique that it delighted me. (While the cover is absolutely gorgeous, I was not expecting the ...more

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Jul 19, 2019 Katie.dorny rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019

This book had such promise and I would love to see this premise explored as full novel.

It started off really well the. Just sort of flatlined (pun intended) and became really rushed in the last couple of chapters.

I loved all the Mary’s we were introduced to; some I had never heard of before.

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Feb 19, 2019 tattooedreader13 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Fantastic!

What a fun and amazing novella! I loved the concept, the writing, the characters, and story. I would love to revisit this world again in another story!

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Nov 22, 2017 Amie's Book Reviews rated it it was amazing

In a dilapidated country house with "... trim around the windows the shade of old urine, the faded stonework as dejected as first love" resides a very unusual family."

"We're a house brimming with Mary's, the mortar bursting at the seams with urban legends and deranged nursery rhymes. We don't know how we got here, and we don't know how to leave."

Thrust together in an afterlife that not a single one of them asked for, are five women, all named Mary.

Each Mary is a ghost and each has their own ...more

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Jul 14, 2018 Lydian Faust rated it it was amazing

This was an absolutely engrossing read! The original premise is what piqued my interest- a houseful of ghosts, the various Marys of urban legend, leave nightly for hunts and join back together at suppertime to quell their perculiar appetites, a spectral existence of routine- until something comes to disrupt their little "family." An extremely creative take on the folklore. A lovely, meloncholy, thoroughly engaging ghost story.

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Jan 13, 2019 Michael LeSueur rated it really liked it

Fantastic read. Hauntings, explorations of famous female myths/urban legends, and creative takes on said figures? What is there not to love? Looking forward to reading more of Gwendolyn's future work!

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Aug 06, 2018 Morgan rated it really liked it

Part of the reason American Gods works is that it offers a kind of reward to folk lore mavens and religious study majors. Do you have a working familiarity with obscure Northern European mythologies? Are you able to describe what Neil Gaiman got right and what he fudged a bit in terms of the Egyptian religion? Then the guessing games of that novel - just which Middle Eastern Goddess is this? - magnify its other charms.

"Pretty Marys All in a Row" by Gwendolyn Kiste (released by Broken Eye Part of the reason American Gods works is that it offers a kind of reward to folk lore mavens and religious study majors. Do you have a working familiarity with obscure Northern European mythologies? Are you able to describe what Neil Gaiman got right and what he fudged a bit in terms of the Egyptian religion? Then the guessing games of that novel - just which Middle Eastern Goddess is this? - magnify its other charms.

"Pretty Marys All in a Row" by Gwendolyn Kiste (released by Broken Eye Books), is a novella for people, like me, who are waiting impatiently for the next season of Bryan Fuller's show. It's not set in that universe, certainly, but approaches the question of folklore from a similar perspective. Namely, that myths have a definite, physical explanation and your knowledge of such things will expand your enjoyment of the work. In the case of Pretty Marys, the stories are urban legends and nursery rhymes about young women. The main character, Rhee, is named after Resurrection Mary, a famous 'vanishing hitchhiker' ghost from the Midwest and her 'sisters,' Mistress, Red, Mack and Lew, all come from similar sources.

Having read many of Kiste's stories and counting myself an ardent fan, I can happily report that Kiste's craft and artistic ambitions are all very much in top form here. This is the first long-form fiction of hers I've read but it will not be the last. Her wit and polished style scale up nicely and added up to a read that ended much too soon.

The mechanics of the Mary's afterlife have a pleasing ambiguity to them. I'm reminded of "Archivist Wasp," by Nicole Kornher-Stace, a post-apocalyptic ghost tale from a couple of years back. Like Kornher-Stace, Kiste adopts certain tropes of ghost tales only to subvert them later. Rhee is certainly dead and insubstantial, and her habit of terrifying those unlucky enough to encounter her fit the bill for a phantom. However, in ways both small and large, a reader sees Rhee's fate is not a 'natural' state but rather the product of a sinister trap. Even though she is dead, she still needs to eat. Terrorizing random drivers gives her sustenance that must be shared with her 'family.' Not all of the Marys have the same ability to wrench psychic pain from mortals and the ability of the Marys to scare people is clearly waning. As much as Rhee might like to escape her home, a shadowy mansion located outside of the physical world, she feels obligated to help and care for her sisters.

A chance encounter with a person from Mary's her life pre-resurrection awakens her to an understanding that although she is dead, her half-life as a shade is drawing to a close. Already, a new generation of Marys are being groomed to take their place in the Mansion.

What fascinated me about the story is the relationship between Rhee and the legend to which she becomes bound. Rhee is not simply Resurrection Mary. The same myth that sustains the Marys' twilight existence also chains them to hungers of a much more powerful and frightening force. A very clear line is drawn between how the roles the characters inhabit in the afterlife - maiden, mother, matron, mourner, and monster - seduce and enlist the next group of Marys. The stories they are unwitting participants in produce more storytellers eager to tell them. As Rhee's struggles to free herself and her sisters, she struggles to rewrite our culture's most pernicious fables, the ones so sweet and ubiquitous, we don't even realize why they were written.

Reviewer's Note: I received a PDF version of the novella for the purpose of reviewing the work.
...more

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Dec 22, 2017 Anthony rated it it was amazing

Legends of deadly ghosts and mythical entities have been around since the dawn of time. However there are several myths about various paranormal entities named Mary, and in author Gwendolyn Kiste's book Pretty Marys All in a Row a new story about the infamous Marys arises, and it's a whirlwind story that fans of horror and speculative fiction will love. Here's the synopsis:

You’ll find her on a lonely highway, hitchhiking at midnight. She calls herself Rhee, but everyone else knows her by another Legends of deadly ghosts and mythical entities have been around since the dawn of time. However there are several myths about various paranormal entities named Mary, and in author Gwendolyn Kiste's book Pretty Marys All in a Row a new story about the infamous Marys arises, and it's a whirlwind story that fans of horror and speculative fiction will love. Here's the synopsis:

You’ll find her on a lonely highway, hitchhiking at midnight. She calls herself Rhee, but everyone else knows her by another name: Resurrection Mary. And when she’s transported home each night to a decrepit mansion on a lane to nowhere, she’s not alone.

In the antique mirror, call her name three times, and Bloody Mary will appear. Outside, wandering through a garden of poisonous flowers is Mistress Mary, Quite Contrary, a nursery rhyme come to gruesome life. Downstairs is another jump-rope rhyme—Mary Mack, forever conscripted to build her own coffin. And brooding in the corner with her horse skull is the restless Mari Lwyd.

They are the Marys, the embodiment of urban legend and what goes bump in the night. Every evening, they gather around the table and share nightmares like fine wine, savoring the flavors of those they’ve terrified.

But other than these brief moments together, the Marys are alone, haunting a solitary gloom that knows them better than they know themselves. That’s because they don’t remember who they were before—or even if there was a before. And worst of all, they don’t know how to escape this fate.

That is, until a moment of rage inspires Rhee to leap from the highway—and into the mirror with Bloody Mary. Suddenly, the Marys are learning how to move between their worlds, all while realizing how much stronger they are together.

But just when freedom is within their reach, something in the gloom fights back—something that isn’t ready to let them go. Now with her sisters in danger of slipping into the darkness, Rhee must unravel the mystery of who the Marys were before they were every child’s nightmare. And she’ll have to do it before what’s in the shadows comes to claim her for its own.

I have to say, this is one of my favorite reads of 2017. I love creative new takes on myths and legends, and this book had a fantastic use of a new spin on several legends. The friendship and sisterhood between the Marys, especially Bloody Mary and Resurrection Mary, was such a fantastic twist to the tale. Seeing these characters bond and become so much more than their dark haunted history is a breath of fresh air to the legends, and although this book was short, it had a big impact in such a short amount of time.

The writing was spectacular. The vivid imagery used was so creative and painted an incredible picture in my mind as I read it. The character's were the definite highlight of the book, while the complex narrative told a unique story that brought a new light to the darkness surrounding these legendary characters.

Overall this was a wonderful story that you guys need to read. The characters alone are worth the purchase, but the incredible story and smart writing showcases the fantastic command author Gwendolyn Kiste has over the speculative fiction genre. If you haven't yet, be sure to pick up your copies of Pretty Marys All in a Row today!
...more

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Feb 12, 2018 Bill Hsu rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I'm afraid I found this disappointingly conventional, after the magic highs of And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe.

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Oct 20, 2018 Cassie Lola (holo.reader) rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, recommended-by-friends, short-but-good, death-as-subject, dysfunctional-family, read-2018, best-of-2018, my-favorite-novellas

Full review: https://letsgetgalactic.com/2018/10/2...

“Our bodies are skilled at make-believe, carrying out the sacraments of lives we lost long ago. It aches inside me how close we are to existing yet how agonizingly far away.”

This was my first book by Gwendolyn Kiste, although I also own AND HER SMILE WILL UNTETHER THE UNIVERSE, which has also been widely recommended by my bookstagram friends. I’m in love with her writing, and with the way she’s been able to create such a unique new world for Full review: https://letsgetgalactic.com/2018/10/2...

“Our bodies are skilled at make-believe, carrying out the sacraments of lives we lost long ago. It aches inside me how close we are to existing yet how agonizingly far away.”

This was my first book by Gwendolyn Kiste, although I also own AND HER SMILE WILL UNTETHER THE UNIVERSE, which has also been widely recommended by my bookstagram friends. I’m in love with her writing, and with the way she’s been able to create such a unique new world for so many old characters, many of whom I remember from my own childhood.

There are five Marys in the story – Resurrection Mary, Bloody Mary, Mary Mack, Mistress Mary, and Mary Lwyd. They live together in a house that exists somewhere in between worlds (or planes…? It isn’t really explained in detail), and although they’re all dead, they require sustenance in the form of the fear that they get from scaring people. This part felt a little Monsters Inc. to me, which I love, so having a more adultified version of it was lots of fun! Unfortunately, not all of the Marys are as widely feared as the others, and the lack of remembrance of some of these girls is causing them some trouble.

I remember being terrified of the concept of Bloody Mary as a child, and having her written the way she is in this story shows a side to her that I never considered. Mary Mack & Mistress Mary were two that I remembered from nursery rhymes – and didn’t remember being scared of them, although they definitely creep me out a bit more now! I looked up more about Resurrection Mary & Mary Lwyd, and realized I’d heard of both of them – but didn’t remember their names!

Although they share a name, each Mary retains a uniqueness that is completely her own. The story is told from Rhee’s point of view – that is, Resurrection Mary. She wanders a stretch of highway late at night, hitchhiking and terrifying those that are kind enough to pick her up. I liked her character, and her relationship with David – a guy she’d scared when he was a teenager, who has kept coming back to see her despite that they’ll never be able to be together. I normally don’t care for romance bits to be thrown into my horror stories, but this was done really well and I loved the way it ended up for them.

Although this was a really quick read, it managed to pack a lot within its pages. Kiste’s prose is sharp, and the unpredictability of her plot kept me on my toes until the very end. I’m even more excited to read her short story collection now, and I’ll absolutely be picking up THE RUST MAIDENS when it releases next month! ...more

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Oct 28, 2017 Maria Haskins rated it it was amazing

Dark, twisted, strange, eerie, and moving, all at the same time, this is a beautifully written ghost story with a twist (or two, or three... or more). Because while most ghost stories are told from the perspective of the living being haunted by the dead, Kiste's novella is told from the point of view of a ghost: Rhee, who haunts a stretch of highway and delights (at least sometimes) in frightening those driving down that road. She lives in a strange world between the living world and the ...more

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Dec 10, 2017 Matt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror-books

Any fans of Neil Gaiman absolutely needs to own this novella. Gwendolyn Kiste shows us what four urban legends do when they are not haunting a highway, mirror, funeral home, or rural homes. It's something I never really thought about, but love the idea of seeing them all live in a house together, feeding off of fear before being called back away to their infamous haunts. Rhee, the main character, is Resurrection Mary, haunting a stretch of highway, and happens to have a little more power than ...more

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Jan 01, 2018 Catherine Griffin rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviews

A ghost story told from the ghost’s point of view.

Trapped in the afterlife, five ghosts named Mary find solace in each other’s company and in curious relationships with the living. But with some of the ghosts fading, can Rhee — otherwise known as Resurrection Mary — free them from the dark force controlling their existence?

While this is a short story, it’s well written, well edited, and rather good. I’m not keen on ghost stories generally but this combines an interesting premise with good ...more

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Apr 09, 2018 Emily rated it really liked it

**Review coming soon!**

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Dec 07, 2017 Nick Cato rated it it was amazing

I absolutely LOVED this fresh take on ghosts and urban legends. Full review 12/11/17 at thehorrorfictionreview.blogspot.com

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Jul 31, 2018 C.E. Clayton rated it liked it

Shelves: book-review-requests, short-stories, fantasy, paranormal

Can ghosts die? What turns a ghost into one of the fabled hauntings that eventually become legend? That is the core of what “Pretty Mary’s All In A Row” is about. 5 Mary’s of legend—Bloody Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, Mari Lwyd (who I didn’t know), Mary Mack, and Resurrection Mary—all occupy the same house, going out each night to haunt and return with the fear of their marks in order to feed and sustain their ethereal existence. The problem? 3 of the 5 Mary’s can’t seem to scare anyone anymore— Can ghosts die? What turns a ghost into one of the fabled hauntings that eventually become legend? That is the core of what “Pretty Mary’s All In A Row” is about. 5 Mary’s of legend—Bloody Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, Mari Lwyd (who I didn’t know), Mary Mack, and Resurrection Mary—all occupy the same house, going out each night to haunt and return with the fear of their marks in order to feed and sustain their ethereal existence. The problem? 3 of the 5 Mary’s can’t seem to scare anyone anymore—maybe because they aren’t actually ghosts, but I’ll get to that later, and no, it’s not a spoiler. As they begin to fade, something waits in the dark to take them away forever. Basically: an even badder ghost/demon waits in the dark, terrorizing the ghosts themselves. So much haunting, so little time.

When I first started reading this novella, I realized I didn’t know enough about half the Mary’s in it, so I felt like I was missing something that would make this read a bit creepier, which is what I was going for. I love good ghost stories that make my skin crawl! But outside of getting Mary Mack’s nursery rhyme stuck in my head for the next 18 years, there isn’t really a ghost story or haunting attached to Mack, Lwyd, or Mary Quite Contrary. They are nursery rhymes and practices of old that have murky origins at best, but none of my research could find a haunting attached to it. But if I missed something, please let me know! What Kriste attributes to the other Mary’s is pretty interesting and certainly has a higher level of creep factor than the original rhymes—especially Mary Mack!—but the only two “real” ghosts are Bloody Mary and Resurrection Mary—or Rhee, who is our main character.

Kriste’s prose in this novella is incredible. It’s so lovely and heartbreaking that, while the ghosts never scared me or unsettled me the way I wanted, Rhee becomes so tragic and touching that I had all the feels for her and David throughout this short read. All the ghosts are tragic figures, but as we are presented the tale through a first person perspective via Rhee, she became the most heartrending. The stars of this tale are not the hauntings, or even the monster lurking in the shadows waiting for the Mary’s, but the longing and loneliness that Rhee presents with her relationships with David and Red. If you are looking for a pretty light paranormal read that has some eerie imagery but not an overabundance of it, then this novella may scratch that itch for you. But if you are looking for a more traditional ghost story in that you want to be scared and the ghosts feel more like, well, ghosts and less like people you can’t touch, then this may not be the haunting tale you’re looking for.

Ultimately that was the thing that disappointed me about this otherwise well written and lovely read. I have never read Kriste’s full-length novels, but I just may because I really did love the amazing imagery and prose Kriste uses throughout the novella. But I wanted something that was going to leave goosebumps on my skin at night before going to bed. For a bunch of ghosts who feed off fear, very little scaring was going on. Most of the ghosts just seem to be hanging out with friends; they felt like clients the Mary’s visited, not mortals having the crap scared out of them. There is all this potential for the story with this mysterious shadow figure and the various Mary’s that never got explored and it just felt like a missed opportunity that, as the book progressed, became all the more evident. It had such a strong start with all these threads being presented to the reader, but it kind of loses focus and the story never got much better than the beginning. Which is, again, too bad because the writing is perfect for this kind of story. There was just too much going on that didn’t get enough page time due to the short length which made characters feel rather flat when they didn’t need to be. I don’t think there’s enough here for a full novel, but cutting some of the emphasis on Rhee and David to focus on the hauntings or the mysterious shadow figure may have helped.

This interesting take on hauntings of legend is brimming with promises and cool concepts—that never really delivered for me. Again, the writing is great and that cover is just the best there is, but I needed those cool concepts and interesting, tragic characters to be explored more. I needed more actual haunting to satisfy that hair-raising factor I was hoping for. But, like I mentioned, if you want something that is a bit light on the paranormal and scary side, this might be your perfect ghost story novella! I know I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on the author, though, for she is quite the talented writer. But this particular story is a very strong 3.25 stars for me, and thanks to the publisher for providing me a copy for review! ...more

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Oct 30, 2018 Michelle rated it really liked it

Such a short but beautiful story!

"Five Marys in one house are bad enough, but five Marys without nicknames are downright confusing.

But these days, we don't feel like five Marys anymore. We barely feel like anything at all."

Resurrection Mary. Bloody Mary. Mistress Mary. Mary Mack. Mari Lwyd. Five Marys, embodiments of five legends, living together as a family, as sisters, would. Every night they go on their haunts and return to have dinner together before sunrise and sleep. Time passes ...more

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Apr 14, 2018 Kevin Lucia rated it it was amazing

Wonderful ghost story - a modern rendition of T. M. Wright at his best. Full review on CDonline soon.

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Oct 19, 2018 Wendy rated it really liked it

Beautiful writing with great atmosphere. The Marys were interesting characters and I loved the concept. It’s a short, satisfying read.

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Feb 05, 2019 Aarontheweirdreader rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, horror, ghostly, halloween

Once upon a time the darkness stole my life from me. Now it's stealing my hereafter too

There's no rest for the wicked they say, and that couldn't be more true with the fearsome five as I call them lol in this VERY unique ghost story Pretty Mary's All In a Row inspired by popular folktales and urban legends this novella speaks on a nostalgia that most people probably completely forgotten about or at least haven't mention in ages The author explores a fresh new take behind their strange ...more

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Feb 12, 2018 Carrie Laben rated it it was amazing

Like the legends of the Marys of the title, this book is simple on the surface but hints at a darker, more complex world that the characters themselves are only beginning to understand.

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Jul 08, 2018 Gerri Leen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-author

A gorgeously crafted story that plays with the urban legends of various supernatural Marys in unexpected and ultimately moving ways. Kiste is a favorite author and one reason is her ability to mix luscious imagery with accessible plot and dialogue. Oftentimes it's either/or with that, but this gives you a story that should appeal to readers all along the literary-to-commercial sprctrum. The bittersweet ending is surprising and thought provoking. Loved it!

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Jan 15, 2018 Ara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: novella, fantasy, horror

Perfectly chilling. Chillingly perfect.

Gwendolyn Kiste’s Pretty Marys All in a Row made my skin crawl and my blood freeze—in the most agreeable way possible. The Marys—all five of them—are as endearing as they are surely dead. Kiste's writing captures the imagination and holds readers in a morbid trance until the very end.

Pretty Marys had me at the cover, and the writing quickly immersed me in the world of Resurrection Mary—or Rhee—a ghost who feeds on the fear of the people she haunts. She’s got no memory of the girl she’d been, nor does she know why she’s compelled to haunt that road forever. Perhaps David, the human who had somehow become her (sort of) friend will find something—a news report, a photograph, a missing person flyer…just something. But Rhee is having no luck.

And she’s not the only one.

There are four more Marys—Bloody Mary (Red), Mistress Mary (Mistress), Mary Mack (Mack), and Mari Lwyd (Lew)—each consigned to their own haunting strips, trapped in a perpetual loop of terrifying the living just to get by. There’s Red, entombed in a magic mirror, forever bathed in blood. Mistress in her garden, shadowed everywhere by her sentient vines. Mack in the basement, building a coffin that remains unfinished. Lew on the porch, crooning songs no one else can hear.

To Rhee, they’re her family. This is the (after)life she’s always known. But something has changed. The Marys are fading, and a disembodied voice starts speaking to Rhee, promising the end for her and her sisters. Flashes of memories further torment her, teasing Rhee with visions of a life she couldn’t remember. Will the truth of who she was save her and the other Marys from a fate far worse than death?

It’s been an absolute pleasure hovering over Rhee’s shoulders through the realms of the living and the not-so-dead. The writing is exquisitely chilling, a delight for the senses and the imagination. I was sad that it ended, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Perfect for bedtime reading.

5 out of 5 stars ...more

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About Gwendolyn Kiste

Gwendolyn Kiste

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Gwendolyn Kiste is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe, from JournalStone; the dark fantasy novella, Pretty Marys All in a Row, from Broken Eye Books; and her debut novel, The Rust Maidens, from Trepidatio Publishing. Her short fiction has appeared in Nightmare Magazine, Shimmer, Black Static, Daily Science Fiction, Interzone, LampLight, and Three-Lobed ...more