Dark Chronicles - Karmen Špiljak - ★★★★
AUTHOR: Karmen Špiljak
GENRE: Story Collection
GENRE: Story Collection
PUBLICATION DATE: January 23, 2026
RATING: 4.05 stars.
In a Nutshell: A short story collection containing some dark speculative fiction tales. The darkness isn't outright paranormal, more like suspenseful or atmospheric. Creative plots, good writing, mostly good endings. A tad repetitive and/or confusing at times due to flashbacks, but this isn't a major issue. I enjoyed most of the stories. Much recommended.
I am very much a judge-a-book-by-the-cover reader. (Feel free to judge me for this! 🤭) This often results in my missing out on some exemplary works just because the cover didn’t catch my eye. This is one such case. Had an offer to read-&-review this book not popped up through another source, I would have missed out on an entertaining collection of dark suspense.
This indie collection contains ten stories from varied speculative fiction subgenres. None of the stories are outright paranormal, though there are a couple with spooky vibes. The content primarily delivers on atmosphere, building up each tale steadily until it reaches a crescendo of a finish.
The author’s foreword at the beginning of the book – a placement I much appreciate – makes clear the rationale behind the title and the kind of darkness to be expected from the book. I love it when a book sets expectations clearly right at the start. And even better when it delivers on those promises, right?
The last para of the GR blurb says that this book has “Ten dark tales. Ten twisted fates.” This captures the essence of the book well. Every story contains a ‘twisted fate’ for the main character, but this turnaround doesn’t become predictable or repetitive. At times, it is a direct consequence of their actions. At times, an unexpected result of their naivete. And at times, it’s sheer bad luck.
The structure of these stories is admirable. Almost every tale begins with a innocent scenario. Not a *seemingly* innocent scenario, an actually innocent one. But just like a quality car can rev from zero to hundred without any indication, the stories rev up their spook value until we realise that we are catching our breaths, waiting to see how the character comes out of this mess. Needless to say, it is almost impossible to guess this accurately in most cases.
The pacing of the book is fabulous. The 180 pages zoom by, not just because of the fast tempo but also because the writing keeps us flipping the pages wanting to know the whats and whys of the proceedings.
The author is a Slovenian living in Belgrade, but this factor is visible only in a couple of the stories. Most of the tales are generic enough to have been set anywhere. This was both a positive and a negative for me. I have never read a Slovenian author before, so I would have loved for some deeper glimpses of the setting. It probably isn't justified to expect a good use of the locale from a speculative short story collection, but the author did manage this well in one of the stories.
The only part where the writing could have worked slightly better for me is in the frequent flashbacks. Many of the stories have the main characters going into introspective mode, which often involve flashbacks. After a while, the back-and-forth got a teeny bit tedious, especially because the ongoing narrative was so captivating that I wanted to read what happened next without any deviations and distractions.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Every single one of the ten stories earned 3.5 stars or more, which means I either liked them or loved them. This is an amazing performance! Here are my top favourites with 4+ stars each:
🏚 A Thousand Smiles Away: Mild horror, more atmospheric than actual. But the suspense was consistent throughout. Loved the story, hated the ending. How could you stop at that point, dear author??!? 😢 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🍲 The Feast: Loved the creativity of the concept, loved most of the implementation. Had the finale contained a little less infodump, this would have been an easy 5 stars for me. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
🤖 Andy: Sometimes, you can guess where a story will go, but the writing and the plotting will still keep you hooked. This is one such case. Not only was the story fascinating, but it also gave me worries about this being the future of AI because it felt so realistic. 😬 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌱 The Seed of Truth: When the story started with a plant, I absolutely didn't expect the angle it would go in. This was wild and creepy! Kept my attention throughout. Lost a star only because of the ending. Not because it was abrupt but because it left me anxious to know what would happen next. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
📧 The Reply: Intriguing, though not entirely surprising. A little more action would have elevated this to a five star. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
👗 Against the Grain Line: This wasn't that dark compared to the rest of the entries. But it was a good story nonetheless, offering Grimm-fairytale vibes. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
💰 For a Good Price: A well-written story that depicts human behaviour accurately. I could guess where this was going, but was still entertained (in a morbid way.) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
Overall, I had a wonderful time reading this set of stories. After a long time, I found a collection that kept me wanting to read more instead of sticking to my usual schedule of reading 1-2 stories per day. The distinctness of the plots, the fast pacing, and the creepy vibes ensured that this collection delivered as promised. I’d love to read more fiction from this talented indie author.
Definitely recommended to speculative fiction readers who enjoy short fiction.
4.05 stars, based on the average of my rating for each tale. (If you are familiar with my ratings, you know that an average that goes to 4 stars and beyond is outstanding for an anthology. Had it not been for the ending of some of the stories, my average would have been even higher.)
My thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and author Karmen Špiljak for a complimentary copy of “Dark Chronicles”, and for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
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Blurb:
Careful what you wish for. In Dark Chronicles, wishes have teeth.
Ten speculative tales brimming with twisted humour and delicious a pepper that lets you in on other people’s thoughts, a radio show that predicts your fate, and a blood-thirsty ghost who refuses to let go.
Award-winning author Karmen Spiljak delivers a chilling and razor-sharp mix of twists and dark suspense, perfect for readers who like their stories to unsettle and linger.
Ten dark tales. Ten twisted fates. One thrilling collection.
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Author Karmen Špiljak:
Karmen Špiljak is an award-winning author of suspense, horror and speculative fiction, a developmental editor and an Author Accelerator certified book coach for fiction.
Her thriller, 'No Such Thing as Goodbye', was shortlisted and received an honourable mention on 'The Black Spring Crime Fiction Prize 2020'. Her short story collection, 'Add Cyanide to Taste', won the 2022 IndieReader Discovery Award for best short stories. In 2023, LeVar Burton Reads licensed her short story, 'Three Roses', for their podcast. Her collection, 'Pass the Cyanide', won 'The 2023 Wishing Shelf Awards Bronze'.
She currently lives in Belgrade with her husband, two cats and an unknown number of fictional characters.
Connect with her on:
Website: https://karmenspiljak.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karmenseeta
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karmenspiljak
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@karmenseeta
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Check out this book:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243651272-dark-chroniclesPurchase from: https://books2read.com/Dark-Chronicles
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This has been a stop on the #DarkChronicles blog tour conducted by Rachel's Random Resources. (@rararesources) Thanks for stopping by!
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