I wouldn't describe myself as a special fan of Poe. I never found his writing particularly scary or even eerie. Certainly psychological. Poe had an eye for darkness in the human psyche. So I was certainly intrigued by this collection. I was excited to see how modern writers re-imagined Poe's work. Some of these stories are simple updates - setting and/or language. The major plot points are essentially the same. Others are more inventive, giving the stories not only modern sensibilities but other new twists. THe central themes remain but even the endings are at times rewritten. There's a variety of styles explored here, a little bit for everyone.

I loved all of these stories, and each would be great as curricular mentor texts! The book will also be a great rec for teen readers who want to read more horror. Highly recommended!

As with most short story collections, His Hideous Heart has a few hits, a few misses, and a few stories that fall somewhere in the middle. My absolute favorite take on Edgar Allan Poe's work was 'Night-Tide' by Tessa Gratton. Making the decision to explore a lesbian teenage relationship in a time period when such things were unheard of - especially among those in high society - was a very nice twist on the original poem. And even though it's clear that 'Night-Tide' takes place in the past, there are still enough similarities to the way closed-minded individuals view homosexuality to make the story topical as well.

I was surprised that I didn't love the opening tale by Kendare Blake, as I have enjoyed her writing in the past. I didn't hate it, either, but it was just okay for me. Ultimately, I didn't care much about finding out how Blake's interpretation was going to end, and that's sadly the same way I felt about a few other entries in this collection.

The stories that do shine are more than worth reading, and the collection as a whole was definitely a great concept. The title is also the perfect way to grab the attention of a Poe fan. I wish that a larger percentage of the stories had lived up to the original tales or had captured their spirit in the way that Tessa Gratton's 'Night-Tide' did.

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

So I've never professed myself to be a fan of EAP. I learned about him and read about three of his works during my schooling but never really read anything beyond that.

So this was my first foray into his works since I was in high school and sure enough, when reading his stories, I instantly felt like I was back in class with the teacher that exclaimed symbolism in the colors green and gold in The Great Gatsby. And his stories in general are a mixed bag. I like some of them and some of them I don't like.

The inspired by stories were also a mixed bag. Some left me with the unsettled feeling that EAP stories can leave me with. Some made me feel like I wanted to know more. And some I didn't like at all.

The ones that stood out to me:

She Rode a Horse of Fire: I felt like this one was a great adaption of the original store to a more modern setting and left me with the same haunted feeling as EAP.

It's Carnival: This one felt like a classic creepy story with a totally insane character that you still somehow understood.

The Glittering Death: This one could be a full length novel...the killer was interesting and different and I felt for the protagonist of the story so much. The tale was haunting and creepy and perfect for the EAP vibe.

A Drop of Stolen Ink: This one was so different from the others and yet fit in perfectly. The imagining of a future society seemed plausible and I'd love to read more.

Happy Days, Sweetheart: This one was a perfect modern re-telling of the Tell-Tale Heart. It felt exactly like the original in the descriptions of the descent into madness of our protagonist and yet the story was refreshed for a more modern backdrop.

An awesome retelling of Poe's stories that brings them to an audience in an easier language and more modern setting. The creep factor is enhanced in some of these tales because of the modernism in them and brings a new light to Poe's macabre. I loved reading these short stories, especially as fall begins and the nights get longer. I would not put this in my classroom due to the more mature content that would not be suitable for middle grade students.

*E-ARC PROVIDED IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*

I thought I was going to LOVE this anthology of reimagined Poe stories, but this ended up being my biggest disappointment of the year so far. I found myself truly disliking so many of these stories that I was skimming parts like crazy. The only stories that I enjoyed were: “She Rode a Horse of Fire”, “It’s Carnival”, “Night Tide”, and “The Glittering Death”. Those 4 stories are the only reason I didn’t give it a 1 star rating. Such a shame.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Flatiron Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

I added all the individual ratings for each short story and divided it by 13 in order to get my rating. Overall, there were some really great stories in this anthology; specifically She Rode a Horse of Fire by Kendare Blake and Night-Tide by Tessa Gratton. I found that quite a few were average and did not have the same tone and voice that I would expect from stories inspired by Edgar Allen Poe.

She Rode a Horse of Fire by Kendare Blake: Inspired by “Metzengerstein”. 5/5 stars! This had that perfert Poe-esque writing and tone. It was spooky and sounded old timey, but I couldn’t place the time period that this takes place in.

It’s Carnival! by Tiffany D Jackson: Inspired by “The Cask of Amontillado”. 5/5 stars! This was short, well-done retelling of Poe’s original tale. Can’t go wrong with this classic.

Night-Tide by Tessa Gratton: Inspired by “Annabel Lee”. 5/5 stars! Another winner! Annabel Lee is one of my favorite works of Edgar Allen Poe and I think Tessa Gratton wrote a beautiful rendition of the original.

The Glittering Death by Caleb Roehrig: Inspired by “The Pit and the Pendulum”. 3/5 stars. The Pit and the Pendulum is already not my favorite Poe story, but I thought that this interpretation was just alright. It wasn’t particularly outstanding, in my opinion.

A Drop of Stolen Ink by Emily Lloyd-Jones: Inspired by “The Purloined Letter”. 4/5 stars! I’m not a huge fan of detective stories, so my hopes weren’t very high going into this story. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed. This story was Poe mixed with Bar code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn.

Happy Days, Sweetheart by Stephanie Kuehn: Inspired by “The Tell-Tale Heart”. 4/5 stars! The Tell-Tale Heart is one of my favorite Poe stories. I think Kuehn did a great job creating a character that had the same level of insanity as the original character. I wish that Kuehn’s story didn’t have a romance, because that ruined the whole Poe vibe.

The Raven (Remix) by Amanda Lovelace: ??? I’m not sure how this is a remix…This is litterally just “The Raven”. It’s all the same words, only with a slightly different layout. How is this a remix? I am confused by this.

Changeling by Marieke Nijkamp: Inspired by “Hop-Frog”. 3/5 stars. I really enjoyed the writing, I just didn’t love Nijkamp’s interpretation of “Hop-Frog”. This read more like a fae story that was loosely inspired by Poe. Not my favorite, but not bad either.

The Oval Filter by Lamar Giles: Inspired by “The Oval Portrait”. 2/5 stars. I thought that this one was kind of boring. It really didn’t read like a horror story. It read more like a YA contemporary that was a little creepy.

Red by Hillary Monahan: Inspired by “The Masque of the Red Death”. 5/5 stars! I loved this story! This was exactly the Poe-esque spookiness that I was looking for! This such an interesting take on the original story!

Lygia by Dahlia Adler: Inspired by “Ligeia”. 3/5 stars. This was a’ight. This wasn’t as spooky as I wanted it to be. I’m a little underwhelmed, especially considering that this is the editor’s story.

The Fall of the Bank of Usher by Fran Wilde: Inspired by “The Fall of the House of Usher”. 2/5 stars. The Fall of the House of Usher does not work as a heist. I thought that the idea to retell the original story as a bank heist was interesting, but it really did not fit the tone of the rest of the stories. This lacked that creepiness that is quintessential to Poe’s work. This just did not work for me.

The Murders in the Rue Apartelle, Boracay by Rin Chupeco: Inspired by “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”. 3/5 stars. This is another one that was just fine for me. The tone really didn’t have Poe vibe to it. I can see where the inspiration came from, but it wasn’t my favorite.

"His Hideous Heart" Edited by Dahlia Adler is a collection of 13 short stories that are retold and inspired by Edgar Allan Poe. The overall themes include Love and Loss, Grief and Death, Rivalry and Revenge. Edgar Allan Poe's works continue to inspire Young Adults and every reader to this day, even after more than 150 years later. I remember reading Poe in high school and remembering how I felt reading his works. I enjoyed this collection and it is very well curated by Adler. Some of my favorites are the following: THE NIGHT-TIDE By Tessa Gratton which was inspired by "Annabel Lee" and THE GLITTERING DEATH by Caleb Roehrig inspired by "The Pit and The Pendulum". I recommend this very much for a wonderful collection of short stories with amazing inspiration.

Thank you NetGalley, Flatiron Books and authors for sending me a free copy in exchange for my objective and honest review.

I had actually never read any of Poe's work before picking up this book. I was excited about the authors that were contributing their own retellings and His Hideous Heart was definitely worth the excitement. I read these stories side by side with the original inspiration and it was a great experience. Even though there was a few of Poe's stories that I couldn't really get into, the new stories were interesting and kept my attention when Poe couldn't. One example is "The Glittering Death" By Caleb Roehrig. Roehrig's story was inspired by "The Pit and the Pendulum" and while I gave up on Poe's story about half way through, "The Glittering Death" was one of my favorites.

Some of my favorites:

* Night-tide (inspired by Annabel Lee)
* Happy Days, Sweetheart (inspired by The Tell-Tale Heart)
* The Oval Filter (inspired by The Oval Portrait)


My favorite thing about this anthology is that while I chose to read the original tales to get context for these stories, you don't have to. Each story stands perfectly well on its own. It doesn't matter if you're an Edgar Allen Poe fan or if you're coming to these stories never having read Poe in your life. This will be a perfect introduction to Poe for young adults that they will very much enjoy.

I REEEEALLLY wanted to love this, but I just couldn't get into it all the way. There were obviously stories I liked more than overs, but it was super average for me.

When I have more time, I will be updating my review with actual thoughts on each individual story and a clear average rating! Stay tuned!

Edgar Allen Poe is one of my favorite writers, so naturally I was excited to see this book about retellings come up! Though I'd heard of a handful of authors who contributed to this book, there were many I hadn't heard of. I enjoyed the fact that the stories were varied. There were of course many of his famous works chosen, like The Raven and The Tell Tale Heart. But there were some of his more obscure works included, too, like Hop Frog and Ligeia.

What I liked about this collection was that each author brought something new to the story they chose. Sometimes, that was changing the genre, like making The Fall of the House of Usher into a sci-fi hacking action story, or setting the Tell Tale Heart in a high school. I enjoyed the blend of genres, which kept things really different and dynamic for me.

What I didn't care for was the overall book as a whole. I felt like most authors did a decent job, but there were quite a few stories that I felt really fell flat or didn't do enough to make the story new and interesting. But most, I just felt an overall absence of creepy. The great thing about Poe is his ability to cast such a dark, fearful spell over his readers. His stories are mysterious and spooking, in a good way, but they still give you the creeps. Most of the stories that are in this book have the horror part, to some extent, but they just aren't...creepy. A lot of the stories are just strange or leave too much to the imagination. I didn't find any of them to be all that spooky, which was a major disappointment.

I will still recommend this book to readers who enjoy Poe, or who are looking for some light scary stories, ones that won't totally freak them out.

I’ll be the first to tell you that short stories aren’t usually my thing. I like my stories long, full of detail and dialogue. The main exception being Edgar Allan Poe. Ever since I read “The Black Cat” back in high school, I’ve tried to read as much of his work as I possibly can. So when I heard that there was going to be an anthology with stories based on his work, it went on my TBR straight away.

His Hideous Heart compiles thirteen retellings of some of Poe’s most popular and least popular works, and creates a Gothic collection that Poe would be proud of. From hacking jobs and stolen identities to heartbreak and revenge, this collection works so well together. Though it does have it’s weak stories, the majority of them are phenomenal retellings that make Poe modern, diverse, and more accessible to the masses.

The following is my full thoughts on all 13 short stories in His Hideous Heart.


“She Rode a Horse of Fire”: Kendare Blake —- ★★★
Retelling of “Metzengerstein”

This is the most literal retelling that I have ever read. Before now, I had never read Metzengerstein, and it’s not one of my favorite Poe stories. With that said, I think Blake modernized it enough that it felt different and easier to understand. But it was so close to the source material, reading one after the other felt a bit lackluster.

“It’s Carnival!”: Tiffany D. Jackson —- ★★★★★
Retelling of “The Cask of Amontillado”

This is why “The Cask of Amontillado” is one of my favorites; because it can lend itself to a retelling like this one. Jackson adapts Poe story so well. It has the perfect amount of suspense and imagination, and still pays homage to the original story while making it completely her own. My favorite moment in this story, though, comes when the beating of a character’s heart matches the rhythm of the calypso drums outside; just marvelous.

“Night-Tide”: Tessa Gratton —- ★★★★★
Retelling of “Annabel Lee”

I was interested to see how Gratton turned “Annabel Lee” from such a haunting poem to a short story, and I think she did phenomenally. Retold as a f/f romance, “Night-Tide” was full of grief, pain, and ominous ambiance that kept me engrossed the entire time. Honestly, if she made this an entire book, I would be ecstatic.
(My initial review of this story in my notes is literally just ‘Aahhhhhhh!!!!” if that give a hint about how much I liked this one.)

“The Glittering Death”: Caleb Roehrig —- ★★★★★
Retelling of “The Pit and the Pendulum”

Never in my entire life have I been blown away by a short story like I was with this one. “The Glittering Death” is completely heart pounding, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole story. Extremely violent and a bit gruesome, it read like an episode of a cop-drama and I loved every minute of it.

“A Drop of Stolen Ink”: Emily Lloyd-Jones —- ★★
Retelling of “The Purloined Letter”

I loved the concept of this one, but I think the execution fell a bit flat. Changing the original story from a political thriller to a sci-fi story was a great transition, and worked well. My biggest issue, I think, was the world building: there just wasn’t enough of it.

“Happy Days, Sweetheart”: Stephanie Kuehn —- ★★
Retelling of “The Tell-Tale Heart”

This was just okay. Some of the ideas need a bit more development and the emotions amped up a bit – more crazed, more internal struggle, for example. I did like the twisted ending though, comparatively to the original story.

“The Raven (Remix)”: Amanda Lovelace —- ★★
Retelling of “The Raven”

Lovelace turns “The Raven” into a full ghost story in less than a hundred words. It does take away from the original poem and just kind of summarized the story, but it was still quite enjoyable.

“Changeling”: Marieke Nijkamp —- ★★
Retelling of “Hop-Frog”

I was excited for this story once I learned that it was a fae-retelling, but I felt completely underwhelmed. It was okay and the disability rep is great, but I found myself getting bored and counting the pages; it just didn’t have a similar sense of urgency and revenge as the story it’s inspired by.

“The Oval Filter”: Lamar Giles —- ★★★★.5
Retelling of “The Oval Portrait”

Lamar Giles sure knows how to write a short story. “The Oval Portrait” is one of my favorite Poe stories and he adapted it for the modern age wonderfully. I don’t even know what else to say except read this.

“Red”: Hillary Monahan —- ★★★
Retelling of “The Masque of the Red Death”

I confess, it did take a reread for me to fully understand this story, but once I did I realized it’s quite an interesting take on the original story. Narrated by Death herself, it’s an interesting commentary on economic class in the modern age which isn’t too far off from Poe’s story.

“Lygia”: Dahlia Adler —- ★★★★
Retelling of “Ligeia”

Also a f/f story, “Lygia” is such an engaging retelling. Adler seems to have really been able to grasp the Gothic themes of the original tale, while being able to make it her own and modernize it all in one fell swoop.

“The Fall of the Bank of Usher”: Fran Wilde —- ★★
Retelling of “The Fall of the House of Usher”

Making this a story focusing around hacking is such an interesting way of spinning this story, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of it. Wilde’s writing just didn’t work for me, combined with “The Fall of the House of Usher” being one of my least favorite Poe stories, I felt myself skimming the story more often than not. Though, if you enjoy sci-fi, I definitely suggest you check this story out for yourself.

“The Murders in the Rue Apartelle, Boracay”: Rin Chupeco —- ★★★
Retelling of “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”

I always seem to forget that Poe wrote mystery stories on top of his Gothic masterpieces, and Chupeco did a good job at mimicking his style while adding a bit more mystery, in my opinion. The trans rep in this is really great and the tone of the story was a great way to end the anthology.

I love that the original stories are in the back! I flipped back and forth reading the originals first then the retellings. As most short story collections I really enjoyed some and also didn't enjoy some. Another thing to think about is if short story collections put you in a book slump which they do for me. But that's not because I don't enjoy short stories! I think its because there is no connection with short stories as soon as you start to care its over and I need to be engrossed in books to prevent slump which no short story collection has been able to provide the connection I need and get with full length books. But this is a fun spin on Poe stories (who I love) so I would definitely recommend this. But maybe while reading an actual novel along side it and only read a story or two a day.

When I first heard about this anthology, I just about lost my mind. I have been a fan of Edgar Allan Poe (aka Creepy Edgar) for years! His stories and poems are so dark and twisty and spooky. They’ve always intrigued me. And then I got an email asking me to be involved in the blog tour for His Hideous Heart and I almost fainted! I could not have said yes fast enough lol.

Let’s get started!

Whenever an author (or a group of authors) retell a classic, there’s always a worry (at least for me) that they won’t do it justice. That was not a problem here. They took enough of the originals so any Poe fan (lol me) could recognize the story they were retelling but also make them unique enough that they are brilliant stories in their own. Alright, let’s talk individual stories!

She Rode a Horse of Fire by Kendare Blake (inspired by Metzengerstein)

When a rich girl pretending to be a maid dies in a stable fire on the estate, Friedrich goes into a deep dark depression, blaming himself. He locks himself in a room and becomes obsessed with a painting. The housekeeper, Eliza, is the only one brave enough to see him and when she visits, he tells her that the picture keeps moving, changing.

But all of a sudden, he comes out of his depression and goes driving one day. He comes back with a girl and they seem to fall in love. Everything is good until Friedrich is found dead at the front gate. With no other heirs to the estate, Eliza won’t let it go to anyone else.

Thoughts: This one is so utterly creepy and atmospheric.

It’s Carnival! by Tiffany D. Jackson (inspired The Cask of Amontillado)

Cindy leads a man, Darrell, back to what is supposedly her house. She tempts him with sorrel and then once he arrives, she bricks him up in the wall. It is her revenge for his past actions.

Thoughts: I loved this story! It’s all about revenge just like the original but this time, it’s a woman setting out to get justice.

Night-Tide by Tessa Gratton (inspired by Annabel Lee)

Jackie meets Annabel Lee during her trips with her family to the Kingdom of the Sea, a resort overlooking a bay. They become fast friends but soon turn into something more. Jackie and Annabel Lee fall in love. But when Annabel doesn’t return to the resort the next year, Jackie goes looking for her. She’s not sure she can live with what she finds?

Thoughts: This is one of my favorite stories in the whole anthology. It’s f/f which I love and the setting and the whole tone of the story is absolutely beautiful. TW: suicide

The Glittering Death by Caleb Roehrig (inspired by The Pit and the Pendulum)

Laura is taken and tortured by a killer known as The Judge. She tries to reason with him, trick him, but it never works in her favor. She finally realizes he is drugging her with the water he give her. When he starts hosing her down, she spills out her water without him noticing. Finally seeing her chance for escape, she makes a run for it. But he’s quickly stops her. Will she be able to make it out alive?

Thoughts: Oh this story was utterly perfect. It is pretty violent but Laura is a badass and smart as hell.

A Drop of Stolen Ink by Emily Lloyd-Jones (inspired by The Purloined Letter)

Augusta Pine (not her real name) infiltrates her way into the Atreus Partnership with a fake identity tattoo. Everyone has a tattoo that contains their personal information. She’s there to take down the head of the company. He has a duplicate ID tattoo which is supposed to be impossible and very illegal. It turns out The Feds made it, he stole it.

Augusta is facing a prison sentence and working as a spy is the only path to her freedom. But when she finds the tattoo, it’s in the last place she would have expected.

Thoughts: This story was so fun. It has an f/f relationship in it towards the end and it’s just heist-y and sci-fi and so intriguing.

Happy Days, Sweetheart by Stephanie Kuehn (inspired by The Tell-Tale Heart)

The narrator kills a boy (Jonah) she’s seeing. Why? He keeps winning everything she worked so hard for. She stabs him multiple times and then she hides the body. But when the police come, she hears a noise that shouldn’t be possible…his heartbeat. Will she turn herself in or get away with murder?

Thoughts: I LOVED this take on The Tell-Tale Heart. It was much more relatable than the original (not that I would kill a dude). The narrator’s ambition and fear and maybe even love for the boy she feels throughout the story is so complex.

The Raven (Remix) by amanda lovelace (inspired by The Raven)

Thoughts: Please read this one aloud! The rhyming scheme is perfectly in tune with the original and it’s so much fun to say and read.

Changeling by Marieke Nijkamp (inspired by Hop-Frog)

Children who the world deems broken and abuses are saved by the changelings and brought to a different world where they are cared for and wanted.

Thoughts: Excuse me while I cry because this story is so beautiful and I want it to be real! This is definitely one of my faves of the anthology. It is also written in parts going from the past to the present and I love when authors do that.

The Oval Filter by Lamar Giles (inspired by The Oval Portrait)

Tariq is a football player who’s injured but in recovery. While in an ice bath to repair his muscles, he takes out his phone and scrolls through Instagram. But while looking at pictures, he sees a picture of someone he knows shouldn’t be there. It’s Courtney. His girlfriend. She’s dead. But when he tries to show it to someone else, the account is gone.

When he goes back on Instagram, he sees it again, but this time, the pictures look wrong. They look like she’s being thrown around, hurt. The next time he checks his phone, a picture of has Courtney become his homescreen and then the picture starts to move. Different shots flick back and forth making it look like her eyes are moving.

Through the pictures, Tariq finds out who killed Courtney and he avenges her.

Thoughts: This is so perfectly interpreted for today I can barely get out words. it’s expertly done and the final scene will leave you shook!

Red by Hillary Monahan (inspired by The Masque of the Red Death)

Death (a slight woman in a shabby coat) comes arrives at Prospero’s, a fancy club for the powerful and the wealthy. And she shows no mercy.

Thoughts: This original Poe story is one of my favorites and Hillary Monahan did not disappoint with her retelling. Death comes for the rich and she does not pull any punches. *cackles*

Lygia by Dahlia Adler (inspired by Ligeia)

The narrator remembers their love with Lygia who died of cancer and everything they never got to do together and be. But then she starts falling for someone else. She likes them a lot but they still aren’t Lygia. Unless, she can make them into her??

Thoughts: This is another “grab the tissues” story. It’s also another f/f (flails with delight). I really like this one because you think it’s one thing at the beginning and then the end hits and you’re like…WOAH.

The Fall of the Bank of Usher by Fran Wilde (inspired by The Fall of the House of Usher)

Rik and Mad get a challenge to go to an offshore bank and see if they can hack it. If they do, they get a ton of money which would allow them to finally disappear. But it turns out to much more dangerous than they expected. Can they win the challenge or will this last shot at freedom take their lives?

Thoughts: HACKERS! Who doesn’t want to see a bank crash and burn especially after all they have done in the past? This story is utterly creepy and I wasn’t sure whether Rik and Mad were going to survive in the end (no spoilers!)

The Murders in the Rue Apartelle, Boracay by Rin Chupeco (inspired by The Murders in the Rue Morgue)

Written like a conversation between the narrator and a friend, she talks about this guy (Ogie) she met in Boracay (Philippines) and how great he is and that he doesn’t judge her. She details the time they spend together, but it soon turns dark when they begin to investigate one the multiple murders on the island. But as the narrator finishes her story, it seems like Ogie might hiding quite the secret.

Thoughts: Trans Rep!! The narrator is a trans woman and damn does this story take you on a ride. The conversational tone is PERFECT and the way it’s written made me feel like I was there. And I always love a story with a good murder investigation.

Thank you to Flatiron Books for the free ARC in exchange for my review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity of review this with honesty.

This is my first time reading Poe's stories and reading them first with the creativity and audacity of these authors is just great. The one by Tiffany D. Jackson "It's Carnaval!" WOW, that one was really good, I can't understand how a person who writes mostly contemporaries can hide this talent! We need a creepy novel or short story by her, please!. The Kendare Blake one was just creepy, like her writing in some parts of Three Dark Crowns series, I loved it. Tessa Gratton... my heart, this story was so full of emotions, I wasn't expecting an emotional and strong story like this, this story would stay with me forever, I know it.

Let me cut to the chase., this book was really good. For a person that has never read any Edgar Alan Poe work, (like me) this is just perfect to introduce them to his works. The authors were so good with their stories and reimagining that I cannot wait to read more of their works and EAP works.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this anthology since I am a big fan of them and a fan of EAP, this was a match made in heaven. All the stories were compelling and gripped me from start to finish. I love a good retelling and these stories delivered.

I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a creepy and weirdly entertaining read. I wasn't in love with all the stories that filled this collection, but it didn't stop me from enjoying most of them. There was so much going on in here that made those few I wasn't so happy with, seem like a distant memory. And, that is saying a lot, because for being short stories those that I really liked, were very well done and captivating.

Then, there was the surprise that made this more of a complete collection, which were the additions of Edgar Allan Poe's original stories. I hadn't read more into this book, so I wasn't aware that his stories were included. Which, turned out to be a nice surprise, seeing the new and old together. And, even with the ones I wasn't so fond of, they were still a nice little take on the original.

Yes, I don't have to be fond of all of them to find an appreciation for a book that's done in this way. I'm glad there's a collection like this and hoping to see more like them in the near future. Especially, if they include stories like that of "She Rode a Horse of Fire" or "Changeling", which will give you nightmares and frights for days. Or, those like "It's Carnival!" or "Happy Days, Sweetheart" which will shock you to the core!

My rating might not make much sense with the tons of raving going on, but that has to do mostly with stories like "The Glittering Death" that just fell flat for me. Overall, it's a well rounded set of stories, even with those few not so savory ones. But, if you're a big fan of Edgar Allan Poe's stories like I am, you're not going to want to miss out on this book. It'd be a great read for Fall time.

***I received this copy from Flatiron Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

When I saw that Dahlia Adler had edited a collection of Edgar Allan Poe re-imaginings, I was intrigued and thrilled. I'm a Poe lover for sure, so I was interested to see what the authors did with Poe's twisted sense of the macabre.

His Hideous Heart contains takes on such famous works as "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Fall of the House of Usher," and "The Cask of Amontillado," as well as lesser-known works such as "Ligeia" and "The Oval Portrait." Even not having read some of Poe's original tales, each of the authors' takes on the Poe texts were awesome. My absolute favorite was Tiffany D. Jackson's rendition of "The Cask of Amontillado," though Lamar Giles' "The Oval Portrait" re-imagining ran a close second.

The original Poe stories are included after the new renditions, in case you want to read the unfamiliar or re-read the beloved. If you're a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, this collection is a must.

I think I would totally use this in my classroom to compare the retelling to the original of The Fall of the House of Usher, which I teach each year, and The Tell-Tall Heart. Those just so happened to be my favorite stories in this collection as well. The collection itself was well down with threads of the original tales woven throughout the retelling, while also making each story uniquely its own.

His Hideous Heart is a short story collection of Poe reimaginings from popular authors. I really enjoyed these stories: they were true to the feel of a Poe story while updating the themes with new and relevant aspects of our modern lives. I was sufficiently creeped out and moved by the vast majority of the stories, just as you would hope to be in this case. His Hideous Heart is the perfect read for fall, when you're gearing up for spooky season. The short stories are easy to get through yet substantial enough to be engaging. I will be recommending this collection to my horror YA readers all season long.