Thank you netgalley and scriber for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Nineteen claws and a Black Bird is a compilation of dark, short stories. I went into this with high expectations but it wasn't it for me. I felt like the stories started out great, but as the book went on I lost more interest. The stories stopped making sense.

Bunny was my favorite.

So bummed that this one didn't work for me. Only a couple stories held my interest, most were too short to be anything but aimlessly weird. I love bizarre fiction, but these stories lacked intention... or maybe I'm just a dummy and everything went over my head.

I read Tender is the Flesh and that book still lives in my head rent free to this day. I was so excited to hear that another book was coming out by this author. This is a collection of short horror stories that play on what actually goes on in human minds. I wanted to love this but most of the stories fell flat and had little meaning to me. I would read a full length book by this author but I don't think these short stories are for me.

Read like a collection of creepy pasta which may not be for everyone but I enjoyed it. Most stories are quick so it doesn't take a lot of commitment to get through and for the most part they have a fun little gimmick to them that makes them interesting.

This didn't do it for me as much as I hoped/expected it would. For me, most of the stories weren't super memorable and I didn't feel super enraptured by many of them. I did appreciate how short they were though, and many of them accomplished a lot in such a small number of pages. I really really loved the last two stories in the collection, and enjoyed some others.

This collection of stories is a must-read for anyone who enjoys thought-provoking fiction that challenges our perceptions of the world. With an atmospheric feel through most of the tales, the book delivers a diverse range of themes, from the dark and twisted to the mundane and ordinary. What sets this collection apart is the author's ability to expose the horror that can lurk beneath the surface of everyday situations. Fans of Agustina Bazterrica's previous work, 'Tender Is the Flesh,' will recognize her signature style that induces discomfort and pushes readers out of their comfort zones. Overall, this is a thought-provoking and challenging read that is not for the faint of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the chance to review this Arc!

**ARC provided by NetGalley, Scribner, and Agustina Bazterrica in exchange for an honest written review.**

I’ve had Tender is the Flesh on my TBR for a while now, after having it recommended to me by a long-time friend. It’s still there, and I think I’ll be bumping it up a little higher on the list following reading this collection of short stories by Bazterrica.

Some of the stories fell flat for me, which I expected. I don’t go into a collection expecting to be enraptured by all of the stories. I’d say about fifty percent of them kept my interest, and the others I speed-skimmed to get the main points.

The stories that stuck out to me enough to highlight portions were: Unamuno’s Boxes, Dishwasher, Earth, and Hell.

The stories that I enjoyed reading were: A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound, Candy Pink, A Hole Hides a House, Mary Carminum, and The Solitary Ones.

I think all of the aforementioned stories offer interesting glimpses into the overarching topics that they’re addressing. For example, Unamuno’s Boxes and A Hole Hides a House offer different ways to view serial killers and trafficking situations. By me saying that, I mean that they offer a more abstract (but oddly relatable at times) lens. I’ve definitely been in situations where I dream up scenarios for people I don’t know and are either proven right or wrong (Unamuno’s Boxes). And I think that A Hole Hides a House offers a look into what was previously (and currently in some places) deemed as an acceptable practice (having child brides) and how... unhelpful someone could feel in that situation as a third party observer. As well as how destroying it could be for the victim in that case.

The remaining stories didn’t elicit any sort of reaction from me, but that’s not to say that they aren’t going to be interesting and captivating to someone else.

I think this book could benefit from a more thorough trigger warning list, although I know that the majority of those who enjoy reading horror and horror adjacent genres more or less know what to expect from Bazterrica’s work (especially if they’re read TItF already). As someone who will read just about anything, I can imagine someone picking this up and not really knowing what they’re signing up for if this is their introduction to the genre and/or author.

Again I would like to thank NetGalley, Scribner, and Agustina Bazterrica for the opportunity to read this prior to being published. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity.

This has to be one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read but like not in a good way sadly… I loved tender is the flesh but this short story collection was mostly a miss for me. Some stories were great but some just went right over my head. Some of the characters also felt flat and repetitive to me so I’m bummed. Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this though!

I became a fan of this author with his novel "Tender is the Flesh" and knew that I had to read this collection of shorts from him. This one is not to be missed. Each story is beautifully written and will make you yearn for more. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley!
I’m so honored to get an ARC of this book. I can’t say this about many short story collections but I loved every single story. I would read any thing Agustin’s Bazterrica writes. She writes such haunting and beautiful stories. I can’t wait for publication so I can annotate the book.

This didn't do it for me. Most of the stories started strong, but they never expanded past the first idea. They felt underdeveloped, artificially padded out—which is saying something, considering how short most of them are. I can see fans of the author liking them, especially if they're not big readers of short fiction, but in general, I wouldn't recommend.

(thnx anyway NetGalley!)

Rating: 3.75

I hate short stories. They always leave me wanting more, looking for more of a conclusion… more of a connection with the characters.

That being said I was pleasantly surprised reading this collection of short creepy/spooky stories. While I did feel a few weren’t as fleshed out or I didn’t really understand what a few were trying to convey… the majority were quite good.

The author does have a way with creating a creepy narrative even within a page long story. And if you haven’t checked out Tender is the Flesh you should obviously give that novel a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Net Galley for the eARC of this collection of short stories for an honest review.

Like this book, I myself am strange and unusual. I do wish the stories themselves were slightly longer, but this is only because I truly enjoyed most of them, which is hard to do with collections. The writing is dark, twisted, and almostly sickly-sweet in nature. Definitely reccommend for any horror readers & those who are wanting to dip their toes into the genre without having to commit to a full-sized novel. This was my first encouner with the author, but Tender is the Flesh just skipped to the top of my TBR pile!

This is the first book I have read from this author and was really impressed with the level of creativity and ingenuity to create something so visceral and alive. I felt very haunted and just enjoyed the bizarreness and the range of stories that were told in this book. I am definitely going to have to go back and read Tender is the Flesh now as I have had a taste of this author's work and find it to be equal parts fascinating, appalling, and mesmerizing at the same time. These stories were definitely something different and offered something so different than the standard short story book. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Crazy and delightfully dark. Highly recommended, even to those who'd previously disliked Tender is the Flesh. In my opinion, this was better and more compelling.

I LOVEDDDD TENDER IS THE FLESH, so I was really looking forward to this one! I still think Bazterrica is such a force, but struggled to really root into any of these because of their length. Fewer, more fully drawn stories I think would have worked better for me. Still going to read whatever she puts out next, though!

These stories genuinely horrified me. Specifically the two that have stuck with me are the story about the young woman at her father's grave and the man visiting a 'concert hall' to see a group making music about Mary (as in Jesus; mom). The collection is an excellent mix of social horror and the more spooky out-there horror.

this book is absolute perfection. I wasn’t a huge fan of the authors first book, tender is the flesh, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one but it far exceeded my expectations. the authors has such a way with words and is the queen of descriptions. I felt like I was being pulled into each story. I highly highly highly recommend checking this book out! thank you netgalley for the arc!

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird is a collection of translated short stories by Agustina Bazterrica who is most known for the very polarizing novel, Tender is the Flesh.

Much like Tender is the Flesh, this collection is both captivating and disturbing with beautiful prose. I really took my time going through each story despite some only being a few paragraphs long to really appreciate what Bazterrica was trying to say. I don’t want to go into any details about the stories themselves because a lot of them a very short but there is a very broad range of topics and styles covered in this book. Mostly horror, some have a few sci-fi elements as well.

While not every story was a winner for me, I think this was a really solid collection of stories. I feel like short story collections by a single author are a little harder to pull off because it’s easy to get tired of the same writing style being repeated several times but this one has enough unique stories that I didn’t even notice that.

I would recommend this to anyone who really loves horror short stories. I don’t think anyone who dislikes short stories would find this particularly compelling. I look forward to buying a physical copy of this upon release so I can go back and read some of the standout stories.

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird is an enticing collection of 20 short stories with an impressive range of theme.

One thing I always adore with Agustina’s work is that every word choice is intentional. There are no filler paragraphs or statements in between that seem to drag and lose your attention. The way she writes and flows with every page keeps a tight, engaging grip on you.

There were a few short stories in here that I thought really stood out and enjoyed the most, which include Unamuno’s Boxes, Candy Pink, Elena-Marie Sandoz, and No Tears. I thought these were exceptional and really left you thinking about the underlying messages within the stories. Close seconds following these short stories are Anita and Happiness, and Perfect Symmetry.

Following ‘Tender is the Flesh,’ I had REALLY high expectations. In hindsight, that isn’t always fair because this is a collection of short stories, ranging in page length from 3-20 pages per short story. So, some stories didn’t really grab me with as much force or interest. Nevertheless, Agustina’s signature dystopian themes are ever-present in this collection. She has such an incredible way of leaving you with so many questions, thoughts, and feelings after finishing a story.

Also, to note, I really love the cover and title of this! Agustina always comes out with very polarizing and engaging cover and title combinations that I think make readers really gravitate towards.

A big thanks to NetGalley for providing me this advanced reader’s copy!