I don't normally read short stories, but this caught my eye and the concept intrigued me. I had to read it. I read the story on the publisher's site here:- http://thebooksmugglers.com/2014/11/t...I'm really glad I did. This is a fascinating, multi-layered and complex short. It's full of poetic and emotive language. The description is vivid, yet real. Making you at times feel genuine disgust. I hadn't heard of a Pania before. The impression I'm left with at the end of this story is that a Pania i...

LOOOVE! Gorgeous! Who else wants mussels?

Finally a ~paranormal romance~ that ends realistically.

Meh, not sure how they didn't realize it was he that was bleeding and why was he in the water in the first place? Stupid guy, gets what he put himself in the way of. Also not sure why his friends/family/village people didn't try to stop him. And he couldn't find a nice human girl to go all stalker-y on? Not a bad story, but I had a few issues with it.

A decent story about a man trying to court a Pania.To read my full review, click here.

Bizarre, but fun short story. Loved it.

WELCOME TO DECEMBER PROJECT!last year, i carved out my own short story advent calendar as my project for december, and it was so much fun i decided to do it again this year! so, each day during the month of december, i will be reading a short story and doing the barest minimum of a review because ain't no one got time for that and i'm already so far behind in all the things. however, i will be posting story links in case anyone wants to read the stories themselves and show off how maybe someone

This is an example of a man with sex on the brain, to the point where he loses his common sense, and, of course, all his seduction plans backfire on him. More than that, this story is a lesson in expectations -- a warning to not try to change others to be something (or someone) they are not.All the rubbing and oiling going on had me constantly picturing little bottles of Johnson & Johnson baby oil scattered around while I was reading this, to my own amusement. Also, if the ending is to be interp...

"the mussel eater" has gorgeous imagery - full of scents and tastes and colors, all blended together: saffron and brine, seaweed and oranges, sauvignon and rotten fish. flashing sharp teeth, the crunch of crab shell, blood in seawater. and the pania herself, a beauty and a terror. though the story is predictable, adding nothing new to its inspirational mythos, it's quite a sensual and sensory journey to the inevitable end.i read it for free on thebooksmugglers.com.

First of all, that is one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen and, shallow as I am, I had to read it.Anyway, I happen to have an obsession with the monstrous feminine, so if this review is too involved in the subject, then I'm sorry. Every culture possesses this element to their mythology: a monstrous woman who is an object of lust. We are all familiar with how the story goes: serpent/demon/snake/dragon/goat/siren/mermaid/etc. woman is spotted by knight/prince/chief's son/random nob

Thank you so much to Martyn for recommending me this!I read this for free here on the publisher's website.This was an utterly beautiful little faerie tale. This was dark, deliciously so, and yet, still so beautiful. I was entranced, and just could not turn away from this. The writing is superb, considering it was posted around circa 2014, I am thoroughly impressed. Reading this, I would expect it to be written and published long, long ago, around maybe the 1900s, along with traditional works...

The first time I read this story, I admit, I was a bit turned off by its intensity, and the sharp left turn it took at the end -- although it was clear from the beginning that this weren't star crossed love 'twixt merfolk and earthfolk. I reread it today, though, and, knowing what I was getting in for, was delighted to follow a journey into the darkest tidepools of obsession and control -- with such lavish description of food that my mouth watered, and I hate mussels!The Pania is a particularly

This is the kind of novella I love; short, sweet, to the point. Well, sweet in a way. The reader is left with dread while reading it, because there isn’t a lot of ways for it to end, but it was definitely worth the trip!

Really nice short story, and FREE! It was a bit weird, but I really enjoyed this. He was a bit stupid at the end. Should've thought about it a bit I think.

This one is quite good and the message is great- because wild things can never be tamed and some things can never be changed- especially when they do not want to change. Nice one.

Beautiful writing I don't if I'm just hungry but it has me craving seafood which well considering the ending is kind of terrible lol.

Yay! A terrifying seafolk short story, I'm so glad I found this. It's a nice breath of fresh air given most books I know are about traditional western mermaids. Having a short story that takes folklore from their countries is just amazing, and this one I loved. Amazing horror story. Beautifully written and properly scary and creepy.

This was delicious.

This is another short story published by The Book Smugglers, and I really enjoyed it.Karitoki is fascinated by the Pania he has come to think of as his own. They spend a lot of time together and he loves to look at her, and touch her scaled flesh. Pania is different in other ways. She's strong, has sharp teeth and nails, plus she refuses to eat cooked food.No matter how hard Karitoki tries to tempt her with his sweet and sour cooking skills, she refuses to eat the mussels he cooks. But she does

Pania are mermaids from Maori mythology; sentient, human-like sea creatures whose instinct is to protect the warm blooded creatures of the sea. Karitoki, the protagonist of this short story, lusts after one of the pania, and the pania's curiosity sends her to the harbor to humor him. While I thought Karitoki needed more back story and complications to make this an excellent story, it's well worth the read, particularly for the unique insight into these sea creatures. It can be read for free here...