Mark Matthews returns with the third anthology of addiction based horror stories and much like the first two, Matthews has enlisted a stellar group of writers who you know will deliver phenomenal stories.

If you've not read either of the previous entries, no worries, these are not connected in that sense (although Kealan Patrick Burke's stories in each one are set in the same world), so you can dive in and not have read the other two. Saying that, you really should as the work featured within is always haunting, heart breaking and captivating.

With 'Orphans of Bliss' I found the level of storytelling to be lights out. Amazing from start to finish.

What I liked: Each author within has very distinct ways of telling their stories and that works really well for the reader, as each piece feels fresh and nothing comes off as repetitive. I think one thing I really enjoyed was that there were only 10 stories. Lately many anthologies are nearing three times that amount and it can make for an uneven reading experience.

Not here.

Highlights for me were;
- 'You Wait For It, Like It Waits For You' by Kealan Patrick Burke. This one followed Sean, an addict who has done some horrific thing. His wife and kids have left him and he is in a recovery centre/hospital setting. But not all is how it seems and, as expected, Kealan gives us a haunting look at a mind that is struggling.
- 'One Last Blast' by S.A. Cosby. We get to follow Kenny Wayne, small town dealer of Meth and a new hot product Ice Man for an evening. Cosby crafted a short but unsettling story, one that was a blast to see unfold.
- 'What We Name Our Dead' by Cassandra Khaw. This starts off with just a devastating line and gets worse from there. I don't want to mention too much but wow did Khaw go dark.
- 'Through the Looking Glass and Straight Into Hell' by Christa Carmen. A really unique Sci-Fi mash up, we get a VR set up to help with addicts and some interesting ramifications from there.
- 'Holding On' by Gabino Iglesias. Another futuristic- Sci-Fi blended story, we follow Guillermo as he tries to find his friend and significant other who is pregnant. This was filled with action, creatures and some pointed social commentary. Really well done.

What I didn't like: While I did enjoy each story, some started off with really interesting premises and faded away, while a few were good but I just didn't connect with them like the others. Anthologies are always like that and readers will find stories they love more than others.

Why you should buy this: Matthews has once again given us an anthology that looks at how addiction can hook into a person and hold tight, while also sharing how that addiction affects them and those closest. The stories are filled with darkness, despair but also these wiggling ideas that pull the reader along.

Definitely an anthology you'll want to check out!

(This review will feature on Kendall Reviews near release date!)

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC.

I always find it hard to rate short story collections, and this one is no exception. There were some stories that I absolutely loved and that’ll probably stay with me for quite some time, and then there were some that didn’t capture me as much. Overall, I really enjoyed this book though, and I really want to check out the other books in this series.
The thing I liked most about this book is probably that the stories are so diverse. They all shock you in a way, but in different ways. The stories that I personally liked best would have to be One Last Blast (S.A. Cosby), Huddled Masses, Yearning to Breathe free (John FD Taff), and Buyer’s Remorse (Samantha Kolesnik).

Overall, this was a great book, and I’d definitely recommend checking it out if you’re at all interested in horror stories.

This is the third book in this series and all of them have been excellent. This one, I believe, is my favorite. A lot of great authors. Every story is brilliant. Highly recommend.

These tales are viscerally disturbing but do remain on the literary side of speculative fiction in writing quality.
The lineup is pretty awesome, lots of easily recognizable names.
My favorites were the stories by Burke and Taff (absolutely stunning and mesmerizingly disturbing). The least favorite the one by Iglecias (that just read like someone wanted to hit every check on the socially conscious and woke list, pandering and moralizing).

But it is Christa Carmen’s heartbreakingly honest look at “recovery” that is the star here, a story that is sure to end up on many speculative fiction year-end award lists. All ten are compelling Horror stories on their own, but gathered together, they hold a power, one that will break readers, opening their eyes to a truth we are all facing, something that only the very best Horror is capable of.

This book was .. something else. Each one of this stories is unique, horrifying and ultimately.. sad. The really nightmare-ish but truly vivid portrayals of orphans of bliss. My personal favorite is 'Through the Looking Glass and Straight Into Hell' by Christa Carmen , i was <b>shocked</b> at the ending . I loved all the other stories but that one personally left a mark on me. Overall, this was an enjoyable, truly interesting and well-written book. The only thing that i didn't like is that the text on my kindle appeared on the left side of the screen so half of the right side was empty but i'm sure it's just some formatting error ( and if it's not and the book is just formatted that way, i'm sorry but i just think it's frustrating ).

From Publishers Weekly:

"For this powerhouse anthology, Matthews (The Hobgoblin of Little Minds) brings together 10 horror shorts that capture the vast variations in individual experiences of addiction. In the opening story, “You Wait for It, Like It Waits for You” by Kealan Patrick Burke, a booze- and pill-addicted father traverses dreams, reality, and memory while recovering from an overdose. Burke injects a captivating sense of ambiguity into the gorgeous descriptions, setting the tone for the rest of the anthology. Cassandra Khaw’s impressive ghost story “What We Name Our Dead” sees a woman repeatedly encountering the ghost of her pill-addicted father, who died by suicide. The prose and plot calls to mind 20th-century supernatural fiction, which Khaw masterfully injects with a contemporary spirit. The most artistically daring piece is “Singularity” by Kathe Koja, a brief but outstanding story melding the cosmic, the erotic, and a taste of the surreal. The star-studded lineup of authors—which also includes Josh Malerman and S.A. Cosby—aren’t always quite on their A-game, with a few pieces dragging on a bit too long. Still, these immersive and imaginative tales will be worthwhile for horror lovers. (May)"

Addiction is a subject horrific enough in and of itself. Certainly enough to warrant an anthology. Three anthologies in fact, of which this is the last one and the only one I’ve read. And it’s a powerhouse of one. Story after story hammers in the nightmare of deadly dependency and deleterious desire that is addiction.
These tales are viscerally disturbing but do remain on the literary side of speculative fiction in writing quality.
The lineup is pretty awesome, lots of easily recognizable names.
My favorites were the stories by Burke and Taff (absolutely stunning and mesmerizingly disturbing). The least favorite the one by Iglecias (that just read like someone wanted to hit every check on the socially conscious and woke list, pandering and moralizing).
Overall, a great read. A journey into the darkness well worth taking…if you dare. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.