A Debacle of Donuts by Allison M. Dickson

The Consumption trilogy delivers a lovely sampler dish of storytelling. The finale was graphic and gory, and my inner horror glutton found it delectable. Once I was consumed by the ending, though, my displeasure cooled quickly. I was a teensy bit disappointed that the priest wasn’t one that I had met and adored in another story, (“The Last Wedding in the Midnight Chapel” if you’re curious). However, hearing Bruce’s side of the story added a deeper emotional dimension, as well as some of the explanation I’d been starving for.Īnd finally, dessert, which is the best part of any meal: “Love Feast”, the last chapter.

I dug in with the assumption that since it was just a different perspective of the one I’d already read, it wouldn’t be that interesting. The main course, “Sweetness” is where the story really reaches its boiling point. (If you’re interested to know, it was “A Debacle of Donuts”, which was delicious in a Twilight-Zone-y way.) I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t my favorite story in the collection. I wanted to know more, I wanted to know why and how Marah began doing… what Marah did (no spoilers here!). It was a decent-enough story on its own, but felt somehow undercooked.

The appetizer of the trilogy, “Taste” was intriguing, and reminded me a bit of a certain Stephen King story, but with more intensity. Even though, as mentioned, short stories tend to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I hoped that a light snack of a few shorts might be enough to keep the hunger at bay. I had read Strings, and one of her upcoming novels, and was looking for more. I read the first two parts of the Consumption trilogy while on an Allison Dickson binge. Honestly, I’m kicking my own a** right about now. Honestly, I have generally felt that if an author can’t give me a big, meaty, satisfying novel to gnaw on, then they probably just don’t have much to offer. **Note: I was given an advance copy of this trilogy in exchange for an HONEST review, so here it is.***

A Debacle of Donuts by Allison M. Dickson