The cover is just...okay for me. I do like the image of the bleeding letter and that it is symbolic of the actual source material (unlike other books I've read). That being said, the color coordination in the background throws it a bit off for me, and may have benefited from a darker hue.

I have reviewed R.J Erbacher in the past with his previous novel Coffee and Fate, which is a great read. This book is a collection of stories and poems, fifteen in all, across different genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. All of them are connected by the idea that each character is confronted by a 'dark passage', one that they must confront.

The writing style of R.J Erbacher is very intoxicating, with a great deal of descriptive language and character development to draw the reader in. This is the type of collection where there is something for everyone, and your favorite story may vary on personal taste. Personally, my favorites were The House of Flana, Leap of Faith, The Family Plan, and Angel of the Blade, with my least favorite being Between, Circle of Keys, the Mission, and Love Letters. For the stories I did like, however, I was on pins and needles to see what happened next.

Admittedly some of the stories I disliked were ultimately too short for me to really get invested in, but Love Letters was a curious dislike, as that was the favorite story of the author. Personally, I found it too brutal that would have only paid off if the characters had been developed for longer, and unfortunately there wasn't enough of that to make the conclusion worthwhile. Still, even the stories I disliked had a very strong element to them which easily drew the reader in. As an extra bonus, the end of the book has behind-the-scenes details of each story.

Final grade: 4.5 out of 5. Overall, this was a very interesting read with a great offering for every reader. The book is available as kindle or paperback here.