I was super excited to stumble upon this Dark Corners collection of short stories by various authors via my Amazon Prime library (Amazon Original Stories.) I like that the stories are available individually on both my Kindle and Audible account. Joyce Carol Oates contributes a story of a young adult, Mia, who is trying to adjust to her body changes. She feels targeted by immature boys at school, while at home, her parents separate. Her dad eventually moves across the country for his job and has little contact with Mia and her brothers. She finds comfort in an abandoned lot where feral cats roam. Each visit, Mia tries her best to befriend the cats. One day, she finds a tiny kitten to take home and they soon become very close. Miao Dao provides Mia solace and love she cannot find anywhere else. Her mom remarries and Mia is forced to adjust to more changes in her life. This is where the story gets intense and creepy… ( )

Oates can write, but horror, especially YA horror, ESPECIALLY modern YA horror, is definitely not her forte. ( )

Miao Dao by Joyce Carol Oates is a creepy coming of age story about the bad things that have been happening to Mia since her father left the family. As she matures and her body develops, she is teased and grabbed by the boys at school, her friends are drifting away, and then her mother remarries and she has to deal with a lecherous stepfather. Her only refuge is an abandoned lot that once was home to a feral cat colony. When the cats were destroyed, Mia managed to rescue one little kitten, a beautiful white cat that she named Miao Dao. Miao Dao becomes the one thing that makes Mia happy, then the kitten goes missing and Mia suspects her stepfather has done something. But there are times that Miao Dao seems to return, when Mia is most in need, this ghostly white cat appears and becomes her fierce protector.

I always enjoy Joyce Carol Oates stories and her way with words. While I wouldn’t call this a true horror story it certainly was dark, reflective and tense. ( )

Thirteen-year-old Mia’s life hasn’t been happy of late since she’s been maturing. She’s got boys harassing her at school, her father left, and now she’s got a sleazy new stepfather who got his eyes on her. Mia seeks solace with the feral cats who live on an abandoned lot. They seem like her only friends, especially one in particular who comes home with her and she names Miao Dao. I really enjoyed this strange little tale and found it really captivating and I was curious to see what was going to happen. This short story was an entertaining and quick read. ( )

No. For so many reasons, just no. ( )