Story Unlikely, May 2026

“The Night Belongs to Sharp Creatures” by Diana Onley

Reviewed by Mina

“The Night Belongs to Sharp Creatures” by Diana Onley describes itself as literary horror. It’s short but feels interminable. The author clearly loves spinning words, but it doesn’t feel like the tale goes anywhere. She imagines a carnival after dark where desperate and grieving people come to ride the carousel. The narrator is the carousel. Make of it what you will—it didn’t work for me, but maybe I am missing the appreciation organ for such tales?