The nitty-gritty: Zombies aren’t the only killers in this tense YA thriller, an exciting start to a new series. If you’re looking for a dark, gritty YA zombie story, then look no further. If We Survive the Night was unexpectedly violent, and the main character surprised me in more ways than one. This is a […]
The nitty-gritty: A Lovecraftian-inspired story set in Korea, A Plagued Sea is an unsettling, claustrophobic nightmare. “There are, in fact, fish in the sea that have developed limbs like arms or legs to crawl along the seabed. With the volcanic eruption, rarely seen sea creatures from the deep ocean were swept onto the shore. People […]
The nitty-gritty: Chris Panatier captures the slow collapse of a close-knit family in Worry Box, a tense, terrifying horror story steeped in emotional heartbreak. “Whenever he tried to visualize what family meant, he saw the woman who he’d loved as his mother strobing in and out of existence behind the roller rink wall. Family was […]
The nitty-gritty: Relentless pacing, thrilling action and heartbreak combine in Christopher Golden’s latest, a violent but satisfying horror tale. This is my first experience reading Christopher Golden, and I’m not sure why I waited so long. Carry Me To My Grave was surprisingly well written, tense and unexpectedly horrific. Golden gives readers a unique, very […]
The nitty-gritty: An uneven story with top notch body horror, Bestiary gets an A+ for the horror elements, but a C- for execution. Bestiary has some great ideas and plenty of gruesome body horror, and in that respect it worked well for me. Patrick Rutigliano is a solid writer (despite some awkward phrasing here and […]
The nitty-gritty: Cynthia Pelayo reimagines the story of Peter Pan, with elements both new and familiar, in this emotionally charged tale. This isn’t the first Peter Pan retelling I’ve read that casts Peter as the villain—check out Lost Boy by Christina Henry for an excellent example of that—but it was a good one! Cynthia Pelayo […]
The nitty-gritty: Welcome to Fell, New York, a town with many unsolved mysteries and plenty of ghosts. The Sun Down Motel has a room waiting for you, if you’re brave enough to enter… I’m so glad I finally made time to read The Sun Down Motel, after diving into Simone St. James’s A Box Full […]
The nitty-gritty: A masterfully written and plotted sci-fi horror story, The Sixth Nik combines grotesque imagery and body horror with unexpected depth and emotion. One thing I’ve come to expect with a new Daniel Kraus book is that I never know what to expect, and The Sixth Nik is yet another great example of Kraus’s […]
The nitty-gritty: Despite a fascinating, horrific premise and plenty of emotional hooks, Headlights turned out to be a disappointing reading experience. I am a huge C.J. Leede fan, let’s get that out of the way first. Her last book, American Rapture, made my top five books of 2024, so I was confident I would love Headlights […]
The nitty-gritty: Craig DiLouie twists the traditional camp slasher trope into a story told through the eyes of local law enforcement, without losing any of the thrills and chills that slasher fans expect. The Summer Fun Massacre was not quite what I expected, but I still had a fun time with it. Rather than your […]