The nitty-gritty: Chuck Tingle tackles some big themes in his latest, a fun, entertaining and heartfelt story about being yourself. “This is my parents’ worst nightmare,” I announce, gazing at the living room ceiling with a pillow behind my head. “Their gay daughter and her lesbian girlfriend in a spooky old farmhouse doing drugs with […]
The nitty-gritty: Full of fascinating history, slow build suspense, and two unforgettable main characters, Silver Nitrate is a must read for Silvia Moreno-Garcia fans. “Editing was changing. The Moviola and the Steenbeck machines were yielding space to video monitors, tapes, and computers. Beyond the Yellow Door was an item from another era; it enchanted her […]
The nitty-gritty: A tense slasher with an intriguing mystery makes Dead of Winter a must read for Darcy Coates fans. So far I’m two for two with Darcy Coates! I loved her last book, Gallows Hill, and Dead of Winter is completely different but just as good. Coates uses the tried and true locked room […]
The nitty-gritty: The “cursed movie” trope is alive and well in Josh Winning’s latest, a creepy, madcap adventure that, while a lot of fun, falters when it comes to the characters and their actions. It pains me to give Burn the Negative anything less than five stars, since I really expected to love this. Josh […]
The nitty-gritty: Evil takes over a boys’ orphanage in this gory, claustrophobic tale. I’m so glad I finally read a book by Philip Fracassi, and after my experience with Boys in the Valley, I’m eager to read more of his work. This is a tightly plotted, emotional horror story involving demonic possession, and I went […]
The nitty-gritty: A dark and gritty look at a codependent relationship, with vampires. “At six o’clock, I break a teacup from the kitchenette against the wall and use a shard of porcelain to cut a second hole in my arm. I let it pool into a paper Dixie cup and tell Mom to come drink […]
The nitty-gritty: Shocking and audacious, Maeve Fly combines repulsive violence with unexpected emotion, and I could not put it down. “Having stripped most of the flesh down with chemicals and the slow cooker, and having worked my muscles to a place beyond fatigue with the hacking, I now have to dry the bones outside in […]
The nitty-gritty: Atmospheric and eerie, All the Dead Lie Down is a nice mix of horror, coming-of-age and family secrets. It was the creepy, evocative cover of All the Dead Lie Down that caught my attention, and I have to say Kyrie McCauley’s story matches the cover perfectly. This was such an atmospheric story with […]
The nitty-gritty: A grotesque but beautifully written tale of revenge and love. “I bite down on my smile instead, straightening, aware of how I must look: transparent hair, translucent skin, lips red as arteries. Iridescent eyes, stained-glass oceans, so large that they are nearly alien, their breadth magnified by thick, sweeping lashes. With every hour […]
The nitty-gritty: An atmospheric setting and the promise of an intriguing story couldn’t make up for the scattered plot and over-the-top prose. October Animals is a short novella (or perhaps even a novelette) that I really wanted to love, but unfortunately, it didn’t work that well for me. The story is rather convoluted, and I […]