The nitty-gritty: A beautifully written story of survival and redemption, Yah Yah Scholfield’s weird, devastating and brutal Southern Gothic debut is a rollercoaster of emotions, both monstrous and beautiful. “It happened in the kitchen. Very germane—butchery in the cooking place, the cleaver and carving knife bearing witness. The tile, slick, grouted, was receptive to the […]
The nitty-gritty: Laura Purcell delivers another chilling haunted house tale in this atmospheric and terrifying ghost story. “Their procession had a sick, decayed sort of grandeur to it. This was what it was, Belinda thought, to be master of The Bridge. A throne of rotten fruit and ashes.” House of Splinters is a companion novel […]
The nitty-gritty: A multilayered horror story set in a dangerous town, A Box Full of Darkness expertly mixes carefully drawn characters, emotional relationships and ghostly terrors. “This was Fell, the town of graves where they shouldn’t be and a missing girl’s shoes placed neatly outside her dorm room door. Fell, which had swallowed my little […]
The nitty-gritty: A mysterious, secluded house traps a group of teens in this atmospheric, if somewhat uneven, YA horror story. The Devouring Light had some very creepy and disturbing scenes, and in that respect it succeeded. However, it also fell into some well tread YA tropes, and I didn’t care much for the characters, so […]
The nitty-gritty: Daniel Church takes on cosmic horror in this oppressive, dread-inducing tale full of eerie imagery and tension, perfect for horror fans looking for a unique story. The Sound of the Dark was not what I expected, and I’m happy to say that’s a good thing. Daniel Church has written a dark story about […]
The nitty-gritty: Christina Henry masterfully tackles the haunted house trope in this riveting coming-of-age story, infused with otherworldly terrors and heart-wrenching emotion. “Nobody ever said the house was dangerous—that is, beyond the obvious fact that it was an old, rotting house. More than one kid needed an extra tetanus shot after going in there, but […]
The nitty-gritty: Jenny Kiefer takes the “religion versus gays” trope and sets her story in—of all places—a craft store, making Crafting For Sinners a uniquely horrific reading experience. What happens when you combine a religious cult with a craft store? Complete chaos, that’s what! Jenny Kiefer’s latest is a bloody tale of survival as a […]
The nitty-gritty: Ghosts both psychological and real haunt the pages of Christa Carmen’s latest, a unique, shiver-inducing take on the haunted house story. “So”—Adelaide’s eyes had that glint again, all fire and excitement—”what do you say? Shall we turn this place into a motherfucking haunted house?” This is my third Christa Carmen book, and while […]
The nitty-gritty: A killer is on the loose in a retirement community in Philip Fracassi’s latest, a “slasher light” serial killer story with unexpected heart and humor. Who would think that a serial killer story set in a retirement home would work, but Philip Fracassi has proved the universe wrong and written a tense, horrifying […]
The nitty-gritty: Sex, drugs and rock and roll collide in Delilah S. Dawson’s latest, a tense horror story with a fantastic twist. Music horror is one of my favorite sub genres, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read House of Idyll. This short, fast-paced horror story takes the idea of “Be careful […]