The nitty-gritty: A family legacy of blood sacrifice infuses Andy Davidson’s folk horror tale with atmosphere and dread. Max stops in his tracks, as if the old house rearing up before them has teeth, claws, is a thing alive. A dragon in the midst of a long slumber. It sees us. A fresh sweat springs […]
The nitty-gritty: A most unusual werewolf tale that combines body horror, romance and humor in surprising ways. If you aren’t reading Rachel Harrison, you need to get on that, stat. “I run and run. It doesn’t matter how fast I’m going, which I know is fast, animal fast, my senses are not dulled by the […]
The nitty-gritty: A beautiful, horrible tale of inescapable family ties. Above, the castle sighs and shifts. Creaks, cracks, sound and movement as if with the passage of vast dark coils. The thing from Dinah’s dream is down here, too. It crawls up through the trapdoor. Catriona Ward has a gift for creating characters who are […]
The nitty-gritty: Slow burn suspense, mystery and an atmospheric setting make Lute a thoroughly compelling read, despite uneven and puzzling world building elements. This is one of those books that completely sucked me in, but after I had some time to think about it later, I started to have a lot of questions. Like many […]
The nitty-gritty: A group of friends discover the mysteries and dangers of ghosts and hauntings in this creepy, disturbing tale. “Ghost isn’t the kind of drug you find. It finds you. You hear about it from someone who’s used it. They tell you about it, then you tell someone else, like a —” “Ghost story?” […]
The nitty-gritty: A garden full of poisonous delights, the stories in Effects Vary will catch you off guard and change the way you think about horror. You can tell from the disturbing cover art that this isn’t going to be your usual collection of short fiction. Effects Vary contains twenty-two short stories, and it’s one […]
The nitty-gritty: Full of raw emotion and tough themes, Full Immersion combines mystery and horror as a a woman attempts to heal from personal trauma. Full Immersion surprised me in many ways and ended up being one of the most unique books I’ve ever read. Gemma Amor’s latest novel is an exploration of some very […]
The nitty-gritty: At times uncomfortable and disturbing, Eric LaRocca’s stories explore the dangerous side of human relationships. Eric LaRocca is quickly becoming my go-to horror author when I’m looking for well-written, edgy horror, horror that isn’t like anything else out there. I believe this is my third book of theirs I’ve read, and in fact […]
The nitty-gritty: A lush, bloody, sweeping saga of an unusual relationship that spans centuries. “Love makes monsters of us, Constanta, and not everyone is cut out for monstrosity.” I’ve been eyeing A Dowry of Blood ever since the self-published edition made a splash on social media, but it went out of print before I could […]
The nitty-gritty: With a strong beginning and a thrilling ending, I enjoyed parts of House of Hunger, especially the darker horror elements, but overall it turned out to be a mixed bag for me. Of this I am utterly certain: I will never again know peace. —VANESSA, FIRST BLOODMAID OF THE HOUSE OF HUNGER House […]