The nitty-gritty: A young girl navigates a terrifying world in this dangerous and bloody story, full of thrilling adventure and unforgettable characters. “HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE LAST MOMENTS BEFORE THE WORLD ENDS: You won’t.” Spoiler ahead for dog lovers. I’ve been lucky enough to read a handful of exceptional books this year, and I’m happy […]
The nitty-gritty: A perfectly paced page-turner that will keep you guessing, The Night Guest is a small gem of a terrifying story. The Night Guest is written by Icelandic author Hildur Knútsdóttir and translated by Mary Robinette Kowal, and even though I don’t read a lot of translated fiction, it’s one of the best I’ve […]
The nitty-gritty: A surreal take on the asylum trope, Crypt of the Moon Spider is an unsettling, shudder-worthy start to a new series. This must be my “week of weird,” because I have a review for yet another very weird book. That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it, because I did. Crypt of the […]
The nitty-gritty: Liz Kerin ups the stakes in this excellent sequel, a tense rollercoaster ride of terror and high emotion. Liz Kerin wraps up her dark vampire duology with First Light, a stellar follow-up to Night’s Edge and a perfect end to the series. This is a bleak story, filled with tension and emotion, and […]
The nitty-gritty: S.A. Barnes proves once again she’s the queen of space horror, in this atmospheric story set on an ancient alien planet. Ghost Station is S.A. Barnes’ follow-up to her 2022 debut Dead Silence, which I loved, and I’m happy to say her sophomore book is just as tense and exciting. The space horror […]
The nitty-gritty: Diavola has it all: a creepy, haunted villa, an uncomfortable, dysfunctional family gathering, an ominous Italian setting, and even some jump scares. Come for the well executed folk horror ambiance, stay for the unforgettable characters. “And yet there was something idiosyncratic about Villa Taccola. The whole house suggested pentimenti, original brushstrokes covered over […]
The nitty-gritty: I wanted the gothic creepiness of What Moves the Dead, but instead this sequel lacked the elements that made the first book so good. “This isn’t just a dream, though. It’s the war.” I absolutely loved What Moves the Dead last year, and I was honestly surprised to see Kingfisher had written a […]
The nitty-gritty: A short, psychological horror story that is heavy on mood and light on plot. Your Shadow Half Remains is a psychological horror story that takes place after a pandemic-like event, and it’s definitely more “psychological” than “horror,” in my opinion, which is probably why I didn’t rate it higher. I do love Sunny […]
The nitty-gritty: Disturbing and creepy, Nestlings is the perfect horror story to curl up with this Halloween. “What does it mean to be a mother? This, she realized. Doing what was best even though it killed you.” Nestlings arrives just in time for Halloween, and I couldn’t have picked a better book to end October […]
The nitty-gritty: Horror, music and nostalgia combine in surprising ways in this chilling debut. “A sound unlike anything any of them had ever heard bloomed through the air like black ink on wet paper. It no longer came from the PA speakers; it came from everywhere. It came from the floor, the ceiling, from the […]