Dread is a hard emotion to spark within a book. But The Spite House does it intensely throughout. Eric Ross is a father to two girls: 18-year-old Dess and 7-year-old Stacy. They are on the run from an unnamed tragedy when he sees an intriguing help wanted ad in ruralContinue Reading
Three groups of people are trapped on a stopped sky cable car, an overturned chartered bus, and at a rural resort working on a secret science project. While the snowstorm is not helping, the raging pandemic making huge swaths of the population both epically contagions and into modern zombies isContinue Reading
The author of the great horror mystery book, The Chalk Man, writes eleven short stories showing us A Sliver of Darkness. The tales were mostly written during the recent Covid pandemic and so are apocalyptic in nature. However, many also speak to the resilience of mankind. I usually don’t likeContinue Reading
Sacred Lamb is a place where serial killer survivors are placed by witness protection. If a gang of undead serial killers is looking for a challenge, I’m thinking this town is the perfect location for their next party. I’m not sure if this graphic novel is an homage to myContinue Reading
Four oddballs meet on a website called Black Paradox to plan for their mass suicide. When that doesn’t work out for them, the comedic horror turns into a bat poop crazy science fiction plot. It’s definitely not a boring twist, but not entirely comprehensible either. I think Black Paradox wouldContinue Reading
Little Eve is both truly terrifying and totally believable as well as being creepy af. It’s the perfect way to get into the Halloween mood regardless of the month you are reading it. In these modern times, it is hard to believe in vampires or other traditional horror tropes. CatrionaContinue Reading
In the cold windswept North, a doctor has come to replace a fallen comrade. But the doctor is not alone. She is hosting a Leech, an organism living in a multitude of physicians simultaneously in this eerie future world. The organism was also within the fallen doctor. But it cannotContinue Reading
In Wait Till Helen Comes, Michael and Molly are siblings who have a troubled younger stepsister named Heather. When their blended family moves to the country, Heather appears to have found an imaginary friend, Helen. Molly thinks Helen is a malignant ghost bent on killing children. But, Michael, their momContinue Reading
Fellstones is an atmospheric horror tale set in a creepy modern day English village. Michael Paul Dunston comes home to the adopted family he has not seen in years. His adopted sister has called him home because his adopted parents are ill. However, when he arrives, they seem fine—but justContinue Reading
I was worried that Lucky Girl was going to be an amateurish fan fiction about a not-very-good horror movie. However, I was intrigued enough to request a review copy. I was pleasantly surprised by this enchanting rom com/thriller/horror tale. At only 112 pages, I dare you to stop reading onceContinue Reading
I wanted to like Luda. I have watched every episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race and wanted to read a book set in that world. However, the prose style is both stilted and bloated with comma’ed phrases. The book is so overlong, it feels like it faced the rack in MedievalContinue Reading
Take classic monsters from yesteryear like Dracula, Frankenstein and even Dr. Moreau. Add thirty of the best minds in horror wring today. Stir and you will concoct the tasty and thought-provoking horror anthology, Classic Monsters Unleashed. With 29 short stories, one poem and several illustrations, there is sure to beContinue Reading
What Moves the Dead? I am pretty sure it’s Edgar Allan Poe turning over in his grave after the publication of this anemic adaptation of his short story The Fall of the House of Usher. Location, location, location is the mantra of real estate agents. However, atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere isContinue Reading
I picked up this book because I was looking for something different than my usual domestic suspense or cozy mysteries. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Little Bird is a darkly humorous cozy horror tale (or maybe fantasy or even magical realism—it’s hard to categorize and that is part ofContinue Reading
Black Tide begins with a romance that quickly turns into an apocalyptic horror tale. Beth and Mike meet over their garden wall and quickly get drunk together. When Beth wakes up alone in Mike’s bed, she has dreamed of an alien invasion. However, it turns out it is not justContinue Reading
Just Like Mother is a creepy crawly plot-heavy gothic tale featuring two girls born into a cult. Maeve and her cousin Andrea are part of The Mother Collective, which reveres motherhood above all else. At a young age, the girls are separated when the cult is broken up by lawContinue Reading