Tag: horror

Kate’s Review: “Headlights”

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Book: “Headlights” by C.J. Leede

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, June 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Every instinct tells him to run. Every memory tells him he can’t.

Special Agent Daniel Stansfield is ready for a change. Burnt out and defeated by the job, it’s his last day with the FBI. But before he can turn in his badge, he’s summoned back to Denver, the city he ran from four years ago, with a chilling message: it’s happening again.

Seemingly innocent people are waking up on the side of the highway, with no memory of how they got there, wearing the skin of victims they’ve allegedly never met. And they each share one haunting detail: a strand of a stranger’s hair is tied around their tongue.

Now Daniel is pulled back into the gruesome cycle, and every clue leads him deeper into the shadows of his own past. He will have to confront the ghosts of his traumatic childhood and face what’s been hunting him all along— before he and the people he loves become the next victims.

Perfect for fans of The Shining and Longlegs, bestselling author CJ Leede’s Headlights is a pulse-pounding hunt across the frozen wilderness of Colorado.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this novel!

I so greatly enjoyed C.J. Leede’s previous horror novel “American Rapture” that it was basically a no brainer to pick up whatever she came up with next, and that is how “Headlights” ended up on my radar. I was so thoroughly blown away by what Leede did with a plague/end of world tale that I had high hopes for what could and would be done with a serial killer horror tale that no doubt had some kind of supernatural twist. I went in expecting one thing but ended up with something a little bit different. And that wasn’t a bad thing.

The horror elements of this book harken to some classic horror fare like “The Shining” while also pulling in some hard boiled detective vibes a la “True Detective”. Our protagonist Daniel is an exhausted and burnt out FBI agent who has been haunted by a gruesome set of killings where seemingly random people murder and skin someone, then wear their victim’s skin and wake up with no memory of the act as well as with hair wrapped around their tongue. It’s haunting because there has always been a weird connection Daniel has, but he’s never been able to solve it. Once it starts happening again just as he’s about to re-enlist in the military, it all spirals out of control and Daniel is having visions, being drawn to one of the women left behind, and watching his life fall apart as he tries to solve it. It’s a story that has a bit of a slow start, but once gears shift for Daniel and he finds himself on the run across Colorado and looking for answers it keeps the interest and pace up. The horror parts are gory and nasty and Leede doesn’t feel a need to hold back, and the mythos at the heart of it felt pretty creative and original (I’m being vague for a reason, I want to keep any spoilers to a minimum).

This is also another pretty solid entry into trauma and grief as horror, with Daniel being a character who is easy to root for in part because of all of the loss he has dealt with his entire life. Whether it’s his mother’s death at the hands of his father, or the loss of his loving and doting foster parents, or the way that his marriage to wife Josie has fallen apart, Daniel’s losses are great and he keeps being run through a ringer. It’s also an interesting examination of not just Daniel but also Hannah, the woman he is drawn to even though she may be a piece in the serial killing puzzle, and their connection and grief and traumatic pasts make for an interesting dichotomy as the story goes on.

And what I found most charming and just had to comment on here is what a lovely love letter this book is to Colorado. I’m someone who has very vague ties to Colorado, as the connection is my husband who spent some time there as a teenager and found it incredibly formative. I’ve traveled to Colorado with him and seen the joy that the state brings him, and have found similar joy being in Leadville, and Estes Park, and Denver. There truly is something magical about the state, and the way that Leede highlights so many aspects of it, whether a trip to the Stanley Hotel or descriptions of the winter settings or Blucifer the horse or the lore referencing “The Shining”. It feels like Colorado is a character in and of itself and has a grounding part to play. As someone with fond memories walking around the Stanley grounds and looking out our window to see mountains, or smoking weed around a bonfire in Leadville and talking about a mish mash of topics, these moments really spoke to me.

“Headlights” is a creative and disturbing horror tale that kept me guessing. If you are a horror fan and find yourself on the way to Colorado soon, it could be a fun read to accompany the trip.

Rating 7: The pacing was a little slow at times, but not only is it a unique serial killer horror mystery, it’s also a love letter to Colorado that made me smile throughout the story.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Headlights” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror to Look Forward to in 2026”.

Kate’s Review: “It Came from Neverland”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “It Came from Neverland” by Cynthia Pelayo

Publishing Info: Crooked Lane Books, June 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publicist

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Peter Pan meets Stephen King’s It in this twisted horror retelling of a classic childhood fairytale set during WWI.

1914, Wendy Darling works by day as a school teacher and by night, she assists soldiers who have returned home from the Western Front. There is one mysterious patient who despite all the care they’ve given him, is in a deep sleep, unable to wake up. One night, when he murmurs the words “Peter Pan,” Wendy is thrown back to a darker time, one that she wishes she could forget.

When one of her students goes missing, it brings back memories of when children went missing and were later found murdered in London many years ago. Wendy believes that Peter Pan, the entity that she believed killed those children, is back. She and her brothers had a close encounter with Peter Pan, after all. But her brothers only remember Peter Pan and Neverland as a fantasy of childhood games.

When another child goes missing and signs start to point to Wendy, Scotland Yard digs into old reports, finding that Wendy knew the names of all the children who had been killed. As Wendy tries to prove her innocence, she also has to find a way to stop Peter Pan once and for all.

Review: Thank you to Kaye Publicity for sending me an ARC of this novel!

I’ve never been SUPER connected to the “Peter Pan” story. I definitely had the Disney version on VHS as a child, as well as the Mary Martin version (which I actually preferred), and I definitely liked “Hook” (and own it to this day). But the story itself isn’t really precious to me. But I AM someone who loves a dark retelling of a classic story, especially if there is a horror twist, and I have LOVED basically everything I’ve read by Cynthia Pelayo. So “It Came from Neverland”, her newest horror novel, made perfect sense as a highly anticipated novel this year for me. Especially since this one promised to center Wendy. Even if it sounded like Wendy was going to be put through hell.

Even if the story never really resonated, I always loved Wendy. (source)

One of the things that I love most about Cynthia Pelayo’s horror stories is that while they are always genuinely creepy, there is also almost always a dreamlike quality to them, and that translates very well to her take on Peter Pan and Neverland. Taking place in WW1 London, Wendy Darling is all grown up, living as a school teacher while also spending time volunteering at a hospital to read to wounded soldiers. As a child she and her brothers were taken to a strange place called Neverland by a strange boy named Peter who couldn’t grow up and promised a fun life with other children, but was in actuality manipulating all of them and killing them to keep his power. Wendy and her brothers escaped, but she has been living with the trauma years later even as the world has learned the story as a fantasy tale of joy and imagination. Pelayo does a fantastic job of incorporating the original story that is filled with magic and whimsy and twisting it into something more sinister, while also taking inspiration from faerie stories and mythology. There has certainly been a more recent take on Peter Pan tales that paint him as less mischievous and more monstrous, but Pelayo’s feels unique in that it’s a bit more sinister fairy and Pennywise-esque. Because of this reimagining it completely reframes the entirety of Neverland, but Pelayo is really skilled at reframing it while still making it feel like it COULD be a place that J.M. Barrie could water down to make more family friendly. Peter in this is terrifying and creepy, but still feels like it could be connected to Barrie’s creation just through how Pelayo brings in references and tweaks them just a little. We still have lost boys, who are kidnapped children that Wendy wants to protect while Peter harms them to manipulate her. We still have the idea of Peter’s shadow, making it more of thing that can be used to connect to others to create a bond that makes an abuser hold onto a victim. But my favorite was the reimagining of Captain Hook, as instead of a foppish pirate who is constantly undermined by the mischievous Peter, we have a man who has had so much taken from him because of this nasty entity that harms everything it comes in contact with.

But my favorite element, which is unsurpising, is Wendy herself, as Pelayo has perfectly expanded upon her to explore her as a trauma survivor who was so connected to Peter, only to realize he only meant harm to her and everyone else. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to see how it affected her mental state, and how that in turn affected her relationships with Michael and John, who also experienced it but were more able to convince themselves it never happened. Wendy is still the caring girl who wants to care for and help others, and by making it a strength instead of the obligation we kind of get in the source material (Wendy is really only there because as a girl she HAS to be a mother figure) it shows how much more powerful she is, even if she is still quite damaged. I also loved that she is not only helping literal children as she teaches them, but that she is also helping wounded soldiers back from the Western Front, as so many soldiers were teenagers and children in their own right (the WWI setting was such a great idea in and of itself and it really resonated with this part of the plot). I also appreciated that so much of the horror of Peter and his monstrous ways were entangled with Wendy’s trauma, as he was SO scary and seeing her gather the strength and courage to stop him once and for all made for a very satisfying horror plot.

“It Came from Neverland” was everything I was hoping it would be! Pelayo is so talented as creating dreamy and spooky horror stories, and I recommend it to both those who love “Peter Pan” and those who just love a horror tale littered with well crafted symbolism and metaphors.

Rating 9: A haunting and eerie re-imagining of “Peter Pan”, which focuses on trauma, grief, loss, and overcoming a childhood stolen and an alternate truth to a beloved classic.

Reader’s Advisory:

“It Came from Neverland” is included on the Goodreads lists “Peter Pan Re-Tellings”, and “Horror to Look Forward To in 2026”.

Kate’s Review: “Bone of My Bone”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Bone of My Bone” by Johanna van Veen

Publishing Info: Poisoned Pen Press, May 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at PLA 2026

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: The year is 1635.

Sister Ursula, a young nun fleeing the ruins of her convent, and Elsebeth, a sharp-witted peasant, escape a band of marauding soldiers and disappear into the Bavarian forest. War scorches the land, and no one survives it alone. Amid the devastation, they find something in the arms of a dying the gilded skull of a saint.

It is said that if you reunite the saint’s skull with her body, a wish will be granted. Desperate for salvation, and each with secret desires of their own, Ursula and Elsebeth follow a ragged map across the blighted countryside. But darkness follows them. A necromancer, drawn to the relic’s power. The saint herself, whispering at night. And as the lines between blessing and curse blur, the women must face a harrowing the magic they seek comes at a cost.

At the journey’s end, they’ll face an impossible choice—one that could tear apart everything they know… or bind them to each other forever.

Review: Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an ARC of this novel at PLA 2026!

Serena and I had the pleasure to go to the Public Library Association Conference this past April because it was in Minneapolis! How great that we could hop in a car and drive not even fifteen minutes away from my house and attend a book conference (we’ll be driving to ALA this year as well but Chicago is decidedly a longer trip). I restrained myself a bit when it came to ARCs as I knew that ALA was on the horizon, but I was THRILLED to see Johanna van Veen’s newest sapphic horror novel “Bone of My Bone” was available! I have enjoyed her past historical horror novels, and the creepy nun holding a skull on the cover definitely caught my eye. As I read the description I knew that I was going to be in for a treat. A dark and deeply upsetting treat, but a treat nonetheless, because it felt like a nice heady mix of “Evil Dead” and “The Witch” in a lot of ways. So obviously MY THING.

I was positively grinning from ear to ear! (source)

Our story has two protagonists with two perspective chapter types. The first is Sister Ursula, a nun who escaped from her nunnery leaving her sisters behind as mercenaries and soldiers descended. The second is Elsebeth, a peasant who has lost everything in the wake of the war due to violence from the soldiers. The two women team up, and then find what appears to be a Saint’s skull after meeting a dying man in the forest who has it in his possession. Believing that they could reunite it with its body and in turn receive wishes as reward (as they both have things they are desperate for), they go on a journey, the skull speaking to Elsebeth in her dreams. What they don’t know is a necromancer, assisted by a shambling corpse he has enslaved, is also in pursuit. I loved van Veen’s supernatural monsters of choice in this book (more on the real life monsters in a bit), with the main focus being split into two camps: necromancers/witches, and possessed dead called Nachzehers that necromancers use to achieve their own ends. The witchcraft is so appropriate for the time with the fears of witchcraft being incredibly prevalent, and I loved how creepy the necromancer was. As for his Nachzeher Otto, he is a former soldier who is being used against his will, though it becomes clear that he deserves whatever hell the necromancer brings to him (and the necromancer seems to think so too). The witchcraft was so creepy but powerful, and the Nachzeher, a folk monster from German culture, felt so Kandarian Demon Deadite in a lot of ways that I REALLY liked it. And don’t worry; there are other creepy creatures in these pages, though van Veen had me rather emotional with a couple of them due to the horrible ends that some met in life.

And van Veen’s choice of taking place during the Thirty Year’s War is such a dark but fantastic one. I don’t know as much about German history as I would like, especially during this time period, but to me this read as very unflinching and realistic in the horrors that a war that potentially killed 35% of the population would bring forth. This is probably one of the most brutal books I’ve read recently when it comes to the honest approach to the hell that civilians go through during wartime, with starvation, isolation, land loss, murder, and rape being pretty prevalent in the story (though the rape is mostly off page and referred to as opposed to depicted; this book also has a great list of trigger warnings in the back). A lot of the trauma experienced by Ursula and Elsebeth is haunting and emotional, and we explore their journeys of unpacking it and trying to work through it in ways that feel deeply tender and empathetic. Elsebeth in particular has had a terrible go of it, and her crisis of faith in contrast to Ursula faith as a nun bring up interesting and philosophical points as they are trying to reunite a potentially holy skull with its body in hopes of getting one wish. As mentioned I couldn’t help but think about Robert Eggers’s film “The Witch” at times in this book, as witchcraft is certainly a huge theme, but it also tackles just how much brutality women in dire circumstances had to endure, and how loss in one’s faith or the temptation to turn to something new is wholly understandable.

And I also just loved Ursula and Elsebeth’s burgeoning relationship. Their companionship starts due to shared trauma and determination, but then it turns into something so much more and I loved their growing romance. They just complement each other so well, and as they become more and more devoted the stakes just get higher and higher as they are in constant danger. I loved their love story.

“Bone of My Bone” is phenomenal. I cannot recommend it enough to horror fans. If you haven’t read anything by Johanna van Veen, consider this your sign to start.

Rating 9: Brutal and creepy while also being philosophical and tender, “Bone of My Bone” is van Veen’s best story yet. Just incredible.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Bone of My Bone” is included on the Goodreads lists “Queer Books Set Pre-1800”, and “Horror Releases Coming in 2026”.

Kate’s Review: “Abyss”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Abyss” by Nicholas Binge

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, May 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Severance meets Lovecraft in this surreal tale of corporate horror and existential dread.

Joe always had potential, but he doesn’t expect much, and he hopes that his new job as an admin assistant won’t expect much of him. But when he enters the offices of Ponos—a company he’s never heard of and knows nothing about—he discovers that potential is exactly what they want from him.

A feverish dive into the inhumanity of both late-stage capitalism and the crippling anxieties of modern life, Abyss adds a new level of meaning to ‘wage slave’.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!

I feel like I’ve been reading a lot of novellas lately, or at least more than usual. Sometimes novellas can worry me in the same way short stories do in that it can be trickier to convey a story with a more limited page count, but it obviously can be done, and I’ve had a pretty good run of novellas as of late. “Abyss” by Nicholas Binge is the most recent one, and I was able to get through it in about a day. Not only because of the length, but how fast paced it flowed as a horror story about not only dimensional monstrosities, but also the monstrosities of corporate culture and late stage capitalistic greed and exploitation.

I’ve never had a corporate job, but from what I’ve heard from my friends who have the metaphors in this book work. (source)

I’ve made mention before that cosmic horror isn’t exactly a sub-genre that I delve into often, but “Abyss”‘s hook was too good to pass up, and as a Lovecraftian kinda tale it is pretty good at hitting the components that are expected. There is a slow building unease as our protagonist Joe starts his new menial job at Ponos, a corporation he isn’t familiar with but will pay the bills. From the jump there are strange things about it, like the complete lack of people outside of a few oddballs he stumbles upon, an over enthusiastic A.I. ‘assistant’ who keeps messaging him in stranger and stranger ways, and the skittishness of his higher up. As the job goes on the tension rises, as the reader follows Joe into creepier and creepier situations until he his fully confronted with a cosmic threat that is not only running this lucrative and powerful company, but is possibly using the blood of the workers to fuel itself. I like the high strangeness of the being and the creepiness of the peons that are trying to please it, with a solid backstory to why it is here contrasted with a stodgy and boring but also threatening corporate setting. I know “Severance” is how people are comparing, but I kept thinking about “Office Space” as a horror story, and that’s a good thing.

The true beating heart of this novella, though, are the satirical elements and messages that Binge puts forth. The main metaphor at hand is that the cosmic being that is being fed at Ponos has been put in place by the wealthy to maintain their power and to suck as much from the workers as possible all in the name of profits, and while that’s certainly a cathartic and relevant bit of satire, it’s kind of an obvious one when it comes to a story like this. For wholly understandable reasons we’ve seen a lot of commentary about the uber wealthy and their money hoarding within horror stories by sacrificing and downplaying the working class, so much so that it’s a little obvious. But there is a whole other point in “Abyss” that is connected to Joe and the story at hand, and that is the concept of the isolation and ennui of modern worker life, especially post pandemic. We live in a time where technology should theoretically make it all the easier to connect thanks to social media and varied means of communication. But Joe’s life is incredibly isolated, as he goes to work, goes home and dicks around online, and that’s about it. He isn’t really in touch with his mother and doesn’t seem to have any in real life friends. One of the main defenses against the horror and ruin at the hands of the cosmic in this is the idea of connection, with tech making it harder to connect under guise of bringing people together. That, to me, was a far more interesting avenue to explore because it felt so emotionally resonant.

“Abyss” is sure to please those who like cosmic horror as well as satirical observances of modern late stage capitalism. It’s a fast read, so consider adding it to your list!

Rating 7: The satire is a little on the nose but the message at the heart resonates. Add in some fun cosmic horror and a nefarious corporate setting and you have an enjoyable horror novella.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Abyss” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror to Look Forward to in 2026”.

Kate’s Review: “Molka”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Molka” by Monika Kim

Publishing Info: Erewhon Books, April 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC at PLA 2026 from the publisher!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: molka (n): the Korean term for spy cameras secretly and illegally installed, often to capture voyeuristic images and videos

Dahye can’t believe her luck when she finds herself in a whirlwind romance with handsome, charismatic Hyukjoon, the heir to a multi-million dollar fortune.

But then a shocking revelation threatens: the couple has been caught on a spycam amid Korea’s growing molka epidemic, and the video is all over the internet. When Hyukjoon flees the country to avoid the intense public scrutiny, Dahye is left to grapple with the ramifications on her own; and the demons from her childhood, long dormant, begin to surface.

Amid the chaos, she catches the attention of Junyoung, a nerdy, introverted IT tech at work. Junyoung harbours a dark secret: he has been spying on the women at work with his own hidden cameras. As Dahye’s life begins to unravel, she unknowingly becomes the sole target of Junyoung’s perverse obsession.

When the facts surrounding the invasion of her privacy come to light, Dahye is faced with the humiliating truth. Her pain and hurt turn to rage as she faces her past. Her desire for vengeance is insatiable, and she will not rest until the men who have wronged her have paid in blood…

Review: Thank you to Erewhon Books for giving me an ARC at PLA 2026!

Okay, before I even go into my introduction to my review, I want to let people know that this review is going to be covering some triggering topics like rape/sexual assault, and sexual exploitation. So just be aware that it’s going to get heavy.

As I was reading “Molka” by Monika Kim the disgusting revelations of a so called online ‘Rape Academy’ broke in the news cycle, where men would drug their partners, rape them, film it, and then upload it for other users to see. It was horrifying but not all that surprising, and it just made me shake my head because the book I was reading was unfolding in real life in a lot of ways. “Molka” is a horror story to be sure, with a good majority of the horrors being completely man made, and Kim doesn’t hold back in her storytelling even if it makes for an incredibly triggering read. But a necessary one, as evidenced by the fact this shit is happening off page and in reality.

Our story takes place in Seoul and has two main POVs. The first is of Dahye, a young woman who has been swept off her feet by Hyukjoon, the son of a millionaire who showers her with gifts and incredible experiences… until footage of them having sex pops up online, seemingly filmed without their knowledge. While Hyukjoon has the wealth and privilege to ride the storm (being a man also helps… more on that in a bit), Dahye does not, and finds herself spiraling as the footage is everywhere, bringing up memories of her sister Euhnye, who killed herself years ago at seventeen after being impregnated by an older man and being terrified of the fallout. Our second POV is that of Junyoung, one of the IT guys at her work who has installed his own hidden cameras, or molkas, in the women’s restrooms so he can spy on unsuspecting women and see their privates, with Dahye catching his eye. Both POVs are so upsetting, whether it’s getting into the head of a predator like Junyoung, or seeing how absolutely wrecked Dahye is because of the violation and because of how women in molka cases are blamed, ignored, and shamed. And seeing them both escalate in their own ways, whether it’s Junyoung’s obsession becoming more dangerous, or Dahye’s mental health spiraling and her rage building, makes for such suspense and tension. Especially when it seems like Eunyhe’s ghost may be manifesting more and more as Dahye becomes more and more frenzied. I loved the bits with Eunyhe, with little hints of water and fleeting glances turning into a full on vengeful ghost egging Dahye on.

But potential supernatural themes aside, the really scary aspect of “Molka” were the real life themes of violent misogyny, sexual exploitation, and gender double standards within societies when it comes to sexuality. For characters like Dahye and Eunhye, as women who experience violence because of their sexuality (whether it’s the assault and exploitation in Dahye’s case or Eunhye killing herself after her out of wedlock teen pregnancy is revealed) are shamed and shunned and driven to the brink. But for people like Hyukjoon and Junyoung, who are men, they can either be wholly unaffected by scandal, or even be abusers either out in the open or hidden in the shadows, and even if their nastiness becomes known they are excused because boys will be boys. There were so many infuriating moments in this book that had to do with the disgusting ways Dahye was sexualized and violated, and Kim makes sure to tread a very fine line that makes sure the reader knows exactly what’s going on without making it feel all the more exploitative of, even worse, titillating. It is a VERY difficult read at times, especially when we see how objectified and dehumanized women are in the eyes of their abusers, but it’s also a searing and unflinching portrayal of feminist rage that has moments of catharsis to balance out the incredibly triggering moments.

“Molka” is a dark and upsetting horror novel, but it also feels like a very timely read, unfortunately. I definitely recommend it to any reader who likes a ‘good for her’ story.

Rating 9: A dark and difficult but unfortunately timely horror story about misogyny, violence against women, and the double standards between the treatment of genders in sexual situations. “Molka” is filled with content warnings, but the message is cathartic and the feminist rage burns bright.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Molka” is included on the Goodreads list “2026 Women in Horror”.

Kate’s Review: “The Caretaker”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “The Caretaker” by Marcus Kliewer

Publishing Info: Atria/Emily Bestler Books, April 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Follow the Rites…

Nothing less than the survival of humanity is at stake.

From Marcus Kliewer, a new “titan of the macabre and unsettling” (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), comes a supernatural horror about a young woman who accepts a caretaking job from Craigslist, only to discover the position has consequences far greater—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined.

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY:
Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.

Macy Mullins can’t say why the job posting grabbed her attention—it had the pull of a fisherman’s lure, barbed hook and all—vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she’s not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for.

Besides, it’s only three days’ work…

Three days, cooped up in a stranger’s house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness.

What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property—and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity.

Follow the Rites… Follow the Rites… Follow the Rites… ..— / ….. / —..

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this novel!

I somehow missed the book “We Have Always Lived Here” by Marcus Kliewer when it came out, and I still haven’t worked it into my reading schedule in spite of the fact basically all of the praise it has received. Like not just from reviewers or influencers, but also people in my life who like horror. It entered my mind that I hadn’t read it yet as I started Kliewer’s newest book “The Caretaker”, as I had a fleeting thought of ‘oh I wonder if I should get to that eventually’. And as I was reading “The Caretaker”, I realized why everyone was praising “We Have Always Lived Here”. Because “The Caretaker” is TERRIFYING.

I did not read this book at night for a reason. (source)

I will reiterate: this was a scary read for me. It read really fast even though it’s a pretty average length of a book, and Kliewer has the pacing and vibe down pat. It starts with a terrifying bang and then cycles back down to a level that has time to build the dread and tension, and BOY does it build. We are following Macy, a woman who finds herself down on her luck and desperate for employment as she has to try and care for herself and her sister in the wake of their father’s tragic death. So a strange ad for a caretaker needed sounds like a good deal, and she applies and gets the job for a LOT of money…. but the instructions seem odd. I loved how strange and out there the rules were, which sound crazy and innocuous, but as Macy fails to follow them (oh my GOD, MACY, GET IT TOGETHER!) things go from weird to horrifying. There were so many moments of just absolute DREAD for me as the tension builds and builds, and I found myself putting the book down a couple of times because I was so stressed out. I don’t want to spoil any of it for people who want to check it out, but let me tell you, the rules may sound innocuous (to a point), but they are anything but. Especially as they all start to fall apart. I also enjoyed how ambiguous things are in this book. I know that sometimes ambiguity or a lack of explanation of supernatural or magical systems are frustrating in books (I find myself irritated from time to time with this kind of thing), Kliewer’s ambiguity adds to the story because it means that the reader can see themselves in Macy’s shoes when the really strange things start happening. And the really strange and weird things REALLY messed with my head.

And Macy herself is an interesting heroine because she is such a mess, but a mess whose messiness makes sense as we find out about her thanks to flashbacks to her childhood, and the loss of her dad. She is clearly struggling with depression and grief, and has to try and pull herself together because of her desperation to keep herself and her sister Jemma (who is a mess in hew own way) afloat. It makes for a lot of her choices and decisions as the story progresses to be believable for the most part. I definitely had a lot of anxiety as she continued to mess up the instructions, though I will fully admit that once we got into some of the late stage ones they do seem a bit impossible or COMPLETELY insane, and a lot of that was because of how much I empathized with her. Kliewer did a great job fleshing her out and making it both easy to root for her and easy to get so frustrated (while fully recognizing I’d probably also mess up like she did).

“The Caretaker” is so incredibly scary and engrossing. I really enjoyed it and if you want something weird and terrifying definitely check it out.

Rating 9: High intensity, a slow building dread, and an overall unsettling and WEIRD vibe that turns into abject horror. “The Caretaker” is scary as hell.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Caretaker” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror to Look Forward to in 2026”.

Joint Review: “Japanese Gothic”

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Book: “Japanese Gothic” by Kylie Lee Baker

Publishing Info: Hanover Square Press, April 2026

Where Did We Get This Book: NetGalley;

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: In this lyrical, wildly inventive horror novel interwoven with Japanese mythology, two people living centuries apart discover a door between their worlds.

October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the house: no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn’t always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.

October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible omen: a young foreign man who appears outside her window.

One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.

Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.

Kate’s Thoughts

Given how much I adored Kylie Lee Baker’s previous novel “Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng” I knew that I wanted to get my hands on “Japanese Gothic”. Baker really has a solid grasp on how to craft a well done horror story that not only reflects her cultural background, but also universal fears across many different people. Reading about “Japanese Gothic” had me excited, and when Serena asked if we wanted to do a joint review I was in because I really wanted to see how our two different perspectives of the genres involved (fantasy and horror) would meld. It’s always fun to see how we approach the same book through these lenses.

As I was reading it I kind of found myself feeling like this book was more dark fantasy than horror (only because while it had spooky elements it didn’t really invoke dread in me), but given that I love dark fantasy as well that wasn’t a detriment. The suspense was there and as we follow two different perspectives (that of murderer Turner in our modern timeline, and that of ambitious would be samurai Sen in a timeline centuries before, who both live in the same house), Baker creates a time bending and mysterious story with murder, mystery, and two damaged people making a connection. We don’t really know why they are having this overlap, but as we learn more about the both of them I found myself getting more attached even though both of them, especially Lee, seem pretty menacing. I also liked how Baker carefully peels the layers back of both Lee and Sen, letting them learn about each other and letting us see how they could be drawn to one another through a weird dreamlike connection that feels otherworldly and strange. I liked both of them and all of their trauma, be it Lee’s mother who disappeared and who he thinks was kidnapped for human trafficking purposes, or Sen trying so desperately to impress her uncompromising samurai father. All of it worked for me and kept me on edge.

I will say, though, that if you are a little squeamish around violence and gore, this book has it’s moments. I still don’t really think it’s horror, but others may disagree due to some of the story beats and violent moments.

I enjoyed “Japanese Gothic”! It’s unique and weird and it will surely satisfy horror and dark fantasy fans alike.

Serena’s Thoughts

It’s always fun when we can find authors that cross over between our two genres. I had read Baker’s YA duology, “The Scarlet Alchemist,” a few years ago and really loved it. Her next book, “Bat Eater,” I saw was more horror-focused and left to Kate. But when I saw this one coming down the pike, the mentions of “dark fantasy” and “gothic” sounded more up my alley, so a joint review was definitely in order!

And it really came through in that way! I’d agree with Kate that this felt much more like a dark fantasy than a horror novel. I’ve read and enjoyed a few horror novels here and there, and as Kate identified, a feeling of dread is key to that genre. And while this had spooky elements, it didn’t have that lingering feeling in the back of your mind that something terrible was right around the corner. That said, it’s definitely not a book for the faint of heart; Baker doesn’t back away from some of the more gruesome moments and depicts them quite starkly on the page.

Part of the darkness came down to the two main characters, each with their own simmering issues. They are the sorts of characters that you catch yourself rooting for, and then take a step back and look at them objectively and start questioning whether you really should be supporting them so fully. It’s an interesting dynamic and one that had me sucked into each of their stories, perhaps even despite myself at times.

I also really liked the way she used the two timelines and wove them together. There were plenty of twists and turns throughout, and I was on the edge of my seat for much of it to see how it was all going to come together in the end. Towards the end, some of these twists and turns began to feel a bit overwhelming as characters were dropping left and right, but I found the end itself satisfying.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and definitely think it’s a great read for dark fantasy fans!

Kate’s Rating 8: A suspenseful and time bending dark fantasy with two complicated protagonists and a hell of a hook.

Serena’s Rating 8: Dark in just the way like: full of twists and turns and grounded in two protagonists that you’re not quite sure what to do with at times.

Reader’s Advisory

“Japanese Gothic” is included on the Goodreads lists “Weird Lit”, and “2026 Women in Horror”.

Kate’s Review: “Bodies of Work”

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Book: “Bodies of Work” by Clay McLeod Chapman

Publishing Info: Titan Books, April 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I own it

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: At sixty-six years old, Winston Kemper has always been a nonentity. No one notices him. His simple existence barely registers for those who come into contact with him. Some call him feeble-minded. He is a janitor at the local church, a groundskeeper by default, and that’s it. No friends, no family. When he’s done with work, he returns home—a remote, single room apartment located above a garage—and that is where his true work begins.

Winston Kemper is a collector of voices, and his magnum opus—The Butterfly Girls—is a sprawling epic of untapped imagination. It has no single canvas, no particular frame. It is everywhere—scribbled on the walls, the floor, and countless notebooks.

Winston is creating a fantasia which exists in words, images and blood. As part of his ‘art’ he has been murdering forgotten women. Poor souls who slip through the cracks of society, who no one’s looking for. Mothers, sisters, daughters to someone, but no more.

Winston takes their lives, their voices.

But now he can hear them. They whisper to him. They talk of revenge.

Winston Kemper might not believe in ghosts, but he is about to learn they are very real. And they are very, very angry.

Review: Hooray! A new Clay McLeod Chapman book is out! Chapman’s books have been some of the most unsettling, disgusting, and fun books that I’ve read in recent years, his horror style being WAY out there and at times uncompromising while never feeling like it’s trying to be too edgy. I reminded myself of this when I read the description for his new novella “Bodies of Work”, as a book about a serial killer who takes ‘artistic inspiration’ from the women that he brutally murders. Because when a story like this is handled by a less talented author, it could very easily feel in bad taste or exploitative. But I’m happy to say that “Bodies of Work” didn’t feel that way to me, and it ended up being a quick and gripping horror tale.

This is a novella, so Chapman has less pages to work with, but he uses the pages effectively. We jump between the story of a serial killer named Winston Kemper who murders women (generally who fall under the ‘lesser dead’ umbrella who won’t be as obviously missed due to their circumstances) and is trying to implement them into a broader artistic vision, recreating them as butterfly women in a fantasy world that he has been obsessing over for many, many years. Our story is a combined narrative of the voices of the women he has killed acting as something of a Greek chorus, who act as muses as well as victims, as well as the fantasy story that is being created in his mind of butterfly women going to battle. It combines creepy serial killer scares with a strange dream-like whimsy, and it is such a weird and unsettling but also ethereal tale. There is gore, there are some very triggering aspects to it (violence towards women, child abuse, as well as other content warnings), but there is also an undercurrent of the bonds of friendship and the slow build up to revenge that balance out the very disturbing things. I quite enjoyed getting the perspectives of the victims as they tell the story in a flowing train of thought kind of way along with a straight forward narration. It blended well.

There is also a pretty brutal examination of how traumatic childhood combined with other uncontrollable factors can combine to create a dangerous predator of a human being who will go on to do unspeakable crimes. We get some insight into not only the women he has killed and their backstories (at least a bit; the voices have been losing their memories or blending together as time has gone on), but also into Winston’s background. I know that some people are burnt out of completely over stories where we learn about the back stories of the villain, and I also know that some people see such things as apologia for these characters. And while I can definitely understand this line of thinking and won’t tell people otherwise if that’s how they feel, I, myself, find these kinds of character studies to be interesting and, honestly, kind of important. Because in so many cases monstrous human beings they aren’t born monsters, and are instead created, and it’s so much easier to just say that it doesn’t matter and to not acknowledge it as opposed to confronting it. But Chapman also makes sure not to be making excuses for Kemper and his crimes, as he makes sure to give just as much weight and attention to the women that he kills to remind us that while Kemper’s victimization as a child due to trauma, abuse, and implied neurodivergence is tragic, it doesn’t excuse what he does later in life. I felt like Chapman balanced the realities pretty well.

It’s another winner from Clay McLeod Chapman, just in a shorter format this time around. I found “Bodies of Work” to be as tragic as it is visceral.

Rating 8: A surreal and brutal story about a serial killer who considers himself an artist, a chorus of victims who want their stories to be told, and an examination of trauma turning victims into monsters.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Bodies of Work” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror to Look Forward to in 2026”.

Kate’s Review: “Yesteryear”

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Book: “Yesteryear” by Caro Claire Burke

Publishing Info: Knopf, April 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: A traditional American woman, a beautiful wife and mother who sells her pioneer lifestyle of raw milk and farm-fresh eggs to her millions of social media followers, suddenly awakens cold, filthy, and terrified in the brutal reality of 1805—where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel.

My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive.

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the Republican equivalent of a Kennedy? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it.

Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a brutal reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible.

A gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening,  Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!

I remember when the announcement for the book “Yesteryear” by Caro Claire Burke hit the publishing news, and the very concept completely had me hook line and sinker. A tradwife homesteader influencer being possibly transported to the early 1800s (aka a time where women had no power or choices in their lives) that she has always claimed to want to experience? And tries to sell it as something that all women SHOULD want to experience? Only to find it to be ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE?

Oh the sweet sweet irony (source)

So yes, I had pretty high hopes for “Yesteryear”. And “Yesteryear” blew them out of the water.

“Yesteryear” keeps a lot of its secrets hidden away, slowly unveiling them through a couple of unfolding narratives. We start on a typical day on Yesteryear Ranch, with tradwife influencer Natalie Heller Mills going through the motions of content creation for her millions of followers. She presents a front of traditional Christian values, rustic and ‘natural’ living, and a perfect family of multiple children, a perfect husband, and a ranch she runs herself (no one has to see the multiple nannies, the fact husband Caleb is an aimless dolt, or the fact they have MULTIPLE hired hands). You get the sense that something on this day is off, with tension building between Natalie, Caleb, and one of her producers. Then, Natalie awakens to find herself in a dank ranchhouse that looks like Yesteryear but is far more dilapidated, with children that aren’t the children she knows, and a husband who seems like Caleb but is violent and controlling. Not to mention it seems like she has really been transported back in time to the early 1800s, a time she claims to long for where women were submissive to their husbands and eager to fulfill their gendered duties, but is in actuality a nightmare. So the narratives become going to the past to see Natalie’s journey from devout Christian gal to the mogul of an empire that seems to be on the brink, and then the new reality that has her feeling trapped and desperate to escape. I loved the framing of this as they slowly start to converge, and the building tension and questions about what the HELL has happened to Natalie to get from Ballerina Farms-esque wealth and status to actual tradwife hell. It kept me guessing the whole time, presenting not only nightmare scenarios of Natalie’s new normal and her seeking out of answers, but also a clear villain story of how she got to her dream and the people she stepped on to get there. All will be revealed, and done so nearly perfectly, but the slow burn of it all crackles and kept me so hooked I read this in two days.

But the heart of this story (even if it’s a bit of a rancid one, and I mean that in a good way) is Natalie and her trad wife influencer ambitions and how far she will go to achieve them. In other trad wife books I’ve read in the past year, we have protagonists who are definitely complex and are seeking out fame and status with this highly damaging platform and influence, but ultimately they have learning moments and kind of see the error of their ways, or came to their positions through means that are ultimately empathetic and give them some grace. This isn’t a bad thing, really, and I did enjoy the ability to give them grace with the context that we get as the tale goes on. But Natalie? Natalie is also a well rounded character who doesn’t feel like a moustache twirling villain, but she is smug, she is a hypocrite, she is judgmental and cruel, and she is a sly and subtle monster who knows how to hide behind a veneer of piety in order to achieve her goals. Sure there is a Ballerina Farms vibe to her, but there is also a very clear undercurrent of Ruby Franke in her cruelty and her thirst for power at any cost. I was thrilled to see Burke take her places that others haven’t, like the fact that she is more than willing to cozy up with white supremacists and spew bigoted talking points (but in a gentle way) if she can feel superior to everyone else, especially the ‘angry women’ who she feels incredibly victimized by even though she’s hardly a victim. She’s just venomous, and it felt like it was epitomizing the darkest realities of the trad wife movement and its ties to Christo-fascism and white supremacy, and how it gets enmeshed with far right political movements. It’s the harshest critique of the movement I’ve seen and it is spectacular, even if it is deeply, DEEPLY uncomfortable.

“Yesteryear” is phenomenal. It kept me guessing, kept me engaged, and is sure to be a favorite read of the year for me. I’m blown away.

Rating 10: Mind blowing. A fantastic critique of the performance of conservative (to far right) femininity that trad wife content bolsters that is rife with suspense and building dread.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Yesteryear” is included on the Goodreads list “Tradwife Thrillers”.

Serena’s Review: “Wolf Worm”

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Book: “Wolf Worm” by T. Kingfisher

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, March 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: The year is 1899 and Sonia Wilson is a scientific illustrator without work, prospects, or hope. When the reclusive Dr. Halder offers her a position illustrating his vast collection of insects, Sonia jumps at the chance to move to his North Carolina manor house and put her talents to use. But soon enough she finds that there are darker things at work than the Carolina woods. What happened to her predecessor, Halder’s wife? Why are animals acting so strangely, and what is behind the peculiar local whispers about “blood thiefs?”

With the aid of the housekeeper and a local healer, Sonia discovers that Halder’s entomological studies have taken him down a dark road full of parasitic maggots that burrow into human flesh, and that his monstrous experiments may grow to encompass his newest illustrator as well.

Review: Here I am, back with another T. Kingfisher review! Honestly, this one might have fallen better under Kate’s genres, but I got here first! Seems like every other month I’m reviewing a book by this author, but that’s the great thing about prolific authors, especially when they always deliver.

There was a lot to enjoy about this one for sure. Most especially, I enjoyed the combination of the time period of history alongside the classic gothic trappings of a mysterious house hidden away in the woods and under the care of an even more mysterious owner. But unlike the typical gothic story, there’s no romance to be found here, just body horror galore.

I wouldn’t say that I’m the sort of person who is squeamish about bugs. If anything, my husband is always busy squashing them on first sight while I quietly work behind the scenes to simply transport them to safety outside. All my protestations about spiders being useful bugs seem to fall on deaf ears. THAT SAID, Kingfisher may have turned me around on all things creepy crawly. I don’t live in the south (obviously), but after reading this book, I pretty much never want to visit there again. Bot flies?? No thank you! Forget the creepy mushrooms that reanimated the dead, this thing takes body horror to an entirely new level and man, was it gross at times. Even thinking about some of the scenes now gives me a major ick. That said, it was definitely successful in being creepy for this very same reason. Your fear factor will likely greatly depend on your relationship to bugs, but, like I said, even the most hardened are likely to be grossed out here.

As for the rest of it, we have many of the staples of Kingfisher books. A solid, sympathetic, yet funny, leading lady character. A cast of assorted quirky side characters. And a villainous presence lurking behind it all. Of these all, I think the main character stood out the most. I enjoyed the side characters and villain (such as it was), but they also felt fairly familiar at this point. The main character also felt familiar, but her experiences as a woman working in a male-dominated world and her struggles with imposter syndrome were a compelling personal arc to follow.

I will say that this book is on the slower side. While the characters are the true heart of the story and were enough to pull me in right away, the story takes a while to truly set its scene. There’s a lot of slow buildup as Sonia begins her work and only gradually begins to suspect that all is not right around her. Once the midpoint of the book hits, things pick up from there. But it does create a situation where readers really need to stick with it through some of the quieter moments in the beginning to get to the payoff in the end. For my part, I feel that a lot of this slow buildup is a staple of gothic horror, slowly ratcheting up tension and atmosphere before building to a crisis point. However, it does leave for a bit of an uneven reading experience.

Overall, this was an excellent horror, gothic novel. The bug stuff was truly horrifying, and there are more than one scenes that I wish to scrub from my memory permanently. I have been missing the romance in the last few Kingfisher books I’ve read, but this one is a solid entry in the gothic genre and well worth checking out, especially for those who enjoy body horror.

Rating 8: Bugs have never been more gross, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Wolf Worm” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Horror to Look Forward to in 2026 and Nature Horror.