Tag: horror

Kate’s Review: “I Was A Teenage Slasher”

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

Book: “I Was A Teenage Slasher” by Stephen Graham Jones

Publishing Info: Simon & Schuster/Saga Press, July 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received a hardcover copy from the publisher at ALAAC24.

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

Book Description: From New York Times bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones comes a classic slasher story with a twist—perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Grady Hendrix.

1989, Lamesa, Texas. A small west Texas town driven by oil and cotton—and a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. So it goes for Tolly Driver, a good kid with more potential than application, seventeen, and about to be cursed to kill for revenge. Here Stephen Graham Jones explores the Texas he grew up in, the unfairness of being on the outside, through the slasher horror he lives but from the perspective of the killer, Tolly, writing his own autobiography. Find yourself rooting for a killer in this summer teen movie of a novel gone full blood-curdling tragic.

Review: Thank you to Simon and Shuster for giving me a hardcover copy at ALAAC24 and thank you to Stephen Graham Jones for signing it!

I mentioned this in our ALA Annual Conference highlights post, but I’ll bring it up again: one of my favorite moments from the conference this year was getting to see Stephen Graham Jones and getting a copy of his newest novel “I Was A Teenage Slasher”. I hadn’t even realized he was going to be at the conference until a day or two before it started, and then getting a copy of this book was an even BIGGER surprise because it wasn’t listed in the schedule. Since it was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, I was absolutely ecstatic, and it was my first ALA read. I gotta say, Jones never disappoints, and this book is, for me, one of his best.

There are so many things I loved about this book I don’t really know where to begin. But I guess the first thing I will talk about is the way it’s another examination of aspects of the slasher genre from Jones, who really REALLY loves his slashers, and knows his slashers front to back. While this is evident in his “Indian Lake Trilogy” with final girl Jade Daniels, it’s approached in a different way in “I Was A Teenage Slasher”, and feels like an inverse. Instead of following a burgeoning Final Girl, we follow a burgeoning slasher killer, and THAT is such an interesting path to take and hasn’t been taken all that many times compared to other storylines in slasher tales. As I was reading I kept thinking about one of my favorite horror movies “Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon”, because in that movie we get a similar angle in that we are getting to know and coming to enjoy a wannabe slasher killer, and in a lot of ways REALLY enjoying him in spite of the fact he’s obviously going to be monstrous by the end. With Tolly Driver we get a lot of that, as Tolly is an awkward misfit in his small town and has had a lot of tragedy happen to him in his life, who is also just kind of a good kid before he is taken over by a drive to be a teenage slasher after a supernatural incident at a teen party. We are solidly in his head, and we get to see all sides of him as he slowly starts his transformation, and as he and his best friend Amber (a fellow outcast in Lamesa, Texas as she is the only Native kid in their school) try to figure out just what is happening to him. I loved this coming of age thread within a slasher story in which the coming of age is that of the killer himself. I also REALLY loved his relationship with Amber, who is so fiercely loyal and whom he really adores, their friendship feeling so real and connected and deep. So much of their connection felt so incredibly genuine that I was just dreading the ultimate heel turn from Tolly, and how much I knew it was going to hurt because of my investment in their friendship. Jones makes them so easy to love, that I ended up gutted in the way only Jones knows how to achieve.

But along with the stellar characters, we also get another fun meta horror romp, with so much self awareness and humor to go with the solidly gory moments that you absolutely need for the slasher sub-genre. Jones cheekily finds ways to show off Tolly’s newfound slasher powers while also poking a little fun at some of the most tried and true tropes in the genre, as once Tolly is on this path, there are certain things that now absolutely happen for him. For example, whenever he picks up a sharp implement like a knife, it makes an over the top SCHING! noise, no matter how gently he does so or how not intimidating the knife is. His speed can vary but his ability to catch up is more about whether he’s being seen or not as opposed to his actual physical abilities (think about the way slashers seem to be able to keep up even when just walking). And so forth. It’s such a fun way to point out the silly things in the sub-genre that are tried and true and don’t REALLY make sense, but no one cares because that’s just how it goes! I loved this and found myself cackling during these moments.

And finally, I love the way that Jones brings the time and place to life in this book. The story as Tolly tells it is in small town West Texas in Lamesa in 1989, and boy did Jones capture all of that to a T. I love 80s nostalgia shit as someone born in the middle of that decade and who has vague pop culture memories of the latter part (and how it bled into the 90s, let’s be real), and the nostalgia is big in this one. As are the realities of growing up in small town Americana for those who are different or don’t fit the mold of what American youth were supposed to be like, as Tolly and Amber both fall into this group and really only have each other through their difficult teenage years even BEFORE Tolly starts to turn into a new Jason Voorhees. And as a bonus to that, Jones even made a Spotify Playlist that is FILLED WITH GLAM METAL, which is a top 3 music genre for me. And not since “Peacemaker” has a glam metal soundtrack felt so, so heartbreaking in certain ways.

Me dancing to “House of Pain” by Faster Pussycat in my spare time. Not pictured, the weeping that almost always comes with it. (source)

“I Was A Teenage Slasher” is probably my favorite Stephen Graham Jones novel yet. We are so blessed to have him in the horror literature community, and his stories continuously blow me away. Horror fans, especially slasher fans, do yourself a favor and go get this book post haste.

Rating 10: So incredibly self aware, meta, and also emotionally charged at times, “I Was A Teenage Slasher” is filled with lots of horror goodness as well as some good old fashioned teenage pathos.

Reader’s Advisory:

“I Was A Teenage Slasher” is included on the Goodreads lists “Slasher Fiction”, and “Indigenous Fiction 2024”.

Book Club Review: “A Study in Emerald” & “Snow, Glass, Apples”

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

We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. This June we celebrated our 10 year anniversary of book club. So in celebration of that milestone, we are re-visiting authors we read way back in those first few years of our book club. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!

NOTE: At the beginning of July, accusations of abuse and sexual assault were made against Neil Gaiman by two women. When our book club selected, met and read “A Study in Emerald” and “Snow, Glass, Apples” and we wrote our reviews, this information had not yet come to light. These accusations are deeply concerning and upsetting. Since we had committed to review these books on the blog before these accusations came to light, we’ve decided to post our reviews of these books to fulfill that commitment. That said, if you or someone you know needs help or wants to find someone to speak with confidentially, HERE is a link to RAINN’s resource page, which also links to more information about the organization in general and how to support victims of sexual violence.

Book: “A Study in Emerald” by Neil Gaiman and Rafael Albuquerque (Illustrator), Rafael Scavone, Dave Stewart (Illustrator)

Publishing Info: Dark Horse Books, June 2018

Where Did We Get This Book: The library!

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

Repeat Author: Neil Gaiman

Book Description: The complex investigation takes the Baker Street investigators from the slums of Whitechapel all the way to the Queen’s Palace as they attempt to find the answers to this bizarre murder of cosmic horror!

From the Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, World Fantasy, Nebula award-winning, and New York Times bestselling writer Neil Gaiman comes this graphic novel adaptation with art by Eisner award winning artist Rafael Albuquerque!

Kate’s Thoughts

It’s interesting. As someone who loves a good mystery and thriller, I haven’t read TOO much Sherlock Holmes (outside of the stories I read in middle school for English class, and “The Hound of the Baskervilles” for book club way back when). And as someone who loves horror, I haven’t read ANY H.P. Lovecraft. But I know enough about Holmes, Watson, Baker Street, and Cthulhu thanks to the pop culture and literary zeitgeist. So I could absolutely appreciate a LOT about “A Study In Emerald”, which brings the mythos of Lovecraft’s cosmic horrors to Baker Street and Victorian London. It’s a creative mashup, and I found the story up to the task.

I really enjoyed the creeping horror of this tale, and how it does harken back to the classic Holmes cases, and not just through the characters that we see on the page. There are fun references to other mysteries, there is definitely a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle air to the way that the story unfolds, and the way that Gaiman weaves in the Old Ones and Cthulhu into the story and makes it just seamlessly fit in is really fun. It also works as an interesting comment upon the Colonialist impact that England was having across the world, as the Old Ones are coming in and ruling over everyone with a malicious intent towards power and conquest. And I always enjoy the artwork of Raphael Albuquerque, and his style works really well in this story. It’s compelling and fun, and while it’s a stand alone short story it feels very established. It’s a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it very much.

Serena’s Thoughts

I loved this book! There were so many clever ideas all mixed together in a way that felt totally fresh and unique. And given how many adaptations and variations there have been on Sherlock Holmes and Watson, producing something that feels truly original is quite the accomplishment! Of course, the primary factor there comes down to the inclusion and use of Lovecraft’s classic horror creatures. But there is definitely a way that this could have gone very wrong. Instead, Gaiman never over-played his hand. And while the alternate timeline/history of this world and the role the Old Ones play in it was very interesting, at its heart, the story is still very much a classic Sherlock Holmes mystery. From the framing of the story from the companion’s perspective to the use of verbose language with only limited dialogue, it all felt perfectly in line with the tone of the original. Despite the fact that there are tentacled royalty ruling the world!

I also enjoyed the big twist at the end. As a big Sherlock fan, I was suspicious that this was where we were headed fairly early, but that still didn’t diminish how effective it was. I also think that it was subtle enough that it could still play as a pretty big twist for the majority of readers. It was a clever case of “look at this hand and not the other,” using the Lovecraft elements to great effect. The art also worked perfectly with the overall tone. The sepia color palette worked well to create a sense of the time period, and the inclusion of the little advertisements between chapters was excellent.

Really, my only criticism is that in some ways it felt like the prequel to a series. I immediately went on Goodreads hoping to line up the sequel. But alas. I’d definitely read more in this world if given the chance, and I think this is a great read for all Holmes fans out there!

Kate’s Rating 8: A creative mash up of two literary icons makes for an interesting adaptation that works incredibly well.

Serena’s Rating 9: Clever and unique, which is truly an accomplishment considering the plethora of adaptations out there for both Holmes and Lovecraft’s creatures!

Book Club Questions

  1. What were your thoughts on the surprise reveal at the end of the book? Did you see it coming? Did you think it fit well?
  2. Did you like the theme as the monarchs of Europe actually being Old Ones from Lovecraft’s stories?
  3. Did you enjoy the throw back advertisements that separated the sections of the story?
  4. This is a graphic novel that was told purely in captions and with little to no actual speech bubbles. Did you like this creative choice?
  5. What did you think of the art style of this story? Did you feel like it fit the tone of the narrative?

Reader’s Advisory

“A Study in Emerald” is included on the Goodreads lists A Study in Sherlock Holmes and Lovecraft in Victorian Era.

Book: “Snow, Glass, Apples” by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Dorman (Illustrator)

Publishing Info: Headline, August 2019

Where Did We Get This Book: The library!

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

Repeat Author: Neil Gaiman

Book Description: A chilling fantasy retelling of the Snow White fairy tale by bestselling creators Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran.

A not-so-evil queen is terrified of her monstrous stepdaughter and determined to repel this creature and save her kingdom from a world where happy endings aren’t so happily ever after.

From the Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, World Fantasy, Nebula Award-winning and Sunday Times-bestselling writer Neil Gaiman (American Gods) comes this graphic novel adaptation by Colleen Doran (Troll Bridge).

Kate’s Thoughts

I already love a fairytale retelling, especially if it is a bit dark and twisted. And I have come to enjoy “Snow White” more as of late because my daughter got a Snow White dress during our Spring Break trip to Disney, which has made me all the fonder of the story. But then you add in not only a version that is told from the perspective of the Evil Queen AND it has a vampire Snow White?? OH HELL YES. Gaiman knows how to do dark in his stories, and this one is SO creepy and twisted, telling a story about a young queen who finds herself a stepmother to a monstrous vampiric child, and wants to keep her kingdom safe from the predatory nature of the girl whose skin is white as snow and lips are red as blood. Snow White’s Evil Queen is so two dimensional in the original tale and many tales that came after it, so for Gaiman to not only make her the protagonist but to also make her flawed but generally a good hearted woman who is trying to use magic to help her subjects is so excellent and such a breath of fresh air. I loved the subversions in the magical elements, and how it harkens to the source material but tweaks it into something new. And something REALLY disturbing.

And I absolutely loved the art style in this book. It feels like a combination of medieval tapestries and art deco aesthetic, and there are so many gorgeous details that leap off the page. It’s truly breathtaking, with few actual panels but free form mural-esque spilling into each other. But it still remains linear and easy to follow along with the very detailed and complex designs. Our book club host asked us what our favorite image was, and I had such a hard time picking because there are so many amazing images.

I loved “Snow, Glass, Apples”. What a compelling reimagining of “Snow White”.

Serena’s Thoughts

I also really enjoyed this one! Probably no great shocker as I love fairytale re-tellings, especially twisted versions of the story. This one, told from the perspective of the “evil” step-mother succeeded on a lot of fronts. First of all, I absolutely adored this art style! I found myself reading this one much more slowly than the first, simply because I wanted to look at all the intricate details on every singled panel. There are several pages that I would buy and frame and put up in my home library, they were that beautiful. I also really enjoyed the “stream of consciousness” style the art used, with several spreads effectively moving the reader through the page without the use of panels or blocks.

I also enjoyed the twist on the “Snow White” tale. I wasn’t prepared for just how dark it was going to get! Fairly early in the story, the reader is introduced to the major “twist” to the tale and you think “Ok, I get where the darkness is going to go.” And then you get about two-thirds of the way and and it’s like “Oh! Nope, this went way darker and in a way more disturbing direction than I had expected!” For the most part, I think this darkness all worked. That said, there were a few brief moments and details that did feel like they were there purely for shock value and not any real narrative purpose.

Overall, I thought this was a very interesting re-imaging of the classic tale. I think the art really stole the show for me. And while I think many fans of dark fantasy will enjoy this one, it’s definitely NSFW, so keep that in mind if you’re reading it in public!

Kate’s Rating 9: A disturbing but horrifically gorgeous reimagining of Snow White.

Serena’s Rating 8: Horrifying in the best way, but the gorgeous art was really the win as far as I’m concerned!

Book Club Questions

  1. What did you think of following the Queen’s POV in this story? Are you used to seeing her side of the “Snow White” story?
  2. Did you buy into the idea of a vampire Snow White? Why or why not?
  3. What are your thoughts on how Gaiman subverted the witchcraft in this versus the original?
  4. What did you think of the aspect of the Spring Faire in this tale and how it related to the Queen’s motivation in the story?
  5. Did you like the art style in this? Did it fit the tone of the tale?

Reader’s Advisory

“Snow, Glass, Apples” is included on the Goodreads lists Snow White Retellings and Graphic Novels with Fairytale or Mythical elements

Next Book Club Pick: “Superman Smashes the Klan” by by Gene Luen Yang

Kate’s Review: “Bury Your Gays”

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

Book: “Bury Your Gays” by Chuck Tingle

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, July 2024

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

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

Book Description: From Chuck Tingle, author of the USA Today bestselling Camp Damascus, comes a new heart-pounding story about what it takes to succeed in a world that wants you dead.

Misha is a jaded scriptwriter who has been working in Hollywood for years, and has just been nominated for his first Oscar. But when he’s pressured by his producers to kill off a gay character in the upcoming season finale―”for the algorithm”―Misha discovers that it’s not that simple.

As he is haunted by his past, and past mistakes, Misha must risk everything to find a way to do what’s right―before it’s too late.

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

Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined that Chuck Tingle, the guy who wrote parody monster porn stories with titles like “My Billionaire Triceratops Craves Gay Ass” and “Bigfoot Sommelier Butt Tasting”, would be a highly anticipated horror author whose titles would make my ‘must read’ list. But joke’s on me and I am more than willing to admit my short sighted and snooty attitude was dead wrong, because Tingle really impressed me with last year’s “Camp Damascus”, and I had high, high hopes for his second horror novel “Bury Your Gays”. I was very lucky to get my hands on an eARC of this book, and I saved it for Pride Month and my trip to ALA, hoping that it would be another hit and a feel good book with some serious horror chops. And I’m so pleased to report that it was exactly that. Chuck Tingle, you are a most impressive buckaroo and this book is a joy.

What really stood out to me in “Bury Your Gays” is the very effective and cutting commentary about the way that pop culture, corporate culture, and capitalism can pretend to uplift queer characters and voices, while actually working against the interests of queer people once it no longer is making them the capital and money they desire. Our protagonist is Misha, a successful and closeted queer screenwriter who is getting a lot of attention for an Oscar nomination for a short film, but who has also been told by the suits of his successful TV show that he has to kill off the two gay characters in the season finale, or else face professional repercussions. And when he balks and pushes back, he suddenly finds himself stalked by people (or perhaps not people) who are dressed up like the villains in the horror movies that gave him his start, and have a lot of queer subtext to them. This is an incredible hook on its own, and Tingle manages to bring lots of symbolism, real life anxieties, and lots of heart to this tale. I love seeing Misha try to navigate his life as a successful writer, but who still feels a need to hide who he is. I loved the way this book portrays Rainbow Capitalism and how it is more than happy to make money off of LGBTQIA+ people but doesn’t actually have any interest in representing or catering to them in an authentic or responsible way. I loved exploring Misha’s backstory as a closeted gay kid in a hostile community, and how the traumas that come with that have informed and influenced his writing, and how that in turn comes back to continuously haunt him both metaphorically and literally. I also love how this story ALSO pushes back against the idea that LGBTQIA+ stories can only be extremes, with one extreme being the tragic ‘bury your gays’ story, and another being ‘this needs to only be joyful because there can be NO sadness’. Tingle pushes past all these things and creates a story that imagines a better scenario for queer stories and queer creators, and critiques how Hollywood suits can’t think outside the bottom line. It’s so effective.

But on top of all that, this book is also LEGITIMATELY SCARY! Tingle has this knack for really evoking the creepiest and most distressing imagery, and there were multiple moments in “Bury Your Gays” that set me wholly on edge. The Smoker? Mrs. Why? Are you kidding me!? Tingle always knows how to really draw out some scary beats, and I was definitely on edge during a few of the scenes where Misha was being stalked by his former creations. It’s also an interesting take on the way that a creator’s work can still follow them well beyond the point of creation, which ties back into the other metaphors that this book is rife with which I talked about above. Tingle really knows how to bring out the depth as well as the really scary shit, and that’s something that truly good horror can do. “Bury Your Gays” is good horror, and Mrs. Why is perhaps on the same level as “Smile” and “It Follows” when it comes to unsettling fucked up-ness and she is going to stay with me awhile. So that’s great.

She has haunted my dreams a bit as of late (source).

Overall, “Bury Your Gays” has cemented Chuck Tingle’s prowess as a horror author, and one who has so much to say and with such earnest conviction. I am so glad that we are seeing this new era for this incredibly compelling author.

Rating 9: Another fantastic horror novel with a lot of relevant commentary about being a queer creator in modern pop culture society by Chuck Tingle. LOVE IS REAL!!!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Bury Your Gays” is included on the Goodreads lists “Queer Horror” and “Queer Books Set in Los Angeles”.

Kate’s Review: “The Ones Who Come Back Hungry”


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

Book: “The Ones Who Come Back Hungry” by Amelinda Bérubé

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Fire, July 2024

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

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

Book Description: From the author of Here There Are Monsters comes a chilling supernatural horror that is part terrifying vampire legend and part modern exploration of toxic relationships wrapped up in a novel about hunger, yearning, and loss.

After the sudden death of her perfect, popular older sister, Jo and her family feel empty. But days after crying at Audrey’s graveside, Jo stumbles on the impossible: Audrey, standing barefoot in the snowy backyard. But Audrey isn’t breathing. She’s still marred with the evidence of an autopsy. She’s decaying. And worst of all, Audrey is hungry, and only human blood can curb her relentless appetite.

Jo knows she can put her family back together; she just has to figure out how to fix Audrey. She hides her sister and sustains her with her own blood, determined to figure out how to keep Audrey with them. When her search takes her to her sister’s grieving inner circle of friends, Jo finds herself drawn into their fold―and to Audrey’s boyfriend, Sam.

As Jo slips further into her sister’s old life, Audrey’s hunger and jealousy grow more insatiable. She’s not going to sit back and let Jo replace her or, worse, discover the secrets hidden beneath her golden girl facade. As Jo struggles to juggle everything she will be forced to decide which of her loved ones needs her the most ―and who she’s willing to sacrifice to save them.

Review: Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an ARC of this novel!

It’s been awhile since “Twilight” made vampires the hot paranormal love interest, which in turn made vampires so passé due to the over saturation of the sub-genre. But lo and behold, I am confident in saying that vampires have made their way back into the forefront of horror fiction, with MANY vampire stories coming out lately. But this time around we don’t see nearly as much romance as we did back when Edward Cullen was bringing in the readers, and while I am no longer as staunchly critical of “Twilight” as I was back when it was a phenomenon, I do have to say that I really love that vampires are a little bit wicked again. Mostly because authors are finding ways to explore that wickedness and make it feel fresh, while also being willing to explore the tragedy that can come along with it. And with that we come to “The Ones Who Come Back Hungry” by Amelinda Bérubé, a new YA vampire novel about a younger sister named Jo whose older, popular sister Audrey died… and then came back as something hungry for blood. Blood that Jo is willing to provide, and Audrey is more than willing to take.

Her name is even Audrey, that’s so fun (source)

It’s a great premise, and I really enjoyed the ‘vampire mother and teenage daughter’ theme in “Night’s Edge”, so why not a vampire and her sister?

Overall this one worked really well for me. I already like a vampire as manipulative predator story, and when you make the manipulator a formerly popular older sister and the manipulated an always waiting in the wings younger sister, it has SO much room to explore and devastate. Jo is our protagonist, who is absolutely floored and devastated by the sudden death of her ambitious and driven older sister Audrey. Jo is left adrift, her mother is so bereft she shuts herself away from the world, and her father is trying to keep things together in the family but doesn’t know how to verbalize his grief. I thought that the portrayals of grief and how many forms it can come in was well done and at times quite heart wrenching, and it makes all the more sense when Audrey suddenly shows up at the house in the middle of the night, much to Jo’s horror. Jo has always been in Audrey’s shadow, and hoping to piece their family back together and to bring back the golden child she, of course, wants to help Audrey and try to ‘cure her’, as she is very clearly not alive, but not quite dead (even though she very much looks and smells like she is). If this means she’s going to do some bloodletting, and Audrey is going to keep begging her, and badgering her, for more, so be it. It’s a return to the ‘vampire as a manipulative abuser’ trope, and while it doesn’t explore the intricacies of Audrey herself beyond selfishness (that may have even been apparent when she was alive), it’s an interesting character study of Jo and how far she would go to help Audrey, the sister who always outshined her. Things get all the more complicated when Jo starts spending time with Audrey’s friends, especially her boyfriend Sam, and Jo starts to relish filling a void left behind. Jo’s arc adds a very human element to a supernatural horror story, and it was pretty effective.

I also really enjoyed the vampire world building in this book. Bérubé has a really great author’s note in the back talking about the inspiration of New England ‘true’ vampire stories, and how she referenced and researched and pulled tidbits from that folk lore. She also goes a bit further and expands upon the vampire lore and makes for some creative, and actually pretty well thought out, additions to how vampires in her story work. The biggest one was the way that Audrey has kept all of her wounds and seems to be decaying before Jo’s eyes, with blood being the only thing to tenuously bring her back from a rotting brink. There’s even the fact that any kind of warm air make Audrey’s skin start to bloat and change, the way that heat would affect a rotting corpse (with some pretty nasty imagery involved). It’s a real change from how so many vampires are portrayed as beautiful and seductive antagonists, and I really appreciated the way she takes it a few steps further into grossness while still working within a wholly believable range (of COURSE a corpse would start to bloat in heat, and what are vampires but sentient and immortal corpses?). I love that vampires get to be gross as well as creepy and unsettling in this book.

“The Ones Who Come Back Hungry” is an entertaining vampire novel for a YA audience with some serious crossover potential for adult horror fans. I definitely enjoyed it.

Rating 8: A dark and at times quite sad book about loss, sibling dynamics, tricky familial relationships, and vampires.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Ones Who Come Back Hungry” is included on the Goodreads list “YA Novels of 2024”.

Kate’s Review: “You Like It Darker”

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

Book: “You Like It Darker” by Stephen King

Publishing Info: Scribner, May 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I own it.

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

Book Description: “You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.

Review: Stephen King is a favorite of mine as we all know, and I’m just happy getting even one story out of him a year. But this year along with “Holly” (which I loved), we also get a new short story collection! “You Like It Darker” is that collection, and I absolutely pre-ordered it in high anticipation. While some of these stories have been published in other capacities before, it was my first experience with all of them, and I was very excited to read it. And no surprises here, I was very satisfied with it.

As I always do with a short story collection, I’m going to review my favorite three stories in full, and then review the collection as a whole.

“The Fifth Step”: This story was, to me, the most ‘classic King’ in tone and storytelling. A man sitting in a park is approached by a stranger who asks if he can try and complete his Fifth Step for his AA program with him, as he feels more comfortable approaching a stranger to express ‘the exact nature of his wrongs’ as opposed to someone he knows, as suggested by his sponsor. As he confesses for his program, things take a very personal turn. I loved the build of this one, as the intensity ratchets up and the story starts to twist the reader in the wind. As I said, Classic King right here, with a folksy twang and a creepy air about it.

“Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream”: Sometimes the scariest things are rooted in a very dark reality, and “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream” was very much that. It was also my favorite story in the collection because of how goddamn scary it was. Danny Coughlin is an average working man who is just trying to live his life. But when he has a vivid psychic vision about finding a dead body in an abandoned lot, he is afraid to say anything due to the nature of his knowledge. but does the right thing…. only for the police to decide that HE is the perpetrator, and will stop at nothing to put him behind bars. This one really, really freaked me out because it’s a damning indictment of the corruptions and rot in law enforcement circles, and how some investigators are less interested in making a suspect fit evidence and more interested in making evidence fit a suspect. It was definitely the most suspenseful of the collection.

“Laurie”: This story is one of the more poignant and quieter tales in the book, and while it has some creepy aspects, there is such a tenderness about it. A widower living in Florida has become depressed and listless after losing his wife of decades, and is gifted a puppy that he doesn’t really want from his sister, who thinks he could use the company. While he’s reluctant at first, he starts to take a liking to Laurie the puppy. As he starts to shift his life to fit his new puppy, he starts to build a bond with her, and to find a purpose again. I loved thi story because of how it so compassionately examines grief and loss and how important reconnecting to your life can be. But don’t worry, there are still some scary and nasty King things to be found here.

But there were lots of great stories in this book. King has become such a chameleon with his stories, I wouldn’t classify any of the ones in this collection PURE horror, because even the ones that were definitely horror stories had so many moments of grounded humanity and emotion and literary exploration that it just felt like that much more. They also felt generally introspective in many ways, with lots of meditations on life and death and destiny and the human condition. It’s so frustrating that there are still people that kind of dismiss King because he is such a prolific and talented genre author (but that’s just the reflection of people looking down on genre fiction as a whole, which is another thing that grinds my gears), because man, he is so talented and shows no signs of stopping.

I thoroughly enjoyed “You Like It Darker”. There’s a story for everyone in here, with so many themes and tones and moods that they run a whole gamut. Highly recommended.

Rating 8: A solid, at times unsettling, and bittersweet collection of short stories from my favorite author, “You Like It Darker” is a King that feels introspective and melancholy, but also tentatively hopeful.

Reader’s Advisory:

“You Like It Darker” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror to Look Forward to in 2024”.

Kate’s Review: “The Eyes Are the Best Part”

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

Book: “The Eyes Are the Best Part” by Monika Kim

Publishing Info: Erewhon Books, June 2024

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

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

Book Description: Feminist psychological horror about the making of a female serial killer from a Korean-American perspective.

Ji-won’s life tumbles into disarray in the wake of her appa’s extramarital affair and subsequent departure. Her mother, distraught. Her younger sister, hurt and confused. Her college freshman grades, failing. Her dreams, horrifying… yet enticing.

In them, Ji-won walks through bloody rooms full of eyes. Succulent blue eyes. Salivatingly blue eyes. Eyes the same shape and shade as George’s, who is Umma’s obnoxious new boyfriend. George has already overstayed his welcome in her family’s claustrophobic apartment. He brags about his puffed-up consulting job, ogles Asian waitresses while dining out, and acts condescending toward Ji-won and her sister as if he deserves all of Umma’s fawning adoration. No, George doesn’t deserve anything from her family. Ji-won will make sure of that.

For no matter how many victims accumulate around her campus or how many people she must deceive and manipulate, Ji-won’s hunger and her rage deserve to be sated.

A brilliantly inventive, subversive novel about a young woman unraveling, Monika Kim’s The Eyes Are the Best Part is a story of a family falling apart and trying to find their way back to each other, marking a bold new voice in horror that will leave readers mesmerized and craving more.

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

Most every night when I have no plans, around 9 or so I retreat to bed to read until I turn out the light. My husband’s routine is to stay up playing video games until around the time I’m turning out the light. One such night he came into our room as I was reading “The Eyes Are the Best Part” by Monika Kim. He asked “Ah, what are you reading tonight?” And I cheerfully said “I’m reading a book about a woman who is slowly descending into madness and is fantasizing about eating eyeballs”. To which he said, rather despondently, “I wish I could go into the way back machine and not ask that question”. Which, hey, I get it. It does sound pretty gross, and that’s something that a reader tends to want in a body horror tale. But I also told him that it’s actually an interesting satire and social exploration while also being about eating eyeballs. He wasn’t convinced, but let me tell you, I stand by this assessment and it’s also what makes “The Eyes Are the Best Part” more than just a shocking splatterfest.

I’ll lead off with the splatterfest, however, because man, Kim isn’t afraid to be gross and disturbing. There are many descriptions in this book about cannibalism, and mutilation, and general violence, and they don’t hold back. I definitely found myself wincing and having to skim every once in awhile when I am usually a fairly seasoned horror reader, but it never felt like it was in bad taste, somehow, and that’s probably because Kim’s story has a deeper point (we’ll get to that in a bit) as well as some really effective devices to anchor the violence within a very sympathetic protagonist in Ji-won. It’s from her perspective and we get to see in real time how she is slipping more and more into obsession, rage, and perhaps madness, and it’s a really well done spin on the unreliable narrator. It utilizes this well in the body horror tale, and it’s SO gross at times but always kept me compelled. It’s a fine line for me, because a lot of the time once you get too gross and in your face I’m turned off because it just feels like it’s trying to shock for shock’s sake. “The Eyes Are the Best Part” never took it that far. But trust, it’s still gross. So don’t worry, those who like that kind of thing. I think it will still work for you.

What really stood out to me, though, is how Kim has taken Ji-won and her circumstances and has managed to make her a multi-faceted and nuanced protagonist, even if she is a budding serial killer who has become obsessed with eating other people’s eyes, specifically the eyes of her mother’s new boyfriend George, a white man who is clearly fetishizing this family of Korean-American women based on their race. I found Ji-won’s arc incredibly compelling as she is slowly descending into her madness and instability, and how Kim weaves some great social commentary into the story and the foundation of it. Whether it’s having to hold her mother and sister together after her father abandoned them for a younger woman, or having to maneuver through her own discomfort and the microaggressions she experiences as an Asian woman in modern America, or having to deal with an overt misogynistic racist like George or a covert one like a classmate that she, at first, enjoys the company of (THIS was the most interesting thread in the story for me, as the overt creeps like George can pale in comparison to the creeps who hide behind empty allyship and hollow/self serving white progressivism), or just having to deal with her own traumas and losses, Ji-won’s ultimate path is a dark one, but it’s one that does have reason, and does evoke sympathy. And hey, if there can be stories about sympathetic white men murderers, there should be room for others that don’t fit that mold as far as I’m concerned.

I quite enjoyed “The Eyes Are the Best Part”. Monika Kim is a debut author to watch, because this is a STRONG debut and I have high hopes that it’s going to lead to a great horror career.

Rating 8: Twisted and gross at times, but also a cutting insight into living in America as a Korean American woman, “The Eyes Are the Best Part” is a nasty horror novel with some serious teeth.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Eyes Are the Best Part” is included on the Goodreads list “Books With Names That Slap”.

Kate’s Review: “The Pecan Children”

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

Book: “The Pecan Children” by Quinn Connor

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Landmark, June 2024

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

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

Book Description: For fans of The Midnight Library and Demon Copperhead comes a breathtaking story of magical realism about two sisters, deeply tied to their small Southern town, fighting to break free of the darkness swallowing the land—and its endless cycle of pecan harvests—whole.

How long will you hold on when your world is gone?

In a small southern pecan town, the annual harvest is a time of both celebration and heartbreak. Even as families are forced to sell their orchards and move away, Lil Clearwater, keeper of a secret covenant with her land, swears she never will. When her twin Sasha returns to the dwindling town in hopes of reconnecting with the girl her heart never forgot, the sisters struggle to bridge their differences and share the immense burden of protecting their home from hungry forces intent on uprooting everything they love.

But there is rot hiding deep beneath the surface. Ghostly fires light up the night, and troubling local folklore is revealed to be all too true. Confronted with the phantoms of their pasts and the devastating threat to their future, the sisters come to the stark realization that in the kudzu-choked South, nothing is ever as it appears.

A story of the love between sisters, and an allegory of decay in small-town America, The Pecan Children walks the line between beauty and horror.

Review: Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for sending me an ARC of this novel!

We are about half way through Pride Month, and I’m happy to be able to say that today I have a horror-esque novel that will be a great choice if you are wanting to read LGBTQIA+ books through the end of June. Sourcebooks Landmark reached out to me with “The Pecan Children” by Quinn Connor (the pen name of writing duo Robyn Barrow and Alex Cronin), and touted it as a Southern Gothic story that has a lovely sapphic romance at the center of it. All of this caught my eye, and I was eager to jump into it leading up to Pride. And I think that it did make good on the majority of the promises it made in the description.

In terms of a genre I would PROBABLY classify this as more of a dark fantasy than a horror novel (which was what I thought I was getting into), but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be scary at times or definitely have horror elements that shine through. There are so many moments of dread, even if it’s just through the description of invasive kudzu, or strange children encountered in the wilderness, or strange fires that flicker to life only to abruptly disappear like they never started in the first place. We are mostly following twin sisters Lil and Sasha, who have grown up in a small town in Arkansas that has relied on pecan harvests and local community to survive, only for land to suddenly stop producing and predatory land grabs snatching up and threatening the town. But this is not the case on Lil and Sasha’s farm, the one that Lil has tended to ever since her other passed, and the one Sasha has returned to after being away. The slow building suspense of what is happening around them as they reconnect with old loves, the first being Lil’s ex boyfriend Jason who has also returned and the second being Autumn, an old friend of Sasha, makes for an eerie and creepy read as things just seem off. And by the time we find out just what IS going on (and I’m not going to spoil anything), the tension snaps back and reverberates as the story hurtles towards its end. I think that I was hoping for more straight up horror beats, but when I started approaching it as a dark fantasy it worked really well for me.

But like so many tales, “The Pecan Children” is rife with real world obstacles and societal commentary. The first is that Lil and Sasha’s hometown is in stasis and slowly succumbing to a rot and decay of an outside force that is sucking it dry. It works well for the horror elements and reveals that are in place (no spoilers here, again), but it’s also a pretty poignant way to talk about the way that many small towns in poorer rural areas are really struggling for many reasons, and how in turn many of the people who do stay cling to aspects of the past. But along with that is the fact that I also loved the dichotomy of the twin sisters, as Lil has stayed to continue the pecan farm as her mother had put that mantle on her, and Sasha left for a time, only to return and to reconnect with her sister, in spite of the resentment between both of them for different reasons. It’s a heartfelt thread that crosses throughout the dark fantasy elements and eerie scares of the greater story, and it has siblings that clearly loves each other while having to overcome bitterness and familial heartaches. It was the very human and realistic moments that worked best for me in this novel, whether it’s the love between the twins, or the romance between Sasha and Autumn, or the reconnection between Lil and Jason. I REALLY liked the relationship between Sasha and Autumn, as I love seeing two old friends reconnect and realizing that there was always something more there, and finally being willing to explore it more than they had in the past.

With a strange and dreamy aura about it and some easy to root for relationships, romantic and sisterly, “The Pecan Children” is a dark fantasy read that would be a great choice for Pride month, and a solid read for dark fantasy readers who like a Southern Gothic twist.

Rating 7: A creepy and dreamy dark fantasy tale that is also about sisters, lost loves, and decaying small town identity, “The Pecan Children” is an eerie read for summer.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Pecan Children” is included on the Goodreads list “Queer Books Set in Arkansas”.

Kate’s Review: “Horror Movie”


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

Book: “Horror Movie” by Paul Tremblay

Publishing Info: William Morrow, June 2024

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 chilling twist on the “cursed film” genre from the bestselling author of The Pallbearers Club and The Cabin at the End of the World.

In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick. The weird part? Only three of the film’s scenes were ever released to the public, but Horror Movie has nevertheless grown a rabid fanbase. Three decades later, Hollywood is pushing for a big budget reboot.

The man who played “The Thin Kid” is the only surviving cast member. He remembers all too well the secrets buried within the original screenplay, the bizarre events of the filming, and the dangerous crossed lines on set that resulted in tragedy. As memories flood back in, the boundaries between reality and film, past and present start to blur. But he’s going to help remake the film, even if it means navigating a world of cynical producers, egomaniacal directors, and surreal fan conventions — demons of the past be damned.

But at what cost? 

Horror Movie is an obsessive, psychologically chilling, and suspenseful twist on the “cursed film” that breathlessly builds to an unforgettable, mind-bending conclusion.

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

Hooray hooray, it’s finally time for another Paul Tremblay horror novel!! I always look forward to seeing what this master of horror literature comes up with next, as not only can I count on it being deeply deeply upsetting in a scary sense, I can also count on it being deeply deeply upsetting in a ‘I am experiencing utter despair’ sense. And in “Horror Movie” we get both of those things and then some as we are told the story of a production of a ‘cursed’ horror movie, which starts as a shoe string low budget project and ends up as a tragedy that has to be shut down… only for a reboot in the works years later, with one of the last people involved standing being tapped to participate. This alone was enough to have me on board, but with Tremblay at the helm I knew that this was going to be a ride. And man, I really adored it.

There were so many elements of this book that really, really got under my skin. One reason for this is the narrative structure, as we are kind of flipping back and forth between two. The first is that of the unreliable (as we slowly start to realize) narration of our Unnamed Protagonist who played “The Thin Kid” in the original film as he navigates the new situation of a reboot and reminisces about his time on set with friends and coworkers Valentina (the director), Cleo (the writer), and the other people involved in the production that becomes a new member of the ‘cursed films’ club when tragedy after tragedy befalls so many people connected to the project. What starts out as a pretty straight forward thread that seems like a reminiscing and a slow reveal to the first domino of an incident that closed down the film gradually starts to transform into something very, very odd, and downright unnerving. And then on the other side we get snippets from Cleo’s original script for “Horror Movie”, which starts as a pretty familiar arthouse horror film with a little bit of an inflated sense of itself, but then really, REALLY starts to shift towards something that is, indeed, a bit genius but also bizarre. There is one moment describing a long holding shot towards the end of the book that really, really creeped me out because of how Tremblay drew it out, and I genuinely began to feel anxiety and was nervously giggling to myself as it went on. Tremblay has always been SO good at creating completely nerve wracking moments and beats without spilling into ludicrous or unworkable territory, and “Horror Movie” is another masterclass in this. And it really messed with me.

Me suppressing a panic attack until I can be alone after putting down the book after one specific scene. (source)

But this is also a really interesting take on the idea of art creation and how it can consume the creator, but also how art can come to life due to the belief in it, whether or not it’s from the creator itself or from the audience that it finds. There are some obvious explorations of this, mostly as “The Thin Kid” has to basically be method during the production and is isolated from everyone else and even goes to extreme lengths to get into character. But we also kind of see this through Valentina and Cleo’s methods as they are filming, as they have such grand ideas and lofty heights for their creation and how they want it to turn out. And even the way that the movie garners a following in spite of the fact it was never completed and never officially released, but through a few scenes being posted to YouTube which somehow brings not only the fanbase to life, but also other things that perhaps didn’t have the power they wield until a love of the art itself spread far and wide. It’s such an interesting examination of the power of art, for better or for worse. You get the sense that our protagonist probably wouldn’t be on the path he ends up on were it not for the film he was a part of, and not just because of what happened on the set.

Another fantastic novel from Paul Tremblay. I really loved “Horror Movie” in all its weird, nerve-wracking glory. I always look forward to Tremblay’s twisted horror tales, and highly recommend that horror fans check him out if you haven’t already!

Rating 9: A strange, deeply disturbing meditation on the creation of art, the way a myth can build, and how creation can influence destiny.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Horror Movie” is included on the Goodreads lists “Lost Films & Cursed Movies”, and “Found Footage”.

Kate’s Review: “youthjuice”

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

Book: “youthjuice” by E.K. Sathue

Publishing Info: Soho Press, June 2024

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

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

Book Description: American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada: outrageous body horror for the goop generation.

A 29-year-old copywriter realizes that beauty is possible—at a terrible cost—in this surreal, satirical send-up of NYC It-girl culture.

From Sophia Bannion’s first day on the Storytelling team at HEBE, a luxury skincare/wellness company based in New York’s trendy SoHo neighborhood, it’s clear something is deeply amiss. But Sophia, pushing thirty, has plenty of skeletons in her closet next to the designer knockoffs and doesn’t care. Though she leads an outwardly charmed life, she aches for a deeper meaning to her flat existence—and a cure for her brutal nail-biting habit. She finds it all and more at HEBE, and with Tree Whitestone, HEBE’s charismatic founder and CEO.

Soon, Sophia is addicted to her HEBE lifestyle—especially youthjuice, the fatty, soothing moisturizer Tree has asked Sophia to test. But when cracks in HEBE’s infrastructure start to worsen—and Sophia learns the gruesome secret ingredient at the heart of youthjuice—she has to decide how far she’s willing to go to stay beautiful forever.

Glittering with ominous flashes of Sophia’s coming-of-rage story, former beauty editor E.K. Sathue’s horror debut is as incisive as it is stomach-churning in its portrayal of all-consuming female friendship and the beauty industry’s short attention span. youthjuice does to skincare influencers what Bret Easton Ellis did to yuppies. You’ll never moisturize the same way again.

Review: Thank you to Soho Press for sending me an ARC of this novel!

I am someone who has very little knowledge about skin care and beauty routines outside of knowing that I need to hide my pale pale body from the sun at all times. It probably doesn’t help that I absolutely cannot abide the feeling of any kinds of lotion on my skin, which makes skin care a little trickier. But even though I know very little about the beauty industry and anti-aging fads and techniques, I was still interested in giving “youthjuice” by E.K. Sathue a whirl. The cover itself is eye catching, with a pale pink background and a simple beauty jar with a bit of blood dripping from it. What’s not to love, really? After all, in a time when skincare and anti-aging beauty products have delved into the likes of bloodletting strategies like vampire facials (with some sometimes horrendous results), this kind of thing seems ripe for the picking in body horror, and Sathue rises to the occasion.

(source)

First let’s talk horror elements, because “youthjuice” has them in spades. Firstly, we have the obvious body horror stuff, as we follow Sophia Bannion as she begins a new job at the beauty company HEBE, and finds out that the new product she is testing ‘youthjuice’, may have some pretty macabre origins and ingredients. It’s a bit of a spoiler, but I’m sure that one can guess based on the book cover alone, that this new product contains some human derived ingredients, with some horrifying means to procure them. It’s still a pretty jarring trope, though it has a long and storied run not only in fiction (vampires living off of blood in their immortality), but also world history (Elizabeth Báthory, anyone?), and Sathue revives it here for a new generation, with a bit of an influencer and capitalistic twist. And it makes for some pretty gory and downright disgusting beats, with descriptions of blood of all types and conditions being thrown on the page. There were some bits that could have been expanded upon more in terms of cause and effect, though perhaps the ambiguity will work better for others reading it. The other horror aspect that I mostly enjoyed was Sophia herself, and how we come to find out she is an unreliable narrator of sorts, and why that is. We blend the modern day with a flashback to a time during her youth where she is learning about desire, power, and attraction, and how she comes to value these things in a way that turns her into the ambitious young woman in a new job that has some pretty dark secrets. It didn’t reinvent the wheel per se, but it worked for the story and I found it believable to the character and her arc.

And there are, of course, the satirical elements of this book that lampoon not only the beauty industry as a whole, but also the framing of a ‘mysterious girl boss’ leader who has captured the imaginations of her acolytes, her fans, and the industry as a whole. The CEO of HEBE is Tree Whitestone, an almost ethereal being of a woman whose is poised, articulate, charismatic, and ageless, who promises beauty and youth to her followers and consumers while exuding power and grace. Sathue paints the perfect picture of a dynamic engaging leader of a brand that feeds on a cult like devotion as well as a social media induced sense of FOMO, and how devotees with do just about anything, including getting into bathtubs full of actual blood, to have a chance to experience the newest miracle product that will surely solve their problems by restoring their youth. I couldn’t help but think about more recent online discourses about aging and beauty products/surgical options being used by younger and younger people because of this fear. Bathing in blood is pretty farfetched, but remember the vampire facials thing I mentioned above? It’s in the same general vicinity, I’d say.

“youthjuice” is an intriguing horror tale that parodies the beauty industry with some gross bits of body horror. It will be a fun pool read for the summer I would say.

Rating 7: An entertaining satire with some gnarly body horror moments, “youthjuice” is as enjoyable as it is, at times, disgusting.

Reader’s Advisory:

“youthjuice” is included in the Goodreads article/book list “From Time Travel to Tech Startups: Five Cross Genre Trends We’re Noticing”.

Kate’s Review: “Against the Darkness”

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

Book: “Against the Darkness” by Kendare Blake

Publishing Info: Disney Hyperion, April 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

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

Book Description: This epic finale to the The Next Generation trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake ( Three Dark Crowns ) features the next generation of Scoobies and Slayers who must defeat a powerful new evil.

For generations, the Slayer was supposed to be the chosen, the one girl in all the world with the power to stand against the vampires, demons, and forces of darkness. When Willow used the scythe to call up all the potential slayers at once, it changed everything. For years, the slayers have been working and fighting together as a team. Then the Darkness came, killing many slayers and trapping the rest in an alternate dimension. And Frankie Rosenberg, the world’s first Slayer-Witch, found herself fighting evil alone. Sort of.

Sure, she has her new Scooby Gang, plus the help of her mom, Willow; Watcher, Spike; and even the brooding-but-hot Hunter of Thrace. But even though they have a master plan (obviously), the gang is more fragmented than ever.

So maybe it really is up to Frankie—and Frankie alone—to stand against the darkness. With Jake’s wild werewolf brother back in town, Dark Willow threatening to return, and the Darkness preparing for the final stage of their attack, now is not a great time to wallow in teen angst. After all, she’s the Slayer. It’s time to slay.

Review: Well, I knew that this moment was eventually going to come, and I honestly held off a bit because I was reticent to approach it. But Kendare Blake’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reboot series is coming to an end, and it closes out with “Against the Darkness”, in which Frankie Rosenberg, Slayer-Witch of Sunnydale, and her new set of Scoobies have to fight against the Big Bad for one final showdown, with supportive former Scoobies Willow, Oz, and Spike in tow as Buffy remains trapped in a hell dimension. I have absolutely adored this interpretation of the “Buffy” characters since the first book, and I was VERY nervous approaching the end. Partially because I am always nervous about the end of a series I am enjoying, but also because so many of these characters are near and dear to my heart, and I wanted them to be okay. I should have trusted Blake, because “Against the Darkness”, for lack of a better word, slays.

As we are closing in on the end of this trilogy, Frankie, Hailey, Jake, Sigmund, and the original Scoobies left behind in Sunnydale are trying to stop rogue slayer Aspen and her group of traitors known as The Darkness, and free Buffy and the other slayers from the hell dimension Aspen trapped them within. Frankie continues to be an utterly charming main character who has the weight of the world on her shoulders, who feels like a fantastic predecessor to Buffy Summers because she has similar challenges, but is her own person without feeling like a clone. Her biggest obstacles this time around are 1) she knows time is running out for Buffy and the slayers all trapped in a hell dimension, especially with Aspen making moves against her, 2) her mother Willow is going to more and more dangerous lengths to try and harness her magic to help Buffy, and 3) her good friend and fellow Scooby Hailey has imbedded herself as a spy by trying to get into Aspen’s good graces… and Aspen is having more of an effect on her than the Scoobies would like. It all feels like an old school “Buffy” end of season arc, and Blake captures the wit, the suspense, the pathos, and the heart that the show had throughout its run. Frankie is so easy to love and so easy to root for, and she is a such a well rounded character that she blends in with familiar faces from the source material swimmingly. I love her relationship with Willow, I LOVE her slayer/watcher relationship with Spike, but I also love her relationships with her friends because it feels so nostalgic.

But once again it’s my OG original favorites who captured my entire heart in this book. Blake really gives me everything I need from the “Buffy” characters from the show. I loved seeing Willow struggle with trying to use her magic to help her daughter as well as Buffy and the other imprisoned slayers, and how it treads her towards her Dark Willow tendencies. I loved how Oz has so effortlessly fit into this story even though he left the show in season four, as Blake makes him a perfect addition to the team not only for his cousin Jake, but also for Willow, his ex and now close friend. I loved seeing Giles show up (yes it’s a spoiler but it’s GILES, I HAD TO!) and take his place as a wise but still a bit snarky Watcher to help pull the group back together when it’s most needed. And, of course, Spike. My beloved Spike has stayed true to his kind of reckless and impulsive sarcastic self, emotions constantly on his sleeve, but his paternal relationship to Frankie is so touching, and brings out so much more in him that shows his caring and loving side that always comes out when most needed. And I don’t want to spoil much here, but Spuffy shippers? THE PAY OFF IS PHENOMENAL. I tried to not be a Spuffy shipper for awhile even though I was hardcore into them in high school, but Kendare Blake has brought me fully back into it because my GOD. THESE TWO.

I just love them so much. (source)

And once again, so many wonderful Easter eggs and references to the source material. Is it fan service? Probably yes. But Blake does do this in a way that flows well within this story so that even if you don’t know that it’s a knowing nod to something from the show it just feels organic and doesn’t stick out awkwardly or like a sore thumb.

What a fantastic end to a very enjoyable series. “Against the Darkness” sticks the landing, does justice for all the Scoobies, old and new, and gave this “Buffy” fan an ending that I will happily revisit over and over again. That’ll put the marzipan back in your pie plates, bingo, indeed. If you know, you know.

Rating 10: A fantastic and super satisfying ending to a “Buffy” follow up I have adored from the start.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Against the Darkness” is included on the Goodreads lists “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, and “YA hunting ghosts/monsters/zombies”.

Previously Reviewed: