Tag: horror

Kate’s Review: “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter”

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Book: “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter” by Stephen Graham Jones

Publishing Info: Saga Press, March 2025

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 historical horror novel set in the American west in 1912 following a Lutheran priest who transcribes the life of a vampire who haunts the fields of the Blackfeet reservation looking for justice.

A diary, written in 1912 by a Lutheran pastor is discovered within a wall. What it unveils is a slow massacre, a chain of events that go back to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow. Told in transcribed interviews by a Blackfeet named Good Stab, who shares the narrative of his peculiar life over a series of confessional visits. This is an American Indian revenge story written by one of the new masters of horror, Stephen Graham Jones.

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

The time has finally come! We have another horror novel from Stephen Graham Jones! Jones is one of my favorite authors and any of his works are automatically most anticipated on my reading list at any given time, and this time we have “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter”. Jones had tackled slasher stories, folk horror, meta commentary, werewolves, and many more, but this time he’s once again doing something new: he is taking on a historical fiction western for this tale of terror. Oh, and also vampires. I may not be as big of a western gal, but vampires? OH YES THAT IS VERY MUCH MY JAM. And with Jones at the helm I had really, really high hopes. And once again, they were basically met because Jones is a master of the genre.

First, the structure. This is an epistolary horror/historical fiction/western novel, which is a hefty endeavor, but Jones tackles it with ease. We have a few perspectives, most of which are diary entries of a Lutheran Pastor named Arthur Beaucarne, or transcripts of a ‘confession’ by a mysterious Blackfoot named Good Stab who claims to be a vampire. It’s a slow burn at first, as we find out how Good Stab was turned into a vampire, as well as his quest for vengeance against United States soldiers for the pain and suffering that it brought down upon the Blackfoot people, the community that he was from in life. It’s a bit of a mix of reliable vs unreliable with these two men as they cobble this story together, and the epistolary style makes for a more impactful device as revelations come into clarity.

Next, I want to talk about the vampire mythos in this book. I really loved what Jones did with the world building here, as not only does it have some classic vampire elements, with blood sucking, sun sensitivity, immortality, and a descent into more feral impulses when taking the vengeance that is owed. But one of the things that stood out that made this feel more unique was that Good Stab, when trying to feed, will take on the elements of whatever creature he is feeding upon. When he, in desperation, drinks from a buffalo for example he proceeds to grow two black horns in his head. I thought that was so creative and it made the vampire themes stand out.

But what really stands out is how incredibly in depth and unflinching this story is when it comes to the manifest destiny and western expansion era of the United States, and the genocidal violence that came with it when it came to the Indigenous People across the nations. When we are learning about this time period as children in this country, in general, there are a lot of framings of heroism, grit, and steadfast ambition that built this nation from sea to shining sea. I know that when I was in grade school we learned this with SOME sprinkles of the violence against Indigenous populations (in Minnesota at my prep school we did focus on the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 in sixth grade for a unit, but even then it was pretty whitewashed), but overall it was more ‘woo, Oregon Trail, pioneers!’ at the heart of it. This book forces the reader to confront the horrendous violence that the United States military and government perpetrated against Indigenous populations, with and anchor being the Marias Massacre and the trauma and loss Good Stab endured as a member of the Blackfoot people even before he became a vampire. Jones doesn’t feel a need to cushion the blow for his readers, nor should he. And its not just in the way that he portrays the horrific violence and the fallout, but also in how Good Stab’s perspective uses terms and names from his own vocabulary as opposed to Western words (a lot of this is seen in how Good Stab refers to animals), with no reference page or glossary to be found. It made for complicated reading, but it was a fantastic choice. The real life unflinching historical horrors were so, so disturbing, and it’s important that we acknowledge the real history of this country, now more than ever, and Jones doesn’t sugar coat any of it, while also making it an emotional and devastating gut punch.

“The Buffalo Hunter Hunter” is harrowing and engrossing, heavy and necessary and another great horror tale from Stephen Graham Jones. I continue to be incredibly impressed and in awe of his horror storytelling prowess.

Rating 9: A dark horror western that takes on trauma, loss, and retribution against the violent colonial system that is the United States, “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter” is another evocative winner from Stephen Graham Jones.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Buffalo Hunter Hunter” is included on the Goodreads lists “2025 Releases by Indigenous Authors”, and “Horror Books 2025”.

Kate’s Review: “The Unworthy”

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Book: “The Unworthy” by Agustina Bazterrica & Sarah Moses (Translator)

Publishing Info: Scribner, March 2025

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

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

Book Description: The long-awaited new novel from the author of global sensation Tender Is the Flesh: a thrilling work of literary horror about a woman cloistered in a secretive, violent religious order, while outside the world has fallen into chaos.

From her cell in a mysterious convent, a woman writes the story of her life in whatever she can find—discarded ink, dirt, and even her own blood. A lower member of the Sacred Sisterhood, deemed an unworthy, she dreams of ascending to the ranks of the Enlightened at the center of the convent and of pleasing the foreboding Superior Sister. Outside, the world is plagued by catastrophe—cities are submerged underwater, electricity and the internet are nonexistent, and bands of survivors fight and forage in a cruel, barren landscape. Inside, the narrator is controlled, punished, but safe.

But when a stranger makes her way past the convent walls, joining the ranks of the unworthy, she forces the narrator to consider her long-buried past—and what she may be overlooking about the Enlightened. As the two women grow closer, the narrator is increasingly haunted by questions about her own past, the environmental future, and her present life inside the convent. How did she get to the Sacred Sisterhood? Why can’t she remember her life before? And what really happens when a woman is chosen as one of the Enlightened?

A searing, dystopian tale about climate crisis, ideological extremism, and the tidal pull of our most violent, exploitative instincts, this is another unforgettable novel from a master of feminist horror.

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

Even though it was making the rounds when it came about a couple years ago, I never got around to reading “Tender Is The Flesh” by Agustina Bazterrica, a dystopian horror novel about a future where cannibalism is made legal and humans are bred for meat after the animals used for food are taken out by a virus. I heard that it was bleak and relentless, and I couldn’t quite bring myself to read it even though the metaphors sounded really interesting. But when I saw that she had a new horror novel out called “The Unworthy”, I decided to snap that one right up so that I could finally experience one of Bazterrica’s works. I thought that I prepared myself well, mentally, as hey, climate crisis and violent religious orders in horror? It’s not like those things deeply, deeply disturb me or anything, right?

Look, I know myself, I just lie to myself. (source)

This was my first time with a Bazterrica story and WOW. It was a ROUGH one, but not in a bad way. She takes on two horror sub-genres that stress me the hell out, eco/climate horror and religious horror, and combines them into a searing post-apocalyptic nightmare involving violence, chaos, zealotry, and, yes, feminine rage. Bazterrica doesn’t hold back from some really relentless and absolutely horrifying moments. There are so many content warnings I’d attach to this, between graphic depictions of violence to child death to mutilations and sexual violence, it’s fairly grim in the portrayal of a world devastated by climate change and a society that has basically collapsed, and the sociopaths that find ways to take advantage. Our nameless Narrator has been THROUGH it, and we see her story starting in the oppressive and zealous and violent convent, and eventually see how she got there as she writes out her story and comes to terms with everything that has happened to her. We also get hints into the corrupt and violent cult that she has found herself within, with her being a part of the ‘Unworthy’ class, who are submitted to hard labor, humiliation, and torture by the Superior Sister and the mysterious Him (a very creepy amped up take on carrying water for the patriarchy if I ever saw one). There are the Enlightened class that she hopes to join, though no one REALLY knows what that entails, just that it’s aspirational (though if you are like me and have a working knowledge of cults and tropes like this, you can guess that there are hidden, uh, costs). I loved the slow burn build up and how it was interspersed with not only Narrator’s past.

And then there were the genuinely beautiful things I found within this book, something I hadn’t expected as much when I picked it up given the plot and Bazterrica’s reputation. The first is just that the descriptions of things were gorgeous, and while this could be in part due to the translation by Sarah Moses, I get the sense that Bazterrica’s original text probably had this as well to show beauty within despairing. There was also the lovely connection between Narrator and newcomer Lucia, as Narrator hasn’t had a REAL connection since multiple losses she endured as the world as she knew it came crashing down. It’s also another great example of how high control groups and cults like the Sacred Sisterhood thrive on mistrust, paranoia, and the splintering of connections, and promising that only the group and its leadership can provide that, when it actuality community and connection to others is what can really bring people through the despairing and miserable times. And how community and connection is a threat. So many things I’ve been thinking about as of late just laying out on the pages here, in all it’s terrible and messy and scrappy hopeful glory.

“The Unworthy” is really, really tough, and has a lot of despair and misery. But it also has beauty, and showcases humanity in all of its highest highs and lowest lows. I quite enjoyed it, even if it made me feel really, really bad at times.

Rating 8: Relentless, horrifying, and at times rather gorgeous, “The Unworthy” is apocalyptic religious horror with an undercurrent of feminist rage.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Unworthy” is included on the Goodreads list “Dystopian Womanhood”.

Kate’s Review: “The Haunting of Room 904”

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Book: “The Haunting of Room 904” by Erika T. Wurth

Publishing Info: Flatiron Books, March 2025

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 the author of White Horse (“Twisty and electric.” —The New York Times Book Review) comes a terrifying and resonant novel about a woman who uses her unique gift to learn the truth about her sister’s death.

Olivia Becente was never supposed to have the gift. The ability to commune with the dead was the specialty of her sister, Naiche. But when Naiche dies unexpectedly and under strange circumstances, somehow Olivia suddenly can’t stop seeing and hearing from spirits.

A few years later, she’s the most in-demand paranormal investigator in Denver. She’s good at her job, but the loss of Naiche haunts her. That’s when she hears from the Brown Palace, a landmark Denver hotel. The owner can’t explain it, but every few years, a girl is found dead in room 904, no matter what room she checked into the night before. As Olivia tries to understand these disturbing deaths, the past and the present collide as Olivia’s investigation forces her to confront a mysterious and possibly dangerous cult, a vindictive journalist, betrayal by her friends, and shocking revelations about her sister’s secret life.

The Haunting of Room 904 is a paranormal thriller that is as edgy as it is heartfelt and simmers with intensity and longing. Erika T. Wurth lives up to her reputation as “a gritty new punkish outsider voice in American horror.”

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

It is always a double edged sword when it is time for me to approach a book that I have been very much looking forward to. I always try to temper my expectations, because in my own mind something I am SO excited about can get so hyped up. This was always in the back of my mind when I was getting ready to read “The Haunting of Room 904” by Erika T. Wurth. There were so many things I was excited about with this title. It’s a haunting story, and I LOVE a haunting story. It has a medium, and a somewhat reluctant one at that. And it’s Wurth’s newest horror novel, and after how much I loved “White Horse” this one was really, really anticipated. So combining all of these things had be buzzing with excitement and nervousness. The verdict? The nervousness was a LITTLE warranted…

Starting with the positives, I do have a good amount to say. For one, Wurth always knows how to tease out a creepy image onto the page, and for me, there are so many things you can do with ghosts in regards to creepy imagery. There were so many moments here that really unnerved me, be it sobbing ghosts being described in mirrors to uncanny movements of other supernatural beings that Olivia encounters, we have a lot of really great material that really stood out in my mind’s eye, horror wise. I also enjoyed the way that Wurth described and built up the aspect of Olivia’s paranormal investigations, and how we got to see a few of her clients and cases in action. I’ve been a huge fan of the concept of ghost hunting ever since I first saw “Ghostbusters” as a little girl, and I liked the lore and process that Wurth brought through in this story in regards to some of the cases. But the part of this book that stood out to me the most was how Wurth ties the concepts of trauma, generational or otherwise, to the story at hand, not only through Olivia’s family and the loss of her sister, but also through the exploration and connection to the Sand Creek Massacre, one of many horrendous acts of violence against Indigenous People by the United States Government. The chapters that follow the Massacre are devastating and the way that it intersects with the story at hand made it all the more emotionally powerful for me. I also really enjoyed Olivia as a character, with her snark and her scrappiness but also her vulnerability. She’s very easy to root for.

However, I did think that some of the pacing felt a little bit off, and that there was sometimes a bit TOO much stuffed into the story. We had some awkward transitions sometimes, and while parts of the story felt a bit slow, others felt rushed. In terms of overstuffing the story, I liked how we got to see different cultural themes brought into the book, but sometimes it felt like it was going a bit off track from the story that was laid out. For example, there was a piece of the puzzle involving a Golem and a Dybbuk Box and that didn’t feel like it was explored enough to have a solid reason to have it there (especially since the entire concept of a Dybbuk Box is based on a hoax and has perpetuated Jewish stereotypes and exploited Jewish folklore for modern sensationalistic ghost hunting motives; to be fair, though, Wurth does mention the original Dybbuk Box as a hoax). Especially when there were probably other ways that these puzzle pieces could have fit together that didn’t feel like we were getting off into the weeds.

So while this didn’t quite live up to my expectations, I still found “The Haunting of Room 904” to be an unsettling and very emotional ghost story, be the ghosts actual ghosts or the ghosts that still haunt American history.

Rating 7: Though it was a bit muddled at times, overall I found “The Haunting of Room 904” to be creepy, emotional, and a calling out of the way that atrocities of colonialism still haunt Native populations in America.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Haunting of Room 904” is included on the Goodreads lists “Indigenous Books 2025”, and “Horror to Look Forward to in 2025”.

Kate’s Review: “Vanishing Daughters”

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

Book: “Vanishing Daughters” by Cynthia Pelayo

Publishing Info: Thomas & Mercer, March 2025

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: A haunted woman stalked by a serial killer confronts the horrors of fairy tales and the nightmares of real life in a breathtaking novel of psychological suspense by a Bram Stoker Award–winning author.

It started the night journalist Briar Thorne’s mother died in their rambling old mansion on Chicago’s South Side.

The nightmares of a woman in white pleading to come home, music switched on in locked rooms, and the panicked fear of being swallowed by the dark…Bri has almost convinced herself that these stirrings of dread are simply manifestations of grief and not the beyond-world of ghostly impossibilities her mother believed in. And more tangible terrors still lurk outside the decaying Victorian greystone.

A serial killer has claimed the lives of fifty-one women in the Chicago area. When Bri starts researching the murders, she meets a stranger who tells her there’s more to her sleepless nights than bad dreams—they hold the key to putting ghosts to rest and stopping a killer. But the killer has caught on and is closing in, and if Bri doesn’t answer the call of the dead soon, she’ll be walking among them.

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

I have a very special place in my heart for the story of “Sleeping Beauty”. It was my favorite Disney movie as a toddler, and my parents say that I basically wore our VHS of the film out due to watching it over and over again. I also generally enjoy the fairy tale in so many of its forms, even if those forms can be pretty dark and disturbing (no surprise given fairy tales). With all of this in mind I was so, so very excited to read Cynthia Pelayo’s new horror/thriller book “Vanishing Daughters”, as she decided to approach the story of Sleeping Beauty through the lenses of local folklore, grief, the things that haunt a person and a community, and violent misogyny. Pelayo is one of my favorite authors and I was very curious to see what she was going to do with a fairy tale so near and dear to my heart.

Pelayo once again creates a dreamy and strange world that lives within Chicago, but treads into fantastical places while still feeling very much steeped in the Midwestern metropolis through history, folklore, urban legend, and real life terrors. We follow Briar Rose, a journalist who lives in her family home in the woods, located on the Southside of Chicago, who is mourning her mother’s recent death. Briar Rose has been dreaming strange and terrifying things, and the house she lives within feels haunted, both by something otherworldly, but also by the crushing grief of the loss of her mother. Meanwhile a serial killer has been murdering women in Chicago, leaving devastation behind but capturing their spirits to holding them within a trapped other world, and his connection to Briar Rose reflects a destiny that the journalist was unaware of, even though her free spirited mother was hinting at it in life. This dark fantasy retelling is so rich and layered, with creative analogs to the original fairy tale while also connecting folklore of Chicago and its darker histories that still linger in the minds of its citizens. I loved how ethereal and odd this felt, really bringing out the idea of sleep and dreaming and all the themes that come with a Sleeping Beauty story.

The horror and thriller elements of the serial killer mystery are also on point, not only tapping into very real themes like violent misogyny and victims memories being exploited, but also the tales of cruel fairies that curse bloodlines and steal people for their own devices. For our evil fairy analog we have someone/something that is part fantastical in how it functions in this story, but also just feels like a very real threat, as women in real life can go missing and be left without a voice or justice, becoming ideas and warnings instead of being seeing as living breathing humans. It’s both a critique of the way women victims are exploited by true crime narratives, but also an interesting exploration of how real life folk lore and cautionary tales are created from tragedies and how we forget that. I enjoyed the POV of the serial killer, as it was such a jolting distinction from Briar Rose’s chapters, and it made me uneasy and on edge. You throw in the dark past of Chicago and so many cultural references to this city and its history (another thing I love about Pelayo’s books: Chicago itself is a character, and given that I really enjoy Chicago it’s so fun to see how she represents it) and you have a strong time and place with a lot of well explored history lessons.

“Vanishing Daughters” is my favorite of Pelayo’s works. This book is compelling and beautiful and raw and emotional, and I highly recommend it. If you haven’t ready anything by Cynthia Pelayo, now is the time and this is the title.

Rating 9: Probably my favorite Pelayo story to date, “Vanishing Daughters” is strange and dreamlike, while also exploring themes of grief, folklore, and the very real people who turn into myth, for better or worse.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Vanishing Daughters” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror To Look Forward To in 2025”.

Kate’s Review: “They Bloom At Night”

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

Book: “They Bloom At Night” by Trang Thahn Tran

Publishing Info: Bloomsbury YA, March 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC24.

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

Book Description: A red algae bloom has taken over Mercy, Louisiana. Ever since a devastating hurricane, mutated wildlife lurks in the water that rises by the day. But Mercy has always been a place where monsters walk in plain sight. Especially at its heart: The Cove, where Noon’s life was upended long before the storm at a party her older boyfriend insisted on.

Now, Noon is stuck navigating the submerged town with her mom, who believes their dead family has reincarnated as sea creatures. Alone with the pain of what happened that night at the cove, Noon buries the truth: she is not the right shape.

When Mercy’s predatory leader demands Noon and her mom capture the creature drowning residents, she reluctantly finds an ally in his deadly hunter of a daughter and friends old and new. As the next storm approaches, Noon must confront the past and decide if it’s time to answer the monster itching at her skin.

Review: Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for providing me with an ARC of this novel at ALAAC24!

It’s almost March, and yet I am here once again with an ARC I got at ALAAC last summer. I always find it funny when I still have a few lingering finds from the conference, especially since the next one is only four months away, but let me tell you this find was one I was really excited about. “They Bloom At Night” is the new YA horror novel by Trang Thahn Tran, and it was well worth the wait. Because like any good horror novel, it’s not the just horror stuff that brings the goods, it’s also the commentary about the world in which we are living.

Let’s look at the horror stuff first. Like in their previous novel “She Is A Haunting”, Tran brings rich perspectives to well loved horror sub-genres. This time it’s a combination of body horror as well as eco horror. The eco horror is the settling, as we are in a small town in Louisiana after a hurricane has ravaged it, with a toxic and mysterious algae bloom basically engulfing the waters that the town has depended on to survive. This kind of setting is unfortunately feeling more and more timely, and I thought it was a great place to make comment on the climate crisis and how it can have so many effects that some may not think of. After all, it’s not just mutated sea life and mysterious monsters that are a threat in this book, but a community teetering towards financial ruin and a corrupt self proclaimed leadership that has taken over as well. You feel the desperation in Mercy and the people who live there, and the added horrors of rumors of mutated sea creatures can only make it worse.

And as someone who has a hard time with body horror (I still haven’t seen “The Substance” even though it has so many accolades!), it was very well done, balancing out the nasty with the more fantastical. The descriptions of the mutations caused by the bloom had their moments of me thinking ‘oh YUCK’, which is exactly what I’d expect from body horror, and they could vary from being generally creepy to outright nasty. And hey, I’m never big on the nasty, but the creepy? I really loved the creepy here. Especially the caution about ignoring ‘the knocks’ at the door after dark. Good gracious. But if you like the nasty, never fear, because yeah, some really disgusting transformations happen in this book, especially for those who have been a little too exposed to the bloom, as body parts rot away, skins get sloughed off, or mutilations are put to the forefront. For our protagonist Noon, the body horror bits are slow and meticulous, starting with her hair turning white, but then becoming more and more alarming.

I also really enjoyed the dichotomy between the physical transformation that Noon is experiencing and the way that she is starting to realize that she is starting to shift her own ideas about who she is, whether it’s due to having to confront the trauma of being sexually assaulted, losing her father and brother, or realizing that she is still trying to suss out her own gender identity. It’s not like using the ideas of body horror as a metaphor for transformation of multiple kinds is new, but I thought that Tran really differentiated between some of the more disgusting elements (see above) and the more ethereal and liberating ones, even as Noon was turning into something else than she had been before, whether it’s because of her exposure to the bloom or her confronting the trauma and loss. It’s gratifying to see that this transformation, at least for Noon, could be depicted as a positive, and her journey to finally finding peace with herself in spite of the horrors that surround her. It made for a very emotional read, and I was very invested in her as a character, as well as the other ‘othered’ characters around her.

I really enjoyed “They Bloom At Night”.

Rating 8: A creepy and sometimes nasty combination of eco and body horror, “They Bloom At Night” is also an examination of trauma and gender identity against the backdrop of a ravaged climate.

Reader’s Advisory:

“They Bloom At Night” is included on the Goodreads lists “Trans and Nonbinary Fiction 2025”, and “Horror To Look Forward To in 2025”.

Serena’s Review: “But Not Too Bold”

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Book: “But Not Too Bold” by Hache Pueyo

Publishing Info: Tor, Feb. 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

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

Book Description: The old keeper of the keys is dead, and the creature who ate her is the volatile Lady of the Capricious House⁠―Anatema, an enormous humanoid spider with a taste for laudanum and human brides.

Dália, the old keeper’s protégée, must take up her duties, locking and unlocking the little drawers in which Anatema keeps her memories. And if she can unravel the crime that led to her predecessor’s death, Dália might just be able to survive long enough to grow into her new role.

But there’s a gaping hole in Dália’s plan that she refuses to see: Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman, and she eventually devours every single bride that crosses her path.

Review: At this point, I think it’s well-established that I am more than happy to explore some of the weirder corners of fantasy/horror stories. I mean, I loved “Asunder” and that was such a wild ride of world-building! Well, this one starts off weird, gets a bit weirder, and then ends in full weirdness. Starting with the premise, which is the idea that anyone would be willing to work in a house run by a giant spider who is more likely than not going to eat you some day. I’ll just get it out of the way now: if you focus too much on the realities behind whether or not anyone would sign on for the basic premise of this book, you’re probably not going to have a great time. But if you’re willing to go with it, there’s some very interesting storytelling to be had.

I’ll also say, if you have trouble with bugs or spiders, this isn’t the book for you. There is spider stuff everywhere, from people handling and eating tarantulas at any given moment, to the very detailed descriptions of Anatema and just how her human/spider bits meld together. I don’t particularly have a problem with bugs or spiders, so I found all of this to be on the pleasantly creepy side, rather than outright horror. That said, there was a particular erotic dream sequence that was…a lot. More, I found the general concept to be interesting: the ways that the human characters dealt with their day-to-day existence and the almost guaranteed gruesome end that was coming to them.

I also enjoyed the writing style and was impressed with the emotional punch that was packed into a story with such a short word-count, under 100 pages. I was a bit surprised by how central the romance was to the story. I went in with the impression that while there was a romantic subplot, the story itself would be more focused on the mystery. Well, it was the opposite, with the mystery taking up very little page time and the romance making up the rest. I didn’t quite buy into Dalia’s feelings for Anatema, but I do think that this book will find an audience with the monster romance lovers out there!

Overall, this was truly unique read. I’m not sure I can think of anything like it. The writing was incredibly strong throughout, and really, it’s going to come down to your tolerance/interest in spiders whether or not you have a good time with this one!

Rating 8: One of the more unique novellas I’ve read in a long time, deftly mixing horror, fantasy, and, somehow, romance, all into one small package!

Reader’s Advisory:

“But Not Too Bold” can be found on this Goodreads list: All the New Horror, Romantasy, and Other SFF Crossover Books Arriving in February 2025

Kate’s Review: “The Vengeful Dead”

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

Book: “The Vengeful Dead” by Darcy Coates

Publishing Info: Poisoned Pen Press, February 2025

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: How far will she go to save the damned?

Keira is caught in a deadly battle. Her ability to help ghosts move on from the mortal world has made her a threat to Artec, a powerful corporation intent on trapping the tortured dead for profit. They’ve been tracking her for years and now, finally, there’s nowhere left for her to run.

Artec fears Keira and everything she’s capable of. They will stop at nothing to eliminate her―including sending armed men after everyone she holds dear.

Desperate and quickly running out of time, Keira races to hone her abilities as she searches for a way to destroy the twisted organization for good. But at least now she’s no longer alone. Her friends have offered to follow wherever she leads, even if that means a direct strike deep into the heart of Artec’s central base…and to the certain death waiting for them there.

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

It’s been about two years since I started Darcy Coates’s dark fantasy/horror “Gravekeeper” series, and we have now reached the end with the fifth book “The Vengeful Dead”. What started as a story about an amnesiac who can see ghosts in a quirky small town has grown into something more, involving found family, corporate conspiracy, and… well, still a quirky small town. I am always interested to see where a series lands once all is said and done, and I am happy to report that “The Vengeful Dead” was a successful wrap up to a series I’ve enjoyed for the past two years!

As a satisfying wrap up of an ongoing series, I thought that this book really does a good job of not only tying up the Artec arc that has been plaguing Keira since we first met her, it also gave us one last stand alone ghost story, involving an old sanatorium and the ghosts of women who were, perhaps, victimized there. I wasn’t certain that we were going to get one more story where Keira helps ghosts that are unable to move on, be it due to unfinished business or Artec holding them hostage to drain them of their energy, and when it became clear that she was going to have one more mission in that regard I was very pleased. I also thought that the Artec story, which grew and became more fleshed out as the series went on, had a really well done climax and conclusion here. When I started this book I never imagined that Keira’s biggest hardship would involve a corporation trying to exploit resources and beings to create a profit, but man, what a storyline for everything else going on in the world at the moment. Coates had a lot of build up and I had high hopes, and I felt that the way it all wrapped up in “The Vengeful Dead” was deeply, deeply satisfying for this reader who has been all in since Keira first arrived in Blighty four books ago.

But the strongest aspect of “The Gravekeeper” series for me was always the characters, and I was really hoping that we would get a good send off for Keira, Zoe, Mason, Daisy the cat, and all of the quirky (and sometimes villainous) people of Blighty. One of my favorite themes of these books was the way that Keira made herself a found family and found herself in such a kind and loving community, with crabby recluses, charming florists, mysterious coffee shop owners, and others, and to see so many of these characters, main and supporting, have moments to shine and moments to let the readers say goodbye was so heartening. We got nods to previous plot points, we got couples finally officially getting together, and we got to see Keira, Zoe, and Mason work together through the toughest times and keep their bonds alive with heart and humor as well as the freaky moments that come with horror stories. I always found this series to be more on the cozy side because of all of the characters, and while I’m certainly going to miss them, I was so thrilled with all that they were able to do in this last story.

I would love it if Darcy Coates comes back to Keira, Zoe, and Mason in the future. But if this is really goodbye for our “Gravekeeper” Scooby Gang, what a lovely and satisfying ending it was.

Rating 8: An action packed and satisfying conclusion to a charming horror series, “The Vengeful Dead” sticks the landing for sure.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Vengeful Dead” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror Books 2025”.

Kate’s Review: “Listen To Your Sister”

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

Book: “Listen To Your Sister” by Neena Viel

Publishing Info: St Martin’s Griffin, February 2025

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

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

Book Description: For fans of Jordan Peele’s films, Stranger Things, and The Other Black Girl, Listen To Your Sister is a laugh-out-loud, deeply terrifying, and big-hearted speculative horror novel from electrifying debut talent Neena Viel.

Twenty-five year old Calla Williams is struggling since becoming guardian to her brother, Jamie. Calla is overwhelmed and tired of being the one who makes sacrifices to keep the family together. Jamie, full of good-natured sixteen-year-old recklessness, is usually off fighting for what matters to him or getting into mischief, often at the same time. Dre, their brother, promised he would help raise Jamie–but now the ink is dry on the paperwork and in classic middle-child fashion, he’s off doing his own thing. And through it all, The Nightmare never stops haunting Calla: recurring images of her brothers dying that she is powerless to stop.

When Jamie’s actions at a protest spiral out of control, the siblings must go on the run. Taking refuge in a remote cabin that looks like it belongs on a slasher movie poster rather than an AirBNB, the siblings now face a new threat where their lives–and reality–hang in the balance. Their sister always warned them about her nightmares. They really should have listened.

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

I’m the oldest daughter in my family, though given it was just me and my younger sister and that I’ve always had various mental health and learning disabilities I’ve contended with I’ve never felt like I’ve been ‘the one who holds it all together’, as many Oldest Daughters do. But my late Aunt Jan was absolutely the prototypical Oldest Daughter, having basically raised my mother (who was the youngest of five) due to a twelve year age gap and the burden of parentification thrust upon her over, and whenever I think about Oldest Daughter stories I always think of her. So when I heard about the general plot of “Listen To Your Sister” by Neena Viel I was very interested in the Oldest Daughter/Sister theme, and then even more so when it was being compared to Jordan Peele movies. What a combination! And I was pretty pleased with what I found.

In terms of the themes and the horror elements of this book, I really enjoyed the way that Viel portrays Calla, one of of three protagonists and eldest sister to her brothers Dre and Jamie, who is a teenager to whom she has been made legal guardian. Calla is clearly overworked, spread too thin, and deeply anxious about having to be a guardian to Jamie, who has been getting into various dust-ups that come back to her (as wholly justifiable as they may be in many cases). I don’t want to give too much away about this book and the horror beats that it possesses, as I think that these things are being held close to the vest for a reason, but I thought that the metaphors for an overburdened eldest child really worked in this book. The horror beats really do harken to the likes of a Jordan Peele movie, and I kept thinking about “Us” as I was reading, though that’s about all I am willing to say in regards to that, fearing I’ve already given too much away. Just know it’s uncanny and a bit freaky at times, but it all fits perfectly into the social commentary that Viel is putting forth.

I also loved the way that Calla, Dre, and Jaime clearly love each other, but are all still SO young and reeling from their traumatic childhoods and the racism that they face every day, and how that makes for difficult processing and damaged relationships in spite of their love for each other. The sibling relationships and the ups and downs that come with them felt very real, and this book has a HUGE heart that I enjoyed but isn’t afraid to put the dysfunction and messiness on display. Viel gives a lot of solid characterization to Calla, Dre, and Jamie, and by seeing the story through all of their eyes I could sympathize with all of them as well as get frustrated with all of them depending on the choices they were making.

I will say that there was a bit of a pacing issue in this book, at least for me, as it lagged a bit in the first half and then REALLY sped up in the second. As someone who tends to have attention issues when it comes to reading, especially when feeling high anxiety (and I mean LATELY that’s been ramping up again), the pacing disparities were noticeable. This may not be the case for all readers, but it was a hiccup for me.

Overall, I enjoyed “Listen To Your Sister”! It’s always great to see new horror voices and I’m going to keep an eye on Neena Viel in the future.

Rating 7: An entertaining horror story about family, generational trauma, and trying to hold it all together that has a lot of good symbolism and metaphors.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Listen To Your Sister” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror Books 2025”.

Kate’s Review: “Old Soul”

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Book: “Old Soul” by Susan Barker

Publishing Info: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, January 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC24.

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

Book Description: The woman never goes by the same name. She never stays in the same place too long. She never ages. She never dies. But those around her do.

When two grieving strangers meet by chance in Osaka airport they uncover a disturbing connection. Jake’s best friend and Mariko’s twin brother each died, 6,000 miles apart, in brutal and unfathomable circumstances. Each encountered a mesmerising, dark-haired woman in the days before their deaths. A woman who came looking for Mariko – and then disappeared.

Jake, who has carried his loss and guilt for a decade, finds himself compelled to follow the trail set by Mariko’s revelations. It’s a trail that weaves across continents and centuries, leading back to the many who have died – in strange and terrifying and eerily similar ways – and those they left behind: bewildered, disbelieved, yet resolutely sure of what they saw.

And, at the centre of it all, there is the same beguiling woman. Her name may have changed, but her purpose has never wavered, and as Jake races to discover who, or what she is, she has already made her next choice.

But will knowing her secret be enough to stop her?

Review: Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me with an ARC at ALAAC24!

I don’t really read too much literary horror, but I always try to be open minded about the titles that I pick up even if they are not in my usual wheelhouse. When Serena and I went to ALAAC24 last summer I found myself with the book “Old Soul” by Susan Barker, and if I’m being honest it initially ended up in my ‘I could probably give this book away’ bag that I always find myself with at the end of the conference. After I had sorted things out and figured out what books I was going to read and which ones I was going to give to other librarians et al, “Old Soul” sat in a bag that was books that were just left over at the end of it. But then I kept seeing it on various horror lists, and my interest grew and grew. And I thought to myself ‘you know what, it’s not your usual go to sub-genre, but go for it!’ So I grabbed it from the bag it had been sitting within, and I dove on in. And in general I’m glad that I did!

“Old Soul” is a multi perspective tale about a mysterious woman who has existed through the decades, never aging but always preying on various people she encounters, who become unhinged and die horrible deaths shortly after meeting her. A chance meeting between a man named Jake and a woman named Mariko makes them realize his best friend and her brother were both victims of this woman, and we go backwards seeing the Woman pull people in and destroy them, sometimes through her perspectives, sometimes through the perspectives of loved ones of her victims. It’s such an interesting story structure that made the reading experience unnerving and dreamlike, with the strange outcomes and horrors building and twisting up super tense until it all snaps. The Woman is such a mysterious antagonist, and as we follow her both from her perspective at times but also through the eyes of others we get an eerie and almost Lynchian (rest in peace, sir) feeling that is both uncanny and cosmic, horror wise. It’s incredibly unique and I really appreciated that, and I do love seeing the bounds that literary horror will push and the ways that it will interpret the genre.

On the flip side, however, this book does move a little slower than I would have liked at times. I wholly understand why Barker wanted to give us all of the context of the mysterious Woman, and to show the ways that she has manipulated and preyed upon multiple people over the decades as she goes forward with her cosmic horror-y purpose, but it was getting to the point where I was feeling like it was a bit repetitive. I didn’t need to follow basically all of her victims for the point to come across, so by the time we were delving into one of the later ones I found myself skimming because it felt like more of the same to me. This could also be because in general cosmic horror hasn’t been SUPER on my radar until very recently, and perhaps as a sub-genre its one that doesn’t connect as well and it would work REALLY well for those who do like it AND literary sensibilities.

“Old Soul” is certainly compelling and a fascinating literary horror novel. People who like something kind of weird and unsettling who like a bit more experimental writing styles should definitely pick it up.

Rating 7: Eerie and strange, “Old Soul” is unique and compelling, but is a little slow at times.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Old Soul” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror Books of 2025”.

Kate’s Review: “Witchcraft for Wayward Girls”

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Book: “Witchcraft for Wayward Girls” by Grady Hendrix

Publishing Info: Berkley, January 2025

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

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

Book Description: They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who knows she’s going to go home and marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid…and it’s usually paid in blood.

In Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, the author of How to Sell a Haunted House and The Final Girl Support Group delivers another searing, completely original novel and further cements his status as a “horror master” (NPR).

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

I am always so excited when Grady Hendrix has a new horror book coming out. I have enjoyed basically all of the books he has written and the way that he can create narratives with some humor, some heart, and some genuine horror moments. He always feels so genuine in his books, and I always feel like I’m on pins and needles waiting for a new one. And now it’s finally time for him to take on witches and witchcraft!!

I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. (Source)

Clearly my expectations were high, and I will say from the jump that they were a bit upended, but not in a bad way at all. This is perhaps Hendrix’s least obviously scary story, as the witchcraft is definitely present and it does have moments to shine. But at its heart “Witchcraft for Wayward Girls” is less about actual witches and covens and spellcasting, and more about finding power within when powerless, and the injustices of violent misogyny towards vulnerable women.

First let’s talk about the witchcraft themes, as we all know how much I LOVE a witch story. And I mostly liked it in this one! I love the idea of a witch posing as a librarian in hopes of finding more women to empower and bring into a Coven, and I really liked the way that it shows Fern, Zinnia, Holly, and Rose find a crumb of power in their powerless situations as pregnant teenagers in an oppressive unwed mother’s home in Florida. The magical systems are interesting and the spells cast are engrossing and at times nasty, and I found the Coven led by librarian Miss Parcae to be equal parts compelling and in some ways sinister. Mostly due to Miss Parcae herself, who really felt like Agatha Harkness in the way she is grey as hell in her characterization. And of course there are themes of being careful what you wish for as four teenage girls who are desperate start to use magic they don’t really understand or comprehend. I do kind of wish that Hendrix had been a little more willing to lean more into the idea of the witchcraft even at its most destructive being a necessary wickedness in the face of the oppression and violence and harm that the teenage girls were suffering at Wellwood. I definitely understand making things less black and white and I always appreciate messy answers or difficult answers in stories, don’t get me wrong. But I think that the absolute horrors that these girls, many of them children, were enduring, as many were in real life during the times before Roe vs Wade was implemented, could have had some more vengeance thrown at them. Especially since in real life this kind of vengeance wasn’t doled out to those who deserved it nearly as much as it was in this book. And still isn’t being doled out at times.

And that brings me to the aspect of this book that I think worked the best for me, and that is the very realistic portrayal of the way unwed pregnant women and girls were treated by society during the time period, and the realistic portrayals of pregnancy and birth. And all of the horrors that come from those things. Fern, Rose, Zinnia, Holly, and all the girls at Wellwood home are dehumanized, insulted, shunned, and shamed by most of the people who work there, being implied to be whores, or stupid, or bad, with no actual reflection on their circumstances and the various steps it took to get them there (and for many of them they were victimized in various ways leading up to their pregnancies by other people, and very much so the men who impregnated them). The absolute rage I felt for all of these girls and the way they were treated was incendiary, and the horrific circumstances so many of them dealt with was just heartbreaking and horrifying. And with continued attacks on reproductive rights in this country with an uncertain future about how far that is going to go really just hits that point home in this book. On top of that we have two very different but very graphic depictions of childbirth in this book that felt very real, and didn’t hold back in the portrayals of both the clinical and unnecessary things that were done in a hospital birth, as well as the way things can go wrong in a home birth setting. If you have triggers associated with birth, and pregnancy loss, I would definitely say proceed with caution. I know some people think that birth scenes shouldn’t need trigger warnings because they are ‘natural’, but I don’t subscribe to that as it can be VERY traumatic, and this book doesn’t shy from that.

All in all, I really enjoyed “Witchcraft for Wayward Girls”. It has anger, it has magic, it has hope, and it has heart.

Rating 9: Filled with magic, friendship, and raging against sexism and misogyny that continues to seep far beyond the setting, “Witchcraft for Wayward Girls” is a witchy and unrelenting story that reads like a refusal to go back to the past.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Witchcraft for Wayward Girls” is included on the Goodreads lists “Witches, Goddesses, or Nuns”, and “Witchy Books for Autumn”.