Halloween night, 1984—all over Parmenter Road, anticipation hangs in the air. Kids prep their costumes for an evening of trick-or-treating, teenagers Halloween night, 1984—all over Parmenter Road, anticipation hangs in the air. Kids prep their costumes for an evening of trick-or-treating, teenagers plan a night of drunken debauchery in the woods, and their parents set up a neighborhood party to let loose. And Tony Barbosa is setting up his town famous Haunted Woods to scare and thrill his neighbors for one last time before moving away.
While the adults are drinking and gossiping about their neighbors, the kids and teenagers are roaming the streets trick-or-treating—and they are not alone. Four unknown trick-or-treaters dressed in odd vintage costumes have joined the groups of kids of Parmenter Road, putting them ill-at-ease. When the neighborhood kids confront the interlopers, the strange children beg them for help and protection from an entity known as The Cunning Man. With the adults distracted by scandalous revelations that rock their neighborhood, it is up to the Parmenter Road kids to protect these strange kids from The Cunning Man.
Strengths- I liked that the book is told in multiple perspectives. In a story like this, it is the only way it could be told effectively, one character could not have achieved it. The time period chosen was perfect�1980s was the last time period where kids could roam free without parents hovering over them. If the book were set in modern day, how scary would it be in the era of cell phones, the internet, and Tik Tok videos?
Weakness- I would have liked a little less of the family drama.
I feel the publisher really missed a big opportunity not releasing All Hallows during the fall, capitalizing on the “spooky� season. This book gave me big Stranger Things meets Trick-or-Treat vibes. I could see this becoming a movie in the future, but only if Golden is involved with the screenplay.
4/5 Stars
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions of this work are my own....more
These Lingering Shadows is collection of fifteen gothic tales compiled by Last Waltz Publishing with a little something for every flavor of horror fanThese Lingering Shadows is collection of fifteen gothic tales compiled by Last Waltz Publishing with a little something for every flavor of horror fan—ghosts, witches, revenge, vampires, haunted houses, demons—both literal and personal, and so much more.
“The Far Field� by Heather Miller - a secret romance between a field worker and the field owner’s son, once sweet soon becomes inconvenient and must be handled. Haunting, beautiful tale of vengeance.
“Hallow House� by Jo Kaplan � Sixty years ago on Halloween night, Jordan’s friends went missing after a dare gone wrong. Now as an elderly man of 72, he is going back to Hollow House to find his friends. Dizzyingly creepy and unsettling!
“Nory’s� by Michael J. Moore � An old-timer out for his daily stroll overhears a group of teens sharing an outlandish tale about the creepy origins of local pizzeria. When he arrives at the pizzeria to share the laughable gossip with his friend who owns it, he gets the shock of his life.
“Behold, Death Arrives, A Duet of Ash and Fang� by Jae Mazer- Vero lives with her dead sister and feeds a monster in the woods to gain its loyalty to exact revenge for her family. “Hell Hath No Fury� by Diana Olney � After receiving a bouquet of roses from her ex-lover, Claire is ill at ease. Dark, heart-wrenching, haunting with an unexpected ending.
“A Halloween Ghost Story� by Christy Aldridge � After teenage Kenzie is grounded after a drunk driving incident by her parents she is forced to stay home on Halloween and can’t go inside until she gives out every single piece of candy. If she runs out of candy before a particular trick-or-treater arrives, things will not go well for Kenzie. A creepy good campfire-type tale.
“Mine� by Matt Scott- A power-obsessed man is intent on building his mansion, to his exacting specifications and disregard for the lives of his workers, in the town that bears his name. The townspeople are fed up and want him gone, by any means necessary. Years pass, and the mansion is associated with numerous deaths, when a descendent of the original owner takes ownership of the mansion. The past meets the future of one family with a violent explosive result.
“The Dare� by Tony Evans - Tim, the new boy in town, takes a dare to walk through every room of the rumored to be haunted Baily House. The prize—a date with Gina! Footprints in the house lead Tim to believe that others have taken the dare before him, and he’s not sure what he will find inside.
“Cries of the Night� by Guy Quintero � Matilda is forced to serve her drunken father’s wishes and take his abuse without complaint. On her nightly chore to fetch his ale, she is captivated by a stranger who kidnaps her. A life-changing event bonds her to a being who seeks to avenge her innocence to those who have wronged her.
“The Feeding� by D.E. Grant- Selene is born into a line of witches and offered up as a sacrifice to the vampires by her mother, a powerful mage. Now a powerful Witch Vampire hybrid, she seeks to create a clan of her own kind. A vampire and witch war erupts and only one side can win.
“Belladonna’s Curse� by Danielle Manx - Grace is a witch whose cancer hasn’t responded to traditional or holistic treatments. Next best plan is a body switching spell on Halloween with a guest of her B&B who has issues of his own.
“Devlin’s Manse� by Daemon Manx - Devlin's Manse, a once beautiful Victorian house, is in dire need of renovation due to decades of vacancy. When workers come into the house and begin to work and bring it back to its former glory, the lives of inhabitants James and Mary become more threatened.
“Flesh and Chocolate� by James G. Carlson � Felix has been looking forward to Halloween night and going trick-or-treating with his older brother Parker and his friend Tig, much to their dismay. Eager to be one of the treated like one of the older kids, he follows their plan to go trick-or-treating in the rich area of town. When bullies steal Felix’s candy, he encounters a stranger and makes a bargain with her—she gets the bullies and he gets a wish granted, one that yields sweet results.
“Riding the Ghost Train� by Jack Wells - An affluent, but angry drunkard has sunk to a new low—he has now struck his wife in front of their children. In shame and remorse, he has exiled himself to the family cabin to detox alone —so he believes. Is he going insane from alcohol deprivation or is he really losing his mind? Very creepy and atmospheric story.
“A Dream of Dead Leaves� by Jeremy Megargee � Years after her sister Fiona has taken her own life in a haunted house on Halloween night, Olive enters the house seeking a connection to her sister and is met with dreams of Fiona beckoning her to an unending Halloween. Haunting and heartbreaking.
This anthology was excellent, and I really loved how the stories were arranged to achieve the maximum emotional impact on the reader. Heather Miller’s story “The Far Field,� “Hell Hath No Fury� by Diana Olney, Daemon Manx’s story “Devlin’s Manse,� and Jeremy Megargee’s “A Dream of Dead Leaves� were emotional gut punches that hit me especially hard. I also loved how the Halloween themed stories, “A Halloween Ghost Story� by Christy Aldridge and “Flesh and Chocolate� by James G. Carlson were also spread out through the book along with the haunted house stories, “Hallow House�, “Mine,� and “The Dare� were sprinkled throughout so as not to lose their effect. They were perfectly placed. I absolutely LOVED “Behold, Death Arrives, A Duet of Ash and Fang� by Jae Mazer. Last Waltz Publishing knocked this anthology out of the park and I look forward to their next outing.
5/5 Stars Thank you to Last Waltz Publishing for providing me with an eArc for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions of this work are my own. ...more
Tales My Grandmother Told Me is everything a collection of horror short stories should be—cozy, creepy, and occasionally gruesome. From the humorous BTales My Grandmother Told Me is everything a collection of horror short stories should be—cozy, creepy, and occasionally gruesome. From the humorous Burglar Man to the truly terrifying (to me) Safe House and Girls Best Friend, there is something here for every age and flavor of horror fan.
In the preface, we are introduced to Miller’s grandmother Nan, and we learn about her love of horror and how she passed that along with her talent for storytelling to her. The blending of stories from Miller’s grandmother and those of her own creation is seamless. In my opinion, one of the most important parts of this book is the continued tradition of keeping the stories and songs of our forefathers alive for future generations. I look forward to re-reading this collection in the future and sharing it with my nieces and nephews who are all budding horror fans I would feel comfortable sharing this not only with them, but also with older family members in hopes they will share stories with me. All in all, I would say Miller that she did her Nan proud.
5/5 Stars Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions of said work are my own....more
Upon her great-aunt’s death, Eudora Fellowes inherits not only her fortune but also her crumbling seaside property known as High Hearth. Seeking to sh
Upon her great-aunt’s death, Eudora Fellowes inherits not only her fortune but also her crumbling seaside property known as High Hearth. Seeking to shake off the expectations of a proper lady in society, Eudora sees High Hearth as a chance to build a life she can live as she pleases—choosing to remain contentedly unmarried and childless. Taking few belongings and her faithful hounds Black Shuck and Cerberus, Eudora sets out to make High Hearth her own. She quickly finds that in inheriting High Hearth, she has also inherited all the dangerous secrets in its walls and the distrust of the townsfolk engendered by her great-aunt.
I was immediately engrossed in this book, starting it in the afternoon and could not sleep until I finished it. I love Cooper's detail in the story—dress, etiquette, little bits of information about the house and those who lived in it before her—all superb. The story is the perfect length, you get all the chills and excitement, but it doesn’t get caught up in any extraneous storylines it could have pursued. Inheriting Her Ghosts is S.H. Cooper’s best book thus far.
The ancient gods have left Valentine, and the monsters they protected mortals from are now seeking to hunt and destroy humankind. A serial killer has The ancient gods have left Valentine, and the monsters they protected mortals from are now seeking to hunt and destroy humankind. A serial killer has begun to ritually sacrifice victims as an offering to a blood god, who just happens to be her mother. Lilac Antonis will do whatever it takes to save her city and those she loves, especially her lover Arcadia Myrn, even if it involves murder.
While out on assignment as a flood fighter, Arcadia comes across the murder scene of Lilac’s sacrifice victims. Unable to fight her instinct as a former cop to investigate the murders, she seeks out her former partner Alex who has been assigned to the case, along with his new partner Cecil. While investigating the case, Alex and Cecil learn more about the gods and learn that they may have not left willingly and that they all may be in far greater danger than they ever suspected.
Like other works I have read by her, Piper has once again excelled when it comes to character-building. I love books with morally gray characters and this book has them in spades. I also love that this book isn’t specifically one genre—it is mythology, noir, fantasy, has Lovecraftian described gods and monsters, it is a procedural thriller, and has LGBTQIA characters as protagonists.
I both read the ebook and listened to the audiobook provided by #Netgalley and Dreamscape Media. I was instantly taken in by the voice of Jodie Harris. She could read a telephone book and I’d be riveted and hooked on every word. I hope to find more of her narration work soon.
4/5 Stars Thank you to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for providing me with a review copy of the audiobook of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own....more
Sixteen-year-old Ben Schon, still reeling from the death of his beloved father, is faced with the loss of his mother. Not to deaTW: Animal death, gore
Sixteen-year-old Ben Schon, still reeling from the death of his beloved father, is faced with the loss of his mother. Not to death, but abandonment, by checking out of life with booze and men, unable to deal with the loss of her husband. Now his mom has left him, taking off on a booze-filled trip with her boyfriend. Ben is used to being the adult in the house, so very little changes with her departure, other than the emptiness and silence of the house. Desperately missing his father, Ben begins seeking out relics of his father’s short life- wearing his Doc Martens, sipping his port, smoking his pipe, and exploring his dad’s books in his man cave. While perusing his dad’s bookshelves, he comes across a book titled To Offer Her Pleasure. Inside the book is a robed, horned woman standing in profile. Soon the robed figure communicates with Ben through the book with one word: Sacrifice. Soon Ben is seeking to fulfill the robed woman’s every appetite and whim, it only takes blood and sacrifice. When Weirdpunk Books offered the opportunity to review To Offer Her Pleasure, I jumped at the chance. Having just read and reviewed another of their titles, I knew I was in for a good read. I was most definitely not disappointed. Ali Seay knocked this book out of the park. I was hooked from page one and could not put it down until I finished Ben’s story. It is provocative, gory, and gripping. I loved the character development Seay put into creating Ben. He starts out as this sad, lonely kid who misses his dad and morphs into a cold, uncaring shadow of his former self. When I was reading this, I kept thinking of the stages of grief and how Ben’s character changes throughout the story to almost epitomize those stages: beginning in grief for his father, isolating himself in his house away from others, anger with his mother’s abandonment, bargaining with the entity to obtain his wishes, rage when dealing with his mother and her lover, and finally acceptance of how his life will be from here on out. A wholly satisfying read from beginning to end.
5/5 Stars Thank you to Sam Richard at Weirdpunk Books for providing me with an e-ARC of this book for me to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more
TW: graphic animal death, graphic animal abuse, parent/child abuse, mentions of sexual abuse, mentions of spousal abuse, homophobic terms, murder, gorTW: graphic animal death, graphic animal abuse, parent/child abuse, mentions of sexual abuse, mentions of spousal abuse, homophobic terms, murder, gore, descriptions of child death/murder
Nate Graves� estranged abusive father wants to leave Nate's childhood home to him when he dies. Not wanting to live in a house full of bad memories, Nate wants to sell the house and move on with his life; however, Nate’s wife Maddie convinces him to uproot their lives in Philadelphia and move to his childhood home hoping that it will bring the family closer together and give their son Oliver a fresh start.
Immediately after moving into the house, Nate begins to see visions of his dead father and a long-dead serial killer that used to kill his victims near the Graves� home. Animals in the area exhibit odd behavior and show physical malformations. Maddie loses consciousness and all sense of time while working on her art. Oliver makes new friends, one of whom is obsessed with exposing him to dark magic that is contained in a logbook of accidents from an abandoned mine. The longer the family lives in Nate’s childhood home, the stranger the world around them becomes. This book is not what I expected it to be when I initially began to read it. In the earlier chapters of the book when Nate saw the apparition of his dead father, I thought this would be a book about a haunted house. This book is so much more than a haunted house book. This book is about family and those we choose to bring into our family, about the evils of the world, second chances to right wrongs, and the lengths we will go to be with and protect the ones we love. The story is full of slow-building tension, from moments of disgust and unease leading all the way up to wildly gruesome episodes of violence. The heart of this story is the family unit of Nate, Maddie, and Oliver. The bond that this family has, the love and the trust that they share, make the story even scarier for me. To me, nothing is scarier than knowing your family is in danger and not being able to keep them safe. You want the best for them and come to care about them. From the first chapter, you are invested in this family.
Clocking in at over 500 pages this book is a hefty read. Sure, there are things that Wendig could have cut in the story, but the book does not feel overly long or full of extraneous detail. Even after finishing all 528 pages, I was still left wanting more of this story. I was not ready for this story to end.
The Book of Accidents is the very first book by Chuck Wendig that I have read but it will not be the last book of his that I read.
4/5 Stars
Thank you #NetGalley and #DelReyPublishing for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions of this work are my own. ...more
Ravens & Roses: A Gothic Women's Anthology is a new book out by Quill & Crow Publishing House and edited by Cassandra L. Thompson. This is the first bRavens & Roses: A Gothic Women's Anthology is a new book out by Quill & Crow Publishing House and edited by Cassandra L. Thompson. This is the first book out by Quill & Crow Publishing House that I have read and reviewed, and I am overwhelmed by it.
When I review anthologies, there are always a few stories that do not feel strong enough to be included in that anthology. This is not the case with Ravens & Roses. Every story has been meticulously chosen by Ms. Thompson so that the book seems to flow better than most anthologies in my opinion.
A lot of writers throw the term gothic horror around loosely, but few get it right. The stories in this anthology are truly gothic horror. There are eleven stories in this anthology, along with poems interspersed among them. There are stories of ghostly hauntings, revenge, tragic love stories, and murder.
While I loved every story in the anthology, which has never happened before, I especially love the stories “Lolita� by A.L. Garcia and “The Vigilante Witch� by Tara Jazdzewski. I feel that these stories could have been full novels with more work.
All in all, this is one of my favorite anthologies that I have ever read, and I look forward to reading more work from Quill & Crow Publishing House.
5/5 Stars I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily....more
I finished reading this story on June 2nd, and have sat here for the past 2 months and wondTW/CW: Animal abuse, animal death, child murder, grooming,
I finished reading this story on June 2nd, and have sat here for the past 2 months and wondered repeatedly to myself, “Wtf did I just read?� In Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, Eric LaRocca has written a story unlike any I have ever read before, and probably will never read again. Just kidding, I’m totally reading this again.
In just 102 pages containing a few emails and instant messenger conversations, LaRocca built a story that started out as one human being helping another and quickly turned into a person giving up their freedom, autonomy, and safety to a stranger. Voluntarily at that! The dynamic between Agnes and Zoe ramps up to pure madness. We know from the very beginning how Agnes’s story will turn out, it is getting to the how and why that is brutal and harrowing.
I read Eric’s first novella, Starving Ghosts in Every Thread, and would have begged to review this book if I had to. LaRocca’s prose while exquisite has a way of chilling me and digging down into my brain and camping out. While I thought the first book was also beautiful and unsettling, I clearly had no clue what was to come next.
Highly, highly, highly recommended, but heed trigger/content warnings. 5/5 Stars
Thanks to the author and his publisher Weird Punk Books for providing me with an eARC of this novella to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own....more
Mists and Megaliths, the newest short story collection by Catherine McCarthy, is steeped in Welsh folklore and could only be told by a storyteller sucMists and Megaliths, the newest short story collection by Catherine McCarthy, is steeped in Welsh folklore and could only be told by a storyteller such as McCarthy. The love and reverence McCarthy has for her homeland and its folklore are apparent throughout the book. Some stories contained in this collection include, but aren’t limited to:
Cragen- a young girl’s imaginary friend will do whatever it takes to keep her to itself. Two’s A Company, Three’s A Shroud- when burial accommodations become tight in your village, you never know who your new neighbor might be. Jagged Edges- an old railway guard reminisces about the rail lines that he worked his entire life and the disuse and ruin that they have become. MARA- a couple’s life is turned upside down by the spirit box they bring home from holiday.
I loved this collection. While the stories fit in the horror genre, I would say that they are firmly more of the quiet horror variety. Even so, McCarthy has given us a wide variety to read: Eco-horror, cosmic horror, dark comedy, and even heartfelt as you will find in the story “Coblynau,� which was my favorite of the entire book.
Take the time to read the short notes included before each story, they really enhanced the reading for me.
5/5 Stars
Many thanks to Catherine McCarthy for providing me an eARC of this book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions of this work are my own. ...more
Have you ever wondered how urban legends begin? How town traditions get their start? Welcome to Goblin, where both the odd and the normal aspects of sHave you ever wondered how urban legends begin? How town traditions get their start? Welcome to Goblin, where both the odd and the normal aspects of small-town living intersect. Where local legends of the past meet up with town notables of modern day. Where the rain never ends, and locals take pride in their shrubbery statues.
In Josh Malerman’s newest novel, six intersecting novellas usher us into the world of Goblin, where nothing is quite as it seems.
In our prologue we meet Tom, a delivery driver. Tom is tasked to deliver a large crate to Goblin, but certain conditions must be met. Right off the bat, something does not feel right about this trip to Goblin.
A Man in Slices- Richard’s life-long best friend Charles asks for his help in securing the affections of his girlfriend who wants “a legendary love,� better than that of Vincent VanGogh’s, and with bigger sacrifices.
Kamp- Kamp is terrified of ghosts. He is terrified of being terrified. He is so convinced that he will see a ghost, that he has rigged his home in every conceivable way to trap a ghost before the ghost can scare him first. Will he catch his ghost or scare himself in the process?
Happy Birthday, Hunter- A wealthy and renowned big game hunter celebrates his birthday with a meat-themed party. What does the hunter who has caught everything want for his birthday? One of Goblin’s famed but protected Great Owls. And he will set out to obtain one—at any cost.
Presto- In the pages of Presto magic magazine, a young boy learns that his favorite magician, Roman Emperor, is giving a one-night only performance in Goblin. Unbeknownst to the boy, the magician’s tricks are real—and he needs a volunteer for his final act.
A Mix Up at the Zoo- Dirk Rogers is a beloved fixture at the Goblin Zoo by day and works at the Goblin Slaughterhouse by night. The workload of two jobs is getting to him and something must give. He needs to decide how to lessen the stress of having two jobs before he breaks down and a tragic accident occurs.
The Hedges- A precocious young girl solves the legendary Goblin tourist attraction, The Hedges. The secret the owner hid at the end of the maze is one of the biggest mysteries of Goblin. The secret will lead the Goblin Police on a wild chase after the maze owner into the forbidden North Woods where nothing is as it seems.
We meet delivery driver Tom again in the epilogue, trying to deliver the crate to its intended recipient. Neither Tom, nor the crate’s recipient, and Goblin for that matter, are prepared for what is inside.
While I genuinely enjoyed this book, I am left with questions that did not get answered, which was a bit disappointing to me. I am also still unsure how I feel about the ending of the book. To me, it feels like there is more story that could be told, but maybe it is best left up to the reader’s own imagination to decide what is to occur in Goblin next.
For me, Goblin was an enjoyable read, and will be enjoyable as a re-read in the future. There was something in the novellas in every range of emotion—humor, chills, anger, and sadness. Malerman did an excellent job of connecting all the stories in the novel without making it feel forced or contrived. There are still so many mysteries and secrets out there in the Goblin rain, should Malerman decide to take us back for another visit someday and I hope that he will.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House-Ballentine for providing me with an e-ARC of this novel for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own....more
In her sophomore collection Dismal Dreams, Red Lagoe has assembled thirteen unique, thought-provoking stories sure to haunt your dreams. I have had thIn her sophomore collection Dismal Dreams, Red Lagoe has assembled thirteen unique, thought-provoking stories sure to haunt your dreams. I have had the pleasure to read some of the stories contained in this collection in other publications, but Red was right to bring them back into this collection. All the stories balanced each other well. Standout stories for me in this collection were:
Dismal Dreams- Our title story took a turn that I was not anticipating. Dark and disturbing The Creation of Man- A creative and fresh take on the familiar story of Adam and Eve. Valentine’s Day- The lengths one will go to save themselves in a life-or-death situation One Year Anniversary- I originally read this story in Slashertorte and it has stuck with me ever since. So good! This story comes in a close second as my favorite of Red’s writing. Doll House- Hands down, my favorite story that Red has written. Super dark and gritty. I can’t rave about it enough.
You can’t go wrong with Dismal Dreams, there is something for every flavor of horror fan. 5/5 Stars Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of the book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
TW: Body Horror, Mental Illness, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Forced/Coerced Abortion, Suicide, Suicidal Ideation, Medical Experimentation, Graphic STW: Body Horror, Mental Illness, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Forced/Coerced Abortion, Suicide, Suicidal Ideation, Medical Experimentation, Graphic Sexual Encounters, Violence
Before moving away from the only home she has known, Kori Driscoe sets out to find her long-missing father Paul, who suffers from bipolar depression. An incident that occurred fifteen years ago landed him in Northville Psychiatric Hospital, and he has not been seen since. Kori is moving away with her mother and stepfather, and the hospital is slated for demolition, so this is her last chance to go back to where she feels closest to her father and look for clues to his disappearance. An exploration of the hospital’s sub-basement leads Kori to a horrendous discovery hidden underneath the hospital are feral, blood-thirsty creatures that are the products of medical experimentation. In trying to rescue her father, Kori has discovered a plot hatched by hospital doctors that not only puts her life in danger but also those lives that were experimented on and the result of said experiment. Will Kori be able to reunite with her father and save them all before the hospital is demolished?
This book was a lot for me. Before reading this book, I had never thought of mental disorders as being a benefit, or a superpower, if you will. I live depression and anxiety, and I know it has caused me some super high feeling days and others I do not even want to discuss. I certainly would have never thought to equate my mental health issues with lycanthropy, but now it makes sense to me. I have seen firsthand how the waxing and waning of the moon affects the neurological disorder my son has, why wouldn’t other disorders be affected as well.
I appreciate that Mr. Matthews has a background in behavioral healthcare and had beta readers check for sensitivity to make sure that those with mental health issues would not feel attacked. In anyone else’s hands, a story like this most likely could have been exploitative. Another subject that was touched on in this book was medical exploitation.
All in all, The Hobgoblins of Little Minds is a heavy read, but a great read. Don’t go into it expecting your classic werewolf story, this book is so much more than that.
5/5 Stars
Disclaimer: Thank you to author Mark Matthews for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more
Good Southern Witches, edited by J.D. Horn, is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of 24 tales of witches—good, bad, female, non-binary, old, young, gayGood Southern Witches, edited by J.D. Horn, is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of 24 tales of witches—good, bad, female, non-binary, old, young, gay, and straight. There are stories here for every fan of witch lore: you have granny witches providing tonics for wealthy clients, generations of witches welcoming their heir into her powers, spiteful witches to claiming lives to free her own, Earth witches protecting the environment when trees are to be destroyed, and a couple of cozy witches keep a balance between our world and the unknown. I really enjoyed this anthology, not every story was my cup of tea, but that is to be expected in any collection of short stories. This was my first time reading any release by Curious Blue Press, now I will be looking forward to anything and everything they release. I loved that the authors selected for this anthology were not names that I have seen over and over in other publications. I now have new writers to check out. I really appreciated the LGBTQIA representation in this collection, not a lot of presses will make that a priority.
4/5 Stars Thank you to #NetGalley and #CuriousBluePress for providing me with an eARC for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own....more
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