While most of my reading is horror-centric or adjacent, I’ve been trying to branch out into less familiar genres this year. So, naturally, I went the complete opposite and started reading romance. Like horror, romance has its own rhythms and tropes and typical endings, but finding ones that work for me has been a bit… Continue reading A 4-in-1 Review of Emily Henry
I grew up in a golden era of children’s horror books. My kindergarten teacher would read to us from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. A shelf of multicolored spines full of Goosebumps waited at every visit to my grandparents’. I read my abridged copy of Dracula over and over again. Even then, I… Continue reading “A Ghost Story Waiting”: Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
Fifty years ago this week, Stephen King’s debut novel, Carrie, was published and the career of one of the most prolific horror writers began. If you’re not already familiar with the book or any of its adaptations (three films, a musical, etc.) then I’ll lay out the plot real quick: Carrie White, outcast for any… Continue reading “Maddy Did It”: The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
I have a delicate relationship with the mystery genre. It’s often thriller or horror-adjacent, so I enjoy the suspense and tension of trying to uncover secrets. However, like romance, it’s a genre with unwritten rules and beats, so I sometimes find it too predictable. I like when a mystery keeps me guessing, but dislike when… Continue reading “Your Future Contains Dry Bones”: How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
It only took knowing this was a Frankenstein retelling for me to be sold on this book. I’m a simple girl with simple desires – namely to see one of my favorite novels live on in others’ imaginations and inspirations for eons. This isn’t to say it’s always done well or with good intentions, but,… Continue reading “Botany Afoot”: A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock
Imagine this: you wake up in an unfamiliar place, decorated like the set of a 1950s sitcom, with two strangers. They tell you the collar around your neck can shock you, or kill you if it’s not charged, or explode if you cross an invisible perimeter. You’re given a role to play in your kidnapper’s… Continue reading “Leave the Cabin for Good”: The Final Scene by Steph Nelson
When I decided I wanted to pursue horror fiction for my MFA, I knew I had to brush-up on what contemporary writers were doing with the genre – not just the classics. I bought a slew of books, including Gwendolyn Kiste’s short story collection And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe. Stories like “All the… Continue reading “A Promise to the Dead”: The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste
Have you ever felt the desire to test your mettle against a vertical surface? To see if you have what it takes to pull your limbs up a sheer cliff face, dare to look at the ground far below, and say, “I did it!” Or, in another scenario, have you ever been surrounded by forest… Continue reading “Kentucky Sky”: This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer
In my (to be fair) limited experience, I’ve often found a clear enough divide in how Jewish characters are written. It’s similar in a way to Robin R. Means Coleman’s argument about “Black horror” versus “Blacks in horror.” You can have the representation present but, without giving the identity importance and weight, it’s just a… Continue reading “Easy to be Real”: Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer
I’ve been spending more time reading my Kindle and using Libby. Don’t get me wrong – I love the soft caress of paper under my fingers and the weight of a book in my hands – but I’ve grown a bit accustomed to reading digitally, and it’s easy to take around anywhere and everywhere. The… Continue reading “It’s Your Choice”: Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
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