Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I’m not a big horror reader, but the title and cover art of this anthology drew me in, and then the actual stories kept me engaged.

Every story is written by a different author and has a different take on both the subject of addiction and the horror genre. Some have supernatural elements while some take a more grounded approach to horror. Most deal with substance use and abuse, but a couple talk about other forms of addiction.

I didn’t love all of the stories, but I did have some definite favorites that I’m still thinking about. 

The story “Huddled Masses, Yearning to Breathe Free” was truly chilling, and the author did a masterful job of putting the readers into the head of a character who did horrible things and making us almost understand his mindset. Definitely terrifying!

My other favorite, “Buyer’s Remorse,” is a delightfully queer story with a kind of awful sapphic main character who gets what’s coming to her without it feeling like a punishment for her sexuality or even her addiction. Just her actions. This story was also just generally enjoyable to read, even while it kept me on edge.

I think the last story was my least favorite. It was a little too long and a little too religious for my personal taste, and I didn’t like the way it treated women. I understand why it was chosen as the closer, though.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this anthology to a horror fan looking for something short to read or to someone who is, like me, interested in exploring the genre for the first time.

Please note that every story in this collection is about addiction, most contain substance use, and many also contain other potentially triggering content including death, murder, body horror, blood, and confinement. Please take care of yourself if any of these are likely to be an issue for you.