Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from the publisher. 

This collection combines two novelettes that explore the topic of returning somewhere after the death of a person you once were close too, once to your home town and once making a home out of a place you visited for a holiday. In both stories the protagonists are haunted and pursued by something and they will have to confront their pasts. While the first novelette is a bit more in the typical horror killing spree, the second one is sad and filled with grief and I think they worked very well together. It was interesting to see where the novelettes had similarities and where they different and I enjoyed both of them a lot. 

Evergreen by John K. Peck & L. Mahler 

A young woman returns to the small town she left behind years ago after her mother’s death to take care of her affairs. In her mother’s room, which she was never allowed to enter as a child, she finds a tree growing in the closet. And the roots crave blood. Fun small town horror, cool sentient tree enemies, very fun depictions of the deaths (it was gruesome, I liked it!). 

I enjoyed the story a lot and I liked the side characters, but I think the storyline of the main character could have been extended a bit more for her progression to make a bit more sense. I still really enjoyed this novelette, it was fun to read :) 

TW: bullying (past), death, being eaten alive, murder, violence 

Sequoia Point by Íde Hennessy 

After her husband’s death, a woman moves to the small out-of-the-way town he proposed to her in. Grief weighs her down as does the decision of where to scatter his ashes. As she explores the town and tries to get to know the people, something begins stalking her in the night. A heartbreaking, but intriguing story about grief and fighting a scary beastie. I really enjoyed this one, it is haunting and I really enjoyed the main character. I also loved the descriptions of the landscape and the way the sea was described here really added a lot to the feeling for me. I have definitely discovered a new author for me to watch out for and I’m very glad I got to read this novelette. 

TW: alcoholism, animal death, cancer, car crash (past), death, depression, drowning, gore, grief, miscarriage (mention, off-page) murder, smoking, vomiting