drakaina16's Reviews (2.21k)

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

I always know I'm gonna have a good time with a Chaz Williams book. He has a way of writing old tropes in really interesting settings. Here we have a creature feature that takes place in a prison, making for a claustrophobic environment. While pretty fast-paced overall, it rockets towards a barn burner of an ending in the last half of the book 4.25 stars

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

Ryan Hoyt has definitely cemented his place as a "must-read" author. I loved Raventree Hollow, and this collection is a nice little addendum to that book. Although the stories can definitely be read on their own, having read RH first adds some more depth to the stories. 4 stars

Ditch of the Damned ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Senior Class ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Butterscotch ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Hoarder's House ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Freddy Goodman (Ain't No Good Man) ⭐⭐⭐.5

Thank you to the author and Wicked House Publishing for providing a review copy. 

I am always on board for cosmic horror; it's one my favorite subgenres. This book is cosmic horror with heart. It's strange and oddly sweet. A bit of a slow burn, I was utterly fascinated with the characters. Joe Scipione writes some of the most fully fleshed-out, realized characters that I've read. Wicked House is consistently turning out some of the best indie horror I've read, and The Gods Among Them is no exception. Easy 5 stars

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

I absolutely loved House of Smarba when I read it last year, so I jumped at the chance to read this novella. It did not disappoint. The cosmic horror/found footage/police procedural format really did it for me. The Black Book offers a cool twist on a very classic cosmic trope, and I enjoyed every fast-paced seconds of it. 4.5 stars 

Thank you to the editor for providing a review copy. 

All I have to hear is "feminine rage" and I'm all the way in. Like any anthology, it's a mixed bag. I didn't care for two of the stories, but there are some very impressive offerings included. If you like stories in which you can nod and say good for her, this is the one. 3.5 stars

Agent of Wrath by Claire Olivia Golden ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Night's Embrace by Valarie Miller ⭐⭐⭐
Snapped by Nadine Stewart ⭐⭐⭐
The Strange Orchid by S.E. Ransdell ⭐⭐
The One by Greta T. Bates ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
The Wood of Bug-Eyed Maud by Astrid Addams ⭐⭐⭐
The Bear Chooses You by Kirsten Craig ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Eye of the Auteur by Chloe Spencer ⭐⭐⭐.25
Deepfake by Kassidy VanGundy ⭐⭐⭐.75
Phantom of the Airwaves by Jude Deluca ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Doll by Heather M. Chuon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Paradise by KA Schultz ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Coronet by KA Schultz ⭐⭐
The Feminine Urge To be Jenny Lewis ⭐⭐⭐.5
Til Death by River Gardner ⭐⭐⭐
Revenge Served Sunnyside Up by Sage Mitchell ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Cases of mass hysteria have always interested me. I had never heard of Italy's version of the satanic panic, so picking up this book was a no-brainer. At first I was kind of confused about how all these disparate threads and stories and people came together, but things become clearer as you keep reading. It is insane to me that anyone could believe these outlandish stories from children with no proof; the book does a great job explaining exactly how this can happen. 3.75 stars

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

This is a fun little collection of short fiction, heavy on the creature features (as you may have guessed from the name). I enjoyed all of the stories and I'm excited to see what Zack Graham has in store for the future. 4 stars

Last Call ⭐⭐⭐
The Lion and the Pilot ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Skin Walk with Me ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Lineman ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Monster Canyon ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and CLASH Books for providing a review copy. 

I will preface this review by saying that V. Castro is one of my favorite authors. That being said, I'm so used to absolutely loving everything that I've read of hers, that I was a bit surprised I didn't love this collection more. It is erotic horror, which is not my jam, but I figured the quality of the writing would override that somewhat, and mostly that was true. The novella at the end was the best part. Maybe I just like her longer fiction better? Either way, 3.75 stars.

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

I'm not gonna lie, this one hurt me a little. The beginning of the story is devastating enough, and the depiction of domestic abuse is heartbreaking and rage-inducing. Dread and anxiety absolutely permeate the narrative. It gave me real world anxiety and then broke my heart. 5 stars