drakaina16's Reviews (2.21k)

5/5 for the art
Only 3/5 for the stories

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

This is an excellent debut short story collection from Chaz Williams! I loved his novella, so I was eager to read and review Stories I Forgot. It did not disappoint. Mr. Williams is definitely one to watch. 4 stars

Pillar of the Community ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Keeper of Haunted Trails ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Those Flashing Lights ⭐⭐⭐.5
My Last Halloween ⭐⭐⭐.75
Douglass Park Massacre ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hate So Strong ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Last Will and Testament ⭐⭐⭐
Whatever Happened to Mrs. Johnson ⭐⭐⭐
My Best Friend ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Roommate ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Innocence Lost ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I Want to Wake Up ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Why are you reading a Christmas collection in June, you ask? I have way too many books on my TBR, and this is what Wheel of Names came up with lol. Nevertheless, this is the 3rd Stephen Barnard book I've read and I quite enjoyed it. Even though all of the stories are centered around Christmas, the stories are varied enough that I was always entertained. 4.25 stars

A Door or A Window? ⭐⭐⭐
Wreck the Halls ⭐⭐⭐.5
Secret Sandra ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Twas the Night Befouled Christmas ⭐⭐⭐.5
The World Soup ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Night Mass ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
Bad For Your Elf ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Three Wise Men ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Big Shop ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dark the Herald ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
A Ghost at Burrows Manor ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Last Present ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Admittedly, I am not a fan of gross-out horror, so I probably would not have picked this book up if it wasn't in the Books of Horror Indie Author Brawl. That being said, this was also my first Matt Shaw book and I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would! I've gotten pretty good at just skipping over scenes, so that didn't bother me. But the interesting plot is what really hooked me. I like game show horror a lot, and this book was a cool twist on that subgenre. In fact, I liked it enough to want to pick up the rest of the series at some point. 4 stars 

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

This is a nasty little slice of western weirdness. I read King's Hill last year and loved it, so it's no surprise that this novella is so good. It's quick and brutal, with wonderfully described gore and cinematic writing. Josh Hanson nails the ending perfectly, and I'm very excited for any future titles by the author. 4.25 stars 

This is my new favorite Andrew Van Wey book. The hype around this one is really, really real and I can easily see how it was voted in the final 32 in the Books of Horror Indie Author Brawl. The characters feel like real people and the story is intricately plotted, told from several character's perspectives. I recently received an ARC of the second book, and I can't wait to dive in. 5 stars

Thank you to the editor for providing a review copy. 

Splatterpunk's Basement of Horror should have something to please every splatterpunk fan. There are some real heavy hitters included in the collection, and I enjoyed all but one of the stories. 

Girls Dying in Lonely Places by Brendan Vidito ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Skins by Candace Nola ⭐⭐
Mac & Millie by Jeff Strand and Bridgett Nelson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
GPS by Glenn Rolfe ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Blue-Plate Special by Wile E. Young ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mochés by Robert Essig ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Unfound Footage by Patrick Lacey ⭐⭐⭐.75
Something Pagan by Lucas Mangum ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Eaten Alive by J.F. Gonzalez ⭐⭐⭐
A Little Something by Scott Cole ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Do You Have Splatterpunk? by Carver Pike ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
Leave by Kristopher Rufty ⭐⭐⭐.5
Friday Night in Damascus by Brian Keene ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

Remember yesterday when I posted that Against Medical Advice was my new favorite Ruth Anna Evans book? Yeah, I hadn't read this one yet. I went in blind, and it hit a little close to home, as I am intimately familiar with the thought process (such as it is) involved in manic episodes. Evans has such a way of building up dread, then the whole thing just explodes. I'll be thinking about the ending of this one for quite awhile, I think. 5 stars

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

This might be my new favorite Ruth Anna Evans book. I always jump at the chance to review her books because they are short and nasty, really packing a punch. I stayed up WAY too late last night to finish Against Medical Advice in one sitting. Dread just suffuses this book; when I figured out what was going on my reaction was "Oh. OH NO." 4.5 stars