Decimated Dreams by Brennan LaFaro is the heart-pumping and tense follow up to Slattery Falls.

If you haven’t snagged Slattery Falls yet, do it now! You will want to be ready to jump right into Decimated Dreams!

And one more quick note before we get started; I purposefully avoided spoilers in my review, so this review is safe if you haven’t yet read the first book.

Let’s dive in!

It’s been five years since Travis, Josh, and Elsie faced down a monster in the terrifying underground maze in Slattery Falls. While time has allowed Travis and Elsie to have some space from the events, the trauma isn’t far from their minds.

When their little girl, April, announces one morning that a man with green eyes who was at her window had woken her up, the parents realize that Weeks hasn’t given up his hold on them. 

But things are about to get much, much worse… Travis and Elsie will soon be on their way to Slattery Falls, hoping to track down the man that they had been trying to forget.

The story opens with a scene that certainly gets the heart pumping! It’s a terrifying dream/memory where the three were exploring the underground grotto and find a tunnel under water. Of course, fearless Elsie is going to dive into without knowing if it will bring her out again. While reading, I noted “Just on page three and Brennan already has my anxiety spiked. Diving into a tunnel filled with water and not knowing where it goes or if you would be able to get back out if you run into a dead end? No thank you!”

This story was tense from cover to cover! It doesn’t gives you a chance to come up to breathe at all. It’s like we’ve gone into that underwater tunnel and the entire story is a lungs-aching-for-oxygen type of terror that doesn’t ease up until the very last sentence that finally gets our heads above water as we take in a big gasp of air.

I’m obsessed with the world building that Brennan seems to do so naturally. It’s the small details that he adds in… like a car very slowly coming to a stop, or how poorly a suitcase is packed when it’s noticed that they had an odd number of socks.

Brennan also plays with the senses so well! When things are dark and dreary, you’re going to feel that. But again with the smaller details, like the pine potpourri on the dresser, readers really get fully immersed here as if we’re walking through each scene like we’re one of the characters.

These elements make the story seem that much more real!

A voice cut through the silence, groaning like rusty gears powering a run-down machine.

Metcalf had shoulder length brown hair and a face that seemed too soft for law enforcement, too kind.

They—whoever the fuck they is—always say you’ll never look back from the view on your deathbed and wish you spent more time at the office. It’s a weird sentiment because no one needs to think twice before agreeing with it. No shit, of course family is more important than work. And yet, we subconsciously prioritize it on a regular basis. All those small choices group together, adding up in a nearly imperceptible way. We go in fifteen minutes early. We stay fifteen minutes late.

A single road snaked past the gas station, leading us into the town proper. At the road’s entry point loomed a weather-worn sign welcoming us to Slattery Falls. Some folks might call the sign rustic, but decayed was probably a better fit.

Stories have power. You don’t need to be a reader to believe that.

“So that means we’re not meant to get back to the foundation,” Robin said, her voice quivered like Jurassic Park jello.

Rather than launch an investigation, I stepped next to him and lost my feet in black oblivion. The murkiness chilled my feet, as if I’d plunged my leg into a body of water mid-winter. The resistance, seemingly designed to slow down progress and keep us from running blindly into the darkness, suggested we might be ankle deep in some foreign substance. Water was the first thing that came to mind, because, let’s face it, if you step in something wet outdoors, you hop that’s what it is.

The laws of the universe dictate that roads grow exponentially longer when you have to walk them as opposed to driving. The law is doubly true when you are in a rush to reach what lies at the end.

This is yet another tale that Brennan has just knocked out of the park. Readers be warned, once you pick it up, you’re not going to want to put it back down until you see how it ends. I highly recommend you go snag a copy of this as soon as you can.

Gosh, I cannot wait to see where Brennan takes these characters next!

HUGE shout-out again to Brennan not only for allowing me to beta read this amazing tale, but for also naming one of the characters after me! I still just can’t believe it… But I’m so honored! I loved seeing Robin Metcalf get looped into this twisted tale!

Centered around a young woman who returns to the town she once fled, Down Home by Steve L. Clark is a dark and foreboding tale about family secrets and a wicked creature that is coming for what they are due.

First things first, how awesome is that cover art by Matt Wildasin?! Extra shout-out to Matt as he is the one that got Steve and I in touch originally! This cover is beyond perfect for the content. The tree on fire is so chilling!

Now, about the story!

When Paula returns home, she plans on staying for the funeral of her beloved Aunt Candace, and then heading out. But when she reconnects with her cousin Angie and Uncle Larry, she realizes how much she had missed connecting with family after leaving town as soon as she turned eighteen.

Drinking on the porch that evening, the girls decide to walk to a spooky cemetery in the woods that was the scene of a childhood paranormal experience for Angie. Little do the girls know, there’s something waiting within those dark woods that is about to awaken as soon as Paula walks in.

The creature marks the girls and won’t rest until it gets what it wants, no matter who gets in its way.

I’m a huge fan of horror stories that have a focus on the woods. This one really brought the terror with not only the creature that was present, but also with all the mentions of how dark it was within the tree-line, and how difficult following the path was.

The is story starts out sad, we get a very brief uplifting bit, and then the story jumps right into the dread-filled, terrifying, and bloody! Impossible to put down, this book will hook you in immediately as you worry about how things will turn out.

Angie fought against her paralyzing fear and tried to comprehend what Paula said. She stared at the burning tree and realized Paula was right. No smoke rose into the air. She inhaled deeply. No smell of burning wood or leaves either. The flames crawled through the branches with unnatural slowness. The colors were wrong. Everything was wrong.

His shouts gave her direction, but she couldn’t see; she was chasing sound. She had not thought the woods could possibly be any darker, but the deeper they went, the thicker the blackness.

A must read for horror fans! After reading, you’ll certainly be a bit more weary of entering the woods…

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth is a tale of secrets that refuse to stay buried…

Kari is an urban indigenous woman that wears black ripped jeans and band t-shirts, loves listening to metal, and always has a horror book on hand. Kari grew up filled with hatred toward her mother as she believed her mother had left her when she was just two days old. Filling the empty space with drugs and alcohol, Kari’s life isn’t on a great trajectory. But when her cousin brings her an old bracelet that has been in the family for a very long time, all of Kari’s core beliefs are shaken and it forces her on a new path.

Suddenly haunted by visions and the ghost of her mother, a fire is ignited in Kari. From there, it’s a rocky journey to find answers. Along the way, she’s forced to face her inner demons.

A slow-burn of a novel, this story takes it’s time winding around each of the story elements just like a car traveling up the Colorado mountain roadways. The paranormal focus was light, but it was sprinkled in just enough to keep catching me off guard!

I will admit, there were times I wanted to scream at Kari for how shortsighted and selfish she was being. She was totally wrapped up in her own things, and couldn’t see two inches in front of her to realize how her actions were affecting others. Of course, that lack of support for others finally explodes, leaving her adrift to solve her problems on her own. I was so excited that she had finally learned to think of others rather than wallowing in her own self-pity and grief. After that turning point, I couldn’t put the book down!

One quick element that I wanted to comment on before moving on is that while I’m not from the area, I have visited! On a work trip, I made it a point to visit the Tattered Cover. I was so excited to see a mention of being in Tattered Cover in one of Kari’s dreams, and then to see her visit the location as well! That is such a cool bookstore. If you’re ever in the area, make sure to stop by!

Daddy was brittle. His mind was like a boat lost at sea. Sometimes it came close to the shore, only to push back. I didn’t want to make it so it never made anchor again.

There was something sad and small and yet, almost otherworldly about Idaho Springs, like there were secrets in the cold, rocky ground that might spring up at any time. And take you down with them into the dark.

God, that tapping like a skeletal hand on a mirror.

Though I loved everything by King, I’d always found this particular book to be spellbinding. I remembered finding it in the library one day, after wandering the shelves, my fingers brushing the spines, trying to convince myself to check something more realistic out, something more patently educational, and failing and moving, like I was haunted, toward the horror aisle. For some reason, I hadn’t seen this book before, and finding it, a King I’d never read, felt like uncovering a magic key, one with infinite potential. One that opened doors that acted as portals to other worlds.

I feel strong by the end of that year, I am healed. But I don’t realize that healing requires scars, and I am still rough beneath them, I still have pain locked behind that ropy skin. And there is weakness there, there is vulnerability, a thing I have always been terrified of.

I highly recommend this story to fans of slow-burning tales that make you switch back and forth between loving and hating the main character, before settling in on how you feel about them right at the end.

Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn is a unique story of love, fire, and anger. Prepare yourselves for this tale before diving in; embers of anger will ignite in you and build to a roaring fire of rage. 

Content Warnings: Fire/Fire Injury, Pregnancy, & Suicidal Thoughts.
There is a beautiful note at the start of this book that readers should review –
“For my readers, Flowers for the Sea contains depictions of infant harm and death, the realities of birth, and generational trauma.“

Set on an ark after their kingdom was flooded, this group of people are doing their best to survive.  Tension is thick between some of the survivors, food is limited, and their medical support is lacking. There are also rules about going onto the top deck, especially at nighttime, as there are creatures that live above and below that can attack at any moment. 

Iraxi is one individual on the ship. She is heavily pregnant and covered in scarring from burns. Very early on, readers will see that she has suffered immensely already, and the pregnancy certainly isn’t helping. As the story goes on, we learn more about her past and what churns the rage inside of her.

But will she protect that fire, stoking it only when needed, or will the flames finally rage and burn themselves out to allow her to be released?

My heart broke for Iraxi on so many occasions throughout the duration of this story! The author did such an incredible job making readers feel the same emotions that Iraxi was feeling. Sure, this was seen in the rage and pain. But just one small example of this was in the yearning for being in the sunlight. I found myself so invested in the mindset as the character, my skin was prickling with anticipation of being in the sun as well.

This definitely isn’t an easy book to read. If the content warning above has you nervous, I would recommend holding off on this one for a bit until you feel more comfortable. I personally have never gone through childbirth, but the description here made me nauseous just thinking about the process, let alone seeing what this character dealt with. Phew! Of course, this is just another testament to how powerful this author’s writing is!

I am insistence personified and the spite I draw is my sustenance, a weak sustenance sufficient in quieting my growing desire to perish.

Far-sea fishermen had warned us with fanciful tales of night beasts who took to the sky, blotting out the stars, muting both moons and all their brightness and all in order to hunt. They did not rest once the sun was eaten by the horizon. The night was theirs and everything that dared to cut through the ocean’s surface.

A must-read. This one made me quite uncomfortable, but my goodness, does that discomfort have an incredible build up to that final scene. 

I had the chance to meet the author at Merrimack Valley Book Fest, and they were wonderful! I’m so honored to have a signed copy of this one for my shelves.

Somewhere South of Hell – Book 3 by Ronald Kelly is another chapbook with two tales of horror! In this one, the main characters try to run away, but are they already hooked on the line and being reeled in?

Just like Book 1 and Book 2, these tales are not for the faint of heart!

In this chapbook, we meet a football team blinded by excited over a prize, and a woman who is haunted by someone that’s been watching her for many years. 

Are you ready to learn more about these tales? Here are my notes on each: 

Whorehouse Hollow –

Promised with quite a prize if they have a winning season, this football team has a winning streak that doesn’t seem quite natural. Heading out one night to claim their prize, one young man resists and sees though the situation and flees. 

The unsettling feeling begins very early on in this story, and things only get worse as it goes along. 

The fear of being trapped in your hometown is certainly a dark one…

He Who Watches –

Haunted by a man that seems to only appear in her dreams and in the shadows, this woman thought he was a figment of her childhood imagination. But the man is back, and he wants her name in his book.

I loved the sheer determination that this woman had! I get rocked with nightmares quite frequently, and I can’t imagine what hers were like night after night. 

Theresa had hated the darkness… feared it more than anything else in her young life. It smothered her like a cold, wet blanket; clinging to her, molding itself around her small body like a cocoon.
Even semi-darkness frightened her. In a way, it was even worse. The pits of blackness between patches of light were even more deceiving and treacherous. For it was within those inky pits that things lingered, unseen. They thought they were safe in their concealment, but they didn’t fool her.

Rounding out this three chapbook series, these two killer tales of horror will have you wanting to run for the hills just like these two characters that find themselves in terrifying situations!

Parched: The Days Before Exile (The Wastelands #1) by Anne Joyce is a story of fear, desperation, and violence caused by the fall out of a war. In this new world, water, as well as trust in humanity, is becoming scarce.

It’s been two years since the War of 2040. After the war, multi-million-dollar companies and politicians began purchasing the rights to all bodies of water. As they controlled the supply, they were able to place hefty tariffs on it.

As more and more people struggle to pay the fees, things begin to go downhill quickly. If you can’t pay, you’re labeled an Indigent and then taken to the wastelands or killed on the spot. The general public is beginning to see what the people in charged, the Purifiers, are doing.

Some rise up to try to overthrow the politicians, taking out entire families. Others flee to try to find safety. But is anywhere really safe?

As I had read the second book (Arid) first, I immediately recognized one name and was very excited to learn more about him. Unfortunately, it was very bitter sweet, as I knew what he was going to face at some point.

The action and terror here is truly something else. It’s a quick read, and it packs some serious intensity within the pages.

Joshua felt like he’d been struck by lightning. It seemed like life was hitting him with as many shocking and overwhelming events as possible just to see how much he could handle.

When diving into this book, I highly recommend having Arid ready to go. You’re going to want to see what happens next immediately! But if you’re like me and read them out of order, this one is a lovely step back to see how we got to the situation in the second book.

I highly recommend checking these two books out if you’re a fan of dystopian stories!

Somewhere South of Hell – Book 2 by Ronald Kelly is a chapbook that holds two unsettling tales that focus on body horror and death!

Just like Book 1, these tales are not for the faint of heart!

In these two shorts, we meet a man that has made a poor choice when thirsty, and a woman whose curiosity gets the best of her. In each tale, Ronald Kelly brings the horror yet again!

Here are my thoughts on each tale:

The Cerebral Passion –

Plagued with horrible headaches for the first half of the day, but as soon as 3pm hits, the headaches go away. In fact, this man actually feels reenergized after 3pm! This is doing wonders for his marriage, but there’s unfortunately something inside of him and the clock is ticking… 

This was so unsettling! I’m so paranoid with my body and health. If I were this man, I would have been at the doctors office the minute the “knots” showed up. Yikes! And that ending!

After a scare while out in a tobacco field, Rebecca tries to let go of the terror. Unfortunately, things only get more tense until she moves away. Finding herself back in her childhood home years later, the horror rushes right back to her when her children see the same scary thing while out in the fields.

This dark force has had his eyes on Rebecca for years, and it’s not about to let her go that easily.

The image that Ronald Kelly puts in readers minds right away with Rebecca’s initial sighting is one that will haunt our dreams for sure. I kept thinking things couldn’t get more tense, but they did!

The Cerebral Passion –

The searing agony in his neck continued to intensify. It almost felt as though his head was attempting to pull itself from his body. But that was utter nonsense, wasn’t it? He knew at once that it was not as the tendons in his neck began to snap, one by one.

Ever read a book that hits you so hard, you feel like you’ve got heartburn afterward? That was my physical reaction to this book! Ronald Kelly really hit on some nightmarish horror here.

Needless to say, this is a must read for horror fans that don’t mind walking into the darkness!

Arid by Anne Joyce is a tense dystopian novel set in the US where water is scarce but dehydration isn’t the only thing to fear out in the wastelands.

Set in the United States after a nuclear war has occurred in 2040, this camp of people are desperately trying to survive. They are given rations from the people who hold power over them, called the Purifiers. But it’s not nearly enough. This group has ways of trying to gather water themselves and they hunt anything they can safely eat, but it’s still hardly enough to keep them all going.

After a visit from the Purifiers goes sideways, the turmoil begins to rise.

Later, after a violent fight for their lives, the group takes a truck and flees to find safety. But little do they know, they’re about to be faced with horror after horror as they brave the desert to try to get to Mexico, and not all of them are going to make it alive.

This story is an absolutely amazing dystopian! The set up itself really sinks readers right into the situation, and before long, the action begins and doesn’t let up until the very end. I was so nervous at every turn, and just wanted this group to catch a break! I really loved that readers get to know each of the characters more as the story develops. This only adds to the terror as you may learn more about a character on one page, just to see them meet a brutal end shortly after.

Speaking of brutal ends… the action that leads to bloodshed and gore here is intense! One scene specifically on a rooftop has really cemented itself into my mind. But with this, the author also throws in some heart-twisting grief and rage that sets the characters up to fight back.

Grief changes shape but it doesn’t go away. It’s not something you endure until you get to the other side. I’ve learned that there is no other side, no mystical place or state of mind where everything’s okay again. There’s just adjustment and acceptance. It alters your very soul.

“Mutiny will bring all types of people out of the woodwork. Some of them want to make things better. Others just want to take advantage of the chaos. It gives them an opportunity to do bad things…”

An enormous silhouette of a man holding a lantern came into view. He held up the light to reveal a dirty face with broken teeth and a square jaw. “This is my car! Nobody gets on it but me and nobody closes the —”
Four guns clicked and pointed at him. “Uh… you know on second thought, there’s plenty of room in here.”

If you enjoy dystopian novels with a lot of terror and bloodshed, but also plenty of heart and sheer determination, then this is a great pick for you!

Dark Is The Water & Other Wyrd Tales by Susan Earlam is a collection of flash fiction and short stories that will leave readers deeply unsettled!

In many of these stories, I love that the author gives just enough information to string us along, but leaves bits out to allow readers to fill in the gaps. This added to the initial terror in the tales beautifully. Many shorts also start out lighter and innocent before Susan throws in a slam-dunk of horror with the very last sentence!

There were many tales that had me gasp right out loud when I finished them. The author has a brilliant writing style that sucked me right in with each tale, and they all jumped off the page. Each one was also very different from the last, so I never knew what would be coming next!

As there are many tales here, I have simply added my notes on my favorites of the collection. 

Sent to participate in an event where young girls and boys are paired up to continue their bloodlines, this young woman wants nothing to do with it. She goes along with her parents wishes, hoping to find her friend Sarah at the event. But when the friend was already paired up, this girl soon finds herself in a more dire situation than she anticipated.

My goodness. There was such a horrible pit in my stomach while reading this one, and it just kept churning around in there as the story went on. 

This terrifying event in the school yard one day certainly confuses and scars everyone that witnessed the odd event. 

Sent off to a bathhouse to get cleaned up, this circus clown can’t wait to be clean again. But during the massage, he’s stuck with a needle…

Ah! I do want more here. I loved how strange this one became, but I also still want answers! You all know how much I love carnival horror.

This elderly couple lives off the grid in the woods. The husband spends his days building a new house for them the live in, while the wife makes quilts to sell. Every now and then, the husband brings back cloth with bloodstains, but she doesn’t mind. 

My goodness the end of this one had me staring wide-eyed at the page. Was what I think was happening here actually happening?! This one is a killer example of the author letting readers fill in the gaps! 

Jeeze! This one seemed so innocent, until that special ingredient is mentioned. Yikes!

My goodness. Fan of horror with an element of something wet… this one’s for you! This short and unsettling tale is quite the shocker!

Oh my goodness. The very last sentence of this one! 

After a night of working at a bar, this woman joins her friends who have gotten friendly with a group of men. Going out to the end of the runway, the boys think they’ll get lucky, but the girls have other plans. 

The last two paragraphs here were wild! I loved how innocent this one was at the start. 

Out on patrol, she can’t help but touch a tide pool. But when she’s bitten by something, and has to go to a doctor, she learns why they cautioned people to stay in… 

My goodness the number of times I accidentally hurt myself exploring tide pools as a kid. The thought of this one was terrifying! The ending was scary, but beautiful. 

I had many more marked here, but they were all spoilers! So here’s one of my favorites:

The rolling waves are gentle on my toes. Smooth grey pebbles give my bare feet a massage I hadn’t noticed they needed. The horizon glows, the sun just saying its goodbyes; the beach is empty, everyone inside because of the curfew.

This collection has such a neat variety that includes stories of various lengths starting with a page or two of flash fiction, and going up to fifteen pages. With the variety of content topics, you’ll never know what is to come next!

I highly recommend this one to horror fans that love all aspects of horror.

Disingenuous Solace Volume 1 by Ronaldo Katwaroo is a collection of horrific short stories set in Serendipity Forest where nothing is quite as it seems and darkness lurks in the shadows.

I’m going to call it right now, Ronaldo Katwaroo is a name you’re going to want to keep an eye on!

Ronaldo Katwaroo has such a cool collection here. Not only does each story stand well on it’s own, but each tale also has a tie into the next tale that allows them to flow together wonderfully! For example, in one story, there’s a sign for a diner, and the next story is set in an apartment above that diner.

This collection also has a lot of horrific characters and beings from shapeshifters and ghosts to witches and murderers, and many things in-between. There’s also a very dark being lurking in shadows of each tale that makes himself known every now and then, but hasn’t yet come out in full force.

The way this author creates atmosphere and slowly dials up the tension and terror is so perfectly done. There were many twists and turns throughout that I didn’t anticipate in the slightest, and endings that made me shout, “WHAT?!”

Needless to say, I was sucked right into this collection and absolutely loved each tale.

Here are my thoughts on each story: 

After being abducted, this woman is left behind, locked in a box of thick glass. With the approaching storm, the box is filling with water, and she thinks this is the end.  It someone isn’t quite finished with her yet.

Okay, right off the bat, my claustrophobia kicked in here. The description of the box she was in was terrifying! And that ending…

Determined to avenge his girlfriend, this boy will do whatever it takes. Unfortunately for him, his time spent in disbelief had already done its damage. 

I was so nervous each step of the way of this one! My goodness the body horror here made me squirm. The bit about the worm… I just shuddered typing that out! Yuck!

Running from her husband, this woman receives help from a sheriff and arrives at an abandoned house with quite the history. She plans to stay here for a bit until things clam back down. But she’s run from one monster to the next.

I loved the set up of the house here! I was so nervous to see where things were going to go. This one was filled with lovely twists and turns!  

When a sheriff and a deputy show up to this woman’s home, they’re convinced that she murdered two missing men and are determined to find proof. They tear her home apart, but can’t find anything. Succumbing to her amazing cooking, they eat special pies before they leave.

My goodness. This one has some major Sweeney Todd vibes! I loved this one! The little bits of foreshadowing here was lovely.

While at work, this young man gets the apparently usual paranoid texts from his girlfriend. After she goes dark after 45 minutes, he thinks something is wrong. Rushing to her house, he goes to see if she is safe. But there’s someone else in the house.

This was so unsettling! The opening scene at the pizza place was tense, but it only got much more tense from there on out!  

When a girl walks into a library, our narrator fills us in on her life. What seems like typical jealousy takes a very sharp turn into obsessive, and things really go sideways.

When this story took a turn, my stress immediately spiked. Being inside this characters head was wild! 

Struggling with internal demons while on a getaway at a hotel, this woman awakens to a much different scene than when she had slept.

Plastic bags rustled in the wind, crashing into a ghost-town, crumbling under the weight of unrest as they raged on like miniature thunderstorms in an otherwise silent street.

The lake, a breeding ground for fog, a tapestry of wild weeds and black-stone shores, walking distance from the school, was off limits after that one girl drowned a few years ago. They reopened it last year, three years affer the drowning, just in time for the police to unearth skeletal remains beneath the lakebed and close it off from the pubic yet again; for good this time.

Do yourself a favour, stop for a second, bok around you, lest you fall victim to the same fate she will. You have every right to be afraid of that odd shadow in the comer, of that mysterious thump you may have heard. It’s all intentional, it’s all part of the plan. Us prowlers always have a plan.

This vacation was supposed to be something special, a retreat from her life problems. But instead, her demons came along for the ride, they made her lash out at her family, made her do something she didn’t want to.

Ronaldo and I met on Twitter, and I am so grateful that our paths crossed! This is such an awesome and haunting collection of stories that ramped up as each story passed. I cannot wait to see what comes next!