Somewhere South of Hell – Book 1 by Ronald Kelly is a chapbook that holds two horrific tales that are not for the faint of heart.

In these two short tales of gut-wrenching horror, we follow two characters that can’t believe the terrors they have stumbled into. 

Here are my quick reviews of each: 

Beelzebub Creek –
CW: Dog death & kid death.

When Clinton was out on a coon hunt with his dog, he goes deep into the woods and stumbles upon something he shouldn’t have seen… and now everything is going to be taken from him. 

This poor guy. I loved the moment of doubt that I had on whether or not this was really happening. That ending was so scary! 

Summer of the Thumb –
CW: Kidnapping.

A grown man missing his thumb recalls the summer he lost it, and all the terror that came along with it. 

My goodness. This one will make you want to hold your loved ones closer, especially if you have little ones. What a terrifying story of abduction, luck, and horror. 

Beelzebub Creek –

It was a beautiful day and the cleansing rays of summer sun shone upon the burnt buildings and the surrounding land, easing the severity of the sinister events of the night before. 

Summer of the Thumb –

But, as it turned out, we weren’t the only ones lurking in the night.

Time has a way of distorting when you’re scared half to death. Minutes feel like hours and hours feel like years.

Fans of disturbing horror, you already know how talented Mr Ron Kelly is when he ventures into the darkness. If you don’t have this chapbook, make sure you change that ASAP. You’re going to love this one!

When I saw Death’s Head Press announce this three book collection, I preordered mine immediately. While tiny and, dare I say cute, this first book packs an absolutely brutal punch. I cannot wait to see what the next book brings!

Dead Ball from Livid Comics is a bloody and haunting story with the lesson that all choices come with a cost.

Right off the batt (sorry, I just couldn’t help myself!), I knew this was going to be awesome just by looking at the cover.

Dead Ball was written by John Durgin, art by Rogerio Rios, colored by Joel VanPatten, and lettered by Ed Dukeshire.

I’m super impressed with the quality here. This comic feels more sturdy than others that I have read. It gives me faith that this one will look great on my bookshelf for a very long time to come!

When opening to the very first page, readers are met with a wonderful design that shows off the names of all those that were involved in the creation of the comic in such a creative way!

Then beginning the story, we learn that we’re in 1917 and that something is very wrong.

A man named Teddy tells his wife and children to hide while he tries to keep them safe from intruders. But we soon see that there is something is terrifyingly unusual about these intruders. One look at the woman had me ready to say “nope!” and close the comic!

Turns out, Teddy had made a deal and the consequences of that deal have come up.

Then we jump back to 1908 to learn how Teddy got himself into this situation before returning to the present to see how the break in turned out.

This was such a fun story to follow in this first volume. I was so nervous to see what was going to happen with each flip of the page.

The artwork is fun and also quite unsettling! Like I had mentioned above, there’s one character that gives me the willies!

Much of this first volume occurred at night, so I was loving all of the black backgrounds! I also loved the muted color palette with pointed bright colors that are used when necessary to add more drama!

I loved the set up of this first volume! I thought that it perfectly gets readers hooked in the series as they will be immediately invested in Teddy’s plight.

I cannot wait for Volume 2!

he Crow Witch and Other Conjurings by Catherine Cavendish is a chilling collection of stories that, while each story is unique, they each have a wonderful underlying gothic horror vibe that is perfect for fall reading!

So first things first, how spooky is that cover design?! This was created by Cyrus Wraith Walker. I can’t wait for my physical copy to arrive so I can take a look at it in person!

And for the book, you all know that I’m obsessed with Cat’s work already. To find out that this is her first short fiction collection? I couldn’t wait to start reading!

Right off the bat, this one chilled me so badly, I had to go read in another room so my back wasn’t to the open room. After that, each story brought its own level of terror that bled through the very last page.

Each story sucked me in immediately and I just couldn’t stop reading until the end. So be careful if you’re prone to telling yourself you’ll read just one more page…

Per usual, here are my notes on each tale included in this collection:

The Crow Witch –

Welcoming all to hear her story, this narrator warns that in the upcoming seven tales, “Some may lead you to the truth, some may steer you falsely. All may provide the answers you seek—or none. It’s your decision.”

What a very creepy introduction to kick off these tales! I read this one while at my standing desk that is pushed up against the wall, with the rest of the room behind me… and now I want to redecorate to have my back to the wall instead. I could feel the hairs on my neck stand up while reading this one and I had to go read in another room.

Sour Grapes –

This tale starts out with a bit of a neighborly distrust, but blossoms into something much darker and much more dangerous. With each passing page, I got more and more nervous for the main character. The thought of plants growing that fast was very unsettling!

The Oubliette of Élie Loyd –

While on a vacation, a woman realizes her and her boyfriend of six months need to break up. She gives him an hour to get out of there, but when she returns, he’s still there and he mentions something cryptic as he leaves. She brushes it off, but readers will see a red flag there. Later, when exploring an old castle with someone she had just met, she realizes that she has made a grave error. But could she have avoided this, or was the fate already written?

Another unsettling tale that will make readers want to shout at the main character to not do what she’s about to go do.

Euphemia Christie –

After a trip to a cemetery sends Marie into an obsessive research binge, she feels a dramatic pull to get answers. She can’t rest until she finds out more about a woman named Euphemia Christie. But when she starts to dig, she’s met with icy or angry responses by the townspeople. But of course, that only makes her that much more determined.

This story was filled with tension and old scandal. I loved the pacing and that I could never have guessed what was about to happen next with each turn!

The Lost Prophecy of Ursula Sontheil –

Every year, this woman reads a story of her family that has been handed down from mother to daughter for generations. When the story retelling begins, we find that when a man goes to her to ask for help, she gets a warning that something is off, but she can’t quite put her finger on it. But the night is still young, and what it unfolds about what must continue to be passed down is shocking.

I love tales about stories that are passed down, and this tale had such a dark and mysterious atmosphere to it. The real world elements that were pulled in were extra chilling.

Daft Old Bat –

Having others call her horrible names won’t deter this woman from her mission; to end the Sawyer bloodline.

I really admire the calm and collected demeanor this woman had when faced with some really awful things! The end of this one had such sweet vengeance!

Marzana’s Hut –

Forced to hang out with her cousin, Nancy, in hopes that she will become more extroverted, Katy tries to make the most of her time with her cousin. One day, Katy makes her swear to tell no one that she brought her to Marzana’s Hut. Katy is hesitant, but like everything else, goes along with it. This willingness to do whatever Nancy says is already off to a rough start, but it’s about to get much worse.

Being a teenage girl is difficult to begin with, but it’s downright unbearable when others pressure you to be someone else. The start of this tale really hit home for me! I was a super shy kid that much preferred being home with my books than out with the other kids. This story was so tense and dread filled, I kept forgetting to breathe! The ending is brilliant. I would love more stories from this character!

The Malan Witch –

When a woman named Robyn goes to stay at her sister’s cottage, she immediately begins to experience some odd occurrences. Trying to brush them off from an overactive imagination after reading a Joe Hill book before bed, she goes into town for supplies. But there, she chats with a local and learns more about where she is staying. Soon, her trip to relax turns into the fight of her life.

Super cool to see a character named Robyn in this one! I loved her choice of bedtime reading; Joe Hill’s NOS4A2, one of my favorites! And my goodness is this one action packed and scary! I loved the build from cozy to full on terror, even with a dash of second guessing thrown in! The ending is another that I was totally satisfied with, but also shouted “OH NO!” So I would be very happy with a follow up story if one were to ever come out!

You have seen her. I can guarantee it. Out of the corner of your eye, especially when you were a child and more receptive to such things. You have seen something dart out right on the edge of your peripheral vision and you have been momentarily startled. As you grew older, you witnessed this less and less and now it’s probably a rare occurrence. You have felt something close up behind you. Maybe you can even feel it now. No, don’t turn around. Not yet.

I followed her down a narrow corridor, farther and farther into the bowels of the castle, our only light the solitary candle that flickered so much I was sure it would extinguish itself. My nerves jangled with every step that took us away from the world outside and deeper into an unknown, unseen realm of darkness with its odor of rank damp and decay.

Mysteries had always intrigued me. I blamed it on an early diet of Agatha Christie, John Grisham, and Patricia Cornwell.

One day soon, the time will prove right for you to warn mankind by uttering the prophecy. And it will come to pass. Perhaps then the world will understand. Its fate is its own doing—and its undoing. That is its curse.

A nice cup of tea, I think. Then there’s work to do.

The woodland had grown even denser here, blocking out the sunlight so that it seemed more like dusk than early afternoon. There appeared nothing but trees and moss-covered fallen branches. It was much quieter too. Birds didn’t seem to care for this part of the wood.

Dad didn’t say much. His smile spoke for him as did the squeeze of his hand. That told me everything was going to be all right. Not the same, of course. Never the same. But all right.

Shadows shrouded every corner.
One moved.

If you’re a fan of spooky reads that will leave you looking over your shoulder, or avoiding looking into mirrors just in case there’s something there you don’t want to see, then this is a book for you!

While a killer read for any time of year, there’s something extra special about reading this one in the month of October.

This is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau is a story that is like a slap to the face, but one that hits you over, and over, and over again. 

With a wedding approaching, Miller is convinced that she needs to give her narcissistic mother, Sylvie, one more chance. Sylvie has asked Miller to go with her for the weekend and Miller has agreed. Miller thinks they are going to talk things out to see if they can salvage the relationship, but Sylvie has very different plans.

Right from the start, I wanted to scream at Miller for thinking things would be different this time. If only she had listened to her partner’s warning.

As soon as Miller is about to get into the car, all the red flags start to pop up.

This story just goes from bad to worse. At each new development, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. My heart broke for Miller. The gaslighting was absolutely wild.

And while Sylvie had a bad habit of extending poison ivy disguised as olive branches, Miller had a worse habit of accepting them.

The snow falls heavier than when Miller and Sylvie first hit the road. It comes down in sheets, which drape the trees and mountainside in a blanket of white. Even the pines lose some of their resilient green as the snow coats the branches and bleaches away their colour. The clouds hang low in the burnt umber sky, the sun almost done tucking itself out of view despite how early in the evening it still is. Miller watches as flakes of snow hit the window. perfect geometric wonders, before melting against glass warmed by the car’s heater.

Outside the cabin, the wind rattles the trees and the glass windowpanes, the snow a heavy spiral of white that covers everything in its path. Miller watches it through the open blinds, lawed by its beauty and annoyed by its inconvenience.

If you’re looking for a quick and brutal read that will have you gasping at each scene, then this is a great book for you!

This one made me so angry and wildly uncomfortable! I had a pit in my stomach the entire time I was reading. What wonderful work! I cannot wait to read more from this author!

The Cursed Among Us by John Durgin is a horror-thriller that is packed with action, terror, and gore! But among all the blood and violence is a wonderful friend group that will do anything in their power to save their town.

In the small town of Newport, New Hampshire, a group of friends pass the time by creating a horror movie to honor the slashers they all love to rent from their local video shop. The filming is going well, but one day, they enter the woods to film a chase scene and stumble over something that looks like a grave. Already a bit nervous about being in the woods in the first place, once this area was disturbed, they learn very quickly why their parents had a rule to stay out of this forest.

The format of this book has two of my all time favorite things with horror stories; one, an opening that dives right into a terrifying scene before we jump to a different scene to slow things down before they ramp up again, and two, an ending that made me jump up and say, “WAIT, WHAT?!”

I was totally hooked from the very first sentence of this book. I mean, John kicked things off with: Henry Black trekked through the dense forest as dawn approached, dragging the girl’s body behind him. How could you not want to know more immediately?!

The darkness that had a grip on the town was super chilling. Seeing how tight-lipped everyone was about it only made the friend group more antsy to get answers, and readers will be right there with them, ready to roll up their sleeves and dive into the dusty archives!

The author does a killer job when hinting at what is to come. There were a handful of instances where I read a sentence and immediately thought “oh no…”, and a bit later, that line would pop to mind after seeing that had occurred. This was mostly around the more horrific elements! And man, the author doesn’t shy away there! So many scenes had me cringing over the violence or body horror. These scenes were wonderfully written, playing on all of the senses to really immerse the reader in the action.

And my goodness, this friend group. I loved to see how much they cared for one another, even when tempers ran hot. Their dynamics with one another was so realistic, you’ll feel like your part of the group!

And one last note, the ending of this one had me crying. But no spoilers here as to why! I’ll let you discover that for yourselves.

The way Howie and his friends saw it, rules were meant to be broken. Now they were seeing firsthand why those rules had been put into effect.

He grabbed the remote off the coffee table and turned the television off when something caught his eye. As the screen went blank, Todd could see the reflection of a figure standing behind him at the couch.

The glow of her eyes revealed her facial features, but she remained mostly hidden in darkness, as though the shadows worked for her.

Howie glanced below anyway and immediately regretted it. He’d never thought he feared heights, but he was second guessing that right now. Down below, he could see jagged ends of trees sticking out of the ground after their top half had fallen beneath years of New England weather taking its toll. A sick thought crossed his mind that the broken pieces looked like the ground’s teeth, awaiting victims to fall so it could chew them up.

If you’re looking for a horror-thriller that will totally sink it’s claws in you, then look no further.

From start to finish, I absolutely loved this book! As this was John’s debut novel, I already cannot wait to see what he does next!

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw is a dark and twisted tale of friendship, secrets, and resentment that all comes to a head on location of an elopement at a haunted mansion.

When this group of friends (who clearly have some rocky history with one another) prepare to enter an abandoned mansion, tension is already running high. On the property to celebrate the elopement of two of the friends, the group can’t wait to begin the celebrations. But as the story continues, some secrets begin to be whispered and blatant anger toward one another emerges.

Once they enter the house, it’s clear that they have not only irked one another, but they have already pissed off the ghost that dwells within as well.

And buckle up, because once you piss off the ghost, things can only get worse from there…

Right from the start, I wanted to shout to the main character to just leave. Of course, it wasn’t that simple. But seeing her add alcohol to the mix only made me more nervous for her. For a minute there, I wasn’t sure what was real and what was a result of the drinking.

But when the bloodshed began, I realized we were in for a very dark ride!

Enclosed in Talia’s ribs was an entire vocabulary of sighs, each one layered with delicate subtleties, every laboured exhalation unique in its etymology.

He glared at me then. And his eyes were cold, so cold your heart would freeze in that blue.

Distantly, the brain stem screeched, stress hormones wailing at my motor system, demanding I run, run now, escape into the sanctuary of multiplicity, disappear into the waiting herd, do anything so long as I remove myself from probable harm, anything just go, go now.
But my limbs would not concede to their urging.

Phillip crossed himself the wrong way three times before he looked over, eyes so wide that both irises were necklaced in white. Outside the room, through cracks in the walls and in the few places where the lantern-Light would reach, I could see movement, subtle and swaying.

Any second now, something was going to snap, a neck or a temper or a spine.

This is the problem with horror movies:
Everyone knows what’s coming next but actions have momentum, every decision an equal and justified reaction. Just because you know you should, doesn’t mean that you can, stop.

Compassion, like everything else, can be worn dull by rough use.

This is a book that you could read cover to cover in one sitting, or go slow to really steep in the inky darkness. As I have zero self control, I read right straight through. Phew. What a trip!

Branching Chaos by Nathan Nish is a collection of three novellas, each one more twisted than the last!

This is a brilliant example of a book that you need to read more than once to really understand how deep the author goes to create this interwoven network of nightmares.

As this had all three novellas merged into one, my notes below are my best guess at how they were broken up.

In this fever dream of a tale, a girl named Anna goes through a series of unsettling scenes that all jump and blend together. Before she knows it, she’s stuck in a maze of a house that she is desperate to get out of. This house isn’t just any maze though, of course it can’t be that simple. This house has a talking teddy bear holding a blade, people in mirrors, faceless people chasing her, and much more!

This story was so unsettling. At times, I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but I was so caught up and needed to see the end!

I can’t get over that this one felt a bit like a game of chutes and ladders, but YA horror themed!

When Anna awakens, she find that the car that her Lance, Paul, and Trina were traveling in has run out of gas. Someone in the group remembers passing a hotel not long ago, and with nothing else to do, they decide that getting to a place where they can stay is their best option even if they need to walk through the rain.

At the hotel, they’re a bit off-put by the odd interaction they have with the man at the desk, but then head to their rooms anyway. When one of the girls wakes up to find her boyfriend missing, she begins a search through the hotel where she meets someone that soon warns her that she shouldn’t be out in the halls at night.

This hotel is another maze and in each room, a new terrifying surprise awaits! This one just kept getting darker and darker! This one also had little blips like the first part that had me really questioning what was going on.

Anna is back yet again talking to her teacher about her assignment that is due. She has the sense that something is wrong, but she’s about to find out that it’s not just the weird situations at school or the random bits of memory that seem to be flooding back in random order.

MY GOODNESS. This is where things really get wild! Not only with the storyline itself, but this is where we start to see scenes that let us know as readers what has been going on all along.

Una’s head was downcast. Her eyes were still obscured and a grin was somewhat visible to Anna. Una’s form seemed to ripple, like struck glass left unbroken. Anna backed away and rather than topple the mirror behind her, she fell inside it through the surface.

… she stopped at the foot of the bed and bent down to lift the sheets. “Stop,” a quiet whisper from elsewhere in the room crept to Trina’s ears. Both lights went out and she bolted upright as a shiver ran through her. A chill filled the air.

“To simplify the matter for you, this hotel is most assuredly a place to stay, not so much a place to leave…”

“You ask a lot of wrong questions for someone looking for the right answers…”

While the first section made my head hurt trying to logically follow what was going on, the second bit really hooked me, and in the third, I was so happy to see all of the puzzle pieces slamming into place!

This is a book that I need to read again and again to catch all of the little blips of the different storylines in each tale that hinted at what was to come.

If you enjoy wild psychological tales that will first frustrate you, then totally captivate you, and then astonish you, then look no further!

Wednesday is Waiting by Donnie Goodman is a tale of emo music, friendship, and the determination to transcend to another level, no matter what it takes!

This up-and-coming Emo band just wants to make it big. Determined to continue their tour in order to get to New York to sign with a record company, they take up an assortment of gigs from all kinds of venues; dive bars, clubs, you name it. But one night, they get into an accident, which leaves them in a pickle. Their van is no longer fit to drive, and they have a gig the next day that they need to get to.

In what they think is perfect, albeit odd timing, they get a call from someone that had seen their CraigsList ad and asks them to do a private gig.

One thing leads to another, and this crew finds themselves wishing that they had never taken this man up on his offer… or do they?

I am obsessed with this story! First of all, an emo band from the 2000’s?! Yes please! This brought back all the feelings of going to shows at small venues when I was in high school.

I was so excited to see them go from swiping food and playing out accidents to get free gas, to having crowds really dig their music! When the tension started to dial up beginning with a run in with the police, I immediately got nervous. The tension only got worse from there!

I loved that this story began with us following the band on their tour leading up to when things go sideways before dipping back into the past to find out why they ended up where they were.

AND THEN THAT ENDING! My goodness.

He turns to leave, and there is a loud cracking sound that erupts like a thunderclap from a space in the dark that is somehow close and far away at the exact same time. Allison feels Peter’s grip around her hand loosen. He falls to his knees. Before his upper body follows the momentum of his fall into a thick layer of dead leaves on the ground, she sees that his face is no longer there. What is left is an exit wound from a large caliber bullet that hit the back of his head and exploded through the front of his skull. She can not see the blood splatter on her body due to the black dress she wears, but she knows it is there, along with the grey matter of an often anxious but lovable mind. 

Malcolm cups a set of headphones against his ears at a listening station behind her. He is checking out the debut record from Paramore one week before it officially releases.
“Bro, you have to come to listen to this right now. This girl’s voice is ridiculous,” he says.

Safety is relative. It is a liquid that can evaporate just as quickly as morning dew clinging on to blades of grass, destined to disappear by the middle of the day. It is there one moment and gone in the next.

Most moments in life come and go like fleeting tides on a shoreline pounding pristine seashells into uniform dust — an infinite loop of erosion and decay.

A killer slow burn of a tale, this one will hit emo horror fans with a punch of nostalgia before delivering the knock-out blow with the terror.

I had an absolute blast reading this story, and I cannot wait for other horror fans to pick it up! Donnie is going to take you on a wicked journey here!

The Dismembered by Jonathan Janz is a horror story about the debilitating effects the past can have on people if they allow it to consume them and the bravery it takes to heal and move on. 

Meeting a woman named Sarah on a train while she was in distress, Arthur Pearce can’t help but step in to get her out of the situation. 

Later, while the two talk, she tells him a story about what is going on at her family home. Again, pulled to help due to his recent divorce that affected his feeling of aptitude, he ends up traveling back to her home with her. Shortly after arrival, he discovers that things are much worse than she described. 

Soon, things turn to a matter of life or death… and there is certainly a lot of death. 

Phew! The storyline of this is so intense! I will tread extremely lightly here as you just need to experience this one for yourself! 

The story that Sarah initially told Arthur had me totally captivated. I was so ready for him to go in, find proof that backed up all her claims, and save the day! 

I should have known better than to hope for a straight forward tale! This one had many curveballs that had me reeling to try to guess at what was to come. 

Once I learned more about what was really going on, many things from the very start of the tale fell into place. Mr Janz had some wonderful covert foreshadowing here. 

We said little as the motorcar, a black Talbot Tourer that looked handsome enough but jostled us about on the crumbly road as though we were ingredients in some bartender’s concoction, and as we began our passage through even rougher terrain…

He glided across the driveway with the grace of an athlete, and as he approached us it seemed that the very air grew charged as though a thunderstorm attended his steps.

And with a grin cold enough to freeze saltwater, one of the men pulled out a revolver and fired it at me.

I had an absolute blast reading this! From the dreary and tension filled atmosphere, to the characters that all jumped off the page, all the way to the bloody ending, this story had me hooked. 

This collection of short stories is the first entry in this new anthology collection, The Cellar Door. This one, titled Woodland Terrors, is certainly not for readers that are afraid of the woods and what lives inside the tree-line.

Unless, of course, you want to try to face that fear here! 

This collection has an awesome range from the bizarre, to spooky paranormal, and even to heartbreak horror, plus so much more! 

The cover artwork is by Mikio Murakami, and what a chilling cover it is! When looking at it, my eyes keep searching the trees, just waiting to see something hidden in there… ready to jump out! 

As for the stories, my gosh what a collection! The first sentence or two of each tale will suck you right into the story. With each new beginning, I would read the first short bit and say, “another one!” It’s like it was written in the guidelines that the first two sentences must draw readers right in!

Between stories, if I had to put the book down to go do something else, I had to force myself not to read the opening of the next story, just knowing there would be no putting it down after that!

Here are my notes on each story:

CIRCLES by Maggie Slater –

Haunted by the spirits of those that have passed, called the haints, this young girl is determined to protect her pregnant sister from them.

Unsettling right from the first sentence, this one just gets more and more intense as it goes. This poor girl only wanted to help and protect, but no one would listen to her. 

LADDERS by Douglas Ford –

Distressed by the recent new houses being built near his once wooded home, this man goes out one night and trips over a ladder. But the ladder wasn’t just lying on the ground, it was going down into the ground. Climbing down, he’s shocked at what he finds. But what’s worse, is now they know he knows what’s going on. 

This one was so creepy. When he first went down the ladder I was so nervous. It only got worse from there!

RED MOON LODGE by S.R. Miller –

While on a hiking trip, one of the hikers injured his leg which slows their progress down. But these hikers are about to learn that there’s much more to fear that just falling behind. 

This was so terrifying! Overnight hikes freak me out to begin with. But then add in an injury and two missing people?! No thank you! And of course, there was much more terror there as well!

GIANT KILLER by Amelia Gorman –

A story told between the two perspectives, a giant and and giant killer, readers learn about the family feud they uphold. 

This story had some beautiful lines! The horror around the passage of time and change was really heartbreaking. 

GHOST FOREST by Mark Wheaton –

Determined to leave and find a home elsewhere, this family has no choice but to try to pass through the ghost forest. After a shot time, they quickly realize that there is much more to fear than the government and bears in these woods. 

This story is heartbreaking and so tense right from page one. I wanted a happy ending here so badly!

ONE RED SHOE by Scott Paul Hallam –

On the anniversary of their son having gone missing, this couple makes a shocking discovery in their backyard. One of their sons shoes has appeared. Then they think they hear his voice coming from the woods. Desperate, they rush in.

This story was heartbreaking and terrifying. The thought of losing a kid is enough, but add onto that the terror of the woods and you’ve got one heck of a horror story! And it only kept getting darker! 

THE SISTERS by Ai Jiang –

Every person in this village must go to see The Sisters in order to face their fears. When it’s this young child’s turn, they have no idea what they are about to face as they fear many things. But on the walk back to the village, they realize many things that totally changes their perspective of their family and the town.

What a fun play on fears! I was so nervous to see where this one would go. When we got to the reveal, I wanted to cheer!

BLISTERS by Scotty Milder –

Living in the woods after something had gone down, this family lives off the land with the constant threat of bad guys coming. But who really was the bad guy here?

This one was so unsettling and sad! As a reader, you can tell that something is off, but you’re not sure just what that is. 

PIGFOOT by Daniel Barnet –

Forced to move to a small town, this teen is told a local story about Pigfoot. But little does the teen know, the story hits much closer to home. 

Another terrifying and sad one! A tale about fire, searching, and fatherhood. 

I highly recommend picking this one up and reading it as soon as you can. The stories are just too good to allow this one to sit on your TBR.

But be warned, this is a collection to avoid if you’ve got a camping trip or any woods-focused activity coming up. For once, I’m glad we bought a house with neighbors within sight.