Little Book of Tiny Tales by Jeremy Ray is a collection of 56 tales that cover various genres from comedy to horror and everything in-between! Similar to what Forrest Gump’s momma said, this collection is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get!

I loved all of the author notes places before the short. And I especially love the little content warning notes! These were such a lovely touch.

There were a ton of shorts in this collection! The following were the shorts that really stood out to me. I’ve also added some quick reaction notes.

The Stepdad – A beautiful short but a heartbreaking one. 

The Bookmark - Gut-wrenching. 

Belle of the Ball – Wonderfully haunting! 

Little Hero in the Woods – Spooky!

Zedan Women – This one RULES! 

Murder Room – Yikes! This one gave me goosebumps. 

Love at First Sight – Ha! What a fun twist. 

Song of the Maze – Beautiful and heartbreaking. I loved that the author recommended readers skip his note to read the story first and then come back to see if you can get the meaning of the tale before reading the note. 

Mrs. Pendleton Murders – I need a full book about this woman! Wonderfully done! 

The Head Witch of Witch Manor – A wonderful short about problematic authors and their characters even despising them. 

High School Reunion – Good for this woman! What a killer final line. 

Old Auntie May’s Groceries – What a lovely tale! This will give you faith in humans again. 

Heads or Tails – What a role model! And a child at that. Good for her! 

The Power of Belief – Oh no, this boy… this one started out so lovely, but phew did things turn. 

Sluggish – Oh no! This poor little guy. 

When he died of food poisoning
(the food was fine, the poisoning wasn’t) 
The kingdom celebrated. 

This collection of shorts are wonderful. They cover such a broad range of emotion and you’ll never know if you’re going to get one that makes you smile or feel crumby after reading. 

While this is a very short read, it is a great one to pick up to read just one story in order to sit with it for a time before moving on to the next.

The Shattered Violin by Jared Bodnar is a tale about the loss of a loved one, and how far someone will go to get revenge.

When this tale begins, we meet a couple that are absolutely head-over-heels for one another. But as perfect as they both think their relationship is, there is someone that isn’t as happy as the two of them. He’s obsessed with Cassie, and if he can’t have her, no one can.

When Cassie is brutally murdered, Connor thinks he knows who did it. But rather than telling the police, he decides that he wants to get revenge himself. But right before he can carry out his first attempt, he slams into a woman and causes her to drop her violin case. The violin comes out of the case and breaks into various pieces.

From there, the story follows two paths as Connor tries to get the violin fixed while also plotting his revenge.

While I was totally nauseated at the two love birds at first, once the murder occurs, I was hooked right into the storyline. I loved how the author sets this up in a way that gets readers sucked right into the main characters quest for revenge. Even though you’ll want to scream for him to just go to the police, you cant help but pull for him to finish his quest.

I really enjoyed seeing the two elements of storyline intertwine at the end. This is a writing formula that I love seeing every time. As this was Jared’s debut novel, I can’t wait to see what he does next!

We Bleed Orange & Black by Jeff C. Carter is a collection of thirty-one short stories about Halloween. From the goosebump inducing to the heartwarming, this collection has a huge range!

This collection was SO MUCH FUN! It helped kick me into the Halloween spirit this year, which was much appreciated!

The stories in this collection that really stood out to me include:

Per usual, here are my notes about each tale:

A wonderful opening letter. I loved that the author wrote that this collection is his love letter to Halloween! 

The author takes a moment to outline stories in this collection that are friendly for all ages while a few more are PG. what an awesome idea! For parents that want to share what they’re reading with kids, this is clearly a collection to grab! 

When a trick or treater sees a sign to take one, his greed gets the best of him. But the silly kid should have listened to the sign!

I loved this one! What a great tale to kick off this collection with. We all knew a kid that never took just one…

A dentist that doesn’t give out mini toothbrushes and apples for Halloween?!

This tale was a brilliant take that makes SO much sense! 

Set up as a review left online, this reviewer gives a play by play of entering a haunted house and what her experience was.

My goodness if this story doesn’t hit on the insanity of online reviews! While super dark, I couldn’t help but laugh at this woman and how dense she was. Yikes! 

Three boys are convinced that one house in their town can make your costume your future. But which house? And what’s the trick? 

Phew, this one was so fun right up until the big event that certainly gives it a dark twist. The thought of eating all that candy made me so queasy! But ah, the joys of trick or treating! 

A man that works as the towns executioner is about to have good things come his way after years of hard work. But when he’s asked to keep a promise, his decision will change his course.

What an unsettling tale. The lengths these people we to was alarming and so dark. I loved the final scenes! 

A quick and brutal poem!

A girl has been hearing things at night. Her father tells her it’s just the house settling… 

Oh man, this one brought me right back to childhood and the terror of the dark bedroom with strange noises! 

A woman determined to get rid of a tree on her property decides to hammer a ring of copper nails into it to try to kill it. But this tree can fight back. 

What a killer eco horror tale! You can’t help rooting for the tree (ha!), but man, as a homeowner that has had to have many trees cut down, I understand this woman’s frustration! 

Offered up a chance to make it big, will this vampire take the plunge?

This one was so fun! A money making scheme pitched to a vampire is fun enough, but that ending! 

A man determined to figure out what happened at a crime scene waits for his informant to arrive. When he finally does, he can’t stop itching his eye. 

Ick. What is it about body horror in relation to eyes that makes it go up a notch immediately? This one had me feeling feeble while reading! And of course, my eye started to itch and kept itching all night!

Eco-ish horror? What an unsettling premise. 

This faerie has quite the partnership going! 

Attending a local trunk or treat event, these two parents are annoyed with the judgement they got from other parents about robbing their kids of their independence on Halloween… but that’s not the only thing they should be worried about. 

That ending… My god.

When a man sneaks into a woman’s room, he doesn’t have the best of intentions. But when someone pops up, he realizes what a poor idea this was. 

I love this! The ending was intense!

This is a clever format that you need to see for yourself! 

When a man is paid to destroy vampires to keep their population down, the town is concerned that they just keep popping up…

I loved the story inside this story! What a twisted tale. 

Set up like an article explaining the holiday to someone who has never experienced it, this goes over the ins and outs that would be good to know. 

This one was fun! It’s interesting to think about holidays on other planets!

A man out on a walk with his dog comments on how they never take the same exact path twice. When the dog locks onto a scent we’re about to figure out just why that is. 

I loved this one! I love the whole idea, the pacing, and how clueless I was about what was going on until the end!

Sent out to read a will, this man is expecting drama. But when just one heir appears, he then needs to convince her to let him read the whole thing will. 

That last line! Wonderful!

On Halloween, a class takes a trip to the aquarium. When a bully pesters the octopus, a girl stands up to him but the situation ends in tears. However, this boy is about to learn just how smart Inky is! 

This is my favorite of the family friendly tales. Such a fun little adventure! I’d love to see a children’s book made out of this one! 

Oh man, this one was unsettling from the start and only got more and more suspenseful. This poor girl. I loved that this one featured my favorite animal, the polar bear!

Who doesn’t want their body to be ready for the next step?!

This story was a hoot! It’s literally ten tips to get your body ready to be a spooky scary skeleton!

When a man rolls into town with quite the treasure, the local gold buyer is interested in learning just where it came from. 

I was already hooked when they mentioned where this treasure came from, but then learning the tale of how they got the items out was intense. Then the ending?! Truly awesome. What an awesome tale!

A club of kids that are from all different schools come together to share scary stories. Tonight, they have a potential new recruit. All he needs to do is spook them. 

This one was absolutely terrifying! This passage gave me goosebumps:

When a teen is forbade to go to a Halloween party, he just sneaks out when his parents are unaware of course. But he’s got a doozy of a costume planned. All he needs to do it keep his cool.

What an angsty teen! 

After humans have faced attack after attack by various monsters, the dark ones are all excited for humanity to fall as the humans join them where they are now…

That ending got me! Perfect as is, but I can’t help but also want more from this world!

Ah, everyone’s favorite person… the neighborhood Karen! I couldn’t help but wonder how she had so much time on her hands!

Related to the last tale, this one had some unlikable characters that will make you just shake your head with their antics. 

A wonderful story of the boy who cried wolf!

Who will be this year’s scariest monster and most popular Halloween costume? This crew of judges is about to make that call. 

I loved the humor and upbeat tone of this one!

As this mother and daughter bake, the mother tells a story of their family. And while the young one is told this is all innocent, the mother has other plans. 

What a fun quiet horror tale! 

A major snow storm on Halloween can’t deter these kids from going out! But through the confusion with the snow, they end up in a place they didn’t mean to go. 

I loved this teaser! I would love to see more of this story! 

Attending a party on Halloween, one man isn’t into going out, while the other man begs him to just go along with it and be in a couples costume. When they get to the party, the man decides to make a change in his costume to make his date happy. But once that happens, something odd happens…

This tale bothered me at first at how rude the man is to his date!  But I loved the path the story took, and the ending was so cuter 

A boy determined to make Halloween last a little longer tries everything go to keep his pumpkin rot free. 

What a perfect tale to end the collection with! And what a great lesson for kids and adults alike. 

Something shuffled through the dark bedroom towards the little girl. She pulled the covers over her head. She couldn’t see what it was, and she didn’t want it seeing her either. Cold breath stirred the blanket against her face, slowly creeping inside, invading her last pocket of safety.

The people gathered on the sidewalks watched dumbstruck as Harlan exploded. He became a gushing wave, crashed into a red slick of mud and smeared all the way to the edge of town.

The embers of the campfire flickered, giving little heat and just enough light to paint the children with feeble tinges of orange and red.

“A campfire drives the shadows from a clearing, but when you face the light it makes you blind to the darkness. You may feel the heat on your front, but you never feel the eyes on your back.”

This collection was so much fun. It’s the perfect read to either get you into the Halloween spirit, to celebrate the holiday, or if you just need a pick me up during the rest of the year. 

How To Survive A Horror Movie by Seth Grahame-Smith is a hilarious collection of how-to’s to help you survive a horror film should you find yourself in one.

From figuring out if you are even in a horror movie, to what to do if you only have seven days to live, this book covers it all!

I love horror movies of all genres, so I was super excited to give this a read. My husband gifted me a copy for Christmas last year, and I’m kicking myself for taking so long to get to it!

I absolutely loved the set up and how the author writes directly to the reader. There are so many things that made ma laugh out loud and I really enjoyed that the humor is strong throughout, especially when poking fun at horror tropes.

The overall composition of the book is neat. Set up kind of like a textbook, but much more fun, darker, and with killer illustrations!

Learning about the CRAVEN method was awesome! CRAVEN stands for Cover, Recon, Arsenal, Vehicle, Escape, North. All great things to keep in mind when you find yourself in danger in fictional worlds and the real world.

Bonus, at the end of the book, there’s a killer list of recommended horror films.

Cabins are the bug zappers of the horror movie universe – a place where the more gullible of our species are weeded out in one gruesome instant. “Hey, a cabin. That looks like a nice place to spend some ON MY GOD MY INTESTINES ARE ON THE FLOOR!”

There are two things you can’t change in this world: a husband who lets the dishes pile up, and a haunted house. Both lead to nothing but frustration, fear, and, eventually, a gruesome death.

This was a blast to read! Of course, while reading the various examples the author goes over, I wanted to put the book down and go watch a movie… but I wanted to keep reading just as badly! I ended up reading this in just one sitting because I was having so much fun.

This is a must-read if you enjoy poking fun at horror films.

Malignant by Michaelbrent Collings is a very tense and brutal story of every parents worst nightmare; a hostage situation unfolding at a school.

This is a story that, if the content warnings didn’t steer you away, you just need to dive into for yourself.

I won’t comment much here, but I will say that this was one of the most brutal things I’ve read.

The overall plot was so well thought out. When the puzzle pieces begin to fall together, you’ll realize that the author thought of everything and that was perfectly laid out in the story itself.

But be warned, this is a page-turner! Once you dive in, you’ll want to see it right through to the end.

The kids in this school had access to the entire world, and most of them managed only to think as far as the screens of their phones or tablets or computers – usually, in a place like this, several of each.

Some people had to die. Some people would receive far worse.

It wasn’t important. But then, how often in life do we actually focus on what’s important? Not often, and not nearly as much as we should.

While I never want to see people lose their lives, in the real world, or in fiction, this story certainly had me uncomfortably happy seeing some of the revenge come into play. What horrible people…

Fans of crime horror, this is a must read!

Lark Awakening by L.K. Beal is a tale about family, fate, and never giving up.

Lark and Jenna, two best friends, are immediately drawn to the two new boys that show up at school one day. Little do they know that these are not just your everyday students. These two have a big secret. But how long can they keep it from the girls when teenage hormones get involved?

Try as Lark might to keep to herself, she can’t resist the pull toward one boy, Elijah.

Oh my goodness. This story is clean paranormal romance at its finest.

The pacing of this story is pretty quick. In the beginning we get a wonderful set up. Soon, you can tell that things are about to change, and once the action kicks in, the author really takes it up a notch.

The main character, Lark, is an absolute hoot. Getting inside her head as we saw her humorous inner thoughts with every situation she finds herself in was hilarious. And I loved that she didn’t swear. Instead, she would say things like, “Ugh. This blows hot air,” “I feel like dookie,” and “mother trucker.” Every new phrase she uttered had me laughing right out loud. As someone that doesn’t swear, I could really relate to this.

I also loved how aloof Lark was. There were so many things that were right under her nose, but she just couldn’t get out of her own way to see what was going on.

In the second half of the book, there’s a scene of a group of teens who are going to watch a movie. When they choose to watch Marvel, one of them bets Lark can’t name Marvel characters. Little do they know, Lark is a total geek and she’s about to surprise them. As if her character didn’t already rule…

And then there’s how darn brave she is, she really blew me away. In books like this, I always worry that we’re going to see the female characters crumble and let one of the male characters swoop in the save the day. While Lark did have some situations that tested her strength, and sometimes she succumbed to the events and needed a little help, but she also walked head on into plenty of situations where she faced down her fears, she fought back, and perhaps the most brave step of all; sometimes she walked away. She did a lot of growth in this novel. I would definitely be interested to see her again in a second book to see where she goes next.

Another element about this tale that I loved was the focus on family. The author does a wonderful job here creating a really welcoming and warm environment that was really great to see. I loved how open, accepting, and caring everyone was.

Each of the characters in this tale were wonderfully written, no matter what size role they played. As a reader, I couldn’t help but love most of them. But for the “bad guys,” phew, did I hate them!

This book will take readers on a wonderful journey with emotions. Humor was definitely a big element of this tale, but there were also plenty of tense scenes that will have readers holding their breath!

It’s a small town, you know the type, everyone knows your name, height, weight and shoe size, what you ate for breakfast. 

The people in this town know your business before you do. 

Tears roll down my cheeks as the two most important people to me hold me. Little do they know they’re also keeping me from crumbling. My whole world has been shaken, my foundations ripped from under me. I feel on the precipice of falling over a cliff and without them, I’ll surely plunge into the dark.

While not my usual type of read, I had a blast with this one! Giving off some Twilight vibes, this story brought me right back to high school. But unlike Twilight, this book is funny, uplifting, and just an all around fun read that you won’t want to put down.

If you enjoy paranormal romance and you’re looking for a light and entertaining read with bursts of action and intensity, you have to pick this one up!

The Axe & Grindstone by Paul Phipps-Williams is a tale about cherry brandy, screams, and forgiveness. This tale centers around a man that gets a job at a pub in the middle of nowhere. But this isn’t your everyday type of pub…

When this tale begins, I we meet our main character, Mark Adams. Mark is working at a dead-end job at a pub in a town he hasn’t even considered leaving. One night, he is faced with some hard realizations that leave him questioning his future. Luckily, he’s approached by someone from his past who offers him a new job. He accepts, and before he knows it, it’s time to leave town to make his way to the new pub.

When he approaches the pub, he’s confused. Turns out there were a few things that his contact left out when pitching him this job… Well, make that more than just a few things.

This pub is actually two pubs. One is a ghost town in which he doesn’t expect any visitors, and one is a popular place that actually connects to another world. Unfortunately it’s not all sunshine and pints on the other end. There’s trouble brewing and Mark is about to learn just what the job entails.

This was an absolute blast to read! I mean a pub that doubles as a portal to another world?! I’m so in!

Right from the start, I was rooting for Mark and wanted to see him move on to bigger and better things. With each new thing that was thrown at him in the first half of the book, I couldn’t help but laugh at his reactions because they were so realistic. Too often in fantasy, the characters immediately go over the top with their reactions when faced with things like this. But not Mark. Mark kicked back, observed, and just grabbed a drink to soak it all in. When he realized he wasn’t dreaming, he had a bit more of a reaction, but it was still just too funny.

As the story continued on, and things got more and more intense, the laughter came to an abrupt halt.

While we mainly focus on Mark, the rest of the supporting characters were all wonderful as well. I loved learning a bit more about everyone and seeing how they engaged with one another. I also loved seeing everyone pull together when it was needed. It gave me all the warm fuzzies!

When the story moves into the intense scenes, it certainly doesn’t shy away! So hopefully you like a bit of darkness in your fantasy reads if you pick this one up! I, of course, loved it.

This tale was wonderfully written. I loved the way it was organized not only from the pacing of the plot, but where the chapters broke! It was a perfect combo to keep readers hooked and unable to find a good “stopping place” to put the story down for the night. The dialogue flowed wonderfully, the characters were intriguing, the world building was perfect, and the action scenes were described perfectly in order to really play out in readers minds. This tale is just screaming to become a movie!

One last note here; scattered throughout the story, we also see various graphics that add a fun layer to the text! For example, in one scene, when a character gets a text, we see the phone with the text on the screen. In another, we see the contract with the old style script written out.

There’s something in the air, something I can’t explain and can’t quite put my finger on. It’s the feeling you’ve left the gas on, or you know someone’s looking at you from a distance.
The feeling that something’s not quite as it should be.

The Axe & Grindstone is Paul Phipps-Williams first novel! While this is certainly a must-read for fans of fun and fantastical tales with a fair dose of intensity and terror, Paul is also a name that you’ll want to keep an eye on! I cannot wait to see what Paul writes next.

October Nights by Kevin Lucia is a haunting tale of the bizarre things that happen in a small town around Halloween. This collection is packed with loss, revenge, and the bravery it takes to face your past.

October Nights is a tale about a writer working in the small town of Clifton Heights. This place isn’t just any old town… strange things happen here and the closer it gets to Halloween, the stranger the occurrences become.

When the story opens, our narrator is approached with a gift and he’s very surprised that this has happened again! The last time something similar happened, he was able to write a book using the stories that he was given. This second gift appeared just when he needed it most. As the tale goes on, we get to read the stories that he was handed, all of which occurred in that small town.

I LOVE when collections like this all tie into one another. The further you read here, the more the tie-ins come to light. There were many instances where I realized what a certain part tied into and I literally gasped.

Readers, you’re going to have a blast with the horror within these pages!

Per usual, here are my notes on each story:

When a father gives his son some space to do something alone for the first time, he thinks nothing can go wrong. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Returning to town to make things right, this man stops into a church to confess what he is about to do. Unable to just sit back and watch, this priest steps up.

This tale was so infuriating at the beginning before it heads into heartbreak territory. And what a chilling ending! Tread lightly with this one if you have children. 

Hearing that the basketball camp that changed his life forever was going to be torn down, this man is drawn to the area. He knows that he shouldn’t be out there, but he just can’t help it. Will what he finds help put his mind at east, or make things worse?

This one was so unsettling. My heart broke for this poor guy. I could relate to the knee pain as I had knee surgery in high school that never healed right. But once we learn more about what was going on at camp, well that changes things. I loved the jumps back and forth between two settings. While the first one threw me for a loop, I ended up loving the jumps!

A pastor who has fallen on some very hard times goes on a trip to deal with the things he’s been bottling up. As he’s no longer with the church, he dives headfirst into reading and watching horror without guilt. But in this town, odd things are happening and they seem to be eerily similar to things from horror movies. As he spends more time in the town, even more bizarre things happen as he feels compelled to carry out certain things, even if he doesn’t have interest. 

Wow this one was intense! The build up is quite a slow burn, but once things start falling into place at the very end, it’s heartbreakingly awesome. This poor man. My heart hurts for him. 

When a young man suddenly gets the urge to throw a fast ball right at another person, both of their lives change forever. Meanwhile a young woman has a surprising ability to help people when they are in need. One night at a gas station, their lives are suddenly put at risk and they are forced to work together to try to get through the situation safely.

This one was so interesting! I loved how it started out jumping from one character to the next, slowly building up to the big scene that really kicks in the action.

Jack-o’-lanterns grin joyful fire from porches.

… at the end of the day, we were all skeletons-in-waiting.

This is the perfect read to pick up on a chilly October night. These tales will suck you in and leave you haunted!

Twisted: Tainted Tales by Janine Pipe is a killer collection of stories from an author that you will want to keep your eye on. These shorts all pack a serious punch and the collection overall will make you antsy for more from Janine!

First, a quick note on the forward; I love when authors pump up other authors! This foreword, written by Glenn Rolfe, was so much fun! It certainly gets readers excited to dive in. It also reminded me that I really need to hurry up and read some of Glenn’s work!

On page one, we dive right into the thick of things as we meet the narrator of this book, Jill.

Jill has been sent to a house to check for anything of value before it was cleared out. While it looks pretty sparse already, the fact that the previous homeowner had just up and vanished intrigued Jill and she makes sure to take a very thorough look through what is left.

During the search, Jill stumbles upon a pile of loose papers. On these pages were dark and twisted stories that the homeowner had written. Intrigued by the tales, Jill takes them with her.

For the rest of the novel, Jill takes a moment to introduce each story to the readers before the tale itself is included. Sometimes Jill makes light of what’s to come, but for others, she provides a bit of a warning…

From the collection, there are a few that really jumped off the pages for me. These tales included:

Per usual, here are my notes on each individual story that is included in this twisted collection.

When two women head to a forest in order to meet up with a third friend to camp for the night, they’re both antsy to get there and  set up. When they arrive, they see their friends car and her tent, but the friend herself is no where to be seen…

Oh goodness. Going on a camping trip while on your period? That sounds like a nightmare. Sure enough, this woman should have stayed at home! 

This tale has an element that I absolutely love; there’s a mention of something deep in the story that happens very quickly while in the midst of a lot of other intense things. This item then comes back near the end. This writing element always makes me want to shout! It leaves such a powerful impact to close out the story. 

When a woman who has been traveling crosses paths with a man’s who appears to be kind, she is swept up in that kindness. But little does she know, this man is hiding something. 

This quiet horror tale was so atmospheric! As readers will immediately be weary of the overly kind stranger, you’ll want to yell at this woman not to go along with things even if she’s in a tough spot. 

Janine adds wonderful notes here to show readers what is happening. Only once you see how this story ends will some of those notes fall into place. This is one I definitely recommend reading again right away!  

A tale with two perspectives, one of a woman that has been captured and one of the man who had captured her. 

This intense tale will make you want more from this world! 

When two detectives get called out to another crime scene where the blood of the victims is missing, they’re frustrated. But the source of these killings is closer than one of them thinks. 

This one was so fun! It’s a fast paced tale that hooks you from the start and doesn’t let you go until the end. What a clever premise! I would love to see this detective again! 

Not one for me. Fans of erotic horror will enjoy this one! 

When a family heads to an old farmhouse to spend time with each other, the mother begins to get anxious. She asks her mom questions to try to pin point the feeling, but doesn’t find anything. It’s only once she chats with her daughter that memories come rushing back. 

Phew! This story was tense throughout! I loved the stomach drop that this tale gives you while reading. While it was certainly leading readers along and hinting at imaginary friends, the end still hits very hard. Like Janine says in her note afterward, I also love the ambiguous ending. It certainly lets readers wonder what happens next! 

Not one for me. Another that fans of brutal and erotic horror will love! The intensity of this woman’s obsession is very unsettling. 

A town that has been rocked by kids going missing hears that another kid is gone. This time, an individual gets a glimpse at where they may be going…

Oh my god. I loved this one. Set at a drive in, I was prepared for something crazy to happen. This is another tale where Janine adds in little hints that smack you right in the face later on when you find out exactly what the deal is. 

When a new kid named Jack arrives in this small town, Sam is excited to develop a friendship with him. But when Jack suddenly goes missing, something doesn’t seem right. 

I was so nervous to see where this was going as the cold weather was mentioned a few times. This one really packs a punch at the end and it takes quite a turn that I wasn’t expecting! And what a terrifying last line! 

A woman is selected to participate in “The Game.” On her way there, the reader is caught up to speed about what’s going on. Once filled in, readers are sure to be fearful of what she is about to face. 

This one is so unsettling. I loved the nod to the Hunger Games, but this one seemed much darker. This tale will make readers shout out loud at the ending! 

Obsessed with a local legend, this teen finally got her chance to try to see the rumored occurrence in person on Halloween night.

PHEW! I loved the set up of this one so much! By the time we got to the woods, I was spooked! Then the flashback… wonderfully done! 

While overall not one for me, this one did give me a chuckle before making me cringe, and then I laughed an uncomfortable laugh again afterwards. 

When two girls go into an abandoned school, they think they’ll be returning to school with bragging rights. But when things go sideways, they’ll be lucky to make it back out of there. 

This one was so creepy. Thinking back to all the stupid things I did when I was younger… especially when I was in New York, this tale hits close to home. 

After their mother is murdered, these two boys and their father go to the woods for a camping trip to get away from the house for a bit. The boys are still heartbroken, but the father is just angry. When they hear noises from their fathers tent, they freeze, unsure what to do… 

Any story about being in a contraption of fabric, with no real safety between you and the world outside the tent terrifies me. This one was so creepy! It really puts readers right back into the shoes of their younger self while on a camping trip! 

When this kids friend, Scotty, appears outside his window and they head out, ending up outside of the haunted house in their town, our main character goes along with the plan. Only once inside the house does he really begins to question what exactly is going on here. 

This unsettling tale cranks up the unease immediately and only steadily turn Lane the dial up as the story goes along. I loved the ending! 

When their child is tormented by night terrors, these two parents try everything to get him help. When things finally start to get a little better when he is a teenager, he has another set back and just keeps repeating “sixteen”… but what does it mean? 

Oh man, the ending of this is insane! The build up to the explosive turning point was so good! I loved this one. This poor family though. 

When a group of boys compete to win a kiss on the cheek from a pretty girl, they each enter a dark drainpipe hoping to outlast the others. Each boy comes up claiming something happened in there. When it’s Sam’s turn, he is determined to win. But is he alone in the pipe?

Janine mentioned to me while prepping to record for Dead Headspace that the last tale is the best. While I loved a number of these stories, I would have to agree! This one was excellent! It really closed the collection out with quite the bang. This one NEEDS to be adapted for TV! 

Looking back, it was a fucking stupid idea. We could have been hurt, we could have been caught and either would have caused us a bucket load of trouble with our parents. But you think you’re invincible when you’re a teen, don’t you? Immortal and untouchable.
Unless it all goes shit-shaped…

Whoever, whatever, was in there, was likely headed to them next. But Alex wanted to believe that if you were super quiet, the bad things went away. 

Every town has one. Haunted house. Or to be more specific, reportedly haunted house.

If you don’t already have your eye on Janine Pipe, now’s your chance!

The Gatherings by Jeremy Ray is an apocalyptic tale with body horror events that are so unsettling, it will give you nightmares.

First things first, I love the set up that Jeremy has here.

The book starts off with a content warning, which you all know that I’m a huge content warning fan! After that, there is a micro-story that sets the tone. I absolutely love when a short bit at the beginning of stories kick us off before page one where the main story begins. I usually see this with things like prologues, so this micro-story element is something I love seeing each time Jeremy does something like this!

As we jump into the main story, we meet a writer named Emily who has stumbled across paper and a pen. She begins writing in the hopes that her words may find another survivor one day and hopefully help them… So clearly things are not well where she is.

While she continues her story, we get some brief set up information to show us how things have ended up before she begins explaining how she wound up in her current position. And boy, what a wild tale it was!

I thought it was super fun when the narrator calls out that she may not have time to edit anything, and apologizes for making corrections as she goes. Readers can see this as Emily has crossed out a few words already to replace them with something else. 

This tid-bit certainly comes back to give readers a gut punch later on though.

But things change when the skin of someone’s face lands on your head, and you have to pick guts out of your hair.

I don’t have visual memories of the next moments. Just blackness. Like the screen of a television going blank while the sound continues to play.

This is a must read for fans of body horror horror that will punch you with powerful and haunting description.

Try as I might, I just can’t get many of the images from this story out of my mind…

Very well done, Jeremy!