Dead Meat: Day 9 by Nick Clausen is the final book in this amazing series. Just like the others leading up to this point, this story was action-packed and tense! Readers will be quickly flipping the pages to see what happens next.

They’re in the eleventh hour; the clock was really ticking here!

Having left off at a tense and scary moment, things are off and running immediately. Our main characters have scattered, each trying to complete a separate mission. But the main mission? To get through to the Americans to prevent the end of life in Europe. But was it already too late?

I’ve said it eight times already when reviewing this series, but I’ll say it again; this is a story that you won’t want to put down! Organized in a way where each chapter jumps from character to character, and each entry leaves you hanging, you’ll be antsy to see what happens next not just for each character, but in the story overall.

It was so wonderful to see these characters grow over the course of just nine days. They all go through a lot, and readers are sure to root for them as they continue to fight the good fight!

I can’t wait for you all to read this to experience the conclusion to the series.

I don’t think it’s ever wrong to keep up hope, even when it seems impossible, or even when there’s a high chance you’ll get your heart broken. And you know why? Because a broken heart can be healed, but a heart that’s given up hope? Well, that’s a lot tougher to fix. 

This series is a must read. Even if you are a bit tired of the zombie trope, this series is so refreshing and fun. It’s action packed, brutal, and heartbreaking. But there’s also a strong sense of hope throughout that sees readers through to the end. 

While I was so sad to see this series come to an end, I walked away totally satisfied with the overall path Nick took readers on. These characters will stick with me for a long time to come. I know I’ll be returning to the series again when I need a zombie fix!

Wonderfully done, Nick!

Mercy Creek by M. E. Browning is a tense story about a girl who goes missing in a Colorado town. As detectives work to solve the case, things begin to get more and more complicated.

This is the second book in the Jo Wyatt Mystery Series. I had previously read the first book, Shadow Ridge, as part of a blog tour, so when book two was announced, I couldn’t wait to dive in! While you don’t necessarily have to read the first book in the series before this one, I would recommend doing so to get more information on each character.

When the investigation begins, Detective Jo Wyatt is faced with a lot…

Not only is she frustrated with the department not taking things as seriously as she thinks they should be, she also knows the parents of the missing child and they all have a tense history together. People are lying to her about their alibis. There’s a new chief in town that everyone is still adjusting to. And to top it all off, this new chief wants to promote Jo. However, it’s not in a way that the department usually follows; rather it’s a “quick win” that really just benefits him.

Even with all of that on her plate, Jo is able to keep a level head and dive fully into the investigation, determined to bring the girl home.

The start of this book shows readers a scene that will make us all imagine the worst. As the story plays out, my mind kept returning to that one scene. When everything is resolved at the end, I was shocked but also felt that the author did a great job dropping hints here and there to guide us to where we ended up.

Plenty of young children worried about monsters under the bed or creatures in the closet, but those fears diminished with age. What caused fear in older children tended to be threats that emerged from the shadows, and often had a name.

It was a comforting fairy tale that monsters were easy to recognize and lived in lands far away. In reality, they preyed much closer to home.

Jo Wyatt is a character that I definitely have my eye on. I loved seeing her really settle into herself in this book, and I can only imagine that things are going to get more interesting from here!

Screaming Creatures by Sean M. Thompson is a collection of stories that really shows off this author’s range! From the unsettling and spooky tales, to the bizarre and fever dream-like tales, there’s something for everyone here.

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

From this collection, I did have a few favorites!

My favorites included:

Each of these tales had such awesome pacing! I was hooked with every one. If I was tempted to pick this one up to read a bit of one story, I knew I would need to wait until I finished the specific tale I was on before I could put it down again.

Per usual, here are my notes on each tale.

Sunny Village – Three Stars

When a woman is watching the apartment and pet fish of someone who has gone out of town, she makes herself at home and watches tv for a bit. When she looks outside, she sees something startling on the deck of another floor. 

This one was unsettling! It certainly makes readers question what was really going on. 

The Cliffside Tavern – Five Stars

When two men are forced to pull onto the side of the road during a severe rain storm, they spot a tavern. Deciding to wait out the storm and get some food, they go in. Right away things are a bit off, but the go with it. Soon they realize they should have just waited in the car. 

I loved this one! When a location conveniently pops up just when you need it, perhaps that’s a sign to get out of there. I loved how this one had a slow build up until the explosive ending. 

Centralia – Five Stars

When a couple heads to an abandoned mining town to play a game on their cell phones, they’re expecting to have virtual monsters pop up here and there. But what they don’t know is that this isn’t just a cell phone game… this town is dangerous. 

Boy this game idea sounds so much fun! But I have to admit, I would have gotten out of there the minute something felt a little too real. 

3 A.M. Orphan – Three Stars

As the narrator speaks directly to readers, they recount a situation of a friend telling them a story. 

This story will make you question what is real! 

Cat’s Claw LLC – Four Stars

When a woman desperate to find a better job heads to an unusual interview, she is shocked to get the offer right then and there. But will she take it after learning what the job really is?

This one was so atmospheric! I loved the descriptions of the settings. I was super interested to see where this was going. 

Make It A Double – Three Stars

When a man rolls into town, he ends up meeting a woman. Things are going well but he’s got a secret he’s keeping from her, and it’s going to come out one way or another. 

The thought behind this one is so eerie! I love seeing stories about people finding their doppelgänger, but this was a whole other level. 

Dead Visions Review – Four Stars

This is one you need to read for yourself!!

Kiss of the Succubus – Five Stars

A woman on an assignment to track another woman gets quite the shock!

I loved this one so much! I would love a longer tale about this woman and her work after this short has taken place!

Metronome – Four Stars

In this tale we meet a man who is writing a story that’s about a man writing a story. 

This one is wonderfully trippy! Once you see the pattern, you’ll want to reread immediately! 

The Silent Man: A Documentary – Four Stars

Set up as a documentary, this covers the current interview with one person and a reenactment of a time when two couples go to a cabin in the woods for a little weekend getaway. Turns out, a few of them have plans they’d like to carry out. 

I’m a sucker for any tale that involves a cabin in the woods and something scary! This one was nerve wracking. 

Rot Gut – Three Stars

Haunted by a terrible nightmare, this crew of three are about to learn it was actually a premonition. 

This one was very suspenseful as we waited to see how this would play out!

The Blind Opera – Three Stars

A man on a quest of curiosity gets more than he originally expected!

This one read like a fever dream. What a trip! 

Cycle – Three Stars

Oofh I’ve never wanted to scream at a character to go to therapy more than while reading this tale!

Screaming Creatures – Four Stars

Faced with a sickness that makes people act violent or bizarre, the public is forced to wait and see if they’re next. 

This one was terrifying. Especially seeing how many people have been handling COVID-19, I can absolutely imagine things like this tale really happening. 

Horror fans are sure to find something in this collection that really sticks with them! This is a great read any time of the year, but it’s especially fun reading it during the spooky season of October.

Wonderfully organized information that is broken up into digestible chunks, sprinkled with humor. My husband and I learned quite a bit from this! Fingers crossed we move onto the next book soon! :)

Fury of the Orcas by Hunter Shea is a fast paced and brutal tale. From the first drop of blood that hits the water, to the very last sentence, this story is sure to leave readers reeling!

When orcas start to get violent, a man named Chet Clarke is called in. Chet has built his career around taking care of orcas in captivity, even though he doesn’t agree with it. Partnered with his assistant and new girlfriend, orca trainer, Rosario Benitez, the two are shocked at the sudden change in the behavior of the whales. But it’s not only trainers that are getting ripped apart, the whales are going after the people in the viewing sections as well.

Things seem pretty dire, and a team of people band together to run tests to see if it’s an infection or something biological that is affecting them. But they’re about to find out that it’s much worse than they thought.

This story starts with an orca hitting its head against the wall if its tank. When the first drop of blood hits the water, it’s an all out frenzy!

There are many scenes with gore that are so intense. Other scenes are incredibly tense. There are a few scattered scenes that allow readers to catch their breath, but not many!

This is a book you should definitely pick up when you can read straight through!

To do so would be an admission that man had been wrong, and as a species, accountability was a dirty word. 

She’d often said the line between genius and madness was thinner than a mouse’s ass crack. 

Let met just say… this tale did not help with my irrational fear of orcas!

Mister Glow-Bones and Other Halloween Tales by Ronald Kelly is a collection of eleven stories that range from the wonderfully nostalgic, to the stomach-churning and brutal.

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way. I also purchased a physical copy.

When I first picked this collection up, I was a bit unnerved with how spot on the first paragraph of the Introduction was! I was indeed picking it up on a cool October night; it was October 2nd, at 8:32pm, and it was fifty-five degrees outside!

This collection has such a wide range! You’ll never know what you’re going to have served up next. Each tale also has a wonderful illustration included at the start that Ron made. Each of the illustrations were so much fun!

Here are my thoughts and notes on each tale:

Well doesn’t this intro get readers pumped for the Halloween season?!

Ronald Kelly needs to record a reading of most of this text and post it every October 1st for the official start of spooky season! It’s the perfect rally cry!

Mister Glow-Bones – Five Stars

When a man is forced to move back into his childhood home that was the scene of the gruesome death of his father, he’s shocked to find the thing that he believed was responsible for the murder. His wife doesn’t believe him… but she will. 

This one starts out tense, makes you put your guard down a bit, then jumps right back into the thick of it! What a terrifying thought! Who hasn’t had a glow in the dark skeleton hanging on their wall?!

The Outhouse – Five Stars

On a missions to tip an outhouse, this group of boys has no idea what they’re getting themselves into with the dumb prank. 

The world needs fewer people like Mike in it. I hate seeing people use loyalty against their friends just in general, but I hate it even more when it’s used for stupid reasons. I did love the action that this tale contained! Phew! 

Billy’s Mask – Five Stars

When the group of bullies ask Billy to go trick or treating with them, Billy seems cautious. But when they see his mask, everything changes. 

This one was so fun! I loved how Billy didn’t give up any information. He waited until the big reveal. 

Pins & Needles – Five Stars

I was already nervous with the illustration for this story… This tale is straight out of my nightmares. The flip in the storyline was nice to see fo a little revenge, but it was cringe inducing all the same! This one is brutal!

Black Harvest – Four Stars

When a town throws a harvest party, one young man is surprised to find the blood red ear of corn. As tradition goes, he may kiss the prettiest girl at the party later on. But of course, that doesn’t go quite as planned. 

This one was so spooky! I was almost rooting for the young man, but then I was rooting for the girl he set his sights on. 

Pelingrad’s Pit – Five Stars

When a curious boot trespasses on an old man’s property, he discovers an odd pit in the ground that seems to be for burning. But there’s something strange and spooky about this place that he originally thought. 

This tale is super eerie. I was so nervous to see what was under the newspaper each time. And that ending! 

Mister Mack & the Monster Mobile – Five Stars

When two boys just can’t resist the lure of seeing things from monster movies, they enter the camper of an old man. When one realizes these are fakes, they try to leave…

Such a spooky one! I love the play on curiosity. This one took a turn that I did not see coming!

The Halloween Train – Four Stars

A father had a near miss with death when he was a child. But has the Halloween train actually passed him by?

This one was so sad! This poor family. 

The Candy in the Ditch Gang – Five Stars

This tale is wonderfully nostalgic! We’re seeing Halloween through the childhood memories of a father while he watches his children experience the holiday. 

Halloweens: Past & Present – Four Stars

This one will break your heart.

Monsters in a Box – Three Stars

Another tale centered around nostalgia to close things out!

I had a blast reading this! I was going to save it for a bit closer to Halloween, but I’m so glad that I didn’t. This is a wonderful collection to get you into the spooky mood!

From the rally cry of the introduction, to the terror held within the pages, this is a must read for the Halloween season! Go pick up a copy today!

Dark Blood Comes From the Feet by Emma J. Gibbon is a spellbinding collection of dark tales that will force readers to deal will all kinds of emotion while reading. This is one you won’t want to miss!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the editor in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

When I started this collection, I was so excited to finally dive in! When I saw Emma’s request come through on my review request form, I was pumped! First of all, the blurb for the book rules. Combine that with the look of the cover, as designed by Don Noble?! I was totally captivated.

Reading this collection was quite the ride! Each tale was so unique. While each definitely had an element of horror, some of them had a heavy dose, while others were lighter.

I just couldn’t help myself with this one. I read through it in just two sittings.

My favorite stories from the collection include:

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

The Limbo Lounge – Four Stars

When women are sent to this strip club limbo, they must understand where they are or they risk going down… 

What an interesting tale on limbo. That would certainly be a tough place to wind up in day after day after day. I feel so bad for the ones that are there forever that have to try to help the others see what’s going on.

Porch – Four Stars

When a cat starts bringing small creatures home, the woman is already distressed and it only gets worse as the things brought to the porch get bigger and bigger… 

This story followed a steady line as the sizing of the animals increased, but the ending was so unpredictable! I loved it! 

Ghost Maker – Three Stars

A man that works on a crew of a paranormal show finds out some personal news. He reacts in the moment without giving it any thought. But can he fix what he’s done?

This story was heartbreaking. I’ll never understand why people stay in relationships they don’t see lasting. It’s awful for everyone involved. 

Sermon from New London – Five Stars

Set up as a sermon, this woman is speaking to others and telling a very punk-filled story. 

I want more from this one! What a blast this tale was! I loved all of the punk elements that were included. 

St. Scholastica’s Home for Children of the Sea – Five Stars

The children in this home are a bit unusual. When a young woman is sent to work there, she quickly feels as though she has found her calling. 

I absolutely loved this one! The first glimpse of what the children were like was wonderful. And what happens toward the end was intense! 

Crab – Three Stars

When a man who is reluctant to spend a day at the beach with his family sees this his son being awfully still at the edge of the water, he goes to investigate… 

While quick, this one packed an unsettling punch!  

Black Shuck Tavern – Five Stars

A young woman who works at a club is unnerved by a big black dog that has been hanging around. She recognizes the dog from her childhood as well. Her boss thinks it’s Black Shuck, but could it be?

I loved how much character development we got in this one. I was really rooting for this character and wanted her to be okay. The ending was perfect!

The Last Witch in Florida – Four Stars

When a man goes to the witch to interview her, this witch has no problem chatting him up. But he’s about to find out just how smart she is. 

This one was a quick one! I loved that it was basically a stream of consciousness. 

Cellar Door – Four Stars

Written as a long monologue to her missing girlfriend, this is a heartbreaking tale of loss and a cursed house.

This one has some lovely gothic and eerie vibes. With each story that the main character recollects, I got more and more nervous. 

Whitechapel – Three Stars

When two college students go on a death tour of Europe, the boy feels like he would just follow this girl anywhere and do anything she wants…

Phew! The tour they went on was so dark but so interesting. I was so nervous to see where these two were going to end up. 

The Tale of Bobby Red Eyes – Five Stars

When bored kids decide to go to a place that is the scene of a local haunted legend, of course they try to spook each other as they’re all already afraid. 

With a mix of storyline and a spooky rhyme, this story will make you a bit claustrophobic and super anxious as you wait to see what happens next. 

Devour – Three Stars

This relationship is a messy one where they both crave unusual benefits from one another…

Phew. This one made me queasy. I couldn’t help but focus on how toxic the relationship was. Yikes! 

Infection – Four Stars

This tale centered upon a girl that worshipped her friendship with another girl. But when the friend becomes ill, it’s a slippery slope that the main character needs to travel upon. 

Another wickedly dark and heartbreaking tale. It was shocking to see how far the main character would go to be just like her friend.  

Janine – Five Stars

When Amanda interviews Janine, she thinks she’s about to get a great story. But by the end of the interviews and what comes next, will she still write it all down?

When this one started going in the direction of the old urban legend, I had to chuckle. But that feeling quickly dissipated when I read what happened next. This one was so sad and scary! 

Surviving My Parents – Three Stars

When a man goes home to try to talk his parents out of a crazy idea, he’s faced with more than he thought he would have to deal with…

My goodness. I can’t imagine being in this poor man’s place. What a horrible thing to have to think about! 

This Is Not the Glutton Club – Five Stars

When a man goes to visit his uncle, he assumes his uncle wants to talk about his end of life plans. But when the man arrives at his uncles home, he’s shocked to see his uncle looks like he hasn’t aged since he last saw him. The uncle later beings telling a story… 

Good lord, the uncle was in a club that was formed to see who can survive the most illnesses… all within just three years. But they’re still searching for the top of the illnesses. 

Rise – Five Stars

A woman that is just trying to scrape by starts to have very itchy shoulder blades. She can’t afford to go to the doctor, so she just tries to cover it up. 

This poor woman! But what a great story to end on! 

While I would put this book squarely in the horror genre, it’s such a real-world type of horror, even with the bits of the fantastical or paranormal. There was so much within the pages of this collection that is going to haunt me. I mean, I can’t stop thinking about completing taxidermy on humans… So…

A must read for fans of horror that will creep under you skin and settle in for the long haul.

Negative Space: An Anthology of Survival Horror edited by Aric Sundquist is a collection of twelve short tales that will make you extra grateful for the comforts and safety of home that surround you while you read through these terrifying worlds.

The organization of the tales within the collection itself was perfect. I loved that the introduction was pleasant and lighthearted and then first tale has a bit of morbid humor mixed with the darkness and terror to ease us into things. But take a breath there! After that, it’s just full blown terror.

Each story in Negative Space was absolutely horrific! I mean, just thinking about being in a survival situation is scary enough, but then add in the extra layers that appear here within these stories it just bonkers!

Per usual, here are my notes about each story included in this section:

I love when forwards get personal! This one, written by Aric, gives readers a fun glimpse into his childhood, some history about the genre, then leaves us with this:

Luminescence by Scotty Milder – Five Stars

In a world where the ocean is no longer safe, two men sit on a beach, watching a boat drift in. They’re expecting the worst, and sure enough, things start to go poorly for the people on the boat as the cuttlefish begin to attack. 

I love water related horror so much! This story had such an awesome blend of violence and terror combined with the humor and lightheartedness of making the best of a bad situation. I loved how the two storylines jumped around so we got bits and pieces of what was going on and couple slowly work it all together.

The Collectors by Michelle Tang – Five Stars

When a woman wakes up with no memory of what happens of where she is, the scene is already tense. But just wait to see what’s actually going on here…

This story is terrifying! I kept having to tell myself to breathe while reading. The descriptions of these creatures is horrific. And being stuck alone, in the dark with these things? No thank you. 

Puzzled Pieces, Lock-In Places by Amelia Gorman – Five Stars

A woman is offered a job where she will stay isolated in a cabin on an island in the middle of a lake in order to keep watch on a property. Unafraid of being alone, she is thrilled for the rest and relaxation. But as the snow falls and the wind picks up, she’s about to learn she’s not alone on the island. 

This one started off so lighthearted! It sounded like a nice set up, but of course it was too good to be true. Once the action starts, it’s a sprint to the end! 

It’s Inside by S. R. Miller – Five Stars

When a woman goes into an abandoned mine to try to figure out what happened to her brother, she finds his body along with a message that if she finds him, it’s probably too late… 

I love tales set in mines! It’s already so claustrophobia inducing, but then add in the stress of these creatures?! Yikes! 

Curiosity’s Child by Jude Reid – Four Stars

When a woman travels to visit a friend, there’s an accident. Luckily she walks away. As she goes deeper into the space station, she sees the robots carrying out various tasks. When she sees the trash compactors at work, she realizes that something is very wrong here. 

This tale is so unsettling! I was so nervous at every turn, expecting the worst. Sometimes that was the case, sometimes it wasn’t. I could never have guessed with this one! 

Rhapsody In Flesh Minor by Maggie Slater – Four Stars

Locked in a small room of a space station, this individual is being watched by a creature outside the walls. They need to get to another pod soon, but can they do it without the beast hearing? 

This one was quick and so suspenseful! 

Sacs by J. C. Martínez – Four Stars

Fleeing from one bad situation, this family runs right into the open doors of a haunted house. And of course, they’re about to learn why it’s rumored to be haunted. 

This tale was very unsettling. Picturing the corpse they found gave me goosebumps. These poor people!

Black Tongue by Richard Beauchamp – Three Stars

Sent out to eliminate whoever or whatever was responsible for kidnapping local residents, this man only finds violence and terror out in the woods where he works to simply survive the cold. But then when he begins to find the remains, he knows that he and his dog are not alone out there. 

Is there anything more chill-inducing than a horror tale set in the woods during the winter? As if the fear of freezing to death or getting snowed in to starve wasn’t bad enough, once the creatures come out, things really get out of hand. 

The Whale Hunts by P. L. McMillan – Three Stars

A crew of inmates have been sent out on a boat to hunt at night. They’re hunting a whale that they believe is responsible for ruining part of the sea. They believe they are prepared to take the creature down, but will they succeed? 

This story paints such a vivid picture! Just imagining the black waters lining up with the regular ocean was a stark contrast. Then add in the creature? Yikes! 

Six Weeks by M. J. Mars – Five Stars

When a cryptid obsessed young woman says she doesn’t like what she’s seeing reported, she’s brushed aside. Soon after, our main character learns that he should have believed her. The area is taken over by strange creatures that are hunting them. When all his friends are killed, one young man has to find a way to deter the creatures so he can survive. 

I loved this one so much! As the creatures were sensitive to sound it had a bit of a A Quiet Place/Bird Box vibe to it, but with other elements that made it unique. I was so nervous throughout and kept hoping for the best! 

Midnight, Off Arkansas River Trail by Eric J. Guignard – Five Stars

When three men driving in the middle of no where suddenly hit and old woman, they realize no one is around to witness the accident and immediately try to cover it up. But this woman isn’t down for the count just yet… 

Oh my goodness! This one starts with such a stomach turning event! While this one jumps back and forth between the accident and the current situation, it was such a suspenseful and stressful read! Of course I loved it! 

The Artist and the Muse by Jay Wilburn – Four Stars

PHEW this one will paint quite the picture in readers minds!

This is a must read for horror fans! These stories are all so unique, action-packed, and absolutely chilling. Go pick this one up today!

ANIELA by William Presley is a dark tale about a young man that crosses paths with a dark entity. When she promises to help him, he falls for it. Can he get out from under her control before it’s too late?

As the prelude to the Apprentice’s Notebook Series, this novella is sure to hook readers and make them eagerly await the series to come!

This novella released the day before my birthday this year! I’m so bummed that it took me so long to get to it, but here we are! I had a blast reading this. I never knew what to expect next!

When the story kicks off with the prologue, we see a man doing something horrible. It’s clear right away that he’s doing this deed for someone else. Later, his wife promises that her husband isn’t a bad man, and that this isn’t him. A line that investigators usually brush aside. But luckily for this couple, the man sent out to help understands what is actually happening here and he believes her.

Then we jump into chapter one where two young men are in a funeral parlor. One is dressing a body to prepare for a viewing, and the other is pestering the first with questions and comments, trying to get inspiration for a writing project. After the two split up, the writer heads to a neighborhood to see his great-grandmothers house as he had been thinking about her recently after she had passed awhile back.

There, he spots an old woman sitting on the porch, but he thinks he’s seeing things. The woman on the porch can’t be the same woman that his friend was dressing in the funeral parlor.

When he goes to take a look, he realizes that, impossibly, it is the same woman.

Even though the first encounter spooks him, he just can’t stay away. Soon, he’s agreeing to give her a drop of his blood… From there, things go sideways and he is on a path of destruction. His life will never be the same.

While this story started out dark, we flipped back to lightheartedness with a bit of morbid humor to get a little break. But after the darkness sweeps in again, it doesn’t let up.

There plenty of horror scattered throughout this novella, but one chapter really spooked me; The hypnosis chapter. This one was absolutely terrifying! The description of the scene was incredibly dark and written so perfectly that it played out just like a film in my mind. I was prepared for nightmares after reading this bit!

Pick this one up when you have time to read straight through! Trust me, you won’t want to put it down.

Her expression had been set to mimic sleep, but between the one eyebrow that was arched just a little too high and the strong jaw that was shifted just a little too far right, she looked as if she were having a nightmare… and enjoying it.

She’ll slip into the skin of some known demon or folk villain and then take advantage of its premade reputation to manipulate her target.

The next morning, I awoke with a clear mind and a stiff body. The pain in my chest hadn’t subsided, but I knew it never would. At least… not fully. Not after what I had lost. Indeed, we tend to categorize so many of the bonds we form in life, but there are some people who need no adjective. Their presence is simply a constant – a part of your own personality. Your best or worst memories with them become landmarks in time. And when they die, they take pieces of you with them. Those are the losses that expose the ‘time heals all wounds’ cliché for an outright lie. There will always be a scab. Its constant itching will sour so many of life’s great moments, and yet, scratching it only stings. All you can do is try and adjust to the pain… to anticipate and accept.

There’s nothing wrong with emptiness.

Every second you spend thinking about what she did is a second’s worth of energy you’re throwing right back to her. Don’t give her another opening into your life.

ANIELA was an awesome read in itself and such a great set up for a series! It was written in a way that is sure to hook readers and keep them guessing at what will happen next. This author also doesn’t shy away from dark and brutal scenes, so readers will cringe while reading as quickly as they can to see a particular scene through.

I cannot wait to see where the story goes from here and what trip the author takes readers on!

Pieces by Michael Aloisi & Rebecca Rowland is a very unsettling tale about a man who has shipped thirty packages all across the United States. But what is inside these boxes isn’t what anyone could possibly expect…

Is there anything more unsettling than having something terrible mailed to you? I remember the anthrax mailing scare of 2001 very vividly. Since then, I have been cautious with my mail. Not just thinking a chemical like that could be mailed to me, but because you really never know what someone may mail you… This book did not help that fear.

Right from the prologue, I knew I would be in for quite the ride here. The prologue was extremely unsettling and it perfectly set the tone for the rest of the book.

The prologue is where we see Dennis carry out his big act, which was all so well thought out! I was immediately nervous to see what was to come… I mean, we had just learned that Dennis stalked a young woman named Julie Piedmont before killing her and chopping her into thirty pieces, wrapped each piece in butchers paper, and mailed them to different people across the US. How much darker can it get?!

Turns out it can get MUCH DARKER.

From there, the story jumps between sections that focus on Dennis, the man we met in the prologue, and a reporter named Jax. Scattered between these two main storylines were stories from the people that received pieces of the girl as well as a forensic report, a blog post, and a couple Reddit threads.

I thought it was really interesting that this story can almost be read as a collection of short stories, as each chapter focusing on a different gift recipient was so unique. However, all of the characters had a few things that connected them; many of them were nasty people, and many thought the body parts were a special and pointed gift to them as they made a connection between it and something they had going on in their personal lives.

I was shocked at how quickly many of the people we focused on were able to jump to make a personal connection to the mailed body part, rather than doing what most would do; call the police!

One side note; while reading one of the chapters in this story was the first time I’ve seen mention of cyclic vomiting syndrome anywhere other than on my medical records! I had this for a couple of years. It’s not fun at all. Seeing it in a text like this totally caught me off guard, but it was nice to see!

George – Phoenix, AZ –
A nasty and horrible old man on blood thinners who received piece three. He thinks the package was a personally heavy message from his daughter. 

Kristin – Philadelphia, PA –
A desperate woman that is having an affair with a married man. She thinks the package and note was from her man with a message just for her.

Emily – Salt Lake City, UT –
A woman with a family history with salt, who now owns a salt flats tour company and hates her children. She’s plotting something truly horrible… 

Sandy – Salt Lake City, UT –
A woman that works with Emily. She discovered the package and later had to deal with Emily’s actions.  

Daniel – Wells, ME –
A detective assigned to a suspected overdose case. However, there’s something going on with this man. Something is wrong. And he’s taking it out on his liver. The package he received was a liver.

Brent – Branson, MO –
A performer who loses his voice receives the girls uvula. Thinks at first that it’s a taunt from a crazed fan that knows he can’t currently sing. But when he leaves the apartment, he makes a darker connection.

Lucille – San Francisco, CA –
A news anchor at a local station. A major narcissist that thinks she deserves the best and that everyone around her is an idiot. On a run she found an abandoned box that held a nose. 

Marge – Pittsburgh, PA –
A woman who hates a lot about herself and her life. When she sees an ad featuring an old friend who had lost a ton of weight, she can’t wait to try the program. Of course when her piece arrives, she’s convinced it was sent to her by this weight loss company… 

Allie – Wilmington, NC –
A woman who had once lived a lifestyle where she was off the grid has settled down with a lawyer. When the package arrived, Allie thinks it’s for her partner. This chapter will really make your skin crawl!

Adriel – Montpelier, VT –
A reformed alcoholic turned into a servant of God. He received a rib bone, which of course, he related to a sign from God. 

Cory – Boston, MA –
A student that isn’t adjusting well to college life. She begins a bad habit of stealing her roommates mail. When the package arrives, addressed to her roommate, Cory can’t help herself and opens up an arm. 

Byron – Cadillac, MI –
A man obsessed with breaking into peoples houses to look through their things. One day he finds an opened box with intestines spilling out. 

Mark – Atlanta, GA –
A washed up celebrity looking to reignite his fame. This man was truly horrible. I wasn’t surprised he had the breast that had been sent to him. And yet again, he thought it was actually something with double meaning. 

Phew, what a crew of people! While this certainly took up a lot of space in the story, I was curious where the other pieces ended up. A few of the additional sections like the forensic report or blog post listed other towns where body parts were found, but we didn’t get much detail there. From what I noted while reading, I got to 25 pieces. What happened to the other five?!

I guess we’ll never know.

If someone were to draw a chart of his notoriety as a journalist, it would look like Mount Everest. It was straight up, with a few stops at base camps, and then hit a peak that took him to national attention. But, just like Everest, you can’t breathe at the top, so you have to come down quick.

Dennis cringed as the sharp edge of the plastic top on his Dunkin’ Donuts coffee scraped against his upper lip.

That was part of what made him a great reporter: he could remain calm, even when someone was shoveling bullshit all over him or accusing him or attacking him; no matter what, he could just stay cool, get the facts, and be the better person.

While I absolutely hated all of the characters, I read through each piece of the story antsy to try to learn more. When I hit the ending, I will admit, at first I felt a bit let down as it did feel rushed and unfinished. But the longer I thought about the work overall, the more that made sense, and the more brilliant I thought it was!

Don’t pick this one up if you’re looking for a story that goes from Point A to Point B and wraps up nicely. Reading this book is like looking at a quilt. Each chapter is like a square of the quilt; each chapter is its own story, but it’s all stitched together in one piece and connected by the same underlying thread.

I highly recommend this to horror fans that aren’t shy when it comes to the darkness of humanity and how wicked we can be.