Coming of age? Slasher? Camp setting? Oh my gosh - be still my heart! This novella already has all of my favorite qualities when it comes to horror books and movies... and for it to be written by Scott Thomas I knew I was in for an even bigger treat! Thomas has a way of pulling you in with his descriptions. Everything was perfectly set up: the setting with the campers and counselors, mosquitoes (trust me... you will definitely be itching during and after reading this one), emotions, conversations, motives, bullying, etc. Thomas really puts a unique spin on the slasher trope, the campfire tale, and the misunderstood killer we always seem to be up against... and as always he makes you scratch your head and wonder, "Whoa... what if...?!"

Thank you to Scott Thomas and Ink Shares for allowing the Night Worms to do this for a Night Worms Book Party!

AWESOME! That is one word to describe Go Down Hard by Ali Seay. But there is really is so much greatness in just over ~150 pages. The story is super fast paced with short chapters. There are 2 POVs and we go back and forth easily... and at first we are not sure who we are rooting for. You have two serial killers. One is a woman who gives me serious Dexter vibes as she kills the deserving. The other is a man who has such charisma, machismo, and confidence. But what happens when these two MEET each other?? It's insanity in the best way - I need MORE of this story, MORE of these characters, and I am SO ready for more from this author!

5 AMAZING stars - and thank you to Grindhouse Press and Ali Seay for giving Night Worms the opportunity to add this to a #NightwormsBookparty!

After picking my jaw off the floor, I am now able to write this review. TOY HORROR STORY, the second installment in the Twisted Books to Leave You Shook series, is just as great or better than the debut. Whereas Book One, Fright Filter, explored more modern technology and how its own horrors have snuck into our lives and the lives of our kids, Toy Horror Story takes brings back some classic tropes: clowns, dolls, creepy house, etc. There is some reliance on modern technology, too, with smart home cams, cell phone tracking, etc... but you can expect a twist and refreshing POV on these tropes! This story read as if it could have actually happened to me and my family, too. The relationship between Brogan and younger sister Cammie is not unparalleled to that of mine with one of my older brothers. Pranks, reverse psychology, always getting one's way, spooks, and more!

5 twisted stars to Toy Horror Story! And I will eagerly await a third book to stay shook!

Starving Ghosts in Every Thread is a haunting and beautiful debut novella from Eric LaRocca. When the story begins, I will admit I was slightly confused. But as we read more we inevitably learn what is happening. Teddy is our main character and has a secret... and she is so full of guilt that she develops this parasitic condition where her body unravels, and continues doing so, until she feeds off the emotions of others. Her father is dead. Teddy's mother is definitely not in a great state mentally... and Teddy feeds from her emotions most frequently causing her mother to develop this belief that scorpion venom will cure the "wounds" / skin condition that Teddy has caused. Her neighbor just happens to be a scorpion and exotic bug/creature dealer (possibly part-time con man but I still liked him a whole lot). While going to purchase a new scorpion, Teddy meets another interesting girl, Kiiara, and she has her own secret, too. How the rest of the story unfolds and all the details and scenes between, however, you are going to have to find out on your own! And trust me--- you definitely want to find out!

This novella is only ~90 pages but packs SUCH a punch not to soon be forgotten. Fans of body horror, grief, identity, and trauma will absolutely add this to a favorites list. To see a character's emotional pain and turmoil physically manifest into this parasitic condition is such a brilliant and unique plot that I'll be thinking about it for quite some time. And for any newbie to this subgenre of horror this will make a great introduction. LaRocca's style of writing and word choice is dark and beautiful. I cannot wait for more haunting works from this author!

NOBODY'S GHOST is a great supernatural and suspenseful horror novella focusing on Cliff Morris who runs tours for a haunted house. Think of it as going to the house where Lizzie Borden killed her father and stepmother. Now add on some effects like creepy crawlspaces, record players that turn on by themselves, bloodstains that won't go away, etc. That gives you a feel for the establishment that Cliff runs. But he has a secret that few know: he has telekinesis. A TV psychic wants to interview him and talk about what he does. She immediately senses something is wrong and skidaddles. And ever since they shook hands, Cliff is being plagued with these nightmares from his childhood home. He has to go back and see what really happened to him and his family in the past and decide if it has anything to do with his present and hopeful future.

I really enjoyed the constant suspense build up as there was never a dry or dull moment/scene. I loved the LGBTQ+ representation and the familial bonds that seem to pick up after years of no contact. I just really enjoyed this story as I do with everything I have read from Chris Cooper. He certainly has a broad range of topics and styles, but each one always works perfectly for me. Unique story, hidden secrets from the past, and suspenseful horror mixed with telekinesis and psychic connections! Check this one out!

Nic Stone truly delivers another powerful story with DEAR JUSTYCE. This is the sequel to Dear Martin, which I also loved and rated 5 stars. Whereas Dear Martin deals with the story of a young Black teen doing everything right and seeing himself do well in school, score well on tests and debates, go to an Ivy League college, and anticipate a bright future, DEAR JUSTYCE shines a light on those same kids and teens who do not succeed despite doing all the right things. While this is a work of fiction, it really isn't. We've all seen kids, and a disproportionate number of Black kids in the mix, who have high ambitions and goals, are going after everything in the right ways, and are being hit in the face over and over by a world that is trying to force them down (whether it be poverty, skin color, education, drugs, poor parental figures, and more). In an author note, however, Nic Stone did mention that the most fictional piece of this story, sadly, is the amount and level of support Quan receives in jail. Lack of representation and support (legally, emotionally, financially) is a huge issue. Nic Stone has given all readers another book that should be on mandatory lists. This book will challenge anyone who reads it to be better and do better, regardless of who you are.

Review to come!

Cemetery Boys is the debut YA novel from Aiden Thomas... and I think I am already ready to read everything they write! And at the end of this book, we see the cover and title of their next release: Lost in the Never Woods. Already signing up for this one, y'all! While this book is about ghosts and the afterlife, I have never felt more like living in the present than I did while reading and still do now that I have finished!

Cemetery Boys follows Yadriel, a Latinx trans teen, who comes from a family with a long line of brujo and bruja. Yadriel is a brujo and his family thinks that it is going against their traditional ways and Lady Death will not recognize him as a brujo. While all of the family and identity issues are going on, Yadriel's cousin, Miguel, is killed. Yadriel and his best friend, Maritza, seek to summon the spirit of Miguel to find out what happened but end up summoning a different spirit instead. They end up summoning Julian who was not even aware he, too, had also just been killed. Yadriel agrees to help Julian find out what happened to him and tie up loose ends before helping him cross over, but the more time he spends with him, the less he wants Julian to leave for good. Who is killing these boys and why? Will Yadriel's family and Lady Death accept him as a brujo?

Aiden Thomas KILLS it with this book! They write in a way that I could not stop reading. I read pages 60 through the ending in one sitting. There were no dull moments and I felt like I was just falling into this culture and learning more and more about it. And as this book takes place a few days before Día de Muertos, we get to learn a lot more about the celebration and everything that goes into it. I loved getting an even deeper insight into the trans representation, struggles, and joys. And it was such an even more meaningful experience reading this from a Latinx perspective, too. Family and friendship play such huge roles in this story and I am all about it! And while you know there is going to be a romance brewing in this novel from the summary, I do not think it was overdone or focused on TOO much to detract away from everything else within. Yes, there is some slight "insta love" going on, but this is YA and I am happy with how it all built up and came together!

AND THE CAT'S NAME IS PURRCASO?! DONE AND DONE! 4.5 stars to Cemetery Boys and rounded up on Goodreads. I am so excited for the next book from this author in (hopefully) 2021!

Wyrd and Other Derelictions is not your average collection of stories. Something is missing in them: people. There are seven stories in this collection and we are not in any of them. Instead, Adam Nevill uses horrifyingly descriptive imagery to set the tone and tell the story. It's as if we just walked into a murder scene after all the bodies have been taken away, the police tape removed, etc. He finds ways to build dread and suspense without any dialogue or characterizations at all. It's like we are just walking around someone else's mind while THAT person is looking through a video camera at whatever scene is in front of us. My favorite story is the first one, "Hippocampus," and I think that is on par with a lot of other readers. Like the rest of the stories here, this first one is extremely atmospheric and unsettling. I do think I would have enjoyed these stories more with characters and less of the lyrical prose, but that was not the intent of them so I can't think that way. But one thing is for sure: these stories will change the way I interpret and see my surroundings, especially when it's something dark, ominous, or creepy!

I finally got to read Dominicana by Angie Cruz and it was everything I hoped for and then some! Her writing style completely captivated me and I read this one in a single sitting because of it. The story told just felt so authentic and relatable. We can find ourselves with a much different outcome than the one we have dreamed of and planned more times than not. Coming-of-age will always be my jam -- and it can be within any genre, not just horror that I usually gravitate towards. This story explores a lot of self-discovery as well and it just came off the pages so effortlessly. Even though this book lacks the normal dialogue queues and quotation marks it did not distract me like it has in some other books... and I think that is a testament to the way in which Angie Cruz can tell a story. It's sounds like a simple feat, but I have had books ruined before due to this writing choice, and Cruz nails it!