Review coming soon!

I have to applaud the editors at Valancourt for the immense time and effort it must have taken to not only comb the globe for great stories, but to also translate them for this book. The magnitude of such an endeavor is overwhelming to me. Luckily it was all worth it as this is a fantastic collection of horrifying short stories from around the world!

The stories vary widely in their plots and the type of horror they contain, so there is truly something for everyone here. It was exciting reading this collection as each new story also introduced me to a new author, many of whom I would love to read more from. As with all anthologies there are hits and misses, but overall this is a solid group of entertaining and terrifying tales!!

Some stand outs for me are:

“Mater Tenebrarum” by Pilar Pedraza (Spain)
“The Time Remaining” by Attila Veres (Hungary)
“Señor Ligotti” by Bernardo Esquinca (Mexico)
“The Bones in Her Eyes” by Christien Boomsma (Netherlands)
“All the Birds” by Yvette Tan (Philippines)

The Worm and His Kings is the best cosmic horror story I’ve read all year, and easily takes a place amongst my all-time favourites. It has a protagonist you really root for, creepy monsters, a fantastic backstory, lots of twists and turns, and plenty of unsettling and mind-bending scenes. It also has an ending that surprised me, but also makes perfect sense with the story. This is my first book from Hailey Piper, and I can’t wait to read what else she has written.

Full review available at Beyond the Veil (https://gobeyondtheveil.co.uk/books/the-worm-and-his-kings).

Ok, I’ll admit it: I’m hooked. I’ve heard the off-kilter jingle and tasted the sickly-sweet treats, and I want more. Ice Cream Man, Volume 1 is a fun and frightening collection of intertwined short stories, full of lifelike characters experiencing bizarre and unnerving turns of events. If the rest of the series is this good then we have a new pop culture icon in the making, and I need to get my hands on the next volume. Lickety Split.

Full review available at Beyond the Veil (https://gobeyondtheveil.co.uk/comics/ice-cream-man-volume-1-review).

I’m hoping this book party sends a clear message to the wonderful people at @deathsheadpress: we love our brutal, shocking horror but we value substance above all else. This splatter western series has been an interesting journey for me, one of many highs but also many lows. Multiple 5⭐️ from me, but also my first DNF in a long time. That being said I still love the idea for the series and will eagerly dive into each new offering. I’m excited for the future and the other splatter westerns it holds!

So why did I DNF one book but not this one? I’m still not quite sure. I guess because it (kind of) had monsters and I kept holding out for that. But there’s nothing about this book I enjoyed and I certainly wouldn’t recommend anyone read it. Too much rape (like, way too much) and too many unlikable characters with no redeeming qualities. It’s shock value over substance and I’m not okay with that. I would also love to see a future splatter western where POC are treated as more than fodder for racism and brutality

There’s a great build up in the first half, as the storm continues to worsen and our small cast of characters find their way to the diner. The tension ratchets up in the middle as things begin to go wrong, and then the final act is a flurry of blood-soaked action. At just over 80 pages the story moves along at a breakneck pace. The upside is that there are no lulls and it’s quite the page-turner, and the downside is that when I finished in 30 mins I did feel like I wanted a little more from it.

The blinding snow storm and tiny diner trailer gave the story a very confined and unsettling feeling. I absolutely love stories that are written with a single or limited setting. Also I won’t say much about the aliens because of spoilers, but I found their presence to be both interesting and frightening.

I had a lot of fun reading this novella! I read it late at night by the light of the Christmas tree, and I highly recommend everyone else do the same. Thanks again to @sergiopgomez for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Strong and compelling first issue! Interesting take on conspiracy theories and the art freakin rocks!

An easy five stars. Harrowing, hopeful, beautiful. A full review is in the works.

Dracula, Motherf**ker! is a conflicting read in that it’s an extraordinary visual feast yet it has a story that comes across as ultimately underdeveloped. All things considered I didn’t dislike it, and I'm actively rooting for it to find a better balance between art and storytelling in its next chapter.

To read my full review go here: https://gobeyondtheveil.co.uk/comics/dracula-motherf-ker-review

When I hear a book being touted as "Toy Story meets Stranger Things," I'm going to give it a shot. The problem with comparisons though is that they are not always accurate, and thus they can be misleading. Not always, but in this particular instance I was certainly hoping for more than what I actually got.

Safe. Simplistic. Bland. Meh.

Those are some of the words that come to mind when I think back on my reading of Spark. The further I get from it the more I feel disinterested by it. It's not a bad book by any means. The writing is adept, the story structure is sound, the background lore is interesting, and the characters are fairly dynamic. Yet, I never found myself fully invested in it whilst reading. And I'm still struggling to put my finger on exactly why.

Unlike Toy Story, I didn't feel emotionally connected to any of these characters. It has its poignant moments, but for most of the book I was just turning pages and my heart wasn't into it. And unlike Stranger Things, the monsters were less than terrifying and the action scenes less than gripping. It's hitting the right beats for the story, but not knocking them out of the park or do anything unique. I really enjoy YA horror, but this one wasn't nearly scary or profound enough for me to sink my teeth into.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!