The Hollows by David Church

 In the little village of Barsal, a community must overcome an evil that will terrorize the village. It starts with the frozen body of a man. Then, two families are attacked. 

Ellie Cheetham, the village’s constable, is in charge of investigating these attacks. As the day carries on, new clues are revealed, Cheetham realizes there is something evil attacking her village. She, along with other members of the village, work together to save who they can and their village. 

While this story was phenomenal, it is at times repetitive. Daniel Church is great at describing the fear and the creatures, but we are told the same descriptions a few too many times. I think if a lot of the repetitive descriptions were deleted, this could have been a 5 star book. 

Thank you #NetGalley and Angry Robot for sending me #TheHollows by Daniel Church.

Hanging Corpses by Jay Bower

Jay Bower can tell a story! This collection of 15 short stories is filled with human monsters, creatures of the night and day, and of horrors that could truly happen in our lifetime. The twists and turns you endure while reading this will leave you thinking about the choices you make in life. Just to be forewarned, you will be hooked on Jay’s writing and will be looking for more of his books!

Hanging Corpses is a story that not all monsters are creatures, they are our friends, neighbors, or family members. We all have a monster near us.

Tiny Piece of Soul is a gory, pain filled eye opener. I cringed the whole time!

In Remnants of the War, after you read this one, you will consider what lengths you would go to for love. 

Flesh Hook is a horror historical fiction that is bloody and gory!  

Damian. I had a friend in highschool whose name is Damian…this is NOT that guy.

The Awful Gift is hilarious! Be careful of where you buy your gifts for loved ones!! 

New World Hunger, I love a good zombie story, but if you throw in a vampire finding sustenance during an apocalypse..what more could you ask for?

From the Depths, Risen is a fantastic story about a sinkhole opening up in a church. A group of scientists decide to lower a camera down to the bottom to see what it looks like. They should not have done that.

Unstoppable Heart is about a lonely ghost who still loves his one love in death. He haunts his home and watches over her. Mr. Bower figured out a twist you couldn’t possibly predict with this story. 

Colony of the Damned is a cosmic horror story that happens on the planet Jupiter. Frighteningly fun!!

Roosevelt is for Lovers is the oddest short story in this set. A marriage is on the rocks and

the husband will do anything to help his marriage. So will the wife. 

Dorado (Roosevelt is for Lovers, Part 2) is a short story of one of the characters in the previous story, Roosevelt is for Lovers. I like this additional story, it gives a new feel for the first part. Definitely a nice little bonus. 

Autumnal Thrill is a howl of a good time! I liked the ending of this one, it isn’t your typical ending.

Accepting is a story of a man who finally accepts an invitation to a party. The hosts are extremely excited that he has finally decided to join them for a party and dinner. *Chef’s Kiss*

In the short story The Voice of America, is an alternative reality of what could happen in America’s future. It is thought provoking and downright surreal. It could happen, I just hope it doesn’t. 

At the end of the book, there is a section where Bower tells you where his ideas came for each story. Apparently, the story New World Hunger is the basis of his Dead Blood series. I am definitely intrigued to read some more.

The Anime Chef Cookbook by Nadine Estero

 This is an adorable and exceptional cookbook giving us recipes from popular anime shows and movies. There are recipes for the classic shows and movies as well as the current anime. 

The pictures to go with the recipes are charming. They are drawn in anime style! Also, some random quotes from the shows are throughout the book.

There are some recipes that will require special tools to make the recipe. However, there are some tools that have substitutions if you can't find the tool you need. For example, the Karaage To-Go recipes calls for "wooden tooth picks". You could just use forks if you wanted. 

Reconstructing a Relationship by Micah Castle

 Even though this story is only 68 pages long, it packs one hell of a punch! Before I get into my review, I want to let all of you know, if you read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and liked it, I highly suggest you grab Reconstructing a Relationship to sit right next to Frankenstein on your bookshelf.

Drew and Terry meet in a local bar and it is instant love at first sight for Terry. She has those bright stars in her eyes and is sighing in content as she listens to Drew talk to her. 

For Terry, it is a no-brainer, Drew needs to come home with her. So Drew does, only to forget all about the night previously. But that’s okay, Terry forgives him! Then one evening, it is a date night for the two love-birds! And everything just goes down-hill from there.

This ends up being a twisted, disgusting, and love-sick story. Micah Castle can put a lot of emotion and horror in such a short amount of time. This is a great story to read on your next day off if you have a couple of hours free to read.

The Butcher by Laura Kat Young

 The Butcher by Laura Kat Young is one of the most heart wrenching, dark, and phenomenal books I have read in such a long time. 

At the beginning of the book, Lady Mae is awaiting the day when she will inherit her mother’s job as the town Butcher. Her mother, Winona, goes against the law and chooses not to butcher a young boy. The Deputies, who uphold the law and lead the town, come to Winona and Lady Mae’s home, to confront Winona and ask why she chose to disobey the law. A struggle ensues and Winona is killed in front of Lady Mae.

Years pass by, Lady Mae is now the town's Butcher. A childhood friend has returned to their town and back into Lady Mae’s life. The long ago feelings for one another never left. The rest of the story follows along the choices the two make. In the end, a heartbreaking decision is made that will alter every person in the town's life. Nothing will ever be the same for Lady Mae and everyone in the town. 

This is truly a magnificent piece of work. I can feel the love and time spent in forming these words to make a special story come to life. 

Thank you so much to #NetGalley and #TitanBooks for sending me this ARC to read and review. 

#TheButcher

At Home with the Horrors by Sammy Scott

 This book of short stories is fabulous! I enjoyed every single story. They varied in true sense of horror, but they all had horrific endings, most you won’t see coming.

What We Have Here is a heartwarming and terrifying story about a married couple who have some communication problems. 

Theresa is a never ending love story. This one will stick with me for a long time. 

Blackbird is when a dream becomes a nightmare. 

In the short story Sisters, a daughter needs help moving her mom to a retirement home. The mom doesn’t want to leave the home she grew up in.

Peeping Tommy is your average neighborhood boogeyman. Or is he….

In Becca; Becca and Bryan need help with someone watching their house at night. He keeps standing there staring and then starts to make some noises. 

Sleeptalker is an odd story about talking in your sleep. The couple use their phone to record what is being said.

Re-birth is an outstanding story. I don’t want to give anything away, but the title is perfect for this story. 

Katherine is a good ghost story. The ending was definitely eerie. 

Scared Mary involves mom, Mary, constantly being scared and recorded for her husband's YouTube channel. She is getting tired of the scares and asks her husband to back off a bit. It is causing her a lot of stress and anxiety.

Something Else Entirely, nobody is who they seem to be. In my opinion, this one is probably the scariest of all the short stories.

Nancy is about karma. A good story with some solid revenge.

People You May Know , a Facebook horror short story! This one is actually good. It is about a husband/father who decides to send a friend request with an old college friend. 

Emil Bones is actually a Novella. A mom and her son move to a new home, the son starts at a new school and the mom starts a new job as a librarian. She finds an old journal one day at work and decides to read it. She probably shouldn’t do that, but you know, curiosity killed the cat.

 

Sammy Scott is a talented writer. He has quite an imagination and it shows with the endings of the short stories and the novella. I would love to see how he does with a full length novel. He is an author you need to put on your radar. I am going to keep an eye on his books, I want to read some more. 

The Day Before You Came by Matthew Cash

 The Day Before You Came by Matthew Cash is one of those stories that keeps building and building upon itself until it explodes massively into a final conclusion that is so sad and satisfying all at once. 

Niamh and Phillipa have been friends for decades. They have been through so much together. The story starts when they are in school and lean on each other throughout all the bullying and everything else that comes along the way. It progresses up to their adulthood. 

Niamh has a special gift of feeling negative or positive energy. Phillipa has a hard time believing this, until Phillipa buys a house and gets to experience what Niamh has dealt with all her life. 

There are so many connections with all the characters in this story. A did a lot of  “oh my god” after finishing a chapter. A bunch of karma, too!! 

Some trigger warnings though: domestic abuse, suicide, animal cruelty, and mild sexual assault.

Meditations on Butterflies by Kristen D'Angelo

 This book is truly beautiful and breathtaking!

The beginning of the book has a section called "Butterfly Families". Six different butterfly families are identified and goes into detail how to spot them.
The next section gives detailed instructions on how to build a butterfly habitat. It goes on to explain what kinds of plants are best to host butterflies and what not to feed or use around them. 
Next, the butterfly's life cycle. All the stages of the butterfly's life.

After learning all these important steps on saving the butterflies and protecting them, an A to Z section of butterflies! You get calligraphy exercises, coloring sections, a journal section, and random facts. And every once in awhile a need little tidbit is added, such as a mini "to-do" list tucked in a tiny corner of one of the activity pages. 

If you know anyone who is interested in nature, butterflies, and art; this is the book for them or yourself!

Thank you #NetGalley and #GirlFridayBooks for letting me review #MeditationsonButterflies by Kristen D'Angelo.

Hella Chill Monsters, Volume 1 by Shuji Takeya

 First impressions, love the artwork. 

Limbo is the place between heaven and hell and monsters live there, they aren’t good or bad and they are immortal in this world. Hella Chill Monsters, Volume 1 introduces Bonzo, a skeleton; Vamp, a vampire; and Nero, a stray zombie. The shorts graphic stories are about what their detective agency does. We then meet many friends and acquaintances along the way!

 

This needs a coloring book to go with the series. I think coloring in some of these pages would be fun!!

I look forward to reading Volume 2!!

Thank you #NetGalley and #Kodansha for letting me read and review #HellaChillMonstersVolume1.

Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga Edited by Lindy Ryan, Written by many authors

 Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga.

This is a book of 22 short stories and one poem all about Baba Yaga. All of the stories are written by women. Each story is a rendition of who the author thinks Baba Yaga is and tells her story. 

Many of the stories are dark and elegant. They depict Baba Yaga as evil with good intentions or a woman scorned by humanity. There is sadness and happiness in these short stories. 

I have no favorites of these. They all touched my heart in one way or another. I will be getting a copy of this book to have in my personal library once it is released. I also think this would make a great gift for any of our witchy friends and family. Especially if they love the story of Baba Yaga.

Thank you #NetGalley and #BlackSpotBooks for letting me read and review #IntotheForest.

Camp Silver Oaks by Leeroy Cross James

This is my first time reading Leeroy Cross James, and definitely will be reading the next book in this series! The first book in the series “Camp Silver Oaks” releases August 26, 2022.

Brody Jackson, highschool student, has gone too far with crime. He is sent to Camp Silver Oaks, an experimental rehabilitation camp for young delinquents. It is a picturesque and typical camp that everyone imagines. 

However, underneath this quiet and beautiful atmosphere, something evil is lurking. Brody means to find out why everyone is so happy and loving. This is a camp full of delinquents, it just does not make sense to him.

This is a fantastic creature feature, switching between the 1980’s and present time. You get teenage drama, adult drama, campfire stories, an evil creature, and a stubborn delinquent. 

The cover of this book fits the story perfectly, too! Once the second book releases, I am planning to read it!

Thank you #Leeroycrossjames for sending me an ARC of #CampSilverOaks

Gallows Hills by Darcy Coates

 Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates is probably the most difficult book of hers that I have read yet. Coates has a method of writing. There is depth to the story and a lot of emotion with the characters. Coates likes to draw you in and make you feel exactly what the characters in the book feel, even the small cast characters and all the creatures.

Margot, our main character, has returned to her childhood home after her parents have unexpectedly passed away. When she was eight years old, her mom and dad sent her to live with her grandmother. They never called or visited her. Margot never understood why, all of a sudden, she no longer had a life with her parents.

Now that they have passed away and left Margot the home and wine business, Margot is finding answers she has longed to know. Except, they aren’t answers she wants. 

This is a mind twisting, psychologically deep, and eerie story that just keeps pulling you back in. The ending was nothing I was prepared for. There is no way anyone could have predicted that ending. 

I am ready for my next Darcy Coates!!

Thank you #NetGalley and  #PoisonedPenPress for sending me this ARC for an honest review.