Friday, October 28, 2022

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher Reviews

Today Jen and Cassie review a Horror Spotlight favorite WHAT MOVES THE DEAD by T. Kingfisher. We hope you check it out!


What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

"What Moves the Dead is Kingfisher's retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher.”

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all."

 Goodreads  |  Bookshop 


Jen's Review


I bought What Moves the Dead because I wanted to read more of T. Kingfisher's work. I loved The Hollow Places, and I keep hearing such good things about everything she has written. Thankfully, What Moves the Dead was voted the September readalong selection by the Horror Spotlight discord group. it gave me the perfect excuse to pull it off the shelf and read it.

What Moves the Dead is a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. It had been a while since I first read The Fall of the House of Usher so I decided to read it again before reading What Moves the Dead. I'm so glad that I did! What Moves the Dead expanded on The Fall of the House of Usher in such a wonderful way. This was one of my favorite reading experiences of the year.

Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher is very short and, in my opinion, not very memorable. But What Moves the Dead does an amazing job of keeping the tone of Edgar Allan Poe – the wonderfully creepy Gothic fungus covered tone – and expands it into a terrifying and memorable and even somehow lovable story.

I loved the characters and the writing and everything about What Moves the Dead.

T. Kingfisher does a really great job at creepy imagery in What Moves the Dead. There are several moments that are quite chilling, and I had so much fun with the suspense of it all. I think reading The Fall of the House of Usher as well really enhanced my experience with reading What Moves the Dead.

If you haven't read T. Kingfisher before, I highly recommend both The Hollow Places and What Moves the Dead. I would really love to read everything she has written. I think next up for me will be Nettle and Bone. That sounds like a perfect read for me.



Cassie's Review


I loved this so, so much - wow! This is a retelling of an old Edgar Allan Poe story, but the old story leaves so much up to the imagination that I've never found the reading of it to be a satisfying experience. Where that one lacked in explanation, this one more than makes up for it, and I think this is probably one of my favorite retellings of all time - it's just so good!

My favorite things from the classic are all here - the creepy house, the weird siblings, the mushrooms! And then there's just so much more here, more depth, more explaining, more reasons for why things are what they are. While explaining can sometimes take away the mystery or horror of a thing, this didn't for me - it just made me like it more!

The way the movements in this are described made me wish so badly for it to get an on screen adaptation - I think it'd be so creepy and unsettling to watch!



Thank you for joining us today! Please share your thoughts in the comments about What Moves the Dead and/or any recent reads you've been enjoying.

We are currently accepting horror fiction and horror adjacent fiction written by diverse authors in print and epub format ONLY. If this is you, please visit our review submission page here.




Jen is one of our Horror Spotlight admins. Jen manages the technical side of the Horror Spotlight website. She also keeps a spotlight on new diverse horror releases, middle grade horror, and young adult horror each month.

You can also find Jen on her blog Book Den, Twitter as @bookden, Instagram as @bookdenjen, on Goodreads, and Letterboxd.








Cassie is one of our contributing reviewers and contributes website content. Find her online at her website ctrlaltcassie.com, Twitter as @ctrlaltcassie, Instagram as @readinginaprism, or over at her Etsy store, where she has amazing original art prints, cross stitch kits, bookmarks, and more!


Wednesday, October 26, 2022

The Drowned Heir by Jennifer R. Donohue

Today Teresa recommends a novella by author Jennifer R. Donohue. We hope you check it out!



The Drowned Heir by Jennifer R.Donohue

"When her uncle dies at sea, a third child with no place in society undergoes a ceremony to house his spirit and take his role, diminishing the family’s loss. But her uncle’s spirit hasn’t settled the way it’s supposed to, and will not content itself with shore-bound business. Her uncle’s spirit insists, angrily, that it was not just a storm that killed him and wrecked his ship, not a rogue wave; it was an unthinkably large monster.

Then his lover comes knocking with news of an adult son who has set sail along the same shipping lane, and dead uncle and living niece must work together to save a son neither of them knew existed.The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar in this brilliantly disturbing thriller from Camilla Sten, an electrifying new voice in suspense.

Goodreads  |  Bookshop 


Teresa's Review


I need to say this first thing: I am a third child who technically has no place in society and I cannot even imagine being forced to take on the spirit of any of my uncles.  Yuck, and no thank you. Don’t get me wrong, my uncles are lovely guys. They got to live their lives, and I want my own.  But, that is the done thing in this society of The Drowned Heir.  They have built their culture on it, their magic system works around it.  And the concept here is interesting and cool. And watching the two very separate beings become one is fascinating. And, this third child who was really once nothing and had no prospects is now one of the most respected members of the community.  The world created for this novella is rich, and deep, and so much is accomplished in such a short amount of space.  You can feel the creak of the boards beneath your feet, feel the crash of the ocean waves against the ship.  And you can feel your own soul being torn between two different destinies.  The rest you have to read for yourself.  Novellas are compact in nature, and the more said, the worse.

I am not here to categorize anything for anyone, but for me, this was more Dark Fantasy than horror.  Sure, here there be monsters, and being a young woman who has to live with her uncle in her head is a true horror, but I enjoyed the story more for the world building.  I really liked the read.  It was compelling and I wanted more, not because the story wasn’t satisfying, it absolutely is, I just wanted to stay in this world that Jennifer created just a wee bit longer.

And, P.S.  I am not really a big fan of company, but I also kind of want to be one of the Aunties in this  story- come drink a cuppa with me and let’s chat.      




Thank you for joining us today! Please share your thoughts in the comments about The Drowned Heir and/or any recent reads you've been enjoying.

We are currently accepting horror fiction and horror adjacent fiction written by diverse authors in print and epub format ONLY. If this is you, please visit our review submission page here.




Teresa is a contributing reviewer and runs our Shelf Edition feature each month. You can find Teresa on Goodreads, on Twitter as @teresa_ardrey, when she's not hiding in a corn maze.

Friday, October 21, 2022

Lute by Jennifer Thorne Review

Today Heather recommends a brand new release from TorNightfire and Jennifer Thorne!




Lute by Jennifer Thorne

Wicker Man meets Final Destination in Jennifer Thorne's atmospheric, unsettling folk horror novel about love, duty, and community.

On the idyllic island of Lute, every seventh summer, seven people die. No more, no less.

Lute and its inhabitants are blessed, year after year, with good weather, good health, and good fortune. They live a happy, superior life, untouched by the war that rages all around them. So it’s only fair that every seven years, on the day of the tithe, the island’s gift is honored.

Nina Treadway is new to The Day. A Florida girl by birth, she became a Lady through her marriage to Lord Treadway, whose family has long protected the island. Nina’s heard about The Day, of course. Heard about the horrific tragedies, the lives lost, but she doesn’t believe in it. It's all superstitious nonsense. Stories told to keep newcomers at bay and youngsters in line.

Then The Day begins. And it's a day of nightmares, of grief, of reckoning. But it is also a day of community. Of survival and strength. Of love, at its most pure and untamed. When The Day ends, Nina―and Lute―will never be the same.

Amazon | Goodreads | Bookshop


Heather's Review


This is a beautiful island getaway where you can't outrun death.

Only 7 people have to die. No more and no less. It would be my luck though I would be in the 7.

The characters all have a lot of grief and personal baggage. They range from being annoying and really helpless to being awesome and saving lives.

The island does seem cool other than the murdering and death and everyone seems to have a good time. If you are looking for a fun little story where you slowly watch the people lose their minds this is a good one.



Thank you for joining us today! Please share your thoughts about Lute and any recent reads in the comments below.

We are currently accepting horror fiction and horror adjacent fiction written by diverse authors in print and epub format ONLY. If this is you, please visit our review submission page here.




Heather is a contributing reviewer and will be helping out with various projects. Find her online at Goodreads, Twitter as @HSquared_13, and on Instagram as @h.hellion.


Thursday, October 20, 2022

Spotlight on New Releases: October 20

Welcome to our Spotlight on New Releases where we shine a spotlight on a few horror books being released each week!

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew

The Raven Boys meets Ninth House in the most exciting debut of 2022 -- a dark, atmospheric fantasy about a Deaf college student with a peculiar connection to the afterlife.

Delaney Meyers-Petrov is tired of being seen as fragile just because she's Deaf. So when she's accepted into a prestigious program at Godbole University that trains students to slip between parallel worlds, she's excited for the chance to prove herself. But her semester gets off to a rocky start as she faces professors who won't accommodate her disability, and a pretentious upperclassman fascinated by Delaney's unusual talents.

Colton Price died when he was nine years old. Quite impossibly, he woke several weeks later at the feet of a green-eyed little girl. Now, twelve years later, Delaney Meyers-Petrov has stumbled back into his orbit, but Colton's been ordered to keep far away from the new girl... and the voices she hears calling to her from the shadows.

Delaney wants to keep her distance from Colton -- she seems to be the only person on campus who finds him more arrogant than charming -- yet after a Godbole student turns up dead, she and Colton are forced to form a tenuous alliance, plummeting down a rabbit-hole of deeply buried university secrets. But Delaney and Colton discover the cost of opening the doors between worlds when they find themselves up against something old and nameless, an enemy they need to destroy before it tears them -- and their forbidden partnership -- apart.

Published October 18th 2022 by Scholastic Press | Goodreads | Amazon


One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

Published September 27th 2022 by Orbit | Goodreads | Amazon


Where Black Stars Rise by Nadia Shammas and Marie Enger

Where Black Stars Rise by Nadia Shammas and Marie Enger

Nadia Shammas and Marie Enger's Where Black Stars Rise is an eldritch horror graphic novel that explores mental illness and diaspora, set in modern-day Brooklyn.

Dr. Amal Robardin, a Lebanese immigrant and a therapist in training, finds herself out of her depth when her first client, Yasmin, a schizophrenic, is visited by a nightly malevolent presence that seems all too real.

Yasmin becomes obsessed with Robert Chambers’ classic horror story collection The King in Yellow. Messages she finds in the book lead Yasmin to disappear, seeking answers she can’t find in therapy.

Amal attempts to retrace her patient’s last steps—and accidentally slips through dimensions, ending up in Carcosa, realm of the King in Yellow. Determined to find her way out, Amal enlists the help of a mysterious guide.

Can Amal save Yasmin? Or are they both trapped forever?

“Strange is the night where black stars rise, and strange moons circle through the skies. But stranger still is lost Carcosa...” The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

Published October 18th 2022 by Tor Nightfire | Goodreads | Amazon



Jen is one of our Horror Spotlight admins. Jen manages the technical side of the Horror Spotlight website. She also keeps a spotlight on new diverse horror releases, middle grade horror, and young adult horror each month.

You can also find Jen on her blog Book Den, Twitter as @bookden, Instagram as @bookdenjen, on Goodreads, and Letterboxd.

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Blood Mountain by Brenda S. Tolian

Today Laurie recommends Blood Mountain by Brenda S. Tolian. We hope you check out this mosaic of grisly tales!




Blood Mountain by Brenda S. Tolian

"In this mosaic of Southwestern Gothic Horror, a primordial goddess awakens deep within the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The mountain hungers for revenge as invaders leave her emaciated with their greed and brutality. She cries out for blood, infusing the minds of those who do not belong—twisting them outwardly into the dark forms of their true intentions.

An Under Sheriff struggles to grasp brittle threads of hope within the valley and mountains, his soul tormented by the unanswered questions of crimes he can’t explain and the dead and missing he could not help. The demented Red Women fracture the meaning of being maiden, mother, and crone within the shadows of twisted belief systems. Men and women devolve into the grotesque, drowning in their greed and violence transmuting into creatures too hideous to name. Others find seduction on her rocky hips and release within the baptism of her blood. The valley steeped in cults and crime hides something dark, where mirage plays with the senses, disappearances go unexplained, UFOs and creatures await watching in hunger.

This composite novel of interwoven stories and brief vignettes invites the reader to hear the hypnotic call of the Blood Mountain. Will she ask you into her vortex or swallow you whole? "

Amazon | Goodreads | Bookshop


Laurie's Review


Blood Mountain is a book of interwoven short stories that together make a complete tale of a mountain that has seen some disturbing and frightful sights. The title tells no lies, that’s for sure!

An Under Sheriff recounts tales his grandfather was told and recalls the horrible events he himself witnessed as he contemplates a round of Russian roulette.

Yeah, this book is a little bleak at times. I read it in between some lighter fare which was the way to go for me. I enjoyed all of the stories, there weren’t any duds, but some of them were very heavy - I’m going to mention my favorites.

Blood Mountain
This story opens the book and sets the tone of things to come. A group of greedy and foolish prospectors intent on raping and pillaging the mountain for their own gain find more than they bargained for! Oh, the brutality but it was well deserved if you’re asking me.

The Stone Mother
This story goes to show that women can and are just as evil as men in their agendas. A young woman who doesn’t want to be tied down with babies decides to say fuck it all and refuses to fall in line. This one is bleak and as dark as they get. The “Red Women” who show up time and again in these stories are such a disturbing creation.

Slaughter Lodge
A man gets away with murder, or at least that’s what he thinks because Of Course he does but the bones of his victims are angry, and they will never forget. Another painful traumatic story fueled by blood and anger. Powerful stuff.

Snake Man
A man with a backseat full of rattlesnakes gets himself into a bit of a ridiculous dilemma. He’s having the worst day ever, honestly. This was quite comical (if you have a morbid and dark sense of humor) and I always appreciate brief moments of levity in a collection this heavy. This poor mountain has seen such sights 😳🩸!

Ink Poison
This one is gruesome and filled with grief and I found it genuinely scary. You should READ IT. I don’t think you will be disappointed, it’s so incredibly well written but if you are don’t come back here to yell at me.

The Turning of Tsetah Dibe
On a snowy night, a man faces the sins of his past as he’s thrust into the hell he deserves! It’s always glorious when this happens.

What Remains
The horrible Red Women make another appearance exposing more of their disgusting deeds in this story. They’re the worst. But this time things don’t go exactly to plan. Too bad, so sad bitches. I loved the vengeance happening in this one. Yep, I sure did.

Seraphim
A young woman returns to the mountain for a devastating reason and finds a mystery and ultimately a beautiful redemption. I think this story might’ve been my favorite and it was the absolute perfect way to close out this book about a mountain and all of its terrible secrets.

Highly recommended!



Thank you for joining us today! Please share your recent reads with us in the comments below.

We are currently accepting horror fiction and horror adjacent fiction written by diverse authors in print and epub format ONLY. If this is you, please visit our review submission page here.



Laurie is one of our Horror Spotlight Admins. Laurie creates our review posts and coordinates review requests.

You can find Laurie on her blog Bark’s Book Nonsense, on Twitter as @barksbooks, on Instagram as @barksbooks, and on Goodreads.

Friday, October 14, 2022

New Release Spotlight: October 14

Welcome to New Release Spotlight where we shine a spotlight on a few of the diverse horror books being released each week!

Little Eve by Catriona Ward

Little Eve by Catriona Ward

From Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street, comes the Shirley Jackson Award-winning novel Little Eve

“A great day is upon us. He is coming. The world will be washed away.”

On the wind-battered isle of Altnaharra, off the wildest coast of Scotland, a clan prepares to bring about the end of the world and its imminent rebirth.

The Adder is coming and one of their number will inherit its powers. They all want the honor, but young Eve is willing to do anything for the distinction.

A reckoning beyond Eve’s imagination begins when Chief Inspector Black arrives to investigate a brutal murder and their sacred ceremony goes terribly wrong.

And soon all the secrets of Altnaharra will be uncovered.

Published October 11th 2022 by Tor Nightfire | Goodreads | Amazon


Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez, Megan McDowell (translator)

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell

His father could find what was lost. His father knew when someone was going to die. His father had talked to him about the dead who rode in on the wind. The dead travel fast.

Gaspar is six years old when the Order first come for him.

For years, they have exploited his father’s ability to commune with the dead and the demonic, presiding over macabre rituals where the unwanted and the disappeared are tortured and executed, sacrificed to the Darkness. Now they want a successor.

Nothing will stop the Order, nothing is beyond them. Surrounded by horrors, can Gaspar break free?

Spanning the brutal decades of Argentina’s military dictatorship and its aftermath, Our Share of Night is a haunting, thrilling novel of broken families, cursed inheritances, and the sacrifices a father will make to help his son escape his destiny.

Published October 13th 2022 by Granta Books | Goodreads | Amazon


When the Night Bells Ring by Jo Kaplan

When the Night Bells Ring by Jo Kaplan

Don't awaken what sleeps in the dark.

In a future ravaged by fire and drought, two climate refugees ride their motorcycles across the wasteland of the western US, and stumble upon an old silver mine. Descending into the cool darkness of the caved-in tunnels in desperate search of water, the two women find Lavinia Cain’s diary, a settler in search of prosperity who brought her family to Nevada in the late 1860s.

But Lavinia and the settlers of the Western town discovered something monstrous that dwells in the depths of the mine, something that does not want greedy prospectors disturbing the earth. Whispers of curses and phantom figures haunt the diary, and now, over 150 years later, trapped and injured in the abandoned mine, the women discover they’re not alone . . . with no easy way out.

The monsters are still here—and they’re thirsty.

Published October 11th 2022 by CamCat Books | Goodreads | Amazon



Jen is one of our Horror Spotlight admins. Jen manages the technical side of the Horror Spotlight website. She also keeps a spotlight on new diverse horror releases, middle grade horror, and young adult horror each month.

You can also find Jen on her blog Book Den, Twitter as @bookden, Instagram as @bookdenjen, on Goodreads, and Letterboxd.

Thursday, October 13, 2022

Shelf Edition: Laurel Hightower

Shelf Edition: Laurel Hightower

Today we welcome Laurel Hightower to Horror Spotlight to share her shelfies!


Do you have any recent favorite Horror Spotlight books?                                                 

Almost too many to list! Right now I’m reading HELL HATH NO SORROW LIKE A WOMAN HAUNTED by RJ Joseph, and it’s a fantastic collection, very atmospheric and haunting. I recently read CROM CRUACH by Valkyrie Loughcrewe, and I’ve been shouting it from the rooftops—it’s written in verse, essentially, but in a way that’s very accessible. Totally enthralling and disturbing, I almost felt like it was one of those books that casts a spell on you, so you’re not the same reader on the other side. And THIS IS WHERE WE TALK THINGS OUT by Caitlin Marceau—holy hell. Psychological horror to the nth degree—I’m usually more of a fan of supernatural, but that little book left me utterly horrified. 



Which Horror Spotlight books do you currently have on your TBR?

Now that’s definitely too many to list, but I’m excited for NO GODS FOR DROWNING by Hailey Piper, FULL IMMERSION by Gemma Amor, and ALIEN: VASQUEZ by V. Castro. Mona Kabbini’s new one, FOR YOU, looks amazing, and Kelly Barnhill’s WHEN WOMEN WERE DRAGONS is on my wishlist. I’m also delighted to have saved a collection of S.H. Cooper’s to savor during the Halloween season—CORPSE GARDEN is the only one of hers I haven’t read, and I love her short fiction. I’m also hoping to get to GHOST SUMMER by Tananrive Due—I loved THE GOOD HOUSE and having been itching for more of her work.

Where do you find recommendations? Are there any Horror Spotlight books that have been recommended to you that you loved?

At this point a lot of them come simply from knowing the authors themselves. Any time Hailey Piper or Samantha Kolesnik or Eve Harms or a number of others come out with a new one, it’s an auto buy. I discovered Hailey’s work through Ladies of Horror Fiction—I picked up THE POSSESSION OF NATALIE GLASGOW based on a list they provided, and was just enthralled. There’s something so delightful about having a ream of authors you can trust will always provide a great read. Beyond that, I pay attention to when reviewers, especially Horror Spotlight, promote diverse voices I may not have heard of. Reading diversely can take a bit of effort, solely because it’s often not what’s most readily available on a bookstore shelf, but it’s infinitely worth it. We know each other best by our stories, and I’ve uncovered all new terrors I never knew existed. 



Where do you prefer to shop for books?

A lot of what I want to read isn’t carried in my local bookstores, so if I can’t find them at Joseph Beth (Lexington’s big indie bookshop) I like to order from bookshop.org or Thrift Books. I’m also definitely guilty of ordering from The Zon, but I usually check a few other avenues first, especially direct from the publisher’s site or the author themselves. I’m excited to get to visit some of the amazing bookstores who’ve been tirelessly promoting indie horror, as well—Little Ghosts, Bucket of Blood, several of the Barnes & Nobles in other cities, and this fall we’ll be getting Butcher Cabin Books in Louisville—I can’t wait to give them all my money, lol.

Are there any upcoming Horror Spotlight releases you're excited about?

So many! BOUND FEET by Kelsea Yu just released this week, and as soon as I get paid I’m grabbing a copy. THE SPITE HOUSE by Johnny Compton looks amazing, as does THE SHOEMAKER’S MAGICIAN, Cina Pelayo’s follow up to the marvelous CHILDREN OF CHICAGO. And I have been dying to read Donyae Cole’s upcoming Gothic novella, MIDNIGHT ROOMS.


In regards to your own work, tell our readers a little bit about what’s new and/or coming up for you.

My Mothman novella BELOW was released in March of this year through Ghoulish Books, and that’s been a fun ride so far. I’ll have a collection entitled EVERY WOMAN KNOWS THIS coming out first quarter of 2023 through Red Lagoe’s new imprint, DEATH KNELL PRESS, and my second novel, SILENT KEY, is slated for release next fall through Flame Tree. On top of that, I’ve got a couple novellas in the works I’m hoping to put out next year, as well as two collabs, and a project with two additional authors that’s going to be lots of fun.

Where can people find you on social media and/or find your work?

I’m almost always on Twitter (in fact, come tell me to log off if you see me on there) and my handle is @hightowerlaurel . I’m also recently on TikTok, @laurelhightower, and sometimes lurk on Instagram, though not as much. My work is available through the publisher websites, of course, as well as Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and a number of brick and mortar retailers.


Links:
www.laurelhightower.com
https://www.offlimitspress.com/laurel-hightower
https://perpetualpublishing.com/product/below/
http://journalstone.com/bookstore/whispers-in-the-dark/
https://bookshop.org/books?keywords=laurel+hightower






If you would like to be featured on a future Shelf Edition please leave a note in the comments. We'd love to see your shelves!




Teresa creates the Shelf Edition posts and is a contributing reviewer at Horror Spotlight. You can find Teresa on Goodreads, on Twitter and at Divination Hollow.

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten, translated by Alexandra Fleming Review

Today Cassie recommends The Lost Village by Camilla Sten, translated by Alexandra Fleming. We hope you'll check it out! 




The Lost Village by Camilla Sten, translated by Alexandra Fleming

"The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar in this brilliantly disturbing thriller from Camilla Sten, an electrifying new voice in suspense.

Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left—a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn—have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.

But there will be no turning back.

Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice:

They are not alone.

They’re looking for the truth…

But what if it finds them first?"

Amazon | Goodreads  |  Bookshop 


Cassie's Review

“Recovered, in recovery, or struggling, we are still people. Sometimes that truth can feel like a fever dream.”

What is it about lost villages or colonies that's so intriguing? From Roanoke and beyond, the idea of a group of people mysteriously vanishing without a trace or cause is so unsettling that when I know it's a theme being explored in books or movies, I rush to them first.

Another theme or trope I really enjoy are film crews going to spooky locales with the intention of making a movie or uncovering some sort of mystery - it always leads to bad stuff happening, but these folks keep doing it anyway!

This one is a combination of the two things I love in horror, which is why I knew I had to read it right away. Originally written in Swedish, The Lost Village follows Alice, a documentarian determined to uncover the secrets of the old mining town from which her grandmother's family and almost all of the rest of the town's residents disappeared.

The atmosphere is steeped in spooky dread and creepy vibes, and I felt like I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen to Alice and the rest of her crew members next. It doesn't take long after starting the story to get into the scary stuff, which continues to ramp up until the very end!

This one has a lot of themes of mental illness (not always handled in a positive way), so I definitely recommend looking into the content warnings if you find that you might need them.




Thank you for joining us today! Please share your thoughts in the comments about The Lost Village and/or any recent reads you've been enjoying.

We are currently accepting horror fiction and horror adjacent fiction written by diverse authors in print and epub format ONLY. If this is you, please visit our review submission page here.






Cassie is one of our contributing reviewers and contributes website content. Find her online at her website ctrlaltcassie.com, Twitter as @ctrlaltcassie, Instagram as @readinginaprism, or over at her Etsy store, where she has amazing original art prints, cross stitch kits, bookmarks, and more!


Friday, October 7, 2022

The Next Time You See Me I'll Probably Be Dead by C.V. Hunt Review

Today Alex recommends The Next Time You See Me I'll Probably Be Dead by C.V. Hunt. We hope you'll check it out! 




The Next Time You See Me I'll Probably Be Dead by C.V. Hunt

"The Next Time You See Me I’ll Probably Be Dead is a collection of short stories by author C.V. Hunt. A cursed mailbox, something from the depths of the ocean, a dating app encounter gone very wrong, an urban legend come to life, a haunted attraction that isn’t what it seems, and a musician’s first performance that may be their last are what you’ll encounter in this collection."

Amazon | Goodreads  


Alex's Review

C.V. Hunt has put together a fun, creepy, and weird collection of short stories with THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE ME I'LL PROBABLY BE DEAD. The opening story about a spooky Halloween store with 90s tech was really wonderful and set the tone for me to devour the rest of this collection. We get some possessed/haunted mailbox horror, vaginal terror, online dating gone awry, and more!

Each story had a moment that made me thankful I am comfortable, safe, happy, and healthy on my own couch in my locked house with a cup of tea. I would love to see some of these extended to a longer story/novella/novel. And that is when I know a short story works for me: when I can appreciate and love the story for what it is but a piece of me wants to be reading on it even more.

Hunt's collection here is so fun and I think everyone will find more than one story they love!




Thank you for joining us today! Please share your thoughts in the comments about The Next Time You See Me I'll Probably Be Dead and/or any recent reads you've been enjoying.

We are currently accepting horror fiction and horror adjacent fiction written by diverse authors in print and epub format ONLY. If this is you, please visit our review submission page here.




Alex is a Horror Spotlight contributing reviewer. You can find Alex on Goodreads, on Twitter as @finding_montauk and on Instagram as @findingmontauk1.


Wednesday, October 5, 2022

The Invention of Ghosts by Gwendolyn Kiste

Today Cassie recommends The Invention of Ghosts by Gwendolyn Kiste. We hope you'll check it out! 




The Invention of Ghosts by Gwendolyn Kiste

"It starts with rapping in the ceiling and spirit boards that know them a little too well.

Everly and her best friend aren’t your typical college students. Instead of raucous Saturday night parties, they spend their weekends conjuring up things from the beyond. Ectoplasm, levitation, death photography - you name it, and Everly knows all about it. But while this obsession with the supernatural is only supposed to be in good fun, the girls soon discover themselves drifting deeper into magic and further from each other. Then when one evening ends with an inadvertently broken promise, everything they’ve ever known is shattered in an instant, sending them spiraling into a surreal haunting. Now Everly must learn how to control the spectral forces she’s unleashed if she wants any chance of escaping a ghost more dangerous than all the witchcraft she can summon.

From the Nightscape Press Charitable Chapbooks line (one third of all sales of this chapbook will go to support the National Aviary), a tale of the occult, unlikely phantoms, and complicated friendships, The Invention of Ghosts is the latest strange vision from the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rust Maidens."

Amazon | Goodreads |  Bookshop


Cassie's Review

"Were their pills and pens and empty promises really stronger than me? Because nobody weak had ever survived so long shackled to a ghost like you."

Gwendolyn Kiste is one of my most highly rated auto-buy authors; I've read 3 or 4 other books by her so far, and will keep grabbing every new one she writes because I've never given any of them less than 5 stars.

The Invention of Ghosts is a story about friendship and sadness; it's about not fitting in until you do, and then doing everything you can not to slip back from that safe place you've found. There are themes of healing and longing, and it's incredible that the author packs so many different things into such a short number of pages. I love stories about friendships, especially between girls, and this one was so well done - the vibes, the atmosphere, the writing, all of it beautiful. Highly recommend.


Thank you for joining us today! Please share your thoughts about The Invention of Ghosts and any recent reads in the comments below.

We are currently accepting horror fiction and horror adjacent fiction written by diverse authors in print and epub format ONLY. If this is you, please visit our review submission page here.





Cassie is one of our reviewers and also contributes website content. Find her online at her website ctrlaltcassie.com, Twitter as @ctrlaltcassie, Instagram as @readinginaprism, or over at her Etsy store, where she has amazing original art prints, cross stitch kits, bookmarks, and more!

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

New Release Spotlight: October 4

Welcome to New Release Spotlight where we shine a spotlight on a few of the diverse horror books being released each week!

The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce

The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce

The Witch in the Well is a dark Norwegian thriller from Camilla Bruce, author of You Let Me In.

When two former friends reunite after decades apart, their grudges, flawed ambitions, and shared obsession swirl into an all-too-real echo of a terrible town legend.

Centuries ago, beautiful young Ilsbeth Clark was accused of witchcraft after several children disappeared. Her acquittal did nothing to stop her fellow townsfolk from drowning her in the well where the missing children were last seen.

When author and social media influencer Elena returns to the summer paradise of her youth to get her family's manor house ready to sell, the last thing she expected was connecting with—and feeling inspired to write about—Ilsbeth’s infamous spirit. The very historical figure that her ex-childhood friend, Cathy, has been diligently researching and writing about for years.

What begins as a fiercely competitive sense of ownership over Ilsbeth and her story soon turns both women’s worlds into something more haunted and dangerous than they could ever imagine.

Expected publication: October 4th 2022 by Tor Books | Goodreads | Amazon


Lute by Jennifer Marie Thorne

Lute by Jennifer Marie Thorne

The Wicker Man meets Final Destination in this atmospheric, unsettling folk horror novel about love, duty, and community.

On the idyllic island of Lute, every seventh summer, seven people die. No more, no less.

Lute and its inhabitants are blessed, year after year, with good weather, good health, and good fortune. They live a happy, superior life, untouched by the war that rages all around them. So it’s only fair that every seven years, on the day of the tithe, the island’s gift is honored.

Nina Treadway is new to The Day. A Florida girl by birth, she became a Lady through her marriage to Lord Treadway, whose family has long protected the island. Nina’s heard about The Day, of course. Heard about the horrific tragedies, the lives lost, but she doesn’t believe in it. It’s all superstitious nonsense. Stories told to keep newcomers at bay and youngsters in line.

But then The Day begins. And it’s a day of nightmares, of grief, of reckoning. But it is also a day of community. Of survival and strength. Of love, at its most pure and untamed. When The Day ends, Nina—and Lute—will never be the same.

Expected publication: October 4th 2022 by Tor Nightfire | Goodreads | Amazon


Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison

Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison

A young woman in need of a transformation finds herself in touch with the animal inside in this gripping, incisive novel from the author of Cackle and The Return.

Rory Morris isn't thrilled to be moving back to her hometown, even if it is temporary. There are bad memories there. But her twin sister, Scarlett, is pregnant, estranged from the baby's father, and needs support, so Rory returns to the place she thought she'd put in her rearview. After a night out at a bar where she runs into an old almost-flame, she hits a large animal with her car. And when she gets out to investigate, she's attacked.

Rory survives, miraculously, but life begins to look and feel different. She's unnaturally strong, with an aversion to silver--and suddenly the moon has her in its thrall. She's changing into someone else--something else, maybe even a monster. But does that mean she's putting those close to her in danger? Or is embracing the wildness inside of her the key to acceptance?

This darkly comedic love story is a brilliantly layered portrait of trauma, rage, and vulnerability.

Expected publication: October 4th 2022 by Berkley Books | Goodreads | Amazon



Jen is one of our Horror Spotlight admins. Jen manages the technical side of the Horror Spotlight website. She also keeps a spotlight on new diverse horror releases, middle grade horror, and young adult horror each month.

You can also find Jen on her blog Book Den, Twitter as @bookden, Instagram as @bookdenjen, on Goodreads, and Letterboxd.

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