2024 releases

Review: The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

~ megs14malloy

The Last One at the Wedding is the latest from Jason Rekulak, author of the well-received, 2022-release, [book:Hidden Pictures|58724923].

I really enjoyed the overall vibes of Hidden Pictures and was excited to see what Rekulak would deliver with this next release. I never even read the full synopsis, TBH, the author’s name alone was enough to sell it to me.

In this story we follow Frank Szatowski, a veteran UPS-driver from rural Pennsylvania. Frank is a widower who lives alone. Sadly, he’s been estranged from his daughter, Maggie, for the past three years.

Maggie left her hometown for college and never returned. She’s always been very driven and now has a successful career in tech and lives in Boston.

Frank is shocked when he receives a call from Maggie out of the blue, not just because of the fact that she’s calling, but because of her news. She’s getting married and she wants Frank to be there.

Determined to make things right with his only child, Frank readily agrees. He’s excited to meet his future son-in-law, Aidan Gardner, and get to know his family. Who is this man who seems to have swept his daughter off her feet?

The weekend-long event is set to take place at a lakeside estate in New Hampshire, owned by the Gardners. As it turns out, Aidan’s father is a titan in the tech industry and the family is ridiculously wealthy.

Even though that level of wealth tends to make Frank uncomfortable, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to reconnect with Maggie. Thus, he makes the long road trip, along with his sister, Tammy, and her foster child, Abigail, with good intentions.

Arriving in New Hampshire, Frank has a couple of interactions with some locals that leave him unsettled. They seem downright hostile towards the Gardners, and rumors swirling around Aidan seem to be at the heart of it.

The property itself is a virtual fortress, complete with intimidating security personnel. Frank tries to relax and just be there for Maggie, but it’s not going well. She seems too busy for him. In fact, his presence seems merely perfunctory.

Frank tries not to let it all affect him, but he is highly suspicious of the Gardner family, and seems to get more suspicious with every forced interaction. What exactly is going on here, and is Maggie in over her head?

It was so easy to get engrossed in this story. I loved Frank from the start and hearing everything from his perspective. I listened to the audiobook and the narration by John Pirhalla truly brought Frank to life.

It’s unclear in the beginning what has gone on in the past between Frank and Maggie; you know of their estrangement, but not how it ended up at that point. I liked the way the author chose to play out that part of the narrative.

There’s also so much mystery surrounding the Gardner family and the depth of Maggie’s involvement in the family affairs. It felt dangerous, even without openly knowing why.

The mystery involving the locals though was really where my brain started to stand at full attention. There’s a missing local girl, who was allegedly dating Aidan, though he denies it.

Frank has communications with them that lead him to believe they’re telling the truth, but everyone in the Gardner family denies involvement of any kind. Scared for his daughter’s safety, Frank can’t let it go and continues to dig.

There are some crazy reveals and I loved getting caught up in all the suspense. There are some characters that are a lot of fun to hate as well. Rekulak created some strong villains here!

I had such a great time going on this journey with Frank. This is a completely different feel to Hidden Pictures, but I actually enjoyed this one even more. I loved the character work, the setting and the non-stop level of intrigue.

While subtle at times, and a bit of a slower burn, I think this is a very well developed story that a lot of Readers will enjoy. I definitely recommend the audiobook as well. It was very well done.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I’ve had a great relationship with Rekulak so far, and I cannot wait for more!!

Review: Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker

~ megs14malloy

Come Out, Come OutCome Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

This book has so much to offer, including great rep and an unsettling atmosphere. I really enjoyed meeting these characters and going along on this journey with them.

It was always easy, actually it mostly wasn’t easy, but I appreciated how Fern and Jaq both grew over the course of the story. There was some great messaging involved with both of their stories.

I also felt it was a nice balance between the Horror elements and the Contemporary elements. For me, certain issues, mainly the Horror bits, were wrapped up a little too easily, but overall, a strong Queer YA Horror novel!!

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Review: What We’ll Burn Last by Heather Chavez

~ megs14malloy

What We'll Burn LastWhat We’ll Burn Last by Heather Chavez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

I always look forward to new releases from Heather Chavez. After I finish one, I’m immediately on her author page, checking to see if there’s info on the next release.

What We’ll Burn Last is her 2024-release and it follows a few different perspectives. It’s set in California and is a Missing Persons-based Thriller. Our main perspectives are Leyna, Meredith and Olivia.

Leyna was my favorite. She had an older sister, Grace, who went missing years before. At the beginning of this story, she has an interaction with a young woman that stirs all sorts of memories about Grace.

Shortly thereafter, she sees the news that this young lady, Ellie, has disappeared. Not only did Ellie greatly resemble Grace at the time of her disappearance, but she also went missing from the same spot that Grace did. This cannot be a coincidence, can it?

Leyna has been active on true crime forums since Grace disappeared and she uses those platforms to begin to dig into Ellie’s case. This string of events eventually leads her back to the hometown she left years prior and back into the circle of people she’s been trying to avoid.

Her Mom, Meredith, is a hard perspective to follow. She wasn’t likable, but I never feel like I need to like a character in order to enjoy their perspective, but I will admit to finding Meredith’s POV to be a real slog.

We also follow a woman named Olivia. She is the Mom of Grace’s boyfriend, Adam. Boyfriend, as in, they were a couple at the time that Grace went missing. By-the-by, Adam went missing at the same time. The two families have been at odds ever since.

You follow along with these three perspectives as the truth about the past, about what happened to Grace and Adam, as well as the current mystery of Ellie, and the drama between the two families is all worked out.

Honestly, it was a lot to follow. I really enjoyed the first half. As mentioned above, I had a great time following Leyna’s perspective. The beginning was so intriguing, as she met Ellie and then learned of her disappearance.

This stemmed her investigation into Ellie, and it also rekindled her interest in what happened to her sister. This brought her back to her hometown. The trope of an MC returning to a hometown after a long period of time away, to look into some old mystery, is one of my favorites.

Unfortunately for me, the other perspectives brought this story down for me. They weren’t as interesting to me as Leyna and my mind began to wander during their sections.

By the 60%-point, my interest was down. Whereas one would think my interest would only increase as the story went along, that really wasn’t the case here.

I still feel like this is a solid story and that first half was def a 4-star read for me, but I had to drop my rating a bit, as went my level of interest, in the later half.

With this being said, even though this wasn’t my favorite of her books, I’m already chomping at the bit to see what Chavez is going to deliver us next.

In comparison to her earlier books, I didn’t find this one quite as pulse-pounding, but I still feel like it had a good plot and included strong character work.

I did like the setting and the initial build-up of the mystery as well. It did bring to mind the real-life tragedy of Gabby Petito, and that case was mentioned briefly within this story. I’m not sure if that case inspired Chavez to write this or not, but the relationship between Grace and Adam did have a similar vibe.

At the end of the day, this is a solid Missing Persons Thriller and I would encourage others to pick it up. I think if you’re able to connect in some way to all three perspectives, this could be a very intriguing read for you.

Thank you to the publisher, Mulholland Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Chavez is a gifted writer and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

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Review: Don’t Eat the Pie by Monique Asher

~ megs14malloy

Don't Eat the PieDon’t Eat the Pie by Monique Asher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Don’t Eat the Pie is an intriguing Horror story following a mother-daughter duo, Sam and Emma.

This book features a mysterious atmosphere, creepy characters, and luckily, quite a few tropes I tend to enjoy.

I’ve read a few reviews of this novel and many mention comps to Rosemary’s Baby. I absolutely see that, but I would add that it’s Rosemary’s Baby mixed with The Skeleton Key.

Do y’all remember that movie? It released in 2005 and starred the beautiful, Kate Hudson; set in New Orleans and contained some great supernatural Folk Horror elements. This book was definitely giving me all that.

The Southern Gothic vibes, the protagonists being new to town, the locals behaving strangely, particularly on the home-front. It’s all very intriguing and definitely succeeded in pulling me in.

It’s set on Camillia Island and the island helped add to the mystery. I think it’s mentioned that like only around 40-people actually reside there, so it’s super small and feels very remote; not a lot of outside influence.

Sam and Emma move there after Sam marries Ben, and his mom, who lives on the island gets sick. Emma wasn’t thrilled about the move, but it’s padded a bit by one of her friends, as well as her Aunt and cousin, going along for a bit; at least for the Summer.

I liked the back and forth of the perspectives between Sam and Emma. It really helped to build out their relationship, as well as their current circumstances.

They were both experiencing different things on Camilia Island and it was the totality of their experiences that really created the suspense and mystery.

I felt the author did a great job of creating a sense of danger within this atmosphere. It felt unsettling, even when you weren’t sure what you were really being unsettled by and I love that sort of reading experience.

The audiobook does have dual narration, which is perfect for providing distinction between Emma and Sam. I liked that aspect as it made me feel like I was actually listening to the two women tell their story.

While some parts felt a little drawn out, and certain details towards the end got a little muddled, overall, I had a great time with this story. It kept me on my toes.

I’ve never read from this author before, but I would definitely be interested in picking up more of their work. Particularly, if they have this same dark Southern atmosphere. We love to see it.

Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

This book deserves more buzz, and I hope it starts getting it soon. It’s a perfect Spooky Season read!!!

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Review: The Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison

~ megs14malloy

The Wedding EngagementThe Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Wedding Engagement is a Romance by Zoe Allison. This story follows MCs, Liv and Arran, and is set in Scotland.

Liv is a preschool teacher and Arran is an up-and-coming painter, as well as a single-Dad to a sweet little boy that Liv will soon have in her classroom.. Arran is Liv’s brother’s best friend, so the two have known each other for a long time.

They have a very tight knit group of friends, but when Arran occasionally needs help with his son, it’s Liv who really starts showing up for him.

Her excuse is that she doesn’t have much of a life otherwise and she doesn’t mind at all. The truth is more complex. She’s crushing hard on Arran, but yeah, also loves his son too. She wants to help him and definitely enjoys the extra time with her bro’s handsome-BFF.

Arran notices Liv showing up for him, and in truth, he’s been noticing a lot more than that. The sexual tension is boiling and their banter is just so cute.

When the two end up set-up together on a blind date, they have the opportunity to finally express what they’ve been feeling, but they both fail. Big time.

Even though it felt frustrating in the beginning, because miscommunication, this cast of characters did really grow on me. Arran was such a sweetheart and I empathized with Liv and her very real struggles and self-doubts.

I loved Arran and Liv’s banter, and more importantly, just the way they were with each other; how they considered each other’s feelings so much.

My favorite thing though was the friend group. I loved how supportive and open they all were with one another, both the men and the women.

A lot of the plot of this revolves around Liv’s brother, Sam, and his engagement and upcoming marriage to one of her best friends. Arran and Liv are both involved in the wedding planning and the stag and hen do.

I did enjoy that as well. Those types of set-ups are always fun to read about, IMO, and it helped to bring about a lot of necessary time for Arran and Liv to spend together.

Additionally, I appreciate the real-life issues that Allison explored with these MCs. For Liv, there was a lot of back story having to do with her bio-Dad and him basically being a shitbag. For Arran, there was a lot of drama involving his ex-fiance, Jess.

Granted, I don’t read a ton of Romance, but the Romance I do read and enjoy tends to tackle some heavier topics for the MCs. I need more than just sex and attraction. I want them working through things together, as a team and providing both emotional support and protection for one another.

I felt like Allison did a great job of channeling that into this story. This budding relationship had substance. I could walk away feeling like it wasn’t going to fizzle out in 8-10 years when the sexual attraction may have started to take more of a backseat in comparison with other issues.

Overall, while I’m not sure how memorable this story will be for me in the long-run, I still really enjoyed it and the journey that I went on with these characters.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is the first that I have read from this author, but I’m definitely looking forward to more.

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Review: So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison

~ megs14malloy

So ThirstySo Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars heavily rounded up**

I feel so bad. My head hurts. I have many mixed feelings on So Thirsty. I love Rachel Harrison, and her quirky Cozy Horror style, but this wasn’t great for me.

Unfortunately, I was mainly bored. It took me close to a month to finish. I just felt no sense of urgency, or compulsion to pick it up again once I had set it down.

This is the 6th-book I have read of Harrison’s, most of which I have adored, but this one is down there on the list. If not the bottom, it is close.

However, even Harrison’s slowest story for me is better than many others, so there’s that.

In this story we follow Sloane, who at the start of the tale is gifted a Girls Trip from her husband for her birthday. She, along with her best friend, Naomi, will be staying in a cozy rental cottage for the weekend.

Sloane wasn’t looking forward to her birthday, but reconnecting with Naomi, somewhere away from home does sound like a relief. Sloane and her husband have been having some issues and it’s been weighing heavily on her.

Naomi lives a completely different lifestyle, traveling the world with her rock star boyfriend, and she’s always good for a distraction.

Once there though, Sloane still doesn’t feel into it. Naomi literally has to drag the smiles out of her. It’s a struggle and their relationship seems to be feeling the strain.

The second night there, Naomi has something a little irregular in the cards for them. A house party with an attractive group of mysterious strangers.

That’s the night that will change their lives forever.

Generally with Rachel Harrison’s books, I become attached and invested in the main character. Usually, I find them highly relatable and more often than not, feel like they think, or see the world, very similarly to me.

But I just couldn’t connect with Sloane. I didn’t care for her, she felt like a rain cloud. Sadly, I couldn’t stand Naomi either. I found them both insufferable. Sloane seemed like such a Debbie Downer and Naomi was a selfish, self-centered twat the majority of the time.

I did enjoy the Horror concepts and how a lot of the action played out, I just wish it would have been with a different cast of characters.

The 4-stars are for the vampire bits and the scenes involving body horror and dangerous circumstances. I actually feel like I am being quite generous as I now sit here reflecting upon this reading experience.

Nevertheless, you can’t fault Harrison’s writing style, or her ability to create nuanced characters, whether or not I personally enjoy them. I know so many Readers have loved this one, so I feel like a lot of it will depend on how much you’re able to connect with Sloane and Naomi’s story.

I will say the first half did work more for me than the second. Around the halfway point, it started to drag, even though, one would think because of the timeline of events, the second half should have been more exciting.

I think perhaps I was just over Sloane and Naomi by then.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Regardless of how salty I sound, I do absolutely adore this author and am looking forward to reading whatever she chooses to deliver us next!

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Review: The Last Witch in Edinburgh by Marielle Thompson

~ megs14malloy

The Last Witch in EdinburghThe Last Witch in Edinburgh by Marielle Thompson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Last Witch in Edinburgh is a novel I went into wanting to know as little as possible about the plot. I had heard it had incredible atmosphere, and that was enough to sell it to me.

As the story began, I was fully immersed. It actually kicked off on my birthday, the 18th of September, but in 1824. Obviously, we are in Edinburgh and we are following Nellie Duncan, a young woman at a perilous time in her life.

Her mother is gone, she lives with her father, a drunkard, and her younger brother, who she tries her very best to care for. She’s the responsible adult in their household.

Unfortunately, Nellie loses her job after a misunderstanding with the lady of the house, who she once considered her surrogate mother. After that, Nellie is set adrift.

Not only is Nellie’s personal life in turmoil, but society itself is also a dangerous mess, with witch hunts and hangings going on left and right.

Nellie’s misunderstanding with her past employer, and her growing beauty, make her afraid of attracting the wrong attention. She keeps very much to herself, just hoping to avoid any unwanted attentiveness.

It’s while under the cover of darkness that she first comes into contact with the women from Rae’s Apothecary. Nellie ends up finding purpose and place within their shop, and maybe a little more with the enticing Jean Rae.

Thinking she’s finally found a home, Nellie’s heart is shattered when disaster strikes. She spends the next two centuries fleeing from the world.

Okay, so the initial set-up, I was so into it. I loved the setting of 1820s Edinburgh and all the dangers that Nellie was facing within her day-to-day life.

I enjoyed learning about her family and felt real empathy for her position. Once she became enmeshed in the Apothecary, things began to slow down for me. I was still enjoying it, but didn’t feel quite as engaged.

Then the shift. I didn’t know the two centuries part. It is in the synopsis, I’m not spoiling anything by telling you this, but for me, I did not anticipate that time jump.

Once I was no longer in 1820s Scotland, the magic completely disappeared for me. I appreciated the feminist topics explored, but while in the first half they were incorporated smoothly into the overall narrative, for me, the 2nd-half felt forced and too heavy-handed.

The experience for me was so split as to feel like two different stories. The first-half of the book was a solid 4-star read. The second-half, I was straight-up bored, NGL.

If I had to rate the second-half of this book on its own, it would be a 2-star. Hence why I have decided on the 3-star rating. This seems the most fair way to explain it.

I will take the blame for this. I wanted the entire thing to be atmospheric and historic, full of lush settings and period-specific dangers. When it wasn’t that, I couldn’t help but be disappointed.

I do think the author did a great job of creating the lore around this tale though. There are many strong attributes, so please don’t let my slight disappointment derail you from picking this up.

Even though this one let me down a little in the end, Marielle Thompson’s writing is beautiful and I would absolutely be interested in picking up more of their work.

Thank you to the publisher, Tantor Audio, for providing me a copy to read and review. I would highly recommend the audiobook, if you do choose to pick this up. It’s fabulously narrated by Siobhan Waring.

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Review: Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert

~ megs14malloy

Sleep TightSleep Tight by J.H. Markert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In a nutshell, Sleep Tight is a lot to work through.


Austin Powers In A Nutshell


It’s an interesting story, but it’s also hard to track. I couldn’t even attempt to guess how many character names we learned over the course of this story. It was one of those situations where I got to the end and would hear a name and be like, who’s this?

I will not even attempt to get into the actual plot with you…

I really enjoyed the initial set-up, hearing the story of Father Silence, and meeting our MC, Tess. There were also a lot of the bits towards the end were I felt fully invested, but the middle part got muddled and my attention definitely wavered because of that.

I guess I would say I felt similar with this author’s earlier two works that I’ve read: The Nightmare Man and Mister Lullaby. Markert has exciting, ambitious concepts, but I’m not sure their execution always ends up working out for me.

To be fair though, I enjoyed this more than I didn’t.

I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy Gritty Crime Thrillers that swerve into Horror territory. This one succeeds in capturing that gritty, dangerous feel and I did feel like it progressed at a fast clip throughout.

Some of the aspects of this definitely worked better for me than others, but overall, I think it’s a good book. I would also recommend the audiobook, as that was well narrated by the always fabulous Andi Arndt.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for providing me with copies to read and review.

J.H. Markert continues to intrigue me with his creative concepts and dark atmosphere. Though this wasn’t my favorite of his, I still felt it had a lot of strengths. I will def be picking up whatever he releases next!

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Review: Eynhallow by Tim McGregor

~ megs14malloy

EynhallowEynhallow by Tim McGregor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored this story. Eynhallow is a darkly-creative, visceral and heart-breaking. I read it with equal parts horror and empathy. Oh, my heart…

This book first came on my radar after seeing a few trusted Book Friends’ glowing reviews. I really didn’t look into it too deeply, I just took their word for it.

Holy moly, am I glad that I did. It’s set on Eynhallow, year 1797, in the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland. This is a desolate, and extremely remote location, with only a handful of families roughing out a life there.

As an island resident myself, I understand the challenges, but during this time period, I cannot even imagine. There’s no ferry schedule to count on when you need an escape…

I listened the audiobook, and the narration by Angela Ness, a Scottish voice actor, brought incredible authenticity to it. The main character is Agnes Tulloch, and I truly felt like she was telling me her story.

I am not going to say anything about the events of the book. I feel it is best to go in knowing as little as possible and just let it all envelope you.

I found it so easy to become fully immersed in the story. The atmosphere is rich, and honestly, quite bleak. I felt everything Agnes went through over the course of the story. The ups-and-downs, the emotional roller coaster that often felt close to derailment. I felt it.

This is the 2nd-novella that I’ve read from Tim McGregor, and it’s also the 2nd 5-star rating. His quality of writing, the attention to detail in his storytelling, his ability to channel emotion through the narrative, it’s just top notch.

I would absolutely recommend this to any Horror lover, but in particular my atmosphere girlies, fans of Classic Horror and Historical Horror lovers. You know who you are.

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Review: The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power, edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker

~ megs14malloy

The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and PowerThe White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power by Terry J. Benton-Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

💀💖💀💖💀💖💀💖💀💖💀💖💀

From the publisher:
13 SCARY STORIES. 13 AUTHORS OF COLOR.
13 TIMES WE SURVIVED THE FIRST KILL.

The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power is a YA Horror Anthology with something for every Reader.

Spoiler Alert: I loved it!

Everything from the set-up preceding the stories, to the diversity of topics, the subgenres of horror displayed, to the narration was fantastic. I def recommend the audiobook.

The stories included are as follows:

1.) All Eyes On Me by Faridah Abike-Iyimide. Buzzwords: Circus setting, clowns, ‘good for her’ Horror, Queer.
2.) Hedge by Kalynn Bayron. Buzzwords: Sibling relationship (brothers), grief, argumentative teens, hedge maze, Eco-Horror.
3.) The Golden Dragon by Kendare Blake. Buzzwords: Korean-American MC, sibling relationship (sisters), rich kids behaving badly, revenge ghost.
4.) Best Served Cold by H.E. Edgmon. Buzzwords: Indigenous MC, LGBTQIA+, Body Horror, (view spoiler).
5.) The Protege by Lamar Giles. Buzzwords: Absent parents/kids fend for themselves, sibling relationship (brothers), magician ((the showman kind, not the magic school kind)), Secret Society.
6.) Docile Girls by Chloe Gong. Buzzwords: Asian-American MC, High School drama, Teen Scream, Slasher, Revenge Thriller.
7.) Grey Grove by Alexis Henderson. Buzzwords: Southern Gothic, paranormal, podcast element, cold case investigation, seance.
8.) Everything’s Coming Up Roses by Tiffany D. Jackson. Buzzwords: Mixed media, obsession, disturbing behavior, hiding in plain sight.
9.) Heaven by Adiba Jaigirdar. Buzzwords: Futuristic, post-apocalyptic, Eco-Horror, creature feature, isolation.
10.) Break Through Our Skin by Naseem Jamnia. Buzzwords: Iranian-American MC, non-binary MC, Persian culture, archeology, gender identity, ancient entity.
11.) Wasps by Mark Oshiro. Buzzwords: Latinx MC, gentrification, generational story/responsibility/lore.
12.) Hell is Other Demons by Karen Strong. Buzzwords: Demons, possession, religion, Queer.
13.) The Road to Hell by Terry J. Benton-walker. Buzzwords: Southern Gothic, Queer, haunted house, sense of place, unique perspective.

I really appreciated the diversity of topics which these authors brought to the page, and also, the arrangement of the stories within the collection.

I was always excited to see what was coming next. There were no two stories, even remotely similar, close to one another. It kept me fully-engaged and on my toes.

As someone who loves many Horror subgenres, I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite, but some standouts for me were from Edgmon, Giles, Gong, Jackson and Strong. With this being said, I would be happy to pick up more work from each and every one of these talented authors!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

‘Tis this season for this type of collection and I absolutely recommend it for your Autumnal TBR!
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