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Review: The Sleeping Sisters by Jennifer Givhan

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 18, 2026ReviewsAdam Allen, Jennifer GivhanLeave a comment

The Sleeping Sisters by Jennifer Givhan
Little, Brown and Company (August 18th, 2026)
Reviewed by Adam Allen

The story “The Green Ribbon” is one of those formative, vaguely traumatizing stories that seems to have always been part of my consciousness and was one of the first moments where I realized I kind of liked being shocked and scared. Jennifer Givhan has given all of us who grew up with that story an enormous gift with The Sleeping Sisters. This extremely complex and creepy novel that takes that story and ties it to a real-life string of murders and Chicana-Indigenous folklore to create one of the best books of the year.Continue Reading

Interview: Del Sandeen on These Walls Remember and Gothic and Historical Horror

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 13, 2026August 13, 2026InterviewsDel Sandeen, Haley NewlinLeave a comment

Del Sandeen is the author of This Cursed House and her highly anticipated upcoming release, These Walls Remember. Sandeen is becoming a fan-favorite in the genre, praised for her expertly crafted, unputdownable gothic and historical horror stories. Her work has appeared in FIYAH: Speculative Literary Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, Nightlight Podcast, and Gay Magazine. She can be found on Instagram @DelSandeen.

Sandeen sat down with Cemetery Dance to discuss her new gothic and historical horror novel, These Walls Remember, the haunted history of Savannah, Georgia, erasure efforts in U.S. history, and grief horror.

(Interview conducted by Haley Newlin) Continue Reading

Review: These Walls Remember by Del Sandeen

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 12, 2026ReviewsDel Sandeen, Haley NewlinLeave a comment

These Walls Remember by Del Sandeen
Berkley (August 18, 2026)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Del Sandeen became a horror author to watch after her previous release, This Cursed House, which was a personal favorite of mine among 2024 horror book releases. With her new release, These Walls Remember, Sandeen has further established herself as a master of gothic horror. The way she utilizes historical details and settings to reflect grief and trauma is effective and evocative. Perhaps this is why I find her work so profound and unforgettable. Continue Reading

Review: Them by W.H. Chizmar

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 11, 2026ReviewsAbby Wolf, W.H. ChizmarLeave a comment

THEM by W.H. Chizmar
Gallery Books (August 11, 2026)
Reviewed by Abby Wolf

This review is based on my personal reading experience. All opinions are my own.

Science fiction and horror have always shared common ground. Both ask us to confront the unknown, in the stars, the depths of the ocean, or the darkest corners of human ambition. W.H. Chizmar’s THEM embraces that tradition with a story that begins as an ominous creature feature before evolving into something remarkably reflective. Equal parts apocalyptic survival horror and a meditation on humanity, THEM proves that even in the face of utter ruin, humans still seek connection.Continue Reading

Review: Island X by Marissa Yarrow

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 8, 2026August 7, 2026ReviewsChandra Claypool, Marissa YarrowLeave a comment

Island X by Marissa Yarrow
Mad Axe Media (July 2026)
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool

A thousand celebrities and influencers are invited to an island music festival and have to commit quickly or they will lose an opportunity of a lifetime. Imagine being invited to a party no one has ever heard of to really amp up your status in the online world and pump up those numbers! How could you refuse? You simply CANNOT.Continue Reading

Review: Small Town Slasher by Stephanie Rose

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 7, 2026ReviewsBriana Morgan, Stephanie RoseLeave a comment

Small Town Slasher by Stephanie Rose
Death by TBR Books (August 4, 2026)
Reviewed by Briana Morgan

“There’s no time to run. There’s no time to hide.”

After her partner Charlie’s tragic passing, Jenna Willcot struggles to adjust to her new reality. One day, after arriving home in the wake of the accident, Jenna discovers Charlie booked a stay for them in a “one-of-a-kind overnight experience designed to spark nostalgia and give you the creeps in the best way possible.” The trip is planned and paid for—all Jenna has to do is go.Continue Reading

The Road to OFF THE RESERVATION: An Obsessive’s Fiction Review Column

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 3, 2026Spencer Hamilton's Road to Stephen Graham Jones' OFF THE RESERVATIONColumn, Spencer Hamilton, Stephen Graham JonesLeave a comment

ROAD TO STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES’ OFF THE RESERVATION: An Obsessive’s Fiction Review Column

by Spencer Hamilton

Stephen Graham Jones via stephengrahamjones.com

Horror, as a fiction genre, is having a moment (e.g., Obsession, Backrooms, Sinners). So it’s only fitting that one of the 21st century’s greatest storytellers would finally take his pound of flesh and rise with this wave of fictional blood. Stephen Graham Jones has been steadily putting out his particular brand of fiction for a quarter century now. Many of us this summer were, though unsurprised, thrilled to watch him accept the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel, Locus Award for Best Horror Novel, and Nebula Award for Best Novel for his masterpiece, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. Give the man his flowers, we said, all while knowing he’d keep feeding us, and well. Our next meal? Off the Reservation, his upcoming novel from Saga Press—and surprise follow-up to 2020 fan-favorite The Only Good Indians—in stores everywhere October 13, 2026.Continue Reading

Review: Lost in Found Footage by Joey Powell

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 31, 2026July 31, 2026ReviewsBriana Morgan, Joey PowellLeave a comment

Lost in Found Footage by Joey Powell
Mad Axe Media (August 11, 2026)
Reviewed by Briana Morgan

As a devotee of found footage, cursed objects, and the dark side of influencer culture, I had high hopes for Joey Powell’s Lost in Found Footage. When Powell first teased the concept on social media, it ticked every box for me. This is the quintessential “Summerween” read—perfect for those early August nights when the air starts to turn.Continue Reading

Interview: Cynthia Gómez on Muñeca and Gothic Horror

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 30, 2026InterviewsCynthia Gomez, Haley NewlinLeave a comment

Cynthia Gómez is the author of the story collection The Nightmare Box and Other Stories, and a Tin House and VONA alumn whose short fiction has published in Fantasy Magazine, Strange Horizons, Pseudopod, Nightmare Magazine, and numerous anthologies.

Gómez’s new release, Muñeca, is a queer, Latine novel set in 1968 Oakland about a working-class witch who sets out to save a bespelled heiress and explores misogyny, racial hierarchy, classism, and the power of female friendship and community.

Book Riot called Muñeca one of the best horror books of 2026 so far. It also appeared on lists such as “15 Books Our Critics Can’t Wait for This Summer” from NPR, and Buzzfeed’s “Best LGBTQ+ Books of 2026.”

Gómez sat down with Cemetery Dance to discuss her new gothic horror release, Muñeca, the author’s early experiences reading classic gothic horror, additional influences such as Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Isabel Cañas, and the creepy doll trope. Continue Reading

Review: Imprint by L. Marie Wood

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 23, 2026July 31, 2026ReviewsElizabeth Broadbent, L. Marie WoodLeave a comment

Imprint: Book Three of the Red Saga by L. Marie Wood
Mocha Memoirs Press (July 14, 2026)
Reviewed by Elizabeth Broadbent

L. Marie Wood’s Imprint is the third book of The Red Thread Saga, “a genre-bending, experimental series,” which weaves elements of traditional horror, science fiction, psychological horror, romance, and thriller into a slipstream conglomeration that’s purely original and purely Wood. With all six books releasing in one year (!) fans don’t have to wait to learn the fate of throuple Mark, Eric, and Nicole (referred to as The Tryst in book one).Continue Reading

Review: Unnamed Bones by Lora Senf

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 22, 2026ReviewsAdam Allen, Lora SenfLeave a comment

Unnamed Bones by Lora Senf
Union Square & Co. (July 21, 2026)
Reviewed by Adam Allen

Some books transcend the labels placed on them because they are so much more. Unnamed Bones by Lora Senf is one such book. Though it is labeled as YA horror, and it is a horror book about young adults, Unnamed Bones should not be interpreted as being strictly for young readers. It is one of the best books of the year and destined to be a horror classic for all ages. I’ve read a lot of horror, a lot, and this book is terrifying. Continue Reading

Review: Greedy by Callie Kazumi

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 21, 2026ReviewsBriana Morgan, Callie KazumiLeave a comment

Greedy by Callie Kazumi
Bantam Books (February 2026)
Reviewed by Briana Morgan

Set amidst the beauty of Tokyo, Japan, Greedy by Callie Kazumi is a horror novel whose satirization of greed comes across as darkly funny. As the protagonist strives to keep food on his family’s table, he’s horrified to learn what might put food on someone else’s. Ultimately, he must decide whether providing a better life for his family is worth hurting others.Continue Reading

Review: Slasher Summer by E.L. Chen

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 18, 2026ReviewsE.L. Chen, Haley NewlinLeave a comment

Slasher Summer by E.L. Chen
Crown (June 2026)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Slasher Summer is a blood-soaked whodunnit made for fans of slasher horror films like Friday the 13th and Scream. E.L. Chen’s horror expertise, not just in references and nods to iconic horror flicks like Psycho and Get Out, but in the execution of tropes and rules of survival, rivals even the most die-hard fans and know-it-all characters we love, like Scream’s Randy Meeks.Continue Reading

Review: The Devil’s Pocketbook by Ross Jeffery

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 17, 2026ReviewsAbby Wolf, Ross JefferyLeave a comment

The Devil’s Pocketbook by Ross Jeffery
CLASH Books (August 18, 2026)
Reviewed by Abby Wolf

Some horror novels terrify through spectacle. Others rely on relentless violence and shocking twists. The Devil’s Pocketbook distinguishes itself because it recognizes that grief can be more horrifying than any monster. Ross Jeffery has crafted a novel where supernatural horror grows organically from emotional devastation and is as heartbreaking as it is unsettling.Continue Reading

Review: Arson by Design by Tyler Jones

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 15, 2026ReviewsAbby Wolf, Tyler JonesLeave a comment

Arson by Design by Tyler Jones
Rapture Publishing (August 2026)
Reviewed by Abby Wolf

Tyler Jones’ Arson by Design is a collection obsessed with destruction. Not simply physical destruction, but emotional self-immolation. Again and again, these stories return to people who knowingly step toward ruin and strike the match themselves even while understanding the cost. Whether through grief, obsession, guilt, ambition, or desperation, Jones fills these pages with characters who participate in their own undoing. The result is a stellar collection of horror that feels deeply intimate beneath its sometimes supernatural surface. We aren’t only facing monsters. We are facing the human instinct to burn our lives down in search of meaning or absolution. In some cases, even seeking escape.Continue Reading

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