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Review: The Invisible Woman By James P. Blaylock

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 15, 2025August 10, 2025ReviewsJames P. Blaylock, PS Publishing, Reviews, The Invisible Woman, W.D. GaglianiLeave a comment

The Invisible Woman By James P. Blaylock
PS Publishing (February 2025)
Review by W.D. Gagliani

Because The Invisible Woman is a sequel to James P. Blaylock’s Pennies From Heaven (2023), I’ll first need to weave some threads from a review of that novel here.

If you are already a fan you know Blaylock was one of the pioneers of the Steampunk genre (along with Tim Powers and K.W. Jeter) and later produced a notable series of unrelated “California Gothics.” Anyone who hasn’t read, at the very least, Homunculus, Lord Kelvin’s Machine (and the related St. Ives steampunky adventures), The Digging Leviathan, The Last Coin, The Paper Grail, Knights of the Cornerstone, All the Bells on Earth, and especially Night Relics, The Rainy Season, and Winter Tides, should go and do so right now. These novels form the backbone of his corner of the fantasy field, the one that’s magic realism, fantasy, horror, and SF adjacent. Because they have given me much pleasure over these many years, I confess to some bias up-front.Continue Reading

Review: House of Monstrous Women by Daphne Fama

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 11, 2025August 10, 2025ReviewsDaphne Fama, Haley Newlin, House of Monstrous Women, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of House of Monstrous Women House of Monstrous Women by Daphne Fama
Berkley (August 12, 2025)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Every culture has a boogeyman, a shapeless entity that eats children, such as El Cuco in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, or a shadowy, witch-like figure that eats and imprisons children, like Baba Yaga in Russia, Iraq, and Syria. In Daphne Fama’s Filipino Folk and Gothic Horror novel, House of Monstrous Women, it’s the aswang. Some declare the aswang monsters; others say they were people cursed “with a vicious hunger” and “who spent their lives like wolves cloaked in the fleece of lamb.”Continue Reading

Review: October Dark by Ron Terranova

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 6, 2025August 5, 2025ReviewsOctober Dark, Reviews, Ron Terranova, Rowan B. MinorLeave a comment

October Dark by Ron Terranova
Outskirts Press (July 2024)
Reviewed by Rowan B. Minor

Ron Terranova is a writer of novels, short stories, and poetry from Huntington Beach, California. His work has been published in Chiron Review, and he is author of two novels: The Red Wing Chronicles and I, Polyphemus. Terranova’s most recent book, October Dark, is a book of short horror stories that center around nihilism, dark noir, absurdism, and macabre humor. October Dark, which follows books October Light and October Twilight, is the third book in Terranova’s dark fiction trilogy. The stories in October Dark are 3 to 17 pages long and are all set in the month of October. Continue Reading

Review: Arcana: The Lost Heirs by Sam Prentice-Jones

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 1, 2025July 27, 2025Reviews, The Comic VaultArcana, Columns, Joshua Gage, Reviews, Sam Prentice-Jones, The Comic VaultLeave a comment

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Arcana: The Lost Heirs by Sam Prentice-Jones
Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group (June 2025)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Sam Prentice-Jones is an author-illustrator working in Brighton UK who graduated from Arts University Bournemouth in 2019 with a BA Hons in Illustration, specializing in digital, graphic, character-based work. Sam likes to create work that celebrates diversity and queer culture and began his career by curating a queer illustration magazine titled POOF Magazine which ran 2019-2021. Since then, Sam has gone on to create work for the worlds of book publishing, web design, advertising and product design as well as being featured in art fairs across the UK. His newest book is the graphic novel Arcana: The Lost Heirs.Continue Reading

Review: Evil-ish by Kennedy Tarrell

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 30, 2025July 27, 2025Reviews, The Comic VaultColumns, Evil-ish, Joshua Gage, Kennedy Tarrell, Reviews, The Comic VaultLeave a comment

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Evil-ish by Kennedy Tarrell
Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group (July 2025)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Kennedy Tarrell (She/They) is a Los-Angeles based writer, storyboard artist, and comic-maker. She’s currently working as a story artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios, most recently on Wish. She’s also written, storyboarded, or developed in both the feature and TV space for clients including Cartoon Network, Netflix Animation, DreamWorks Animation, and WB. In the publishing space, her debut YA graphic novel, Evil-ish, is now available.Continue Reading

Review: Vellum Leaves & Lettered Skins by Colleen Anderson

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 28, 2025July 27, 2025ReviewsColleen Anderson, Joshua Gage, poetry, Reviews, Vellum Leaves & Lettered SkinsLeave a comment

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Vellum Leaves & Lettered Skins by Colleen Anderson
Raw Dog Screaming Press (July 29, 2025)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Colleen Anderson is a Canadian author writing fiction and poetry and has had two collections and over 300 poems published in such venues as Grievous Angel, Polu Texni, The Future Fire, HWA Poetry Showcase and many others. She is a member of HWA and SFPA and a Canada Council grant recipient for writing. She has performed her work before audiences in the US, UK and Canada and has placed in the Balticon, Rannu, Crucible and Wax poetry competitions. Colleen also enjoys editing and co-edited Canadian anthologies Playground of Lost Toys (Aurora nominated) and Tesseracts 17, and her solo anthology Alice Unbound: Beyond Wonderland was published by Exile Books. She has served on both Stoker Award and British Fantasy Award juries, and guest-edited Eye to the Telescope. Her latest collection of poetry is Vellum Leaves and Lettered Skins.Continue Reading

Review: Tick Town by Christopher A. Micklos

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 21, 2025July 13, 2025ReviewsChristopher Miklos, Reviews, Tick Town, W.D. GaglianiLeave a comment

cover of Tick Town

Tick Town by Christopher A. Micklos
Castle Bridge Media (June 2025)
Reviewed by W.D. Gagliani

Giant bloodsucking beasts invade… screams the cover copy, and if you’re like me, that’s about all you need to crack open this short novel and wait for the fun. So you may know going in what you’ll get, and the question is: how rip-roaringly entertaining will it be?Continue Reading

Review: The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 14, 2025July 6, 2025ReviewsCassandra Khaw, Chandra Claypool, Reviews, The Library at HelleboreLeave a comment

cover of The Library at Hellebore The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
Tor Nightfire (July 22, 2025)
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)

I FREAKIN LOVE THIS BOOK! I can’t believe I’ve waited so long to read Cassandra Khaw. I have 3 other books of theirs on my shelves and I don’t know why I kept skipping over them.

Welcome to The Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted — the “premiere academy for the dangerously Anti-Christs and Ragnaroks, the world-eaters and apocalypse-makers.” DONE. SOLD. TAKE MY MONEY. Here we meet Aleesa — she’s been kidnapped and forced to go to Hellebore but is told this is a place where she will find acceptance and a “normal life” after graduation. However, on graduation day, the faculty decides to eat the class. One must be sacrificed every night or everyone will be killed. There can only be one survivor. Or can there?Continue Reading

Review: Stay On The Line by Clay McLeod Chapman and Trever Henderson

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 9, 2025July 6, 2025ReviewsClay McLeod Chapman, Haley Newlin, Reviews, Stay on the Line, Trevor HendersonLeave a comment

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Stay On The Line by Clay McLeod Chapman with Illustrations by Trever Henderson
Shortwave Media (July 30, 2024)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Clay McLeod Chapman is the undeniable king of grief horror. He’s torn readers apart with his lyrical, evocative stories exploring addiction in Ghost Eaters (named one of Vulture’s Best Horror Novels of 2022) and the loss of a child, as in his Southern gothic folk horror novel What Kind of Mother and his Bram Stoker Award-nominated novella Kill Your Darling.

Stay On The Line is another tale of grief’s haunting phases and lasting impressions, yet it still feels unique from Chapman’s other titles. Trevor Henderson’s accompanying illustrations are the cherry on top, adding to the unsettling atmosphere. Henderson’s Stay On The Line style reminded me of Stephen Gammell’s iconic illustrations in Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark.Continue Reading

Review: The Terror At Love Lake by Joey Powell

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 7, 2025July 6, 2025ReviewsHaley Newlin, Joey Powell, Reviews, The Terror at Love LakeLeave a comment

cover of The Terror of Love Lake The Terror At Love Lake by Joey Powell
Mad Axe Media (May 2024)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

The Terror At Love Lake is a cosmic, snack-sized tale of a teenage cheerleader, Diane. Coming of age for women incites fear. Men look at you a little too long. Sure, they were creepy before, but now it’s like a hunter spotting prey. The vulnerability of a child transpires into a fight for autonomy.

This reviewer was impressed by author Joey Powell’s ability to create an authentic narrative that explores women’s constant struggle for personal agency and the threat of coercers. Continue Reading

Review: The Last Delivery by Evan Dahm

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 3, 2025June 29, 2025ReviewsColumns, Evan Dahm, Joshua Gage, Reviews, The Comic Vault, The Last DeliveryLeave a comment

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The Last Delivery by Evan Dahm
Iron Circus Comics (June 2024)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Evan Dahm was born in 1987, growing up in Asheville, North Carolina. He’s been a resident of Brooklyn, New York since 2010, and has been creating and self-publishing comics online and in print since 2006. His prior work includes Vattu and Order of Tales, the Iron Circus graphic novels The Harrowing of Hell and Rice Boy, and The Island Book series for First Second. His newest book is The Last Delivery. Continue Reading

Review: Beyond the Bounds of Infinity edited by Vaughn A. Jackson and Stephanie Pearre

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 2, 2025June 29, 2025ReviewsBeyond the Bounds of Infinity, Dave Simms, Reviews, S.A. Cosby, Stephanie Pearre, Vaughn A. JacksonLeave a comment

cover of Beyond the Bounds of Infinity Beyond the Bounds of Infinity edited by Vaughn A. Jackson and Stephanie Pearre
Raw Dog Screaming Press (July 2024)
Reviewed by Dave Simms

This is a great year for horror anthologies. Something dark and amazing must be in the water as there are some stellar books released that hit all the right buttons.

This one holds zero duds in the entire book. That’s not typical in this era, so when it does, it makes a reviewer happy. The lineup between the covers is strong, which makes choosing favorites that much tougher. Upon a second reading my thoughts pivoted, and I assume they would again if there was a third time. Everyone will find gems in this anthology, depending on preference of style, topic, or voice, but there’s no doubt that readers will enjoy this one.

Review: Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 30, 2025June 29, 2025ReviewsAmanda Jayatissa, Haley Newlin, Island Witch, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Island Witch Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa
Berkley (February 2024)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Island Witch is an unforgettable and culturally rich good-for-her horror novel I cannot stop talking about. After reading This Cursed House by Del Sandeen, Blood On Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen, and Jordan Peele’s anthology Out There Screaming, I’ve been on such a historical fiction and female rage kick. Island Witch is topical, with themes like colonialism, colorism, racism, feminism, and misogyny. It’s a razor-sharp exploration of the violent experience of girlhood and womanhood, perfect for readers seeking a horror book with historical and social depth.Continue Reading

Review: Chopping Spree by Angela Sylvaine

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 27, 2025June 22, 2025ReviewsAngela Sylvain, Chopping Spree, Haley Newlin, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Chopping Spree Chopping Spree by Angela Sylvaine
Dark Matter INK (September 2024)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Angela Sylvaine has a knack for writing nostalgic horror. In her 2023 novel Frost Bite, Sylavine received praise for the nostalgia factor and her ability to create a horror story that reads like a B movie. It’s campy. I thought the same when reading the author’s 2024 novella Chopping Spree.Continue Reading

Review: Stone Martyrs by Erik Hoffstatter

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 26, 2025June 23, 2025ReviewsErik Hoffstatter, Joshua Gage, poetry, Reviews, Stone MartyrsLeave a comment

Stone Martyrs by Erik Hoffstatter
Aquaducts Press (February 2025)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Erik Hofstatter is a dark fiction writer, born in the wild lands of the Czech Republic. He roamed Europe before subsequently settling on English shores, studying creative writing at the London School of Journalism. He now dwells in Kent, where he can be encountered consuming copious amounts of mead and tyrannizing local peasantry. His work appeared in various magazines and podcasts around the world such as Morpheus Tales, The Literary Hatchet, Wicked Library, Manor House Show, and The Black Room Manuscripts Volume IV. His newest novella is Stone Martyrs.Continue Reading

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