Reviews Archives - Page 14 of 73 - Cemetery Dance Online

Review: Question Not My Salt by Amanda M. Blake

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 11, 2024March 10, 2024ReviewsAmanda M. Blake, Chandra Claypool, Question Not My Salt, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Question Not My Salt Question Not My Salt by Amanda M. Blake
Crystal Lake Publishing (February 2024)
151 pages; $11.99 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)

Don’t let the cover fool you, this is HORROR, not a cookbook…though a cookbook from this novella just might be fun to read. ? Imagine you’re a Canadian who goes to college in the U.S., is roomed with someone you become friends with who invites you to their home for Thanksgiving… and things go… awry. Do NOT piss off Mother. Do not ask for salt and for goodness sake, spit in that wine glass and pass it already.Continue Reading

Review: The Day Tripper by James Goodhand

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 5, 2024March 4, 2024ReviewsDave Simms, James Goodhand, Reviews, The Day TripperLeave a comment

cover of The Day Tripper The Day Tripper by James Goodhand
MIRA (March 19, 2024)
368 pages; $28.99 hardcover; $14.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Who says a time traveling novel can’t be scary and also a feel-good story? To find a true comparison to this fun book is tough, but pieces of Ray Bradbury’s A Sound Of Thunder, plus Rewind and Groundhog Day as if written by Stephen King might give some ideas.Continue Reading

Review: Midnight on Beacon Street by Emily Ruth Verona

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 28, 2024February 19, 2024ReviewsChandra Calypool, Emily Ruth Verona, Midnight on Beacon Street, ReviewsLeave a comment

Midnight on Beacon Street by Emily Ruth Verona
Harper Perennial (January 2024)
208 pages; paperback $14.39; e-book $11.99
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)

If you have ever been a babysitter, you probably know of all the urban legends and scary things that could happen while you, a teenager and almost a child yourself, is in charge of the safety of other humans. No pressure, right? Midnight on Beacon Street is a “love letter to vintage horror movies.” I weirdly love anxiety-inducing babysitting-type reads and movies. The Babysitter, When a Stranger Calls, Halloween, Better Watch Out… I love it. And this debut novel at a teensy bit over 200 pages gives us that nod to classic horror films and I’m here for it!Continue Reading

Review: The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 26, 2024February 19, 2024ReviewsDave Simms, Gwendolyn Kiste, Reviews, The Haunting of VelkwoodLeave a comment

cover of The Haunting of Velkwood The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste
S&S/Saga Press (March 5, 2024)
256 pages; $26.99 hardcover; e-book $12.99
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Sometimes a ghost story breaks through the confines of the tried and true and creates something different. Something unique. Something both beautiful and painful. 2024 is turning out to be an incredible year for dark fiction, and Gwendolyn Kiste just raised the bar for everyone with The Haunting of Velkwood, a novel that redefines the subgenre in the best way possible. It breaks and rewrites the rules that Stephen King, Richard Matheson and ,of course, Shirley Jackson, wrote. For those unfamiliar with Kiste’s work, this would be a fine place to begin.Continue Reading

Review: No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 21, 2024February 18, 2024ReviewsChandra Claypool, Kate Alice Marshall, No One Can Know, Reviews1 Comment

cover of No One Can Know No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall
Flatiron Books (January 2024)
336 pages; $25.53 hardcover; $14.99 e-book
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)

“Three sisters. Two Murders. Too many secrets to count.”

My third book by Marshall, with a few more on my shelves. I always get excited when I see her name pop up as she writes middle grade, YA and adult thriller and horror novels and I’m a fan of it all. Continue Reading

Review: Hitchcock’s Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind The Legendary Director’s Dark Obsession by Laurence Leamer

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 12, 2024February 13, 2024ReviewsHaley Newlin, Hitchcock's Blondes, Laurence Leamer, Reviews2 Comments

cover of Hitchcock's Blondes Hitchcock’s Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind The Legendary Director’s Dark Obsession by Laurence Leamer
G.P. Putnam’s Sons (October 2023)
335 pages; $21.10 hardcover; $14.99 e-book
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Alfred Hitchcock’s legacy has, until recent years, mostly been portrayed through the rosy lens of Hollywood. Many consider Hitchcock one of the fathers of horror and a worthy contender amongst the greatest directors of all time. He’s remembered for his brilliance and astute demeanor, evoked throughout the evolution of cinema-from silent films to “talkies” to color to the big screen.Continue Reading

Review: This Is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 7, 2024February 4, 2024ReviewsCaitlin Marceau, Janelle Janson, Reviews, This is Where We Talk Things OutLeave a comment

This Is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau
Dark Lit Press (July 2023)
114 pages; $16 paperback
Reviewed by Janelle Janson

When I first picked up Caitlin Marceau’s novella This is Where We Talk Things Out, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve never read her work before, but I’ve always heard good things. But as soon as I started, I could not put it down. It immediately demands your attention.Continue Reading

Review: Among the Living by Tim Lebbon

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 31, 2024January 30, 2024ReviewsAmong the Living, Dave Simms, Reviews, Tim LebbonLeave a comment

cover of Among the Living Among the Living by Tim Lebbon
Titan Books (February 13, 2024)
304 pages; $16.99 paperback; $9.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

When a novel marries the true terror inherent to humanity with the relevance of the world’s biggest issue (the death of the environment), it can resonate in a manner that most thriller and horror fans cannot escape. Imagine the The Thing crossed with The Terror — or any other high-quality isolated frozen story — and then transforming it into something even more frightening. That’s the gem that Tim Lebbon has created here with Among the Living.Continue Reading

Review: The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 29, 2024January 28, 2024ReviewsChristopher Golden, Dave Simms, Reviews, The House of Last ResortLeave a comment

cover of The House of Last Resort The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden
St. Martin’s Press (January 30, 2023)
304 pages; $24.65 hardcover; $14.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Christopher Golden knows better than many writers how to turn a setting into a brutal, living, breathing character. His new, terrifying novel might be the perfect encapsulation of that statement. When a reader takes into consideration the body of work that includes Ararat (possible resting place of Noah’s Ark), Road of Bones (forbidden frozen land in Russia), and Strangeland (what might be the most inventive setting in horror fantasy in ages), the praise for this story is not taken lightly.Continue Reading

Review: Master of Rods and Strings by Jason Marc Harris

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 24, 2024January 22, 2024ReviewsChandra Claypool, Jason Marc Harris, Master of Rods and Strings, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Master of Rods and Strings Master of Rods and Strings by Jason Marc Harris
Crystal Lake Publishing (January 12, 2024)
104 pages; paperback
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)

Do you like to read things that scare you? And I don’t mean just general horror… I mean specifics. I absolutely cannot be around dolls… and by default, puppets. Puppets may almost even be worse since they actively move – even if it’s in a controlled way by the person with the rods and strings. So of course I had to read this story of Elias, who wants to be as talented as his sister as puppetry. She is recruited by their Uncle Pavan, who is well known for his successes in his puppetry school. But something seems off and Elia won’t stop until he finds his sister. No cost is too big and he finds himself spiraling into the occult. Nothing will stop him.Continue Reading

Review: Ornithologiae edited by Mark Beech

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 22, 2024January 16, 2024ReviewsDaniel Braum, Ornithologiae, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Ornithologiae Ornithologiae edited by Mark Beech
Egaeus (June 2022)
260 pages; Limited edition of 460 Copies
Reviewed by Daniel Braum

Ornithologiae is an anthology with the theme of birds edited by Mark Beech from his Egeaus Press in the United Kingdom. The subtitle of the book is “Being a collection of weird and uncategorizable stories and poems on the subject of birds.” The volume is hardcover with black and white interior illustrations and color illustrated end pages.Continue Reading

Review: This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 17, 2024January 16, 2024ReviewsHaley Newlin, Jenny Kiefer, Reviews, This Wretched ValleyLeave a comment

cover of This Wretched Valley This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer
Quirk Books (January 2024)
309 pages; $18.99 paperback; $11.99 e-book
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

DO NOT TOUCH THIS GROUND

Some monsters live outside the shadows, beneath the sun, sitting beside you, watching and plotting.

Jenny Kiefer’s debut, This Wretched Valley, will appease horror readers who crave fright outside the typical haunted house or killer’s dimly lit basement. Many hair-raising, nail-biting scenes occur in broad daylight, and exploring an uncharted rock in the valley leaves the team isolated from surrounding campers or hikers. Not that many visit that wretched valley, anyway. Not after all the disappearances over the years. Continue Reading

Review: Shimmerfish by Bethany Browning

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 15, 2024January 14, 2024ReviewsBethany Browning, Chandra Claypool, Reviews, ShimmerfishLeave a comment

Shimmerfish by Bethany Browning
Sonoma MediaWorks (October 2023)
126 pages; $4.99 paperback
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)

Shimmerfish is a coming-of-age horror about a young woman who flees abuse and finds a new world filled with the enchantments of mermaiding. She’s got her tail, her mer-sona and a mer-name, but something feels fishy, and she’s forced to confront her deepest fears in order to uncover the truth.

Review: Creep This Way – How to Become a Horror Writer With 24 Steps to Get You Ghouling by Rebecca Cuthbert

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 11, 2024January 10, 2024ReviewsCreep This Way, Joshua Gage, Rebecca Cuthbert, Reviews1 Comment

Creep This Way: How to Become a Horror Writer With 24 Steps to Get You Ghouling by Rebecca Cuthbert
Seamus & Nunzio Productions (January 15, 2024)
92 pages; $7.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

cover of Creep This Way Rebecca Cuthbert is a dark fiction and poetry writer living in Western New York. She loves ghost stories, folklore, witchy women, and anything that involves nature getting revenge. Her debut poetry collection, In Memory of Exoskeletons, is out now with Alien Buddha Press, and her hybrid poetry and story collection, Self-Made Monsters, will arrive in Fall of 2024. Her non-fiction book, Creep This Way: How to Become a Horror Writer With 24 Steps to Get You Ghouling will be out in January 2024 from Seamus & Nunzio Productions.Continue Reading

Review: On the Subject of Blackberries by Stephanie M. Wytovich

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 9, 2024January 8, 2024ReviewsJoshua Gage, On the Subject of Blackberries, Reviews, Stephanie M. WytovichLeave a comment

cover of On the Subject of Blackberries On the Subject of Blackberries by Stephanie M. Wytovich
Raw Dog Screaming Press (September 2023)
128 pages; hardcover $24.95
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Stephanie M. Wytovich is an American poet, novelist, and essayist. Her work has been showcased in numerous magazines and anthologies such as Weird Tales, Nightmare Magazine, Southwest Review, Year’s Best Hardcore Horror: Volume 2, The Best Horror of the Year: Volume 8, as well as many others. Wytovich is the Poetry Editor for Raw Dog Screaming Press, an adjunct at Western Connecticut State University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Point Park University, and a mentor with Crystal Lake Publishing. Her newest poetry collection is On the Subject of Blackberries. Continue Reading

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