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deluneth's review against another edition
4.0
Let me say, reading horror is a little iffy for me because I never feel truly immersed in it. But this collection of stories really had me uneased or actually scared at points!
Like any collection of stories, there are some that are little slower than others, but I think that most of these stories had me hooked by the ending if they did not have me in the first half. It really does not feel like you are reading 300 or so pages!
"Hello There, Demon" is my favorite story of the collection! I loved the setup and all the potential that the story could provide! I would love to see a whole book on Cody in the human world and all of his antics! I think "Nine Stops" was the story that unsettled me the most. I will not spoil it but the ending of that one? Whew! Gives me real Unfriended (2014) vibes.
Anyways! If you love horror and reading about a variety of lgbtq+ getting put into scary scenarios, I definitely recommend!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
Like any collection of stories, there are some that are little slower than others, but I think that most of these stories had me hooked by the ending if they did not have me in the first half. It really does not feel like you are reading 300 or so pages!
"Hello There, Demon" is my favorite story of the collection! I loved the setup and all the potential that the story could provide! I would love to see a whole book on Cody in the human world and all of his antics! I think "Nine Stops" was the story that unsettled me the most. I will not spoil it but the ending of that one? Whew! Gives me real Unfriended (2014) vibes.
Anyways! If you love horror and reading about a variety of lgbtq+ getting put into scary scenarios, I definitely recommend!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
act4life25's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance digital copy.
Anthologies are difficult to review, in my opinion. It’s a collection of authors that have different writing styles and some will for sure not be my cup of tea. However, I think the most subjective way to review would be to take the average of all of the stories.
Welcome to the Hotel Paranoia - 2 stars I feel like not a whole lot happened and I was confused as to what was even going on.
The Visitor - 5 stars I would read an entire book about this! What happened to lead up to this night? What happened after?
A Brief Intermission - 4 stars Similar stories like this have been done before. I like the way this one was told but I have questions about Rusty.
Guested - 3 stars This is told in second person POV. I’m not sure if I’ve ever read a story told in that perspective. If I have, it’s hasn’t happened often. This was an enjoyable read but I felt like something was missing. It felt like it needed something else.
Rocky Road with Caramel Drizzle - 3 This story was a little darker than the title suggests. Overall, I thought it was enjoyable but can be tough to read for some.
The Three Phases of Ghost Hunting - 3 stars This one actually creeped me out a bit in the middle but I was really disappointed with the ending.
Nine Stops - 2 stars This one confused the hell out of me. I still don’t really understand what happened at the end. I had to go back and reread parts because I was confused and had no luck.
Leyla Mendoza and the Last House on the Lane - 3.5 stars This was not a creepy or scary story. I would say this is a story that just takes place on Halloween. However, this story made me smile and feel good. There were one or two lines that really stuck out to me in a good way.
In You to Burn - 2 stars This story was slow and didn’t keep my attention. It also felt all over the place, without giving anything away.
Anna - 3 stars The beginning of this story started out really promising. As it continued, I liked it less but still thought it was an enjoyable read.
Hey There, Demons - 5 stars This was such a fun story. I was unsure of it in the beginning but I enjoyed it more and more as it progressed and it just made me happy while reading. Absolutely loved this story.
Save Me From Myself - 4 stars There were times when I was younger that I felt like I could really relate to this story. I think this was told in a really great way with the Halloween twist. Not really a fan of the romance but I did enjoy the story.
Knickknack - 3 stars I thought this one was going to be the scariest and it didn’t really go anywhere. I was pretty let down with this one.
Even though I am only rating this 3 stars overall, I still enjoyed the theme of this book and I really hope more anthologies like this are released in the future. I would just love a truly terrifying set of stories.
Anthologies are difficult to review, in my opinion. It’s a collection of authors that have different writing styles and some will for sure not be my cup of tea. However, I think the most subjective way to review would be to take the average of all of the stories.
Welcome to the Hotel Paranoia - 2 stars I feel like not a whole lot happened and I was confused as to what was even going on.
The Visitor - 5 stars I would read an entire book about this! What happened to lead up to this night? What happened after?
A Brief Intermission - 4 stars Similar stories like this have been done before. I like the way this one was told but I have questions about Rusty.
Guested - 3 stars This is told in second person POV. I’m not sure if I’ve ever read a story told in that perspective. If I have, it’s hasn’t happened often. This was an enjoyable read but I felt like something was missing. It felt like it needed something else.
Rocky Road with Caramel Drizzle - 3 This story was a little darker than the title suggests. Overall, I thought it was enjoyable but can be tough to read for some.
The Three Phases of Ghost Hunting - 3 stars This one actually creeped me out a bit in the middle but I was really disappointed with the ending.
Nine Stops - 2 stars This one confused the hell out of me. I still don’t really understand what happened at the end. I had to go back and reread parts because I was confused and had no luck.
Leyla Mendoza and the Last House on the Lane - 3.5 stars This was not a creepy or scary story. I would say this is a story that just takes place on Halloween. However, this story made me smile and feel good. There were one or two lines that really stuck out to me in a good way.
In You to Burn - 2 stars This story was slow and didn’t keep my attention. It also felt all over the place, without giving anything away.
Anna - 3 stars The beginning of this story started out really promising. As it continued, I liked it less but still thought it was an enjoyable read.
Hey There, Demons - 5 stars This was such a fun story. I was unsure of it in the beginning but I enjoyed it more and more as it progressed and it just made me happy while reading. Absolutely loved this story.
Save Me From Myself - 4 stars There were times when I was younger that I felt like I could really relate to this story. I think this was told in a really great way with the Halloween twist. Not really a fan of the romance but I did enjoy the story.
Knickknack - 3 stars I thought this one was going to be the scariest and it didn’t really go anywhere. I was pretty let down with this one.
Even though I am only rating this 3 stars overall, I still enjoyed the theme of this book and I really hope more anthologies like this are released in the future. I would just love a truly terrifying set of stories.
undervmountain's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Right off the back of deciding that maybe Anthologies weren't for me, along comes Night Of The Living Queers to make me question that decision. Some of my favourite authors have short stories in here that I thoroughly loved, and I found some new authors who I'll be following too!
The majority of the stories are very very good, and there's some outstanding ones in here that really make use of the short space while making me desperate for a full book - Welcome To The Hotel Paranoia, The Visitor and Hey There Demons in particular.
Not every story is great though - two stories use a second person narrative that I really dislike, and if I'm going to be honest the last story Knickknack was the weakest in the whole book. Nine Stops featured a brutal animal murder that I'd highly recommend skipping over if you need to.
I think after this I will continue looking for more anthologies, and try and remember that sometimes they can be as good as this one was! Horror clearly lends itself well to shorter stories, so I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of those.
The majority of the stories are very very good, and there's some outstanding ones in here that really make use of the short space while making me desperate for a full book - Welcome To The Hotel Paranoia, The Visitor and Hey There Demons in particular.
Not every story is great though - two stories use a second person narrative that I really dislike, and if I'm going to be honest the last story Knickknack was the weakest in the whole book. Nine Stops featured a brutal animal murder that I'd highly recommend skipping over if you need to.
I think after this I will continue looking for more anthologies, and try and remember that sometimes they can be as good as this one was! Horror clearly lends itself well to shorter stories, so I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of those.
ajeversole's review against another edition
The short stories in this collection are wonderful!
My favorites were Em X Liu and Kosoko Jackson's.
Shoet story collections always leave me aching for more from the world's they let us glimpse. Many of these felt like a piece to a bigger world if they wanted to be.
YA Horror seems to be on the rise and I think this is going to be an accessible book for many more casual readers looking for something spooky at Halloween!
My favorites were Em X Liu and Kosoko Jackson's.
Shoet story collections always leave me aching for more from the world's they let us glimpse. Many of these felt like a piece to a bigger world if they wanted to be.
YA Horror seems to be on the rise and I think this is going to be an accessible book for many more casual readers looking for something spooky at Halloween!
em_harring's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book!
I really enjoyed this short story anthology! Each story takes place on Halloween night under a blue moon. Mischief and horror and love abound. While not every story worked for me, I appreciate the care that was taken in terms of representation both in the characters and in the types of stories. I did feel the first half of the collection was stronger than the second half in terms of plot, characterization, and atmosphere.
There are so many fun ghosts, monsters, and ghouls within the collection--including some I had never heard of before. I would have ate this up as a teen.
Overall, I would definitely recommend, especially during the month of October!
- "Welcome to the Hotel Paranoia" by Vanessa Montalban: 4 stars. What an opening story! I dug the atmosphere in this, though would have loved a bit more backstory.
- "The Visitor" by Kalynn Bayron: 5 stars. I loved the way this handled grief and it featured one of my favorite supernatural creatures.
- "A Brief Intermission" by Sara Farizan: 3.5 stars. The concept of this story was fun, but I didn't love some of the writing.
- "Guested" by Rebecca Kim Wells: 4.5 stars. Enjoyed this! Don't trust body swapping tech, y'all.
- "Rocky Road with Caramel Drizzle" by Kosoko Jackson: 3 stars. Not my favorite. A fine story. Definitely some heavy moments re: homophobia.
- "The Three Phases of Ghost Hunting" by Alex Brown: 4 stars. This was cute. Friends ghost hunt in a supposedly haunted mall and shenanigans ensue.
- "Nine Stops" by Trang Thanh Tran: 5 stars. Easily my favorite out of the collection. I love Tran's writing and this one is so creepy a la The Ring.
- "Leyla Mendoza and the Last House on the Lane" by Maya Gittelman: 4.5 stars. This tale was adorable and so wholesome and the perfect cozy Halloween night read. All about acceptance and identity.
- "In You to Burn" by Em X. Liu: 3 stars. This needed a bit more. It felt too short.
- "Anna" by Shelly Page: 3.5 stars. This would make a great Blumhouse movie. Don't babysit on Halloween.
- "Hey There, Demons" by Tara Sim: 3 stars. This was cute, but didn't have a whole lot of substance. It felt very young to me.
- "Save Me From Myself" by Auria Shonibar: 3.5. This was heavy, but I wanted a bit more.
- "Knickknack" by Ryan Douglas: 2 stars. The one story in the collection I didn't really like. The writing didn't work for me or the characters.
I really enjoyed this short story anthology! Each story takes place on Halloween night under a blue moon. Mischief and horror and love abound. While not every story worked for me, I appreciate the care that was taken in terms of representation both in the characters and in the types of stories. I did feel the first half of the collection was stronger than the second half in terms of plot, characterization, and atmosphere.
There are so many fun ghosts, monsters, and ghouls within the collection--including some I had never heard of before. I would have ate this up as a teen.
Overall, I would definitely recommend, especially during the month of October!
- "Welcome to the Hotel Paranoia" by Vanessa Montalban: 4 stars. What an opening story! I dug the atmosphere in this, though would have loved a bit more backstory.
- "The Visitor" by Kalynn Bayron: 5 stars. I loved the way this handled grief and it featured one of my favorite supernatural creatures.
- "A Brief Intermission" by Sara Farizan: 3.5 stars. The concept of this story was fun, but I didn't love some of the writing.
- "Guested" by Rebecca Kim Wells: 4.5 stars. Enjoyed this! Don't trust body swapping tech, y'all.
- "Rocky Road with Caramel Drizzle" by Kosoko Jackson: 3 stars. Not my favorite. A fine story. Definitely some heavy moments re: homophobia.
- "The Three Phases of Ghost Hunting" by Alex Brown: 4 stars. This was cute. Friends ghost hunt in a supposedly haunted mall and shenanigans ensue.
- "Nine Stops" by Trang Thanh Tran: 5 stars. Easily my favorite out of the collection. I love Tran's writing and this one is so creepy a la The Ring.
- "Leyla Mendoza and the Last House on the Lane" by Maya Gittelman: 4.5 stars. This tale was adorable and so wholesome and the perfect cozy Halloween night read. All about acceptance and identity.
- "In You to Burn" by Em X. Liu: 3 stars. This needed a bit more. It felt too short.
- "Anna" by Shelly Page: 3.5 stars. This would make a great Blumhouse movie. Don't babysit on Halloween.
- "Hey There, Demons" by Tara Sim: 3 stars. This was cute, but didn't have a whole lot of substance. It felt very young to me.
- "Save Me From Myself" by Auria Shonibar: 3.5. This was heavy, but I wanted a bit more.
- "Knickknack" by Ryan Douglas: 2 stars. The one story in the collection I didn't really like. The writing didn't work for me or the characters.
courtknee__vn's review against another edition
I just have no desire to pick it back up
jugglingpup's review against another edition
3.0
I got an ARC of this book.
Another ok anthology. The only story that really stood out was by Kalynn Bayron. It isn't shocking, because she is incredibly. So that story alone is enough to get the book. The other stories might be good, but hard to live up to one of the best authors I have met. Though there were some bigger names in this one. Trang Thanh Tran is an author I just bought a book from in the last week (I liked her story, can't wait for the novel!)
Not the scariest stories, but the queer elements were lovely. Sometimes just having a queernorm world is enough to overlook a lack of scary. It is nice to exist and be safe from queerphobia just for a little while.
So I suggest giving it a try.
Another ok anthology. The only story that really stood out was by Kalynn Bayron. It isn't shocking, because she is incredibly. So that story alone is enough to get the book. The other stories might be good, but hard to live up to one of the best authors I have met. Though there were some bigger names in this one. Trang Thanh Tran is an author I just bought a book from in the last week (I liked her story, can't wait for the novel!)
Not the scariest stories, but the queer elements were lovely. Sometimes just having a queernorm world is enough to overlook a lack of scary. It is nice to exist and be safe from queerphobia just for a little while.
So I suggest giving it a try.
justinekorson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I’d heard mixed reviews so I was worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype but… IT DID.
I initially thought that none of the stories would scare me and I thought it was odd that the overarching theme was “I’m and/or my friend is dead but I don’t remember that I’m and/or my friend dead until something shocks my brain into remembering”. It happened SEVERAL times to different characters across the stories and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. The best version I think was in “In You To Burn”. Just something about queer girls fighting each other across centuries dying/killing each other was SO FUN.
Besides that… I READ “Nine Stops” BT TRANG THANH TRAN AND ALMOST HAD A GODDAMN HEART ATTACK AT 11:30 AT NIGHT. I’d just started to think that none of the stories would be that scary and then I READ THAT??!?! The universe clearly did not want me to sleep that night.
Other unsettling ones (in my opinion) included “welcome to Hotel Paranoia”, “The Visitor”, “Anna”, and “Save Me From Myself”. I thought each of these stories would end in an innocuous way but I was wrong. I wouldn’t say I was scared by them but just the idea of wrongness at the end of each of these got me all fucked up.
For the fun lighthearted ones, “A Brief Intermission”, “The Three Phases of Ghosthunting”, “Hey There, Demons” and “Kinkknack” were sone of my favorite. “Hey There Demons” ESPECIALLY was so funny to me and so very cute! I loved it.
For the rest I can’t categorize as they’re all vastly different. “Guested” could be in the unsettling category but… I wasn’t personally unsettled. Honestly there felt like something freeing about another entity coexisting with you in your body? It didn’t sound parasitic. It sounded symbiotic. It also didn’t sound like the “guest” had much control over the host body but I could be wrong.
“Rocky Road With Caramel Drizzle” was sad. I felt so much sympathy and empathy for him and I was glad he was able to have his revenge but I think I ultimately wanted more from the story. Not sure what though.
“Leyla Mendoza and The House At The End Of The Lane” actually made me burst into tears. maybe because I’m Filipino myself or maybe because part of me resonated with Leyla. Either way it wasn’t scary. If anything it was hopeful and sweet.
Overall I throughly enjoyed this collection!! I want more anthologies like this!
I initially thought that none of the stories would scare me and I thought it was odd that the overarching theme was “I’m and/or my friend is dead but I don’t remember that I’m and/or my friend dead until something shocks my brain into remembering”. It happened SEVERAL times to different characters across the stories and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. The best version I think was in “In You To Burn”. Just something about queer girls fighting each other across centuries dying/killing each other was SO FUN.
Besides that… I READ “Nine Stops” BT TRANG THANH TRAN AND ALMOST HAD A GODDAMN HEART ATTACK AT 11:30 AT NIGHT. I’d just started to think that none of the stories would be that scary and then I READ THAT??!?! The universe clearly did not want me to sleep that night.
Other unsettling ones (in my opinion) included “welcome to Hotel Paranoia”, “The Visitor”, “Anna”, and “Save Me From Myself”. I thought each of these stories would end in an innocuous way but I was wrong. I wouldn’t say I was scared by them but just the idea of wrongness at the end of each of these got me all fucked up.
For the fun lighthearted ones, “A Brief Intermission”, “The Three Phases of Ghosthunting”, “Hey There, Demons” and “Kinkknack” were sone of my favorite. “Hey There Demons” ESPECIALLY was so funny to me and so very cute! I loved it.
For the rest I can’t categorize as they’re all vastly different. “Guested” could be in the unsettling category but… I wasn’t personally unsettled. Honestly there felt like something freeing about another entity coexisting with you in your body? It didn’t sound parasitic. It sounded symbiotic. It also didn’t sound like the “guest” had much control over the host body but I could be wrong.
“Rocky Road With Caramel Drizzle” was sad. I felt so much sympathy and empathy for him and I was glad he was able to have his revenge but I think I ultimately wanted more from the story. Not sure what though.
“Leyla Mendoza and The House At The End Of The Lane” actually made me burst into tears. maybe because I’m Filipino myself or maybe because part of me resonated with Leyla. Either way it wasn’t scary. If anything it was hopeful and sweet.
Overall I throughly enjoyed this collection!! I want more anthologies like this!
b10tch's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
My favorites were knickknack, nine stops, and the three phases of ghost-hunting. Overall a really solid anthology. Usually with stuff like this there are always some kind of bad stories, but while I didn’t love all of them, none were bad, and I really enjoyed others :)