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katalynbc13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
paigelchristie's review against another edition
4.0
Unique and daring! I loved the breadth of stories and the range of voices in this book. Brava Mocha Memoirs Press for putting out this amazing collection.
sevenacrebooks's review against another edition
4.0
Slay, Edited by Nicole Givens Kurtz
Available October 13, 2020
Slay is an excellent collection of vampire short stories from around the world and set throughout time. Each short story was fascinating and wonderful on it's own, but more powerful and exciting when placed within this collection. Covering a broad array of vampire lore and origin stories, there is definitely a story to hook every vampire loving reader..
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.
Available October 13, 2020
Slay is an excellent collection of vampire short stories from around the world and set throughout time. Each short story was fascinating and wonderful on it's own, but more powerful and exciting when placed within this collection. Covering a broad array of vampire lore and origin stories, there is definitely a story to hook every vampire loving reader..
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.
motherhorror's review
4.0
I have pages and pages of notes as well as a bunch of new authors to follow on social media/support and start buying their books. Wow! What a collection. Thank you to the publisher, Mocha Memoirs Press for sending a digital review copy for consideration.
SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire is an anthology celebrating vampires of the African Diaspora. And since I enjoyed doing some research and educating myself on words and phrases that were new to me, I thought that I would pass on some of the information I learned without assuming every reader comes to a book fully informed on all things. (wink)
Diaspora: Historically, the word diaspora was used to refer to the involuntary mass dispersion of a population from its indigenous territories.
So right away, I encourage reviewers to read this book with minds and hearts open to hear unique and diverse voices. I love that there was a strong adherence to the theme represented in all of the stories. There's intentionality among the authors to be united with one purpose but also remarkably unique.
All of this being said, I want to highlight some of my favorite stories, amplifying the ones that stood out among the others but also making it clear that there was something special about every offering to the vampire noir genre as a whole.
The first story, DESICCANT by Craig Laurence Gidney is the perfect jumping-off point. Short and sweet, Gidney's characters reminded me of the vibrant cast of the show, POSE. A clever vehicle for vampirism represented in this 'red dust' that freaked me out! The descriptive language was so cinematic--I could "see" everything as it was happening. The ending left me wanting more from both the characters and the world-building. I could see this as a transition into a longer novel or series.
LOVE HANGOVER by Sheree Renee Thomas is one of my favorites. Thomas uses music/song and the club scene as a backdrop for unrequited love and the lengths someone will go to just to get attention (negative or positive) from the object of their obsession/worship. Delilah and Frankie are a sexy queer couple that I loved reading about. I immediately asked the author if there were more stories from this world because I wanted to know more about Delilah and her sisters. (surprise, the answer is yes!)
THE DANCE by L. Marie Wood- Fans of erotic horror will love this sensual story of a woman attracted to another woman on the dance floor but isn't ready to be "seen". The sexual tension was off the charts. I loved the ending.
DIARY OF A MAD BLACK VAMPIRE by Dicey Grenor- Another story that made me want more. Ashanti is a mature vampire seeking a long time companion and she finds a young woman that makes her feel alive and youthful again. Tetra might be a little more than Ashanti bargained for and they embark on a dangerous game. Readers will recognize all the red flags that Ashanti seems to be ignoring--the climax/ending is everything.
ENCOUNTERS by K. R. S. McEntire- I was addicted to this story. A woman is in an airport when she sees her husband who has been dead for 20 years. They board the same plane and the woman confronts this man resembling her deceased husband who is traveling with a very young, beautiful woman. He makes an offer...
This was compelling as hell! I didn't want it to end.
NO GOD BY HUNGER by Steve Van Samson- Vampire plague. Apocalyptic. "Civilization was a dangerous thing." Predator World, where "blood brings blood". This was an exhilarating short story. Nico and Mirelha traveling across the savanna before the sun goes down. There was a lot of world-building here that felt extremely well-developed and I wondered if this story was part of a larger narrative like so many of the other stories in this antho (surprise, right again! This story is connected to the author's book THE BONE EATER KING)
There are a few stories in this anthology that did not have an author attributed to it, but maybe that was my own Kindle edition being formatted incorrectly? In any event, I enjoyed almost all of the stories here, apart from a few that I skipped because the writing just wasn't there for me or I couldn't get invested. It's my recommendation that this is a revolutionary anthology and one that I would like to see more of in the future. I'm excited to pick up some of the novels from the authors that contributed.
SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire is an anthology celebrating vampires of the African Diaspora. And since I enjoyed doing some research and educating myself on words and phrases that were new to me, I thought that I would pass on some of the information I learned without assuming every reader comes to a book fully informed on all things. (wink)
Diaspora: Historically, the word diaspora was used to refer to the involuntary mass dispersion of a population from its indigenous territories.
So right away, I encourage reviewers to read this book with minds and hearts open to hear unique and diverse voices. I love that there was a strong adherence to the theme represented in all of the stories. There's intentionality among the authors to be united with one purpose but also remarkably unique.
All of this being said, I want to highlight some of my favorite stories, amplifying the ones that stood out among the others but also making it clear that there was something special about every offering to the vampire noir genre as a whole.
The first story, DESICCANT by Craig Laurence Gidney is the perfect jumping-off point. Short and sweet, Gidney's characters reminded me of the vibrant cast of the show, POSE. A clever vehicle for vampirism represented in this 'red dust' that freaked me out! The descriptive language was so cinematic--I could "see" everything as it was happening. The ending left me wanting more from both the characters and the world-building. I could see this as a transition into a longer novel or series.
LOVE HANGOVER by Sheree Renee Thomas is one of my favorites. Thomas uses music/song and the club scene as a backdrop for unrequited love and the lengths someone will go to just to get attention (negative or positive) from the object of their obsession/worship. Delilah and Frankie are a sexy queer couple that I loved reading about. I immediately asked the author if there were more stories from this world because I wanted to know more about Delilah and her sisters. (surprise, the answer is yes!)
THE DANCE by L. Marie Wood- Fans of erotic horror will love this sensual story of a woman attracted to another woman on the dance floor but isn't ready to be "seen". The sexual tension was off the charts. I loved the ending.
DIARY OF A MAD BLACK VAMPIRE by Dicey Grenor- Another story that made me want more. Ashanti is a mature vampire seeking a long time companion and she finds a young woman that makes her feel alive and youthful again. Tetra might be a little more than Ashanti bargained for and they embark on a dangerous game. Readers will recognize all the red flags that Ashanti seems to be ignoring--the climax/ending is everything.
ENCOUNTERS by K. R. S. McEntire- I was addicted to this story. A woman is in an airport when she sees her husband who has been dead for 20 years. They board the same plane and the woman confronts this man resembling her deceased husband who is traveling with a very young, beautiful woman. He makes an offer...
This was compelling as hell! I didn't want it to end.
NO GOD BY HUNGER by Steve Van Samson- Vampire plague. Apocalyptic. "Civilization was a dangerous thing." Predator World, where "blood brings blood". This was an exhilarating short story. Nico and Mirelha traveling across the savanna before the sun goes down. There was a lot of world-building here that felt extremely well-developed and I wondered if this story was part of a larger narrative like so many of the other stories in this antho (surprise, right again! This story is connected to the author's book THE BONE EATER KING)
There are a few stories in this anthology that did not have an author attributed to it, but maybe that was my own Kindle edition being formatted incorrectly? In any event, I enjoyed almost all of the stories here, apart from a few that I skipped because the writing just wasn't there for me or I couldn't get invested. It's my recommendation that this is a revolutionary anthology and one that I would like to see more of in the future. I'm excited to pick up some of the novels from the authors that contributed.
mxphoebesviewpoint's review against another edition
5.0
I am very envious of the job that Nicole Givens Kurtz had with SLAY because I cannot imagine the joy of getting to read so many works of art and I can guess how many Kurtz read that did not make the cut.
As usual, I let my finger roam the contents page and the first story was definitely a treat though some might look at it like a trick (laugh). I started with Diary of a Mad Black Vampire by Dicey Grenor and I have to confess that I found nothing “mad” about Ashanti. Her logic made sense to me, so what does this say about me I wonder? (laugh) The format of diary entries made the story entertaining as did the progression of Ashanti and Tetra’s relationship. I kind of guessed the ending, but it still made the story entertaining.
Vonnie Winslow Crist gave me an unexpected ending In Egypt’s Shadow. Obsession can lead people down a dark path and its recipient of such adoration onto another path. I loved Crist’s take on this vampire tale and the twist. I hope to see more from Crist.
I am on my knees and begging for more! Please tell me that there is more after Message in A Vessel. I am hooked. V.G. Harrison’s sci-fi dystopian thriller is fantastic. Holy sugar! It is like an entire book within this short story and I am craving more. I don’t want to give anything away, but this story is a must read!
Slay is not your ordinary vampire anthology...it is better! Make sure this collection of stories is part of your Halloween reading.
I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
As usual, I let my finger roam the contents page and the first story was definitely a treat though some might look at it like a trick (laugh). I started with Diary of a Mad Black Vampire by Dicey Grenor and I have to confess that I found nothing “mad” about Ashanti. Her logic made sense to me, so what does this say about me I wonder? (laugh) The format of diary entries made the story entertaining as did the progression of Ashanti and Tetra’s relationship. I kind of guessed the ending, but it still made the story entertaining.
Vonnie Winslow Crist gave me an unexpected ending In Egypt’s Shadow. Obsession can lead people down a dark path and its recipient of such adoration onto another path. I loved Crist’s take on this vampire tale and the twist. I hope to see more from Crist.
I am on my knees and begging for more! Please tell me that there is more after Message in A Vessel. I am hooked. V.G. Harrison’s sci-fi dystopian thriller is fantastic. Holy sugar! It is like an entire book within this short story and I am craving more. I don’t want to give anything away, but this story is a must read!
Slay is not your ordinary vampire anthology...it is better! Make sure this collection of stories is part of your Halloween reading.
I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
emmaito's review against another edition
4.0
about the collection (which features 28 STORIES!!) via goodreads: “Drawing from a variety of cultural and mythological backgrounds, SLAY dares to imagine a world of horror and wonder where Black protagonists take center stage — as vampires, as hunters, as heroes. From immortal African deities to resistance fighters; matriarchal vampire broods to monster hunting fathers; coming of age stories to end of life stories, SLAY is a groundbreaking Afrocentric vampire anthology celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the African Diaspora.”
yall i loved this one so much. i love vampire stories, so when i was reached out about this anthology, i was so stoked. this had so many great stories with badass Black women as vampires slayers & vampires, Black heroes battling the undead (in one story with a KATANA! so sick), and more. honestly, i would love to see every single one of these stories on the big screen.
i really appreciated the originality of all these - no sparkling chests in this collection - & quite of few of these were like...SCARY scary vamps. lots of LGBTQ+ inclusion as well, including a particularly sensual story about a woman meeting another woman on the dance floor.
ill leave yall with this quote - “as long as there were monsters to slay and people to save, tired heroes would keep fighting.”
yall i loved this one so much. i love vampire stories, so when i was reached out about this anthology, i was so stoked. this had so many great stories with badass Black women as vampires slayers & vampires, Black heroes battling the undead (in one story with a KATANA! so sick), and more. honestly, i would love to see every single one of these stories on the big screen.
i really appreciated the originality of all these - no sparkling chests in this collection - & quite of few of these were like...SCARY scary vamps. lots of LGBTQ+ inclusion as well, including a particularly sensual story about a woman meeting another woman on the dance floor.
ill leave yall with this quote - “as long as there were monsters to slay and people to save, tired heroes would keep fighting.”
emmaito's review
4.0
about the collection (which features 28 STORIES!!) via goodreads: “Drawing from a variety of cultural and mythological backgrounds, SLAY dares to imagine a world of horror and wonder where Black protagonists take center stage — as vampires, as hunters, as heroes. From immortal African deities to resistance fighters; matriarchal vampire broods to monster hunting fathers; coming of age stories to end of life stories, SLAY is a groundbreaking Afrocentric vampire anthology celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the African Diaspora.”
yall i loved this one so much. i love vampire stories, so when i was reached out about this anthology, i was so stoked. this had so many great stories with badass Black women as vampires slayers & vampires, Black heroes battling the undead (in one story with a KATANA! so sick), and more. honestly, i would love to see every single one of these stories on the big screen.
i really appreciated the originality of all these - no sparkling chests in this collection - & quite of few of these were like...SCARY scary vamps. lots of LGBTQ+ inclusion as well, including a particularly sensual story about a woman meeting another woman on the dance floor.
ill leave yall with this quote - “as long as there were monsters to slay and people to save, tired heroes would keep fighting.”
yall i loved this one so much. i love vampire stories, so when i was reached out about this anthology, i was so stoked. this had so many great stories with badass Black women as vampires slayers & vampires, Black heroes battling the undead (in one story with a KATANA! so sick), and more. honestly, i would love to see every single one of these stories on the big screen.
i really appreciated the originality of all these - no sparkling chests in this collection - & quite of few of these were like...SCARY scary vamps. lots of LGBTQ+ inclusion as well, including a particularly sensual story about a woman meeting another woman on the dance floor.
ill leave yall with this quote - “as long as there were monsters to slay and people to save, tired heroes would keep fighting.”
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