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catra121's review
3.0
I gotta be honest...this is the second anthology I've tried to read this year and it's the second one that I just couldn't really get into. I think it's just a me thing...I WANT to read these...but I feel like I'm forcing myself to pick them up and then I find myself not loving the experience because I'm forcing myself to read them when I'm really not in the mood. I might revisit this one at some point in the future when I'm having better success with anthologies...but right now is just not that time. And let me be clear...there wasn't anything BAD here...I just couldn't get into it.
stranger_sights's review against another edition
You can read my full review here
There were a lot of really strong stories here. Like any anthology, some of the entries were misses for me, but overall, I really enjoyed Graveyard Smash!
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 bc Goodreads.
There were a lot of really strong stories here. Like any anthology, some of the entries were misses for me, but overall, I really enjoyed Graveyard Smash!
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 bc Goodreads.
madarauchiha's review against another edition
0.25
Dedication
This anthology is dedicated to all those who love horror fiction
regardless of their gender, race, religion, orientation, identity,
disability, physical appearance or any other such constructs.
All are welcome.
Special thanks to Rizal Gunawan, Billy Nocera, Doc Holocausto, Jep
Knulle, Silvester Koorevaar, Brandon Scott and Ellie Douglas. Also
thanks to Paula R.C. Readman for coming up with the book title!
The hilarity of this dedication while having some jackoff called 'doc holocaust' do the foreword. Thanks for the antisemitism, go dig holes irl.
I only dld this for v castro's story. It wasn't very good compared to their other stuff. I'm glad I didn't pay for this. Deleted, yikes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
woffordleejones's review against another edition
4.0
Graveyard Smash is such a fitting title as The Women of Horror knock it out of the graveyard again with this second anthology. You have a huge variety of stories in which to drink your fill. Very odd stories like a woman who is afraid of holes to malevolent spirits trying to get payback to someone in the living world. New, creative, and original takes that run the gambit from vampires to ghosts and Djinn (and his wishes) to age-old spirits (and their curses). Gripping tales like a grave-robbing gone horribly wrong and those ghosts trying to right that remaining wrong before crossing over. All hell breaks loose in a bar called Hades, a story that takes place in a graveyard, (and in reading that story, I’ll never look at a graveyard the same way again), and an eerie tale of a clockmaker who is asked to make a pocket watch with some very odd materials. Cringeworthy and simply horrific tales that are the best in every way. Thank you again, Women of Horror for these dark stories of the macabre. My hat is off to you.
motherhorror's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars!
Thank you to Kandisha Press and author, Janine Pipe for a review copy in exchange for review consideration. This anthology is recommended for #FrightGirlSummer reading!
This is a very eclectic gathering of horror stories from a wide range of talented women. Some of these authors are very familiar to me and some voices were brand-new. I'll go through the tales that captured my imagination and stood out as a little brighter than the others. As with most anthologies, not every story resonated with me and I might have skipped a couple. It's the same thing with a music album, very rarely does one come along where every song knocks it out of the park and you spin it cover to cover-A side to B side with no skips.
Featuring chilling tales from:
Christy Aldridge
Carmen Baca
Demi-Louise Blackburn
R.A. Busby
V. Castro
Dawn DeBraal
Ellie Douglas
Tracy Fahey
Dona Fox
Cassidy Frost
Michelle Renee Lane
Beverley Lee
J.A.W. McCarthy
Catherine McCarthy
Susan McCauley
Ksenia Murray
Ally Peirse
Janine Pipe
Lydia Prime
Paula R.C. Readman
Yolanda Sfetsos
Sonora Taylor
___
I enjoyed the foreword by Doc Holocausto. Nice take on Lilith.
HOLES by R. A. Busby- Perfect "first story" because it's fast-paced and deals with a fairly well-known fear, trypophobia (of which I am a sufferer). This is the tale of a woman who suffers a fear of holes. She embarks on a series of therapeutic attempts to lessen or eliminate her fear but to no avail. This has a great ending.
UNTIL THERE'S NOTHING LEFT by J. A. W. McCarthy- an engaging story about the ability to bring the dead back to life. Great, building tension and some cringe-worthy scenes.
THE CLOCKMAKER by Sonora Taylor- a little coastal town is home to a quiet clockmaker named Nathaniel. In classic "fable" form, a mysterious customer makes an odd request of Nathaniel that ends up costing him more than he originally anticipated. I loved the ending. This is like a classic cautionary/campfire tale.
LOVE YOU TO DEATH by Yolanda Sfetsos- Imagine a bar called "Hades" where the customers buying shots or rounds were the citizens of the underworld.
TEMPLO MAYOR by V. Castro- This story takes you to Mexico City and the Templo Mayor- an ancient temple of blood sacrifice to the gods. A woman meets up with her attractive tour guide to see the ruins and ends up in a compromising situation. V. Castro never disappoints. I will always show up for her unique brand of final girls, priestesses, and monsters.
THE CHILD by Carmen Baca- Back to back with V. Castro's story this was the best possible follow up. THE CHILD is a young girl named Atla (Atlacamani) who is from the maternal lineage of powerful Aztecas. The child is *too powerful and is problematic for those who look out for her.
THE ROLL OF THE DICE by Beverley Lee- This is a beautiful, haunting tale about an angel's existence. "Ours is the burden of acceptance of the result, that what we deem to be loathsome is the very thing we are bound to convey."
GRAVEYARD OF THE LOST by Tracy Fahey- This might be one of my favorite stories. This is the story of a photographer cataloging graveyards and tombstones in Ireland when he learns of 'The Cemetery of the Lost'. The atmosphere of this one was so vivid and immersive. I really felt like I was on the quest for this mysterious, hidden cemetery.
THE INVITATION by Janine Pipe- I've come to know Janine's storytelling style pretty well this year. It's fast, modern, and accessible. This one is a story that isn't exactly what it appears to be at first blush but once the reader figures it out, it's over. Wham? Bam! Thank you Ma'am! I thought it was fun and it made me want more of this Buffy-style universe.
Thank you to Kandisha Press and author, Janine Pipe for a review copy in exchange for review consideration. This anthology is recommended for #FrightGirlSummer reading!
This is a very eclectic gathering of horror stories from a wide range of talented women. Some of these authors are very familiar to me and some voices were brand-new. I'll go through the tales that captured my imagination and stood out as a little brighter than the others. As with most anthologies, not every story resonated with me and I might have skipped a couple. It's the same thing with a music album, very rarely does one come along where every song knocks it out of the park and you spin it cover to cover-A side to B side with no skips.
Featuring chilling tales from:
Christy Aldridge
Carmen Baca
Demi-Louise Blackburn
R.A. Busby
V. Castro
Dawn DeBraal
Ellie Douglas
Tracy Fahey
Dona Fox
Cassidy Frost
Michelle Renee Lane
Beverley Lee
J.A.W. McCarthy
Catherine McCarthy
Susan McCauley
Ksenia Murray
Ally Peirse
Janine Pipe
Lydia Prime
Paula R.C. Readman
Yolanda Sfetsos
Sonora Taylor
___
I enjoyed the foreword by Doc Holocausto. Nice take on Lilith.
HOLES by R. A. Busby- Perfect "first story" because it's fast-paced and deals with a fairly well-known fear, trypophobia (of which I am a sufferer). This is the tale of a woman who suffers a fear of holes. She embarks on a series of therapeutic attempts to lessen or eliminate her fear but to no avail. This has a great ending.
UNTIL THERE'S NOTHING LEFT by J. A. W. McCarthy- an engaging story about the ability to bring the dead back to life. Great, building tension and some cringe-worthy scenes.
THE CLOCKMAKER by Sonora Taylor- a little coastal town is home to a quiet clockmaker named Nathaniel. In classic "fable" form, a mysterious customer makes an odd request of Nathaniel that ends up costing him more than he originally anticipated. I loved the ending. This is like a classic cautionary/campfire tale.
LOVE YOU TO DEATH by Yolanda Sfetsos- Imagine a bar called "Hades" where the customers buying shots or rounds were the citizens of the underworld.
TEMPLO MAYOR by V. Castro- This story takes you to Mexico City and the Templo Mayor- an ancient temple of blood sacrifice to the gods. A woman meets up with her attractive tour guide to see the ruins and ends up in a compromising situation. V. Castro never disappoints. I will always show up for her unique brand of final girls, priestesses, and monsters.
THE CHILD by Carmen Baca- Back to back with V. Castro's story this was the best possible follow up. THE CHILD is a young girl named Atla (Atlacamani) who is from the maternal lineage of powerful Aztecas. The child is *too powerful and is problematic for those who look out for her.
THE ROLL OF THE DICE by Beverley Lee- This is a beautiful, haunting tale about an angel's existence. "Ours is the burden of acceptance of the result, that what we deem to be loathsome is the very thing we are bound to convey."
GRAVEYARD OF THE LOST by Tracy Fahey- This might be one of my favorite stories. This is the story of a photographer cataloging graveyards and tombstones in Ireland when he learns of 'The Cemetery of the Lost'. The atmosphere of this one was so vivid and immersive. I really felt like I was on the quest for this mysterious, hidden cemetery.
THE INVITATION by Janine Pipe- I've come to know Janine's storytelling style pretty well this year. It's fast, modern, and accessible. This one is a story that isn't exactly what it appears to be at first blush but once the reader figures it out, it's over. Wham? Bam! Thank you Ma'am! I thought it was fun and it made me want more of this Buffy-style universe.
errantdreams's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading Graveyard Smash: Women of Horror Anthology Volume 2, but thought volume one, Under Her Black Wings, was a little bit better. Once again, I have to knock them just a little for having the foreword of an all-women-authors book be written by a guy; it gives the impression that the women can’t stand on their own and need a man to speak for them.
R.A. Busby’s “Holes” is a great tale. Kathryn has trypophobia, a fear of holes. She’s living in the middle of a pandemic, and her paranoia spirals in bad directions. A favorite of mine is J.A.W. McCarthy’s “Until There’s Nothing Left,” in which a girl has a bizarre ability to raise people from the dead–but it doesn’t always end well. She’s determined to bring her sister back. This story is so very poignant. Sonora Taylor’s “The Clockmaker” is another favorite. Nathaniel, an unremarkable man who makes remarkable clocks, is commissioned to make one out of bone. But the man who hired him wants more, always more. Another favorite is “Templo Mayor,” by V. Castro. When going on a tour of a very old temple, it’s good to have other people on the tour with you.
Catherine McCarthy’s “Two’s Company, Three’s a Shroud,” was fun but didn’t wow me. A town is running out of room in the cemetery, and they decide to start stacking coffins. This doesn’t sit well with the dead. Another story with a sense of humor is Yolanda Sfetsos’s “Love You To Death.” It takes place in the underworld, in a bar run by Hades and Persephone. It’s silly, and I didn’t like the depiction of Persephone, but it has a couple of good characters. Another fun story, Janine Pipe’s “The Invitation,” is an enjoyable story about Amber, who’s going to go to a party at the cemetery called “Graveyard Smash.” She’s not exactly going for an evening of fun, however–and her mother sends her texts reminding her to go armed!
Dona Fox’s “Waiting at the Dance” involves a widow, Alisha, whose daughter Jenny wants her to get back to dating. When Alisha goes dancing at something called “the widow’s dance,” things get a little bit strange. In Cassidy Frost’s “The Crumbling Grave,” Emilia asks homeless guy Dane for help regarding her abusive boyfriend. I didn’t entirely buy into some of the details of the ending, but it was an intriguing story. Michelle Renee Lane’s “Cicada Song” has Anna hearing voices that tell her to kill her annoying sister Sadie (“…killing her seemed a bit extreme”). I like where this one went.
Demi-Louise Blackburn’s “Smash and Grab” introduces us to two office workers who decide to start grave-robbing for extra cash. One of them is desperate for the money and drags the other along. It’s a bit predictable, but a nifty premise. Carmen Baca’s “The Child” involves three generations of women who have inherited magical “recipes” from their Aztec ancestors. Unfortunately, Atlaclamani’s ability with said recipes appears to outreach her moral growth. This story didn’t feel like it had a definitive ending. Another grave-robbing story is Ellie Douglas’s “Rewake.” Emma and Carl are cousins who are robbing graves to satisfy some guy they’re working for. Emma has a bizarre experience with a corpse and starts to change. The bad stuff happens right away, before we can come to care about the characters at all. The dialogue is very awkward. And Emma’s cousin notices things like the fact that her breasts have changed size without thinking much about it. It also doesn’t really have an ending.
I didn’t think that Beverly Lee’s “The Roll of the Dice” felt like horror, at least to me. It involves a man who’s seen an “imaginary friend” with no mouth since he was a child. The ending is strange, but I didn’t get much out of it. Tracy Fahey’s “Graveyard of the Lost” involves an archaeology student trying to find a grave that’s said to only be found when the tide goes out. This one was pretty good. Susan McCauley’s “The Snow Woman” introduces us to Eric, whose father is a professor of anthropology. He’s just had a 300-year-old mummy delivered to him. Legend has it that once set free, she’ll freeze the world. This was an interesting read; the characters were a little flimsy (eh, it happens in some short stories), but the events were great.
I wanted to like Ksenia Murray’s “Night of the Djinn” more than I did. Some goth kids are hanging out in a cemetery and decide to sacrifice a cat. One of the kids, Jade, refuses to let them harm the cat. Said cat happens to be temporarily inhabited by a Djinn, who decides to have some fun with the kids. It’s all very quick, without much variation in the pacing, and the Djinn gets the best of the kids simply by declaring a deadly “price” for each wish he grants. I feel like this could have been more than it was.
Christy Aldridge’s “Don’t Scream (You’ll Wake the Dead)” introduces us to teenager Mike, who gets a job at a cemetery working for an undertaker. The undertaker calmly tells him that the dead sometimes walk, and that he should never scream, because that will get their attention. The rest is obvious. Dawn DeBraal’s “Thirty Questions” has Tawny’s dead cousin Cheryl come back to help her figure out who killed her in a hit-and-run. She never actually saw the person, but Tawny can ask 30 questions to help her figure out who it might have been. The ending was a bit too quick, and Cheryl’s dialogue was very stilted, and not in a “this is a corpse/ghost/whatever” kind of way.
Paula R.C. Readman’s “The Chimes At Midnight” sees Eleanor come back from the dead, only to find out that her murderous husband has taken yet another wife. Can the two of them work together to save the new wife’s life? The prose and dialogue are a little purple, but it’s basically a good story. Lydia Prime’s “South Dakota” is fascinating, particularly given the implications of the events on the world-building. I would love to know more about this place in which young Dakota meets a friend who looks exactly like her, but is trapped beneath the ice of a lake. She becomes determined to free this copy of herself. I also enjoyed Ally Peirse’s “Atmosphere,” except for one detail. Young reporter Vicky talks brewery cleaner Rob into taking her along on his job, since his Uncle Dave is out like a light. He has her doing Uncle Dave’s part, which is vital to his safety, when she has no training or experience in that. Things (obviously) go wrong in that area; it was really hard to imagine that he would have made that decision. The interesting part is what happens to them after that, and why.
Overall this anthology is worth reading, even if it isn’t perfect. But that often happens with anthologies–not all stories will match any given reader’s preferences.
Content note for some gore, cannibalism.
Consider my rating a 3.5
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/09/review-graveyard-smash-from-kandisha-press/
R.A. Busby’s “Holes” is a great tale. Kathryn has trypophobia, a fear of holes. She’s living in the middle of a pandemic, and her paranoia spirals in bad directions. A favorite of mine is J.A.W. McCarthy’s “Until There’s Nothing Left,” in which a girl has a bizarre ability to raise people from the dead–but it doesn’t always end well. She’s determined to bring her sister back. This story is so very poignant. Sonora Taylor’s “The Clockmaker” is another favorite. Nathaniel, an unremarkable man who makes remarkable clocks, is commissioned to make one out of bone. But the man who hired him wants more, always more. Another favorite is “Templo Mayor,” by V. Castro. When going on a tour of a very old temple, it’s good to have other people on the tour with you.
Catherine McCarthy’s “Two’s Company, Three’s a Shroud,” was fun but didn’t wow me. A town is running out of room in the cemetery, and they decide to start stacking coffins. This doesn’t sit well with the dead. Another story with a sense of humor is Yolanda Sfetsos’s “Love You To Death.” It takes place in the underworld, in a bar run by Hades and Persephone. It’s silly, and I didn’t like the depiction of Persephone, but it has a couple of good characters. Another fun story, Janine Pipe’s “The Invitation,” is an enjoyable story about Amber, who’s going to go to a party at the cemetery called “Graveyard Smash.” She’s not exactly going for an evening of fun, however–and her mother sends her texts reminding her to go armed!
Dona Fox’s “Waiting at the Dance” involves a widow, Alisha, whose daughter Jenny wants her to get back to dating. When Alisha goes dancing at something called “the widow’s dance,” things get a little bit strange. In Cassidy Frost’s “The Crumbling Grave,” Emilia asks homeless guy Dane for help regarding her abusive boyfriend. I didn’t entirely buy into some of the details of the ending, but it was an intriguing story. Michelle Renee Lane’s “Cicada Song” has Anna hearing voices that tell her to kill her annoying sister Sadie (“…killing her seemed a bit extreme”). I like where this one went.
Demi-Louise Blackburn’s “Smash and Grab” introduces us to two office workers who decide to start grave-robbing for extra cash. One of them is desperate for the money and drags the other along. It’s a bit predictable, but a nifty premise. Carmen Baca’s “The Child” involves three generations of women who have inherited magical “recipes” from their Aztec ancestors. Unfortunately, Atlaclamani’s ability with said recipes appears to outreach her moral growth. This story didn’t feel like it had a definitive ending. Another grave-robbing story is Ellie Douglas’s “Rewake.” Emma and Carl are cousins who are robbing graves to satisfy some guy they’re working for. Emma has a bizarre experience with a corpse and starts to change. The bad stuff happens right away, before we can come to care about the characters at all. The dialogue is very awkward. And Emma’s cousin notices things like the fact that her breasts have changed size without thinking much about it. It also doesn’t really have an ending.
I didn’t think that Beverly Lee’s “The Roll of the Dice” felt like horror, at least to me. It involves a man who’s seen an “imaginary friend” with no mouth since he was a child. The ending is strange, but I didn’t get much out of it. Tracy Fahey’s “Graveyard of the Lost” involves an archaeology student trying to find a grave that’s said to only be found when the tide goes out. This one was pretty good. Susan McCauley’s “The Snow Woman” introduces us to Eric, whose father is a professor of anthropology. He’s just had a 300-year-old mummy delivered to him. Legend has it that once set free, she’ll freeze the world. This was an interesting read; the characters were a little flimsy (eh, it happens in some short stories), but the events were great.
I wanted to like Ksenia Murray’s “Night of the Djinn” more than I did. Some goth kids are hanging out in a cemetery and decide to sacrifice a cat. One of the kids, Jade, refuses to let them harm the cat. Said cat happens to be temporarily inhabited by a Djinn, who decides to have some fun with the kids. It’s all very quick, without much variation in the pacing, and the Djinn gets the best of the kids simply by declaring a deadly “price” for each wish he grants. I feel like this could have been more than it was.
Christy Aldridge’s “Don’t Scream (You’ll Wake the Dead)” introduces us to teenager Mike, who gets a job at a cemetery working for an undertaker. The undertaker calmly tells him that the dead sometimes walk, and that he should never scream, because that will get their attention. The rest is obvious. Dawn DeBraal’s “Thirty Questions” has Tawny’s dead cousin Cheryl come back to help her figure out who killed her in a hit-and-run. She never actually saw the person, but Tawny can ask 30 questions to help her figure out who it might have been. The ending was a bit too quick, and Cheryl’s dialogue was very stilted, and not in a “this is a corpse/ghost/whatever” kind of way.
Paula R.C. Readman’s “The Chimes At Midnight” sees Eleanor come back from the dead, only to find out that her murderous husband has taken yet another wife. Can the two of them work together to save the new wife’s life? The prose and dialogue are a little purple, but it’s basically a good story. Lydia Prime’s “South Dakota” is fascinating, particularly given the implications of the events on the world-building. I would love to know more about this place in which young Dakota meets a friend who looks exactly like her, but is trapped beneath the ice of a lake. She becomes determined to free this copy of herself. I also enjoyed Ally Peirse’s “Atmosphere,” except for one detail. Young reporter Vicky talks brewery cleaner Rob into taking her along on his job, since his Uncle Dave is out like a light. He has her doing Uncle Dave’s part, which is vital to his safety, when she has no training or experience in that. Things (obviously) go wrong in that area; it was really hard to imagine that he would have made that decision. The interesting part is what happens to them after that, and why.
Overall this anthology is worth reading, even if it isn’t perfect. But that often happens with anthologies–not all stories will match any given reader’s preferences.
Content note for some gore, cannibalism.
Consider my rating a 3.5
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/09/review-graveyard-smash-from-kandisha-press/
brennanlafaro's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up for Amazon
Jill Girardi’s Kandisha Press is doing some cool things in 2020. They released Under Her Black Wings in January, an anthology I absolutely loved, jam-packed with horror stories by women. Assuming this anthology might be an annual thing, I was pleasantly surprised to see they were doing it again in July with Graveyard Smash, and as of this writing, Kandisha is open to subs again for volume three.
One of my favorite things about these collections are the mixture of known and loved entities with up-and-coming names, a fair few new-to-me authors. Graveyard Smash is a bit bigger than its predecessor at 21 stories. As with any anthology, some hit hard, some sink their teeth in, and some simply didn’t resonate with me for whatever reason. Allow me to highlight some favorites:
“Holes” by RA Busy - The opening gambit in this anthology comes out swinging. Admittedly this is the first short story I’ve read that directly references corona, and I was worried at first, but the execution here is top notch and really encapsulates paranoia using trypophobia.
“Two’s Company, Three’s a Shroud” by Catherine McCarthy - This one stood out for being really different, not an easy feat in such a sizable collection. Funny and original, I really enjoyed being immersed in this story. I mean, there is a pun in the title.
“The Clockmaker” by Sonora Taylor - The best story in the collection comes in pretty early. Taylor’s creepy story is note perfect and has the feel of a classic story in the vein of Poe or Shirley Jackson.
“Love You to Death” by Yolanda Sfetsos - Yolanda’s story in Under Her Black Wings was a stand out there as well. This author seems to have it, and I look forward to reading more by her. That said, I adore horror mixed with mythology and this story had it in spades and did it well.
“Cicada Song” by Michelle Renee Lane - Another top notch tale. Lane’s story had a very original premise and even though it was laugh-out-loud funny at points, the humor didn’t detract from the weight of the story.
“The Invitation” by Janine Pipe - It’s hard to lay out what I liked about this story without spoilers, or at least affecting the reader’s experience. I will say that it’s well-plotted and Pipe’s use of misdirection is Prestige-level. “Are you watching closely?”
Lest this write-up exceed the length of one of the stories contained within, I’ll leave longer story descriptions at that. There are other fun, creeptastic, engaging, and even beautiful stories by V Castro, Beverley Lee, Ellie Douglas, Susan McCauley, Ksenia Murray, and Christy Aldridge. Kandisha is putting out consistently entertaining work by women of horror, drawing readers in with the big names and introducing future stars. As long as they keep these anthologies coming, I’ll keep lining up for them.
I was given a digital copy by the publisher for review consideration.Rating/review coming soon
Jill Girardi’s Kandisha Press is doing some cool things in 2020. They released Under Her Black Wings in January, an anthology I absolutely loved, jam-packed with horror stories by women. Assuming this anthology might be an annual thing, I was pleasantly surprised to see they were doing it again in July with Graveyard Smash, and as of this writing, Kandisha is open to subs again for volume three.
One of my favorite things about these collections are the mixture of known and loved entities with up-and-coming names, a fair few new-to-me authors. Graveyard Smash is a bit bigger than its predecessor at 21 stories. As with any anthology, some hit hard, some sink their teeth in, and some simply didn’t resonate with me for whatever reason. Allow me to highlight some favorites:
“Holes” by RA Busy - The opening gambit in this anthology comes out swinging. Admittedly this is the first short story I’ve read that directly references corona, and I was worried at first, but the execution here is top notch and really encapsulates paranoia using trypophobia.
“Two’s Company, Three’s a Shroud” by Catherine McCarthy - This one stood out for being really different, not an easy feat in such a sizable collection. Funny and original, I really enjoyed being immersed in this story. I mean, there is a pun in the title.
“The Clockmaker” by Sonora Taylor - The best story in the collection comes in pretty early. Taylor’s creepy story is note perfect and has the feel of a classic story in the vein of Poe or Shirley Jackson.
“Love You to Death” by Yolanda Sfetsos - Yolanda’s story in Under Her Black Wings was a stand out there as well. This author seems to have it, and I look forward to reading more by her. That said, I adore horror mixed with mythology and this story had it in spades and did it well.
“Cicada Song” by Michelle Renee Lane - Another top notch tale. Lane’s story had a very original premise and even though it was laugh-out-loud funny at points, the humor didn’t detract from the weight of the story.
“The Invitation” by Janine Pipe - It’s hard to lay out what I liked about this story without spoilers, or at least affecting the reader’s experience. I will say that it’s well-plotted and Pipe’s use of misdirection is Prestige-level. “Are you watching closely?”
Lest this write-up exceed the length of one of the stories contained within, I’ll leave longer story descriptions at that. There are other fun, creeptastic, engaging, and even beautiful stories by V Castro, Beverley Lee, Ellie Douglas, Susan McCauley, Ksenia Murray, and Christy Aldridge. Kandisha is putting out consistently entertaining work by women of horror, drawing readers in with the big names and introducing future stars. As long as they keep these anthologies coming, I’ll keep lining up for them.
I was given a digital copy by the publisher for review consideration.Rating/review coming soon
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