A review by librovermo
Cabbage by C. S. Fritz

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

When I read Cabbage yesterday morning, I thought “Welp, that’s going to give me nightmares,” and then it actually did. That’s not something that has ever happened before!

In this short horror story, an elderly couple discovers a miracle in their garden, but is it truly a gift, or is it in fact a curse? It’s somehow both charming and frightening, and the entire last page gave me the chills. C.S. Fritz is a fantastic artist, wordsmith, and I haven’t read any of his other horror books (yet!), but if this one is any indication, he’s also a master of incredible imagery. His descriptions of… literally everything were *chef’s kiss* so when I woke up from that nightmare I knew my own brain had nothing to do with it - it was all Fritz’s fault.

When (not if) you grab this book, grab your headphones too, because it includes a QR code to a Spotify playlist curated by Fritz himself that you can listen to as you read. I don’t typically listen to music while reading but this was such a novel idea, I had to give it a go and I was immediately happy with my decision. The playlist is absolutely perfect. It fit the tone of the story so well, and though I finished the book before the it was complete, I always felt like the music matched up well with what I was reading. Fritz made a playlist for another of his books, A Fig for All the Devils, and I can’t wait to listen while I read that one too!

I’ve always been a bit selective when it comes to my favorite books, but I’ve had the very rare and highly-sought after Book Adding Ceremony and Cabbage is now on the list. Time to buy a physical copy!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Albatross Book Co., from whom I received this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Cabbage is already out. Go get it!