Lone Women by Victor LaValle

 

Blue skies, empty land—and enough room to hide away a horrifying secret. Or is there? Discover a haunting new vision of the American West from the award-winning author of The Changeling.
Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk is opened, people around her start to disappear...

The year is 1914, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, and forced her to flee her hometown of Redondo, California, in a hellfire rush, ready to make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will be one of the "lone women" taking advantage of the government's offer of free land for those who can cultivate it—except that Adelaide isn't alone. And the secret she's tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing keeping her alive.

Told in Victor LaValle's signature style, blending historical fiction, shimmering prose, and inventive horror, Lone Women is the gripping story of a woman desperate to bury her past—and a portrait of early twentieth-century America like you've never seen.

Adelaide Henry has never lived on her own, never done anything she wants to do, and has always been weighed down by her mother's mantra "a woman is a mule." 

Now she is free...sort of. Out from under her parents' rules, she makes her way to Montana where she will someday own a plot of land outright if she can cultivate it. This is not an easy path for a woman on her own, and even harder for a lone Black woman in 1914 with a dark secret and a heavy burden she drags along in a steamer trunk.

I was totally entranced with Adelaide from page one. This is a book I would have devoured for the remarkable characters and story alone even if there wasn't any horror aspect woven into this intriguing historical fiction. I was so engaged in this story that it was almost a bonus when the horror crept in. Once I started I could not bear to put it down.

Victor LaValle is a master storyteller. There is a nuance and depth to his writing style that I have rarely encountered.  I'm now on a mission to collect everything he has ever written and added him to my very short list of must-read authors. I'm trying hard not to fangirl all over this review but finding it impossible not to gush about it.

5 out of 5 stars.

My thanks to One World for the invitation to read an advance copy.

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The Broken Places by Blaine Daigle

 

When Ryne Burdette inherits his family's old hunting cabin deep in the Yukon wilderness, he wants to say no. Nothing much is left in that place except for unpleasant memories and the smoke of old burns. But after a tragic year, he sees a weekend trip to the cabin with his best friends as a way to recuperate and begin again.

But there is something strange about these woods. As a winter storm moves in, the animals begin acting strangely, and the natural laws of the wilderness seem to fall apart. Then, the soft voices start whispering through the trees. Something is watching them.

As the storm gets worse and the woods get darker, the three friends must dive into the darkest waters of the Burdette family lineage. Because the horrible truth is deep, resting in the shadowed places no one wants to look.

Three life long friends head out for a weekend trip to a secluded cabin to support each other and heal over loss, grief, and tragedy. The weird happenings begin before they even reach their destination and an unnatural storm keeps them trapped once they arrive. The few people they encounter are strange and the behavior of wildlife is abnormal.

The broken places is a slow burn literary/folk horror with shades of Stephen King's Dreamcatcher but happily for me there are no aliens or Sci-Fi here. 

Strong characters and family bonds drive the story forward at a slow but steady clip for the first half of the story, picking up speed in the final half and culminating in a heart stopping climax.

The chills are plenty and not just from the cold howling winds and heavy snow.

I can't say much about the plot without giving anything away so I will just say prepare yourself for some heart wrenching circumstances, difficult choices, and gruesome body horror.

Horror for me is always best when it makes me feel something. I'm more about the story than the gore. I loved these characters and the depth of their friendship. I was in constant dread of what would happen next because I wanted them to be ok. 

4 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Wicked House Publishing

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Piñata by Leopoldo Gout

 

A Head Full of Ghosts meets Hereditary in Piñata, a terrifying possession tale by author and artist Leopoldo Gout.

Carmen Sanchez is back in her home country of Mexico, overseeing the renovation of an ancient cathedral into a boutique hotel. Her teen daughters, Izel and Luna, are with her for the summer, and left to fill their afternoons unsupervised in a foreign city.

The locals treat the Sanchez women like outsiders, while Carmen's contractors openly defy and sabotage her work. After a disastrous accident at the construction site nearly injures Luna, Carmen's had enough. They're leaving.

Back in New York, Luna begins acting strange, and only Izel notices the chilling changes happening to her younger sister. But it might be too late for the Sanchez family to escape what's been awakened...

Piñata is a bone-chilling story about how the sinister repercussions of our past can return to haunt us.

Carmen travels to Mexico to oversee the renovation of an old church that is being turned into a hotel. The locals are not very welcoming and the men who work under her are resentful. Her eldest daughter is also resentful of being taken away from her friends and their plans for the summer. Her younger daughter is enjoying the trip and soaking up the culture, but something otherworldly has its eye on this little girl. After an accident occurs Carmen and her daughters leave Mexico but something has attached to her daughter and follows.

Mexican folklore and a bit of history combine with the supernatural in this chilling tale by Leopoldo Gout.

Did you know that piñatas were originally clay pots made as sacrifices to the gods hundreds of years ago? I didn't.  

There were lots of spooky moments in this book and I loved Carmen and her daughters. I did feel the story was a little longer than it needed to be, making it slow in some spots, but overall well worth a read.

 If you are in the mood for a slow-burn horror this is for you.

4 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Tor Nightfire

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Wily Writers presents Tales of Evil edited by Angel Leigh McCoy

 

Evil touches everyone's life. The eleven short stories in this anthology shine a spotlight on malevolent beings—both human and supernatural—and their victims. Who will survive? Who won't? Sit down with these talented Wily Writers and explore the Evil that stalks their imaginations.

- Yvonne Navarro's "Craving" introduces us to a man whose morbid curiosity develops into the need for ever-stronger highs.
- "A Message from Mommy," by Jennifer Brozek reminds us that Evil can disguise itself as love.
- Alan Baxter tells us about a priest fighting his own demons while trying to save a child from possession in "How Father Bryant Saw the Light."- In Lisa Morton's "Black Mill Cove," a man exploring a seashore discovers evidence of a death, too late for it to be an effective warning.
- A woman who wants a baby goes to extreme lengths to get one, but society abandons her when she tries to make it right in "Baby Crazy," by E.S. Magill.
- Bill Bodden's story—"In the Shadow of His Glory"—takes us on a journey with a squire whose only purpose is to serve his master, no matter what.
- Bob Lock's "The Charnel House" follows a police detective who discovers that the murder he's investigating is no ordinary murder.
- Weston Ochse introduces us to a predator we'd never see coming in "Hollywood Villainy."
- In Alison J. McKenzie's "Rabbit," a woman inherits her ancestral home and begins to discover that she has a disturbing connection to her mother's secret sister.
- Angel Leigh McCoy offers "Cookies for Gio," a tale of desperation, rebellion, and sacrifice in the face of human Evil grown out of control.
- And to leave you with a shiver, Loren Rhoads answers the question, "What happened in 1966 that made the Beatles cease touring?" in her short story "Devil in her Heart."

This is book #3 in the Wily Writers Presents series.

This is the first I have heard of the Wily Writers series. I love horror anthologies! I don't know how I missed out on this one. So here I am with book 3 and as soon as I finished I looked for the first two books because this one was full of creepy fun and satire that left me wanting more.

One of my favorite stories was Baby Crazy by E.S. Magill. I laughed, I cringed, I nodded my head in agreement at the implications of living in a world where the rights of the unborn matter more than the lives of women. This was a gross-out horror and a statement on current affairs rolled into one.

Another excellent tale was How Father Bryant Saw The Light by Alan Baxter in which we meet a real life nightmare known as The Gangle Man.

In Lisa Morton's Black Mill Cove A man has had a disagreement with his wife over his intention to hunt down some shellfish. She fears it is too dangerous due to shark attacks but there are other reasons he should not have gone out at low tide.

Cookies For Gio by Angel Leigh McCoy takes place in a war-torn world that sadly is not too hard to imagine. 

A woman going through her deceased aunt's belongings learns the real reason her mother avoided her all of her life in Rabbit by Alison J. McKenzie.

Those were my favorites, yours may be different. I would recommend this book to all lovers of dark and weird fiction.

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories by Eric LaRocca

A beautifully crafted, devastating short fiction collection from the Bram-Stoker finalist and author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes.

Eight stories of literary dark fiction from a master storyteller. Exploring the shadow side of love, these are tales of grief, obsession, control. Intricate examinations of trauma and tragedy in raw, poetic prose. In these narratives, a woman imagines horrific scenarios whilst caring for her infant niece; on-line posts chronicle a cancer diagnosis; a couple in the park with their small child encounter a stranger with horrific consequences; a toxic relationship reaches a terrifying resolution…

Originally published under the title The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales, this is a much-praised collection of deeply unsettling, painfully dark tales.

Expertly crafted tales of the macabre, dwelling on the gruesome side of the human psyche. There is a sprinkling of the grotesque stirred in to season the mix of mostly psychological terror. The writing is crisp and sharp enough to cut glass.

My favorites were The Strange Thing We Become in which a cancer diagnosis is chronicled in online messages. In the same vein as Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke the postings become increasingly darker and unnerving.

You're Not Supposed To Be Here is the prophetic title of a story in which a weird couple intrudes on a family outing, If only they had picnicked somewhere else. If only they hadn't been there.

Where Flames Burned Emerald As Grass is another story that spirals into terror when a stranger intrudes, this time on a single father vacationing with his young daughter and contemplating his future with a new love. 

Bodies Are For Burning showcases a different kind of intruder. This time it's not a person but a woman's own thoughts that intrude on her everyday life and ability to function.

These were my favorites but every tale is a gem. I don't think Eric LaRocca could write a bad story if he tried.

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Titan Books.

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Abnormal Statistics by Max Booth III

 

Suburban decay, familial horror, bleak lullabies. Abnormal Statistics is the debut story collection from Max Booth III.
Bad times are waiting for you.

Featuring 10 reprints and 3 stories original to this collection (including a brand-new novella called "Indiana Death Song")

Based on the author's own experiences and also fictionalized news stories this book can turn your stomach and break your heart. 

Most revolve around family in some form of suffering or other, be it from addiction, abuse, neglect, or loss. The supernatural aspects are secondary to the evil perpetrated by humans. I was floored by Scraps, a story that I thought was going to be about spooky creepy children but turned into a gut-wrenching tale of devastating horror.

Every Breath Is A Choice was another story that shocked me as it veered off into the unexpected and ugly, leaving me shaken and perhaps traumatized. 

All of the stories are well written but though I don't consider myself to be a person who needs trigger warnings I struggled towards the end with a story called Video Nasties because I knew almost immediately that it was based on a real-life horrifying case of child torture and murder that I remember from the news. If you like your fiction very dark this may be for you. This collection is full of deeply disturbing stories that I don't think everyone could handle so don't say I didn't warn you.

4 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.

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