Wicked Witches: An Anthology by the New England Horror Writers

Description
New England has a rich, dark history with the supernatural. From this region many writers of dark fiction have fueled their stories. One chapter in history has been the stuff of legends and nightmares: the Witch. Look to ancient mythology or your next door neighbor and you will find them, practicing arts both Dark and Light. The New England Horror Writers proudly present a new anthology which pays tribute to those whose ancestors were accused, hung, pressed, drowned, or burned at the stake. Enter these pages, wander the hard roads of Colonial America or modern corporate boardrooms, to face the Witch. Wicked Witches, fiction from New England’s most talented writers: G.D. Dearborn, Barry Lee Dejasu, Peter N. Dudar, Jeremy Flagg, Joshua Goudreau, Catherine Grant, Jan Kozlowski, Patrick Lacey, Izzy Lee, Nick Manzolillo, John McIlveen, Paul McMahon, James A. Moore, Errick A. Nunnally, Ogmios, Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert, Doug Rinaldi, Rob Smales, Morgan Sylvia, K.H. Vaughan, Morven Westfield and Trisha J. Wooldridge Introduction by Penny Dreadful; Cover art by Mikio Murakami

As a horror fan and long time resident of New England I have always been interested in stories about witches so this gorgeous cover immediately caught my eye. Beyond this cover, Wicked Witches is just plain "wicked good" story telling. The tales that cast the strongest spell on me were as follows..
 "In Agatha Craggins' Defense by John McIlveen -
To say Agatha was unattractive was a gross understatement but does that make her a wicked witch just because the townsfolk point and stare and gossip about her? You will have to read to find out.
"The Witch's Apprentice" by Morven Westfield - Callie has had enough of her annoying noisy neighbor and decides to use witchcraft to get some peace and quiet.
"Going Home" by James A Moore - A witch returns to Salem but are her intentions good or evil?
"White Witch" by Catherine Grant -When a baby is born the "wrong color" it will take the power of a mother's love and some help from voodoo to protect her.
"Baskets" by Paul McMahon- When Tommy shows up at Grandma Shawl's house uninvited and unwelcome they're both going to be sorry.
"Portrait of an Old Woman with Crows" by Peter N. Dudar
 When a woman begins painting a portrait without asking the subject for permission to use her likeness the results are horrifying. This one had me almost afraid to turn the pages.
"To Dance The Witches Circle Again" by Morgan Sylvia- This story was amazing! Trouble is brewing  as more and more witches are arrested and put to death.
"Another Plane" by Patrick Lacey-
Matt is fed up with his wife Kelly's interest in witchcraft. It's not real. Or is it?
"The Jatinga Effect" by Doug Rinaldi-
Edson is having a really bad day at work, and so are his coworkers thanks to a curse.

I would highly recommend this anthology to any fan of horror, dark fiction, or witches in general. All the stories were good, some were  spectacular.

I received a complimentary copy for review

Multo: Philippine Tales of Devils, Darkness, Deja Vu and Devious Hearts by P. K. Vandcast

Description
MULTO means ghost in the Tagalog language of the Philippines.

There are nine interconnected, yet separate stories told in 39 chapters, all taking place in the Philippines approximately around the time of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which took place on June 15, 1991, exploding in a major eruption eight times more powerful than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo was the second largest volcanic episode in the 20th Century, second only to the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in the Alaskan Peninsula.

Ghost stories and tales of witches, vampires and other strange creatures have been lore in the Philippines for hundreds of years. This collection of stories will surprise you, entertain you in how they are connected, and perhaps even make the little hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention.




First the good...If you are not looking for happily ever after tales and you enjoy dark fiction this may be the book for you. I love short stories, especially when they lean towards horror. My favorites of the bunch were "Little Monkey" in which a man must flee his home to hide from criminals, who in the end get what they deserve.  "MANGKUKULAM" in which a broken hearted girl seeks the help of a love spell to win back her boyfriend, and "True Love" in which marriage counseling doesn't have the usual expected outcome.
I also liked the way the stories all shared a common thread which connected them.
Now the not so good..
Since these stories all take place in the Philippines a lot of the dialogue is either not in English, or it is in broken English which I found somewhat distracting.  3 out of 5 stars from me.

I received a complimentary copy for review

The stories in order are as follows...

 LITTLE MONKEY, Arturo must flee Manila because two Triad 49ers suspect the simple, yet loveable street vendor of witnessing a crime. Arturo is sheltered by Uncle Boy in Iba, who possess a few secrets of his own.

The lovesick daughter of a U.S. Navy Captain is convinced by her friend to win the young man she loves with the help of a MANGKUKULAM, a caster of spells and maker of charms. Like the volcano, it is indeed a volatile situation when one crosses into the gray unknown between white and black magic.

"Boats" is a U.S. Navy diver assigned to the Dive Locker at Ships Repair Facility in Subic Bay. Proud to serve, for him, it is DEEP SEA or nothing. When he gets a glimpse of something dark and sinister in the bay, it just may be a foreshadow of the horror to come.

A Triad 49er lies dead on the warehouse floor while a beautiful woman in a black cocktail dress is tied to a chair. She explains the death of the Chinese criminal to the Mountain Master via tales of Filipino ghosts in MULTO.

Jose is in love and he will do whatever it takes to win and keep the heart of his TRUE LOVE in this story of vampires, shape shifters, aswang and mangkukulam.

Perlita of Pinatubo is the spirit of the volcano, which erupts in the heart of the northern island of Luzon on June 15, 1991. PERLITANG PINATUBO is a poem paying tribute to the legend of the volcano spirit.

Former U.S. Navy SEAL, Niccolo Soliz, is an internationally recognized action film star who harbors a dark secret. When he travels to Boracay incognito, he meets a beautiful woman with whom he feels a mysterious, haunting and overwhelming attraction. In PREMONITION IN PARADISE, Nick Soliz may discover how surprising déjà vu can be in an exotic tropical locale.

Triad "Dragon Head" Henry Wu is tied to a chair, held captive by a man who insists on enlightening him with a legend of the Quiapo district of Manila. LIRIO reveals the fate of Wu and the future of Quiapo in this tale of mystery and bound and gagged tension and intentions.

Detective Donato Tiong doesn't have time to entertain suggestions of vampires as a possible cause for an unsolved case. THE HONEYMOON he has planned for his bride to be in the exotic tropical paradise of Boracay is all that matters. Can there really be vampires in this day and age? Or is there a darkness within the human psyche longing to justify the creature's existence?

Splintered Souls Flames of Time: Book 1 by Erica Lucke Dean

Description
When Ava Flynn walks away from a scholarship to Georgetown and moves into her grandmother’s abandoned summer home in coastal Maine, she steps into the center of a centuries-old curse. On her first night, she notices a mysterious leather-clad stranger looking up at her third-story window. For weeks, everywhere she goes, Ava catches more glimpses of him, but she can never get close enough to find out who he is.

Over three hundred years ago, Lady Catherine Fairchild risked everything to protect her unborn child, sending a ripple through time that would change Ava’s future. As the mystery unravels, the horrifying consequences of Lady Catherine’s choices drag Ava deeper into a world she never knew existed, trapping her in a conflict that’s been raging since before she was born. A winner-take-all battle for her soul.

 

Hundreds of years ago a pregnant woman rode off in a storm to beg a witch's blessing for her unborn child. That choice would plague her into madness. 

Ava is the new girl in town. She has recently lost her father and has moved with her Mom and little brother into her deceased grandmother's house. On her first night she sees "lamppost guy" as she calls him, a handsome hunk who seems to be staring up at her window. As suddenly as he appears, he is gone. The next day she thinks she spots him  in a store where she's shopping with her mom, but while trying to catch up with him she crashes into her soon to be new bestie and lamppost guy disappears again. Suddenly everywhere Ava goes, she feels his presence, until at last they meet. Ava feels an instant connection as if they are soul mates, but she doesn't know that's only half the story!
Full of romance and suspense without graphic sex, this is a perfect read for young adult fans of paranormal romance. 4 out of 5 stars from me.

 

I received a complimentary copy for review

Leaving is My Colour by Amy Burns

Description

A brilliant, blackly comic novel about one young woman’s disintegrating family, her breakdown and ultimate recovery.

“I hadn’t spoken to Mother in years. Not since she tried to poison my father with lawn fertilizer. She thought he was sleeping with another woman. Because he didn’t die, he was able to explain to her that he was actually sleeping with another man.”

Set in the Southern US, this is a funny, smart, sassy and deeply moving account of a young woman’s disintegration and redemption.

After her family becomes unexpectedly wealthy, Rachel, a witty, intelligent young woman, succumbs to drink, drugs and OCD, falling in and out of rehab and dysfunctional relationships. Leaving is My Colour follows her often hilarious, always bittersweet, attempts to make it back from the brink and reconnect with those she loves. A brilliant and unforgettable new voice.

 

Rachel grew up in a dysfunctional family of what she thought was modest means until the day her father decided to announce they were rich. She was in and out of counseling sessions from the time she was a child when her hateful sister Julie claimed she was sexually active just  for spite. Through drug addiction, rehab, and several failed marriages she never forgot about her first childhood sweetheart Jack, but it's a hard lesson to learn that letting go of the past is the only way to find our future. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, Rachel's sarcastic humor kept me turning the pages. 4 out of 5 stars from me.

 

I received an advance copy for review.