Horror Stories with Bite: HOWL is an anthology of shapeshifting creatures that will haunt you long after you stop reading

 

HOWL: A Shapeshifting Anthology

Edited by Kelley York, Lauren Woods and Sarah Sanny

Graveside Press, 2025

ISBN: 978-1-964952-94-9 (Ebook)

Ebook, 253 ppg.

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Fans of shifter stories take note: HOWL: A Shapeshifting Anthology is one collection of stories you would not want to go without! These stories, edited by Kelley York, Lauren Woods and Sarah Sanny, were all gripping and spine-tingling tales that drew me in from the first word to the last. I sincerely enjoyed reading these stories and I will likely be picking this book up again to reread!

 

Before I started reading the stories in this anthology, I thought all of them were werewolf stories, on account of the “howl” part of the title. But I discovered this was not true. These are not just werewolf stories, but shifter stories that include other creatures too. This was a pleasant surprise. While of course I enjoy reading werewolf stories, the mix of shifters in this anthology was a nice change in my reading experience.

 

Not only are these stories different, but they also vary in the setting. Some of them are horror while others are fantasy. Some of them are set in times reminiscent of the Salem witch hunts, while others are set in a world where shifters are a part of the society. All of them were entertaining to read, which each story being better than the last.

 

Here are some of the stories I enjoyed reading the most:

 

“A Damnable Life” by C.W. Stevenson. This story stirred so much anger within me because it portrays religious corruption and the oppression of innocent people. I loved the surprise at the end!

 

“The Last Bus Out of Black Mouth Canyon” by Michael A. Reed. I love how this story came together. It really captured a real-world response to an epidemic that makes people turn into werewolves. I thought it was silly how people thought that they could actually control a werewolf but they pretty much had to learn that you can’t the hard way. The ending was awesome, too!

 

“The Marzipan Dog” by Octavia Cade. I was pleased to see not only a blind character but also a service dog in a story in this anthology. The bond between the character, Beth, and her dog is so sweet. She holds fast to him and she’s grateful for how protective the dog is not only of her but also her brother. And this story’s ending really gripped me too!

 

“Duty & Mercy” by Carlos Dias is one of the fantasy stories that had me hooked from beginning to end. I loved how the werewolf had to fight with another kind of character often found in fantasy stories and especially the big surprise at the end. Great story!

 

“Moth{er}” by Chase Anderson is one of the non-werewolf stories that I also really enjoyed reading. It was sad reading about the character’s complicated relationship with the mother and how her being different sort of affected the character’s reality. But in a way, it helps the character to understand the mother better.

 

“Kindertransport” by Elana Gomel was another great story! It’s certainly not your average werewolf story. I loved how the main character, Debbie, takes something she learned about the not-too-distant past of when there were werewolves and applies it to a present situation, of when there are quite possibly werewolves roaming and killing in her village. I loved this line: “By being the book’s keeper, she had become the voice of history.” Sometimes we need to turn to history to find solutions to modern-day problems. I also liked how the group of kids banded together in light of what was happening. I could go on and on about what I loved about this story but I don’t want to give away too much. It is written so well and really held my interest!

 

“Time for a Change” by Mark Towse was another great story. As I started reading it, I thought I knew what kind of story it was, only to find that I was wrong. It kept me guessing! I enjoyed the way this story played out; it gives away just enough to the reader to let them know that things are not what they seem. I was really hooked on this story and I knew that I just had to trust that what seemed to be happening was not how it was going to end. Something different was going to take place. Yes, the man in this story angered me and I hated how helpless the woman appeared to be at first. But maybe that was all a part of her plan? Maybe that is what she wanted him to think. I loved this story and the ending, while a surprise, was a really good one!

 

All of these stories were entertaining, frightening and unique tales of shifter stories that will hold a reader’s interest. They are well-written stories that drew me in and I enjoyed reading all of them. I highly recommend this anthology to anyone who enjoys reading werewolf and/or shifter stories, as well as anyone who enjoys a good horrifying tale!

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fighting Zombies at Sea: Waves Take Your Bones is a captivating tale of survival against zombies

 

Waves Take Your Bones (Children of the Sea and Sky, Book 1)

Athena Giles

Space Wizard Science Fantasy, 2025

ISBN: 978-1-960247-43-8

Ebook, 307 ppg.

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I selected this book to read as research for an article, but even after I got the information I needed, I was hooked.

 

Waves Take Your Bones by Athena Giles is the first book in the NA fantasy adventure series, Children of the Sea and Sky. This is a story about Tallis and Finn, best friends who plan to join the naval fleet and fight the monstrous Shriekers (what we know of as zombies). Before they can enlist, the Shriekers attack their village, killing almost all of their families. They manage to escape, Tallis with two siblings, but they are split up from the retreating villagers. Tallis and Finn must find a way to escape from their village, and that is only the beginning of their many adventures. 

 

I absolutely LOVED this story! I don’t read a lot of New Adult fiction, but this story really pulled me in! Tallis and Finn are brave, compassionate characters and their friendship is endearing.

 

The Shriekers may have been zombies, but they are not like zombies as we know them. These types of zombies cannot really function too well in daylight, and they are known for their shrieking screams — thus why they are called “Shriekers.” They are definitely scary creatures and apparently capable fighters, as they overtake many people they encounter. They also somehow manage to figure out how to sail ships, which puts Tallis and Finn into more danger later on in the story.

 

The scene with the Nightmare Bridge was really creepy! No wonder people feared crossing it. I thought it was just a bridge, but it certainly is not! It is the stuff of nightmares, and appropriately named! The visions which both of the characters see while crossing this bridge haunts them in the rest of the story and readers are left guessing if all of those visions just might be prophetic.

 

While Tallis and Finn have a good friendship and maybe they have romantic feelings for each other, they are opposites. Tallis is independent and ambitious, while Finn is clingy and has a hard time moving away from the past. Granted, Tallis is stronger and braver than Finn, but he has a hard time being able to adjust to change. I was irritated with how, when Tallis gets a promotion, Finn tries to talk her out of it and hold her back. It’s like he feels threatened by her moving on with her life. She reminds him she has no home and no village to go back to, and that this could be a good thing in creating a new life for herself and her siblings, but Finn is moody about it, sulks and pulls away from her. 

 

But it would seem that change was on the horizon for both of them. In all that they go through in this story, it changes them and makes them stronger. It makes their friendship stronger too. I was pleased to see that their friendship survives a lot of hurdles, even distance, and that they are able to move past squabbles and issues they’ve had to deal with before.

 

This whole story was quite a read! The book was hard to put down and each new chapter kept me guessing about what was going to happen next. The ending was really sad but also beautiful. 

 

Waves Take Your Bones is a high-seas adventure story of humans fighting zombies. With intense fight scenes, nautical dangers and terrifying enemies, it’s a story fans of adventures and zombie stories are sure to love. Well-written and craftily plotted, this novel offers a seafaring twist on the zombie story where the fight for survival takes place on the roaring waves of the sea.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I downloaded this story to read as part of my Kindle Unlimited subscription and this review is entirely voluntary.

Surviving Summer, Goth Style: The Goth’s Guide to Summer is the answer to every goth’s cry for relief from the heat

 

 

The Goth's Guide to Summer: A Seasonal Survival Manual for Creatures of the Night

Lauren Cole

Independently Published, 2025

ISBN-13: 979-8287759711  

Ebook, 176 ppg.

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Finally! Someone who gets us!

 

The thing about summer is that EVERYBODY thinks that everybody else loves summer. Not me. Nope. I love the coast and I love the beach, yes, but only to visit and explore, not to swim at or go surfing or all of the other water activities people like to participate in when it’s insanely hot outside. I am not a water activities or water sports person. I went rafting once and that was good enough for me!

 

But I’m just not into summer and all the summer-related activities that goes with it. I once had to make a video where I talked about what I liked best about summer, and in that video, I said, “The thing I like best about summer is when it ends.” I like autumn and winter. Those are my seasons. Even though I am a morning person, the sun is not my friend. And Lauren Cole seems to totally understand this in her book, The Goth's Guide to Summer: A Seasonal Survival Manual for Creatures of the Night.

 

Before I read this book, I didn’t know that the same Seasonal Affective Disorder that people get in the winter has a summer counterpart. I don’t get sad during the summer; I just prefer NOT to be out in it. At least, not until the sun has gone down. Maybe I am this way because of the burn scars I have on my face and arm; they can’t be exposed to too much sun. 

 

I’m glad there’s a chapter on how to keep the beloved goth clothing in play during the summer. I am not goth, but I often wear all-black. It’s just what I prefer, and that can be a problem in the summer. “The eternal struggle of gothic fashion in summer is very real: black clothes vs. blazing sun.” Ain’t this the truth! There was a day this summer I had to accompany my son to a school supply event. It was 98 degrees and what was I wearing? Black sweats and a black T-shirt! And I lived to tell the tale. But it’s not easy wearing our beloved all-black wardrobe during the scorching summer months. Ask my sister-in-law! When she was friends with the person who later became her wife, she wore all-black no matter what the temperature was. And in the desert, that temperature gets high! There was a day I was running late to pick her and my sister up from school and they were both out there, sweltering in the heat. They were NOT happy!  But this chapter gives some good tips on how to wear black in the summer. I was especially interested in the section of the chapter titled “How to Wear Black Without Dying of Heatstroke.” Good stuff here, although I don’t like wearing dresses or skirts. At least it includes alternative choices of clothing. They are helpful choices too. As it says, “Dress like a haunted wind chime, not a sweaty coffin.” 

 

I also loved how the author shared links on where to buy gothic paraphernalia. 

 

The chapters on goth music and movies were good, but my favorite was the chapter on recommended books. Why, yes, I would rather read all summer. (And I have! LOL) I found many books on this list of 100 books to add to my TBR! I echo the recommendation of My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones. It’s a good book!

 

I also liked the part of a chapter that suggested some night-time activities when it’s not so hot. I would also suggest night fishing. I know some people who do this and I’m interested in trying it sometime!

 

I also recommend reading this book — but definitely before summer. Don’t make my mistake and read it during the last month of the summer, or else you’ll miss out on some great tips to beat the heat! 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.