Knowing the Unknowable: Into the Dread Unknown is a collection of chilling stories fans of horror are sure to enjoy

 

Into the Dread Unknown: Women in Horror Anthology

Edited by Azzurra Nox

Twisted Wing Productions, 2025

ISBN: ‎ 979-8313261638

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If there’s one thing that I love about anthologies, it’s the variety of stories included in it. This may be an anthology of horror stories, but there are a lot of sub-genres of horror in it. These stories are also very creative and interesting! Many of them put a new spin on an old tale and I was hooked on each story as I read.

 

It’s hard to draw a reader into a story and hold their interest, but that’s what happened for me here. These horrifying, spooky tales had me holding my breath with anticipation as I read them, reading on to find out what happened next.

 

While I enjoyed reading all of the stories in this book, these are the stories that really stood out for me:

 

“The Howling Places” by was a very creepy story, but I loved the ending. The dark figure which Sofia discovers in a room was especially creepy! It’s a really good story and it had me on the edge of my seat!

 

“Strega” by Azzurra Nox was another great story! I loved how it was a fresh take on the story of Hansel and Gretel. I liked this version much better!

 

“Kiss Me to Sleep” by Pauline Yates is a good story, too. I was really pulled into it. It had me thinking that all was lost for the main character. I loved the ending of this story, as well.

 

“Ring of Blood, Ring of Ashes” by Jasmine de la Paz is a story I also really enjoyed reading. Some sad things happen, yes, but I loved how the story turned out.

 

“Thief of Dreams” by Elana Gomel is an excellent story! I was excited to learn that this particular story was on the topic of dreams. Dreams fascinate me, and I love how writers put them to use to create awesome stories. And while there is certainly story in this one, there are also bits and pieces of info about dreams scattered throughout. For example, this line: “In dreams, we are what we want – or afraid – to be. In the dreamworld, the superficialities of biology are stripped away, and the inner core is laid bare.” (Pg. 110) How very true. We know these dreams as “wish dreams” and they are very common. Our subconscious has a large impact on our dreams. It has a lot to do with the types of dreams we have. But the STORY! This story was amazing. I loved it, especially the ending. I loved how the character uses her knowledge of dreams to try to figure them out, and I loved how knowledge from her homeland, her own heritage, helped her in that understanding. It is quite a story and I really enjoyed reading it.

 

Into the Dread Unknown is a collection of terrifying tales that will amaze and entertain fans of horror anthologies. Readers who enjoy reading horror are sure to enjoy this book, and turn to it again and again for a pleasant reading experience.

 

Five stars

 

  

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

Of Tragic Love and Hidden Passion: Bury Your Gays is an anthology of queer horror celebrating love and sacrifice

 

 

Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror

Edited by Sofia Ajram

Ghoulish Books, 2024

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-943720-94-1

Hardback ISBN: 978-1-943720-95-8

135 ppg., Ebook

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If you’re looking for a good collection of queer horror to read, then look no further than Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror. This anthology of queer horror was hard to put down! There were a couple of stories in this anthology which I didn’t read – only because they were written in second person POV – but I did read all of the other stories, no matter how bizarre, hard-to-understand or surreal they were.

 

Or frightening. Many of these stories were indeed frightening!

 

You don’t need to be a member of the queer community in order to enjoy reading these stories, though. That is just my opinion. If you love and accept people in the community, and you also love reading horror, then this is definitely one horror anthology to read!

 

For me, though, it’s not an issue. The sexual identity of a character is not a factor of whether or not I enjoy reading a story; it’s the story itself! I read a lot of gay fiction, as well as queer fiction, so I am not new to this subgenre of horror.

 

There were a couple of stories in this anthology that really stood out for me:

 

 “Summer Night” by Robbie Banfitch was a very sad story. And, yet, it was also eerily dystopian. Almost like a warning for what could happen if homophobia manages to take over our very lives in this country, which I used to think of as a “free” one. This story right here is an example of the hatred being shown towards homosexuals now, where in other countries, they are murdered. Having their heads bashed in with rocks, being thrown off of buildings or being hanged only because they love someone the same sex as them. It’s horrible that this happens and I fear it will start happening here if a certain President has his way.

 

I loved the story “American Gothic” by LC von Hessen. The ending was so sad but also so beautiful. It made me cry!

 

Many of the stories in the anthology Bury Your Gays also had undertones of sadness, and that's where the "tragic" part of the title comes in. A break away from the grisly horror that also takes place in the stories, some of them truly horrific to read. I loved how creative some of these stories were! I recommend this anthology of stories to anyone who enjoys reading queer horror, whether or not they are queer themselves.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

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

 

When the Dead Don't Stay Dead: Stories to Take To Your Grave -- Mortuary Edition is a haunting collection of tales from the slab

 

 

Stories to Take To Your Grave – Mortuary Edition

By Multiple Authors

Undertaker Books, 2024

ASIN: ‎ B0CYQVHXVS

Ebook, 145 ppg.

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Some people are scared of funeral homes. Either they have a fear of being around dead bodies, have let too many scary stories get to them or they just have bad vibes when being in such a place.

 

When it comes to the anthology Stories to Take to Your Grave – Mortuary Edition, visitors to the funeral homes within the pages of this book have every right to be scared. Should you take the chance to read this book of stories, I should warn you: Be afraid. Be very afraid.

 

From stories of corpses coming to life (but without the zombie effects) to stories of shady visitors to the mortician performing his job, these stories will haunt you and have you cringing in terror.

 

I enjoyed reading the stories in this book. Here are some of my favorites, as well as some of the stories that I REALLY enjoyed reading:

 

"Smoking Kills"

"Souls 4 Sale"

"Quite A Scare"

 

The story “The Monster Maker” really hit home for me. Seriously, this was a story I could relate to on so many levels, mainly because the person with facial disfigurement who was bullied and ostracized by society echoed my own experiences as a person with burn scars on her face. This passage right here also really hit home for me, because I have had the exact same experience:

 

“I know how most normies react to terrible facial disfigurements, especially. They don't see the person underneath the scar, the torn flesh, the burns. They just see what's on the surface, and act like it goes all the way through to the soul.”

 

Yes, it’s shallow and stupid, but it’s true. Thank goodness I am not a “normie” because then I’d miss out on knowing some pretty amazing people, which I have had the pleasure of when meeting people with facial disfigurements who I was thankfully able to know better. I am grateful to my husband for being one of those people who sees past my facial scars, too!

 

But, anyway! Back to my review of this book. Well, this story. It was triggering, y’all. There is a character in it who was tortured severely before she died. It was heartbreaking to read. It also triggered some unpleasant memories of abuse from my past. So, be warned: This story requires a reader with thick skin!

 

I also really liked “The Night Hearse.” It was so creepy! At first, it was a little silly, but as things happened, it started to get spooky. Then it got creepy. The ending of that story blew me away! It was totally unexpected. Really chilling and really morbid. It was brilliant!

 

Stories to Take To Your Grave – Mortuary Edition is a collection of stories taking readers where many fear to tread. For some, their fears of funeral homes, mortuaries and crematories are justified, especially in this book where many of the worst fears become horrible realities.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

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