An Island of Monsters: Where the Tide Leaves its Dead is a horror story of survival and rebellion

 

Where the Tide Leaves its Dead

Bray Mattheson

Next Chapter, 2026

Ebook, 266 ppg.

ISBN-13: 979-8254255765

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Casey Davies lives on a Polynesian island with his Hell-pig, Puaka, but his is not a charmed life. The island is riddled with zombie-like creatures called sea corpses, which seems to be an appropriate name for them because they come from the sea. In this debut novel by Bray Mattheson, Where the Tide Leaves its Dead is a story of what dangers lurk within the ocean. And it’s not just sharks!

 

As Casey and Puaka battle the monsters, Casey tries to find anyone still alive. And once he does, a new journey unfolds for him and Puaka, as his life becomes more about fending for himself on an island.

 

After Casey joins up with some other people determined to fight against the constant onslaught of the sea corpses, he learns more about the culture of the island as well as more information about what created the sea corpses in the first place. Casey is not one of the island natives; he is actually from Texas. He and his twin sister were orphaned after the sea corpses murdered their parents while they were lost at sea after their cruise ship sunk. But he and his sister ended up going separate ways after they settled on the island. As Casey goes through many adventures with his new friend Izzy, one of the Polynesian warriors who I kept picturing as Maui from the film Moana in my head, he begins to want to find his sister and protect her from the sea corpses.

 

As the story unfolds, Casey realizes that it’s not just the sea corpses that he has to worry about. There are other monsters lurking in this island horror novel that will send chills down your spine. Mattheson describes these monsters so well, and he really brings the settings to life, so much so as to make the reader feel like they are actually there.

 

What amazes me about Casey is how he remains humble in spite of the hero worship some people show to him after realizing he has been set free from something he was sure to die in. They are amazed. They have never seen it happen before. It is indeed amazing that Casey survived it, but the way he had survived was very creative and required him to be brave. He has to be VERY brave as more terrors unfold for him, and I liked how he does not let the hero worship go to his head. Not only this, but Casey manages to get a drinking problem he was dealing with at the beginning of the story under control. It is just one of the ways he grows and develops in the story.

 

I was also impressed by the “gladiator fights” that happen towards the end of the story. They are certainly creative battles! The monsters are unique and Mattheson’s descriptions of the characters, as well as their personalities, made it easy for me to stay with the story and not get confused by who was who.

 

And the ending was absolutely epic! I had tears in my eyes at the very end. Everything got wrapped up beautifully and all of the questions I had about this story were answered.

 

Where the Tide Leaves its Dead is a masterful tale of island horror readers are sure to enjoy and appreciate. Filled with a variety of characters and monsters, this story is one of survival, friendship, and family. A novel that truly captures Polynesian culture and legends, this book offers readers a story of people trying to survive against horrors that are not of this world, and of rebuilding their lives in the shadow of terror.

 

 

Five stars  

 

 

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

Horror So Real: Melancholia is a collection of dark poetry reflecting on real-life horrors

 

Melancholia: A Book of Dark Poetry

Sumiko Saulson

Bludgeoned Girls Press, 2024

Ebook, 95 ppg.

ISBN: 979-8990327719

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Collections of dark poetry can be about anything. They can be poems that are truly dark and disturbing, or they could be poems of dark things found in the real world. For Melancholia: A Book of Dark Poetry by Sumiko Saulson, it is both. Here readers will find dark poems of fictional creatures as well as dark poems about truly horrific events and goings-on that are in the real world, both past and present.

 

Not all of the poems in this book are dark, however. “The Doormouse Is Dreaming” is a cute poem. With descriptions of “Blankets and pillows/All covered with down” and “shallow waters puddle-wide.” I can almost picture the Doormouse dreaming while asleep, comfortably reclined on “handknit doilies.”

 

“The Child on the Lawn” was a sad poem to read. It reminded me of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old shot and killed by police when he was playing with a fake gun at a park. This poem is so profound, with lines like “Were there tears in his eyes/When he held his head down?” and “Now he's walking the streets/Though the guilty may hide/Their sanity is unwound/By the sound of his/Telltale Heartbeat.”

 

I loved how the poems “Replika, My Ex” and “Faceborg” explore our addiction with the internet/smartphones. Some of that addiction can be pretty terrifying, and there are no holds barred in these poems. These poems also touch on things many people fixated with this connection to artificial technology would understand.

 

I also liked the poems “The Queen of Death, Perplexed” and “The Melancholic Eye” and “Coachella Ghost.”

 

Many of the poems in this book are about real-life horrors as well as fictional horrors. Some of them are personal, while others are imaginative and dark. All of them are good poems and I enjoyed reading them.

 

Melancholia: A Book of Dark Poetry is an entertaining, thought-provoking collection of poetry that will leave readers with a sense of trepidation. Some of these poems will make readers think, while others offer reminders of how we cannot allow the injustices taking place in our society to continue. These poems are both haunting and depressing, leaving the reader with a lingering sense that perhaps it is time to do more to create change.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

 

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

Remembering the Lost Warriors: Dance of Necromance is a poetry book remembering the dead and fighting for the living

 

 

Dance of Necromance: Poetry Book of the Dead

Sumiko Saulson

Mocha Memoirs Press, 2026

ISBN-10: 1962353338

ISBN-13: ‎978-1962353335

Ebook, 72 ppg.

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For the people whose lives were cut short and wrongs have been done, writers take the time to honor them with words. Poets, too, use their craft to shed light on those we have lost as well as those whose cause must be kept alive. In the poetry collection Dance of Necromance: Poetry Book of the Dead by Sumiko Saulson, you will find poems that recognize them, remember them, and bring them to life within its pages. As ghosts, it is only fitting that they are included here in this book, a collection of poems about ghosts, haunted locations, and memories of lives lived.

 

There are poems in this book about those no longer among the living, such as a cat who once belonged to the author and a dancing Chihuahua named Coco (Cha-Cha). There is a poem about the late author Anne Rice as well, which I enjoyed reading.

 

But more importantly, there are poems that remember those in the LGBTQ community who are also no longer among the living, such as Matthew Shepard and Sylvia Rivera. Some are named and others are not in these poems; they are all remembered collectively. You will find them in various poems, either by mention or in entire poems dedicated to their memory, such as with the poem “Never Forget We Bled.”

 

“The Haunted Streets of San Francisco” is another poem I really enjoyed reading. It opens with this very intriguing stanza:

 

“When tourists come to visit San Francisco

Some of them find it a spirited place

More ghosts are found here than dancers at a disco

They add to our mystique and Victorian grace” (Page 25)

 

The poem “Death of the Artist” on page 68 is profound. I love this poem. It reminds readers to never forget those feminist, queer, and Black voices from the past who spoke out against racism, homophobia, and oppression. I like these lines especially:

 

“Dark poetry is a broader field

Than bigoted old dead white men

And includes feminist voices such as

Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickinson

 

Phillis Wheatley cries out from the grave

A voice of resistance among the enslaved

Speaking for a vast graveyard of the unknown

Over a dusty tome of pauper's bones

 

Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes

And folks who used to sing the blues

Ancestors whose oral storytelling taught

The finer points of suspense and plot

 

Audre Lorde and James Baldwin,

Queer poets of the revolution,

Spoke out against racism, homophobia

And other wicked institutions”

 

“Ghostly Muse” is another good poem, and one which touched on something I have often wondered about. Have there been ghosts reading right along with us? Have ghosts influenced writers and artists? And what history a ghost would carry with it! There’s so much that can be learned there and investigated. Unfortunately for us, however, we can only wonder and speculate over such things.

 

Dance of Necromance is a collection of poetry that will delight and entertain readers who enjoy reading horror and paranormal poetry. Combined with poems that explore the current political turmoil as well as stories of experiences in relation to current events, these poems are a voice for the voiceless as well as the endangered and oppressed. With poems honoring those no longer with us as well as poems pleading to never forget the crimes committed against marginalized people, this collection of verse stands out as one which will touch readers, incite calls for action, and create a sense of appreciation for those voices that can only exist in memory.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

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