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.

Speculative Stories from the Bizarre to Surreal: Shaky Pictures of Vanished Faces is a collection of stories for readers hungering for something new and unexpected

 

Shaky Pictures of Vanished Faces

D. Matthew Urban

Cursed Morsels Press, 2025

Ebook, 166 ppg.

ISBN: 9798988413899

Pre-order link 

 

 NOTE: This review is based on an ARC I received from the publisher. The book will release April 15.

 

“That was a good story!”

 

Once I noticed that I was saying this after I finished reading almost every single story in this book, I knew I had a good collection of short stories on my hands. Well, short stories and a flash story.

 

D. Matthew Urban really delivers in his collection of speculative fiction, Shaky Pictures of Vanished Faces. From the bizarre to the unreal, these stories sent me into worlds of the unknown. So many stories in this book held my interest and kept me reading until the end!

 

The one story I didn’t really care for, though, was “Osculum,” which seemed to be something like the author challenging himself to write a story in one extremely long sentence. It just wasn’t my bag.

 

I also must confess that I did not read the first story, “The Consultant’s Hand,” because I don’t like reading stories written in second person point-of-view. And even though there’s another story written in second person in this book, I did read it, only because it was really short.

 

Yes, there is a mix of long and short stories in this book. Along with really short stories. The shorter tales offered a nice break in between the longer ones, but I felt the longer stories were the best ones.

 

There are a lot of stories in this book which I felt were really good. They were thought-provoking, surreal, surprising, and creative.

 

“Estrangements” was a chilling tale, just as “Bite-Apple” was.

 

“Exuviae” was surreal but captivating, pulling me in from the very beginning with the mystery of the sisterhood and what kind of species they were.

 

“A Goodnight Kiss from Aunt Spider” was both sad and spooky, with its dark undertone at the end. Another story that delivers a horrifying punch at the end is “The World of Iniquity Among Our Members Is the Tongue.” The character, Amelia, really stuck with me, and I could only imagine the trauma she was struggling with all on her own even without her father’s sympathy or compassion.

 

“Winter Savory” was another one of my favorite stories in this book. At first, I couldn’t understand why the grandfather so silently accepted all of the abuse inflicted on him, and at the end, I was like, “Oh! THAT’S why!” Yes, read this story until the end. Please. Then everything that happened up until then will make complete sense. (I love when stories do this for readers.)

 

“Duet for Breath and Flame” was both haunting and mournful, “Smoochfest” was so bizarre, and “Dreamland Coffee” was the kind of story that took me along for one wild, otherworldly ride. And made me want coffee.

 

I really enjoyed reading this book of stories. They were unlike any other stories I have read. They are stories told on a surreal landscape of fascination and surprise. They are the kind of stories that linger in the mind of the reader long after finishing the very last tale.

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Picking Up Where Good Horror Left Off: Resurrect Your Darlings is the re-release of an epic collection of horrifying and captivating stories

 

Resurrect Your Darlings

Cat Voleur

Independently Published, 2024

Ebook, 148 ppg.

Buy link

 

 

When you pick up a collection of short stories to read, you expect it to start off strong. That’s exactly what happened when I read the first story in Resurrect Your Darlings, a collection of horror stories by Cat Voleur. As with most collections of stories, the first story is great, but then the stories start to disappoint with the second, third and maybe fourth stories until the end, when another awesome story is just waiting to be read. In those cases, however, I rarely hold on until the end. If I’m bored or disinterested by Yet Another Lame Story by the time I get to the third one, then forget it. That author has lost this reader.

 

But that did not happen with this book!

 

With this book, I read every single story, because every single story is amazing!

 

The first story, “Revenir,” pulled me in because I was not familiar with the word. Plus, there was an air of mystery about the character’s painting. What a surprise ending this story gave me when it tells all, and what a tell it was!

 

As to “d3t0x,” I’m not much for epistolary horror, but this is Cat Voleur! I have read many of her stories in other anthologies and never has she disappointed me with a single one. So I read this one, just going along with it, and, of course, it drew me in! This one provided another surprise ending, which I was ecstatic about reading!

 

“Other Mommy” made me think of the movie Coraline, but a button-eyed mommy this isn’t! No, Voleur’s take on the “other mommy” spiel led me through a dark tale of terror and surprise! I think I like this “Other Mommy” better.

 

“Twelve Hour Lifespan” was such a bizarre story. I mean, as I read it, I knew what it was about, but a story starting at the end and going to the beginning was a little strange to read. I was able to go along with it, but I had to read the first (last?) part again to get the full scope of it. It was still a good story, though, and I appreciated the effort the author put into telling it from the POV of an insect.

 

BUT THAT LAST STORY!! OMG! It is too good. It caught me up in its intensity and, at the very end, allowed me to slip away with a smile on my face, completely satisfied with what I had just read.

 

One common theme I noticed is that of revenge. I do enjoy reading revenge horror, so a story with that theme had me giddy just from the experience of having read it. There are also stories with surprise endings, unexpected twists, and loads of gore.

 

Now, I normally don't read back matter in books in which the author talks about how they got their ideas for their stories, their own interpretations of it, and their goal with the story. No, let me have my own ideas about what I just read. Let me leave the story as I read it in my memories, so I can dip back into it later should I wish to recall the story as I read it. So I was not sure if I should read the authors notes about all of the stories at the end. I did not want her opinions or interpretations to mingle with my own. But that is not what happens here. She talks about her own experiences with the story, how she tried to get them published, responses from editors, as well as her own opinions about handling all that different feedback from readers. I was surprised some of these stories had been rejected so much, because they are very good. But Cat found something to do with them. As she writes, "We're never going to please everyone with our writing, but it's most important we please ourselves." (Page 141)

 

Resurrect Your Darlings by Cat Voleur is an enticing, gripping and horrifying collection of dark, twisted tales. The stories in this book kept me turning the pages, hungry for more. These stories are so well-told and the plots are so unique. I loved every surprise ending and every fright from a dark force lurking within the shadows. If you enjoy reading horror stories, pick up this book today. You won’t be disappointed!

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

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