• Motherthing - Ainslie Hogarth

Loved it! Read it so so fast. It was funny and creepy and sad and icky, just how I like it. There was triggering mom stuff but I think that it was done well.

• Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke And Other Misfortunes - Eric LaRocca

Booooooo! The first story had great potential but then ended up feeling…misogynistic? I’m not sure but it rubbed me the wrong way. And then LaRocca uses the same ideas in different stories (crucifixion/bleach in ear) but not connecting them in any meaningful way.

• Kindred - Octavia E. Butler

I love how Butler writes! This story didn’t grab me in the way that Fledgling did, but she was still masterful in her storytelling.

• How to Sell a Haunted House - Grady Hendrix

A spectacular story told in a way that only Hendrix can. I will always appreciate his blend of horrific and hilarious. I loved the Pupkin flashbacks especially.

• The Nest - Kenneth Oppel

Absolutely fantastic. Technically it’s youth fiction but it has enough of an adult bite. It’s a simple premise, but so creepy. The way that the wasps talked about the baby and how it was defective and they were gonna replace it.

• The Seep - Chana Porter

This one was super weird and interesting. I have often fantasized about aliens coming and taking over how we live our lives. Humans are too stupid to ever make the right changes, but other beings could come and force us to live better. I couldn’t fully understand the protagonist’s point of view because they wanted suffering and hardship and I certainly do not. I would welcome the seep with open arms. I loved that you could make body modifications and also that animals could speak and everyone switched to being vegan. I’m sure it sounded like hell for certain types of people, but it’s my heaven.

• Dead Silence - S.A. Barnes

I really like how Barnes tells a story. I was hooked right from the beginning. It reminded me of “the Luminous Dead” in all the best ways. It’s a fairly simple concept but told in a great way. Some of the romantic stuff felt a little juvenile but that rings true to how real life romance works. I think that the mix of sci-fi and horror was perfectly balanced and enjoyed the mix of characters.

• A Black and Endless Sky - Matthew Lyons

I liked a lot about this book and also didn’t like a lot of it. I felt like it needed to be edited better. There were lots of repetition in the vocabulary that I don’t think was intensional. Like “she sneered at him. He turned to face her and she sneered in his face.” Stuff like that, it took me out of the moment. Also there was so much gross fighting. I know that was intentional and certainly gave the plot some urgency but by the end I was sick of everyone hitting each other. I liked the different characters though and loved that it ended with Nell staying possessed but somehow it was a happy ending. I wouldn’t suggest this one to my book besties but I’m glad that I read it.

• The Passage - Justin Cronin

I read this one years ago and then started re-reading it over a year ago and finally finished it.I wish that I hadn’t taken so much time because I’m sure that I forgot certain details as I read. I really like the world that it’s set in and I was immediately invested in all the characters. When I first read it the other two in the trilogy weren’t out yet so I’m very excited to see where the story goes.

• The Twelve - Justin Cronin

I ate this one up much quicker than the first. I felt weird about the huge jump back in time for awhile but in the end I really loved how everything was connected with what was happening in the present. There was one scene in the book that had transphobic shit that felt juvenile and unnecessary but besides that I loved this read.

• Dark Harvest - Norman Partridge

Ick, this one was a stinker. He repeated phrases too much (particularly about how the “October Boy” smelled). He didn’t flush out any characters at all or explain their motivations very well. His “plot twist” was laughable. The idea of a town where no one can leave and they have to essentially sacrifice a boy once a year is an interesting plot but he didn’t give enough detail or explanation for anything. It all felt weak.

• The Missing - Sarah Langan

I was surprised by how good this book was. I bought it a year ago and just got around to reading it. It was icky and creepy and gorey and just a good story. I liked all the characters that it touched on and also enjoyed the ending even though I usually dislike ambiguous endings. Definitely a story worth reading.