Horror | Self-Publishing Review

Hunted (The Abarath Trilogy Book 1) by Damian Dawes

A deep-sea thriller with a paranormal twist, Hunted by Damian Dawes is the first throat-clenching book of The Abarath Trilogy.

Kat Robbins may not be afraid of anything, not even a great white looking for a scuba diver dinner, but that doesn’t make her isolated life on an Arctic icebreaker any less monotonous. The bleak endless ocean means plenty of time to ruminate on the shadows of her past, until a mysterious wreck draws the crew into dark and uncertain waters. Stranded in an icy expanse and stalked by an ancient, life-sucking evil, the crew of Soviet misfits, suspicious […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-11-02T03:30:09+02:00November 1st, 2021|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Horror, Thriller|

Review: Dreck by Alex Grass

Author Alex Grass creates a haunting and gritty dystopian world in Dreck, a monstrously good read penned with a masterful voice. Driven by an unflinching protagonist who takes no guff and gives no quarter, this dark and raw-edged thriller will suck you in and keep you there.

Dreck, the mystical beast from a sinister nursery rhyme, ends up on Frank Attanasio’s cold mortuary slab, but this dauntless and sardonic hero quickly learns that death is anything but permanent. The antlered monster is still glowing, appears to be doling out gold coins, and has repeatedly broken into Frank’s mind with […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-10-22T03:58:21+02:00September 3rd, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Alex Grass, Fantasy, Horror|

Autumn Falls by A.R. Kingston

A desperate mother is mysteriously drawn to a serene but sinister town to start a new life in Autumn Falls by A.R. Kingston, a richly written horror novel that blends familiar genre motifs into an original work of dark fiction.

Attempting to find some normalcy in a seemingly normal town, Charlotte settles in and even begins to trust again, despite the occasional sense of eeriness she feels in her new home. Little does she know that her arrival has set off a cascade of horror that has been brewing for generations – fueled by a sinister power that has been […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-05-27T07:15:27+02:00May 26th, 2021|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Horror|

Headless 1776 by Tom Schneider

A haunting origin story, Headless 1776 by Tom Schneider is a wildly imaginative YA novel for those who love a good mix of fact and fiction.

A young boy named Elijah loses his last real connection to family on the way to a new life during the early years of the Revolutionary War. What he encounters in his new home leads to a riveting and unexpectedly good ghost story. This occasionally gory and fast-paced piece of historical fiction is engaging from the first page, as readers are introduced to a savage mercenary who has since become a headless legend, thanks […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-02-10T08:03:52+02:00February 10th, 2021|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Historical Fiction, Horror, Tom Schneider, Young Adult|

Review: Who’s There? by Dimas Rio

Author Dimas Rio delivers a gut-twisting gathering of slow-burning horror in a new collection Who’s There? Taking readers into the traditions and mindset of Indonesia, these stories vary widely in their subject matter and characters, but they’re bound together through terror, skillful narration, and the collective fear of the unexplained.

Authors with a firm grasp on horror know how to imbue every page with creeping dread, coupled with the delicious instability of an untrustworthy narrator and the promise of a grim demise. The titular story is perhaps the strongest in the collection, but the others are also striking in their […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-02-26T11:27:51+02:00January 26th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror, Short Stories|

Review: Ungodly by Braedon Riddick

Author Braedon Riddick unleashes a sinister story of dread and doom with his debut novel Ungodly, a grim, spine-chilling horror show.

On a mysterious mountain in the wild parts of North Carolina, an unassuming town suffers the dark creep of horror as tragedy begins to strike in increasingly terrible ways, pushing the unprepared citizens to the brink of sanity and desperation. In this time-jumping, non-linear novel, readers are plunged into a puzzle of action from the very start, and must put the pieces together as they are introduced to the town’s various inhabitants, and victims.

Amanda, the central figure, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-01-29T05:43:54+02:00January 12th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror|

Death Honk: Nine Tales of the Macabre by JP Mac

A dark and unpredictable collection of truly strange stories, Death Honk: Nine Tales of the Macabre by JP Mac is gritty and nerve-wracking, shifting from psychological terror to classic creepiness with ease.

From brief vignettes of paranormal scenes to longer stories that hit hard with shock value, there is no clear continuity in these tales aside from their grim and horrific style. “Mark of the Bruja” is one of the strongest stories, with visceral characters, a well-formed plot, and a unique cultural perspective on the supernatural that may be new to many readers. “Devil Reef” is another memorable piece, and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-12-28T05:13:04+02:00December 26th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Horror, Short Stories|

Review: Tryst by Aaron Eldritch

Youthful ghost stories become all too real in Tryst, the dark and well-penned new novel by Aaron Eldritch.

While the premise of a haunted house and dark spirits that follow intrepid explorers home is hardly new, there is something sinister and refreshing about this story of lost innocence and fragile fraternity. Heavy with symbolism and marked by an authentic narrative voice reflecting the protagonists’ youth, this is a spooky coming of age tale that is authentically scary.

Greg, Zeb, Aaron, and Derik are normal young boys, getting into trouble, scaring each other with stories, and navigating the difficult waters […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-18T02:12:12+02:00July 31st, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror, Paranormal|