To preface, I am Chinese but have never lived in the US, especially not during the pandemic, so I will never truly know or understand what it might’ve been like to be targeted by hate crimes. However, I am also very used to my fair share of name-calling and sinophobic remarks, and the stuff that was being said about Chinese people in the book are definitely things I’ve heard before.

I don’t like to review books based on realism but how well they are able to flesh out the premise, so I don’t really have any comments on whether this scenario (the serial killing not the ghosts lol) is too crazy or not.

I personally loved the visuals of the ghosts and their thin necks with heads swaying like flowers. So haunting yet so beautiful. I think the author did a great job at creating the atmosphere. I felt like I could draw it. I think I might now actually!

I’ve seen some criticisms of Cora Zeng as a main character and I think that you might have a problem getting through the book if you can’t at least relate to her a little bit, as much of the prose is an illustration of the rambling mess that goes on inside of her head as she likely suffers from OCD, anxiety, and is probably neurodivergent. While I don’t have the germaphobic subgenre of OCD, I can relate to all of her problems, and the way she narrated the story felt extremely accurate to my own struggles, like:

- feeling as if I have no personality cuz I’m not really a person deep down so I’m trying desperately to borrow everyone else’s in hopes that they won’t notice that I’m sticking out

- wanting others to make decisions for me because every decision I make is somehow wrong

- wanting to make sure I always say the “correct” thing even in situations where that’s entirely not the point

However her thoughts do take up a lot of the book and it might grate on people who are just here for the plot! I think this is a good book for those who are fans of “weird girl literature” which focuses more on the personal journey of the protagonist. As a note the writing style leans more YA which could be a hit or miss for some folks.

While I loved the message behind the story and I felt that the emotional beats succeeded in being emotional for me, it did have some issues with the pacing seemingly jumping around—especially at the end. It felt like there could’ve been more sprinkled in to lead up to the climax as the “reveal” felt rather sudden. I wished to have seen more of the supporting cast as they were so interesting!

Overall this was a fast and enjoyable (and a personally emotional) read for me!

I’m really sad that I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would because the concept is right up my alley. There are a few issues I have with the book and it’s honestly not even about the lack of realism; I can suspend my disbelief for things like this, and think of the plot as along the lines of Danganronpa or something. Sure, I’ll buy that one aspiring serial killer completely fucks up everyone else at the park. No problem.

For some reason, though, this book was very difficult for me to read. I completely understand the “train-of-thought” style of writing the author is going for, given the interview format. I’m sure it sounds much better as an audiobook. But the different voices throughout the book blended together because there just wasn’t enough there to differentiate them from one another. It made their experiences seem very forgettable, despite the horrors. All of them rambled in the exact same way.

I think it would’ve made a huge difference if we got interviewees who struggled to speak, clammed up, used hand movements, etc. When I speak on my own trauma, I stumble through describing the gaps in my memory because the brain will sometimes just block stuff out. Of course, sometimes people relive it, and I wanted to feel that from the survivors! I just don’t think I got enough of that. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me.

I really enjoyed the different formats toward the end of the book and I think it would have been much easier to read had the style of the interview chapter with Brock Hockney been employed in earlier chapters too!

Man, wouldn’t it have been cool if we got things like email drafts or chatlogs from survivors who desperately continued using their phones until the batteries finally died? Or maybe even letters from jail sent to their family members? So many possibilities!

I did like how the book touched on some of the less “exciting” realities of toughing out a hurricane, like getting rashes and boils from the excessive moisture, food spoiling quickly, sewage being flooded out. That helped to ground the story a bit despite the crazy premise. I’ll admit the cannon scene made me gasp for breath because it honestly felt like it was supposed to be in a comedy or something. Like okay drama king. Go off I guess 😭😭😭

Actually a lot of it was pretty funny now that I think on it a bit more, especially Brock at the end going >!“have you ever tasted human flesh”!< like 12 year-old me trying to be edgy LMAO I mean it fits because the dude’s a psycho who wants to pretend to be a real pirate so I think actually like this characterization? To an extent though. I have an easier time seeing him try this shit and everyone else going “wtf dude that’s so cringe LOL” and then him crying and then the book ends idk

Okay I’ll stop now, I think this is most of what I wanted to say at least. I loved this concept so much. I think it’d be an awesome premise for a video game or an escape room!

This was fantastic in the very literal sense! While more of a dark fantasy story, it’s really the Jim Crow era racism that elicits that sensation of dread and horror, not the weird creatures and witches and magic spells. I loved the characters, the humour in spite of the infuriating injustices, and of course it was great to see the racist white men earn their comeuppance—something that unfortunately would’ve likely never happened during that time period.

I’ll admit that I’m not from the USA, nor have I ever lived there before, so my understanding of racial tensions stem only from history books and news articles. So I wouldn’t be able to judge any sort of historical accuracy or how well the racism was incorporated as a theme. But I still had a wonderful time.

This book is fast-paced and filled with action, but if you’re expecting fully Lovecraftian cosmic horror, that isn’t what this is about—although there’s a few moments that do fit the bill. The Lovecraft reference is related to HP Lovecraft’s extreme racism and xenophobia, which the author subverts by flipping things around and showing that very fear of outsiders as monstrous, rather than the “outsiders” themselves.

Now I’ll have to check out the TV series adaptation, although I’m aware it’s very different, but I’d just love to see more of this world and characters!

——————

Now onto my analysis. Spoilers ahead!

>!Caleb Braithwhite is the best possible villain that Ruff could have incorporated into this story. He represents the insidious and cleverly veiled aspect of white supremacy that still prevails to this day.!<

>!On the surface, he is helping our protagonists. He is technically doing all the “right things” to correct his family’s wrongdoings. He pays them back and then some. He gives them protections. He does not directly hurt them or call them names.!<

>!This is what makes him so insidious, and explains how Ruby fell for his facade so easily. When Montrose confronts him while being paid back, Caleb seems confused that he isn’t somehow grateful—but it isn’t about the money. Caleb is benefitting from the system his people set up, and it is that system that even allows him to “free” the very people that were being exploited.!<

>!Everything he does he is doing out of his own self-interest in order to elevate his own power and status—which is!< >!already!< >!very high. He is young, he is handsome, he is the head of his coven now that he killed everyone else. He has all he could ever ask for but it still isn’t enough. He wants control over everyone in the country.!<

>!This desire for ultimate dominance ultimately leads to his own undoing, and I’d like to tie his downfall back to his embodiment of white supremacy. His elevated position, and having grown up in a society that values only people like him, is a blind spot. He thinks he’s untouchable. Though he appears to respect their intelligence throughout their journey, having pulled every string in the background and trusted that the protagonists would come out on top, he failed to truly see them as his equals, which is how Atticus was able to best him in the end.!<

>!I loved the ending of the book: Caleb left with nothing, not even the status he had relied on his whole life. He doesn’t know what to do, trying to threaten them, saying people will be coming after them now—but they only laugh and leave him in the dust because he!< >!still hasn’t learned his lesson!<>!!!<

>!Caleb was only ever as powerful as he was because of white supremacy. Our black protagonists won because their oppression forced them to actually struggle, push their brains and bodies to come up with crazy solutions to survive. Caleb had none of those obstacles. He’s still oblivious to what they’ve had to, and what they will continue to, face hence why he thought it would be a threat. He still can’t fully grasp seeing them as equals, even when fallen to a position far below.!<

I think this is an excellent way to communicate what systemic racism looks like, in contrast to direct violence. It’s an important lesson conveyed through a fun story and I think it’s worth reflecting on.

I apologise if I may have stated stuff that’s too obvious, or repeated myself, or made any typos etc lol, I’m word vomiting on mobile while eating dinner LMAO I hope you guys enjoyed reading this!

And as an additional note, what a genius cover illustration. My artist brain is absolutely giddy

This is such a niche genre that I thought I might offer some recommendations in places you might not think to look! Please keep in mind that each reader’s definition of “weird girl” can differ and sometimes I think the difference between “weird” girl literature and “weird girl” literature can be blurry. After all, I think even a normal girl must end up weird when forced into a weird scenario, right?

SINGLE AUTHOR COLLECTIONS

• Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung: a collection of weird stories reminiscent of fables, steeped in criticism of South Korean misogyny
• Pomegranate Seed and Other Ghostly Tales by Edith Wharton: a collection of supernatural stories, which are largely explorations of societal misogyny during her time period of the early 1900s, that make you question whether what happened was truly supernatural or could be explained by something else.
• The Doll-Master and DIS MEM BER by Joyce Carol Oates: many of these stories are explorations of misogyny, grooming, and abuse in families and relationships, as viewed from the perspective of the ignorant victim*

*I am aware that Joyce Carol Oates is an essential weird girl author, but please accept this recommendation for those who may still be unfamiliar with this genre!

MULTI-AUTHOR COLLECTIONS

• Black Feathers: Dark Avian Tales— a collection of dark fiction related to birds.
  • The Mathematical Inevitability of Corvids by Seanan McGuire: an autistic teenage girl navigates her compulsions under the condescending gaze of her new stepfather
  • Great Blue Heron by Joyce Carol Oates (also found in her collection DIS MEM BER): a new widow struggles with grief while grappling with greedy relatives
  • The Fortune of Sparrows by Usman T. Malik: a girl who resides in an orphanage watches as her peers are married away and never return
  • Pigeon from Hell by Stephen Graham Jones: a teenager covers up the accidental murder of a child she was supposed to be babysitting
  • Isobel Avens Returns to Stepney in the Spring by M. John Harrison: narrated by the weird girl's boyfriend, but is about said weird girl's obsession with flight and becoming a bird
  • The Acid Test by Livia Llewellyn: a girl high on drugs is coerced into doing something terrible she isn't fully aware of
  • The Crow Palace by Priya Sharma: a girl's complex hatred toward her severely disabled sister and at herself, especially once a hidden truth is revealed
• Cursed— a collection of dark fairytales and fairytale retellings
  • As Red as Blood, as White as Snow by Christina Henry: a crossover of Snow White x Blue Beard
  • Listen by Jen Williams: a woman is cursed with immortality and travels the land resurrecting the dead with her song
  • Skin by James Brodgen: a woman unknowingly curses her shallow ex when he insults her struggle with psoriasis
  • Wendy, Darling by Christopher Golden: a bride-to-be is haunted by the Lost Boys
  • Fairy Werewolf vs. Vampire Zombie by Charlie Jane Anders: honestly idk how the fuck to describe this it is a fever dream
  • Look Inside by Michael Marshall Smith: a young woman discovers strange notes being left in her house, left by an unknown entity who appears to be rizzing her tf up
  • Little Red by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple: Little Red Riding Hood except if she was in a mental asylum and imagines herself into the forest
  • New Wine by Angela Slater: a live-in tutor and mother figure to her pupil is concerned with his struggles to find love, as they all seem to disappear
  • Haza and Ghani by Lilith Saintcrow: a retelling of Hansel and Gretel
  • The Merrie Dancers by Allison Littlewood: a woman listens to her seemingly disabled neighbour's tale of red shoes
  • Again by Tim Lebbon: a woman is cursed to reincarnate endlessly
  • The Girl from Hell by Margo Lanagan: a witch prepares a spell to undo her curse
• Monstrous Tales: Haunting Encounters with Britain's Mythical Beasts
  • The Yellow Death by Rosie Andrews: two friends are on a hike, as one stews in her suppressed jealousy of the other
  • Old Trash by Jenn Ashworth: a mother hopes to reconnect with her teenage daughter by going camping
  • Eynhallow Free by Sunyi Dean: a murdered wife is approached by a kelpie, offering revenge
  • The Beast of Bodmin by Jane Johnson: a young woman is enchanted by her countryside dream and moves alone to a remote cottage with her cat, only for the cat to disappear (don't worry all cats are safe in this story!)
  • Mr Mischief by Rebecca Netley: a little girl is enduring the abuse of her uncle while watched over by a strange unseen entity known only as "Mr Mischief"
• Of the Flesh: 18 Stories of Modern Horror
  • Fight, Flight, Freeze by Susan Barker: an affair partner is haunted by the ghost of her boyfriend's actual girlfriend who died of cancer
  • Flight 2212 by J K Chukwu: in a world where people are born with stumps of bone instead of hands, a woman and her coworker take a flight to get artificial hands that finally match their arms
  • The Fruiting Body by Bridget Collins: a girlfriend in an abusive relationship is seemingly haunted by a massive mold growth in their new home
  • Apples by Emilia Hart: a mother eats strange apples from a tree in her garden that allow her to hear people's thoughts
  • Waffle Thomas by Ainslie Hogarth: a newly single girl is camping alone in the woods when she meets a stranger
  • Rosheen by Irenosen Okojie: a young girl seeking her first steps of independence finds work at a remote farm
  • Carcinisation by Lucy Rose: an aging wife grieving her stagnant relationship swallows a crab who slowly transforms her
  • Fairies by Lavie Tidhar: a young girl who is bullied by her peers seeks the help of fairies
  • Ghost Kitchen by Francine Toon: a woman moves into a new house and orders food for herself, but something isn't quite right
  • The Old Lion by Evie Wyld: a girl returns to her father's house while reflecting on the strange disappearances in town
  • Mouse by Louisa Young: a wife is struggling in her role as her abusive disabled husband's primary caretaker
• Roots of My Fears— a collection of stories related to ancestry and bloodlines
  • Lamb Had a Little Mary by Elena Sichrovsky: a girl endures the abuse of her alcoholic mother until one day, her younger sibling is born
  • In Silence, In Dying, In Dark by Caleb Weinhardt: the ghost of a woman (or perhaps a transman) reflects on the secret life they lived together with their now widowed wife
  • One of Those Girls by Premee Mohamed: a student comes to terms that she has been taken advantage of by her professor as she tries to keep her pregnancy (and abortion attempts) a secret
  • The Saint in the Mountain by Nadia El-Fassi: a girl gets her first period and her mother takes her to undergo a strange ritual
  • Crepuscular by Hailey Piper: a lesbian couple make a difficult journey to try and save their monstrous daughter
  • The Woods by Erika T. Wurth: a mixed race couple with relationship problems checks into an odd hotel
  • Unsewn by Ai Jiang: a woman is married off to a husband in a society that values only sons, only to bear unwanted daughters

I tried to keep the descriptions of each story as vague as possible while summarizing the gist of it, so I do apologise if I phrased some things inaccurately or gave away too much.

I love anthologies and will be gathering up more books to review! These are just what I can recommend so far. This took way too long to write so if this was helpful I would love to know, especially if you enjoyed any of these stories!!

Super clunky title but pls hear me out 😭

I’ve long since come to accept that while I love love reading, it just isn’t a medium that can properly frighten me the way that video games or films can—but that’s ok! Because I love horror for the themes, the vibes, and simply exploring what the author might find to be scary and what that can tell us about our fellow humans and the world!

The question of “what horror books are ACTUALLY scary” comes up so often along with people expressing disappointment that “no books have been able to scare them” and I think it’s fine to admit that you may never be afraid of written word horror, and instead of endlessly frustrating yourself by seeking out book after book, try to adjust your mindset and maybe look inward.

Why is it that nothing scares you?

For example, is it possible that you have difficulty conjuring up images in your head (aphantasia) and thus cannot properly picture what is being described?

Do you maybe enjoy horror movies more? It’s ok to prefer a different medium, especially if your goal is that adrenaline rush of fear.

Is it possible that you’ve oversaturated your brain with so much horror that nothing stands out? Maybe it’s worth taking a break.

Or maybe you don’t have the life experience to be able to connect with what is being portrayed as scary; like for me, I don’t have kids and will never have kids, so I just can’t relate to the fear of losing your children. Etc etc.

I’ve seen other commenters say that some readers don’t actually know what they like and I think that’s quite true, especially since I’ve seen so many folks phrase discussion questions as if the answer isn’t entirely subjective—and of course, replies will do the same. So as a result you’ve got people running around in confusion simply because everyone is talking about entirely different things as if in equivalence.

Tl;dr I don’t read horror to feel scared, and maybe you can try that approach too

For context I’m not from the US, nor have I ever lived there. I’ve only ever grown up in an environment of mostly other Asians (most of which were Chinese). I did study basic American History in school and read To Kill a Mockingbird like many students probably have.

I think topics closer to home, like misogyny or sinophobia or CSA, somehow feel easier to stomach for me because I’ve already experienced it well enough so I’m just like “it do be like that lol” but this kind of racism is so far out of my locale that it’s hitting me twice as hard? I’m not sure

I plan on powering through because I read horror in order to explore aspects of life in which I am unfamiliar, and especially to feel uncomfortable—but wow I wasn’t expecting to be this affected. It’s been a long while since high school

Please do let me know if anyone gets their comeuppance in this book! And I’d love recommendations of similar books so I can further expand my comfort zone!

This is gonna be a very hit-or-miss book for many readers because of its surreal and confusing plot and lyrical dialogue but I enjoyed it so much. I think it reminded me immensely of playing some of my favourite indie games, which take might take you on a similar journey of puzzling out what’s going on while soaking in the atmosphere.

The vibes reminded me of games like:
- Little Nightmares
- Re:Animal
- Bramble: The Mountain King
- Yume Nikki

And films like:
- Paprika
- Spirited Away

Essentially the vibe of stepping into another world that toes the line between dream and reality.

I personally love when authors lean into making their stories pieces of art, but I’m probably biased as an illustrator myself lol, I can totally see this book as an animated film or video game. I can picture all of it. I feel suddenly lit up with inspiration to draw some of the scenes from this book.

Underneath all the fantastical weirdness, the story itself is about abuse and how victims can continue perpetuating its cycle. The characters themselves are not so much characters as they are representations of various facets of abuse. I read this book as a novel-length fable. I appreciate how the author kept the book confusing instead of cutting back too much on the weirdness, just to make it more palatable and easier to digest. Probably not a popular sentiment but if no one else will say it then I will! Lmfao

Again, this is a very artsy book that will have me happily overthinking every plot point as I love to do (doesn’t matter if it’s meaningless in the end, I just love this shit) and if you’re not into that, this will probably be very boring for you!

If anyone can recommend books with similar vibes I’d love to check them out! I see stories in this style more often in short stories, not full-length novels—but that’s fine because I’m very fond of short stories too!

A super fun, easy read of short horror stories that young teens and above can enjoy! Actually, now that I think about it, this is probably around the level of Goosebumps from what I remember of the series, so if even younger readers can handle it then hell yea.

As the book is aimed mainly at a younger audience, the plots of each story are simple: something triggers the downfall of an otherwise normal person or family. Thanks to their character flaws—whether pride or lenience—these events get comically worse and worse until it all blows up. Then, at the end, a little sprinkling of detail that changes your perspective a bit on what you just read.

(More experienced and older readers would probably already see the twists coming, but I didn’t enjoy them any less.)

You can expect to be quite satisfied with annoying characters finally getting their comeuppance in some wacky and gory ways. It’s like watching a car crash except the car is a clown car and all sounds are replaced by clown nose honking… while also imparting some important lessons like “don’t be too greedy” or “don’t be this stupid oh my god”

There are also one or two stories that don’t follow this formula and it’ll be an unfortunate case of circumstance, told in an almost cheerful manner.

I think this a great book if you’re not looking for anything too horrific or too heavy, or if you want to read some light horror in bed to wind down after a long day.

I’ve seen a few posts in various book-related subs where people highlight difficulty in focusing and I realised that I’ve unintentionally created a workaround for myself that might help others!

I personally love short stories and anthologies/collections so I always have one on hand to flip back to when I need a break from a novel. So I usually read at least 2 books at the same time, so to speak, and this helps both my focus and ability to retain information from all of them

I’ve spent way too long trying to adjust my studying/working/reading habits to align with the idea of “looking productive” to others and failing my tasks miserably 😅 I know that I probably look insane to like, my mom, when I have several things haphazardly strewn about my desk—I bounce around between drawing, gaming, watching videos, reading books, and sometimes several at once—but if it works it works! It’s just a matter of striking a suitable balance

Also, in a similar vein, I have wondered if I maybe read too fast. Skimming was definitely an issue growing up unmedicated and I’ve slowed down significantly. But the speed really doesn’t matter if you’re retaining that information and thinking critically about it. I think my best thoughts about literary works come AFTER I’ve had enough time to process, usually through other stimulating activities and especially in reading other books.

I can usually knock out a standard length novel of ~300 pages in about 2-3 hours and recently finished A Short Stay in Hell in about 30-45 minutes, which might be too fast for some but I also realised that reading at too slow a speed actually makes my retention worse. I lose the “flow” if that makes sense? Kind of like how if you see a word too many times it stops being a word and instead becomes a meaningless blob of ink

Also, if you own the book, I think the significance of re-reads cannot be understated enough! You don’t need to digest all of it all at once. It’s like how you gotta leave a draft of art or writing to sit overnight so you can look at it with fresh eyes the next day.

I guess the downside of my reading speed is my poor wallet suffering. The library is scared of me at this point I think 😬

But yeah, I hope this can be meaningful for someone else! Feel free to ask anything and I would love to engage with more discussions on specific books too! (I’m pretty active in reviewing horror books)