bookshelves: epic, fantasy, challenging-literature, indie-publishing, spfbo, favorites, kindle Recommended for: nostalgic fantasy fans everywhere. Rating: 5/5 DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary e-copy from Storytellers on Tour, in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own. https://www.instagram.com/sot_tours/ There are two very specific things that will most likely capture your attention: 1.) the ridiculously talented and sought after talent of cover artists Felix Ortiz and Shawn […]

 *Full disclosure: I wrote this during #NoPornNovember with every intention of publishing it as part of that movement. But as time passed and I thought more about what I had to say, and then juxtaposed it on a personal level with pornography and how normalized it’s become in everyday society, I’m ashamed to admit it, […]

Dead Headspace is podcast that doesn’t seem to get very much recognition. Given that it’s relatively new, a lot of readers and fans of dark fiction probably aren’t aware of it and I totally get that. It takes years to build up a loyal audience. But the quality of what Brennan LaFaro and Patrick R. […]

“The only regrets in life are the paths not taken.” I ran a Google search of said quote, convinced that it had to be something I’d heard or read before (possibly something similar but worded differently,) but nothing came up. The quote abruptly made itself known in my head, as these things often do, and […]

bookshelves: horror, novella, kindle, fantasy, favorites When tragedy befalls virtuous St. Nick on Christmas Eve, his hands are forced. As a result, he must join forces with an unlikely ally. Together, they collect information in order to combat hordes of demonic entities known as Naughties and, in turn, discover who (or what) is plotting against Santa Claus and his ilk. Yet […]

bookshelves: challenging-literature, spfbo, grimdark, we-need-diverse-books, asian, science-fantasy, martial-arts, standalone, coming-of-ageRecommended to Dustin by: Michael Sliter Rating: 2/5 stars M.L. Wang won Mark Lawrence SPFBO competition in 2019, and having finished her novel a while ago and after a lot of consideration, I cannot understand why. I literally cannot wrap my mind around why it won, how it accrued so many gushingly positive reviews, or how it garnered […]

bookshelves: horror, netgalley, lgbtq+, creature-feature, nautical, favorites, literary, content-warning Rating: 4/5 Preface: the authors are not overly concerned about offending anyone. They said as much in the opening pages. But that doesn’t mean they’re intentionally trying to trigger anyone. There’s a reason that its intended readership is a mature one. There’s also validity to the trigger content warning. Should you need a rundown of […]

”Brutal, beautiful, and unforgettable, My Heart Is a Chainsaw is a visceral ride from start to finish. A bloody love letter to slasher fans, it’s everything I never knew I needed in a horror novel.”-Gwendolyn Kiste, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rust Maidens arc, coming-of-age, filmmakers, horror, intellectual, mental-illness, metafiction, mystery, netgalley, read, slashers, want-to-own Rating: 4/5 stars Now, in many ways and for many reasons, Stephen Graham […]

bookshelves: horror, coming-of-age, arc, netgalley, indie-publishing, flame-tree-press, trigger-warning, favorites Rating: 4/5 stars I received an advanced e-copy from NetGalley and the publisher, Flame Tree Press, in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own. Since the publication of Blood and Rain in 2015, Glenn Rolfe has not stopped. Like a man on edge or a character possessed, Rolfe refuses to let anything deter him from […]

bookshelves: sci-fi, short-stories, favorites, classics Rating: 4/5 stars Without having seen John Carpenter’s 1988 film, They Live, starring the late Rowdy “Roddy” Piper, I have no means of comparing the two. It’s best not to. They’re completely different mediums and as such, they should stand on their own. Eight O’Clock in the Morning was a very short story (its five pages felt closer […]