Slasher Girls & Monster Boys

All stories were inspired by old classics - mostly horror. I really liked this! Individual thoughts below.The Birds of Azalea Street - Strange and spooky, weird and dark. I’m not familiar with the inspiration for this story, but I thought this was very interesting.In the Forest Dark and Deep - Omg!! This was so creepy and disturbing! Totally freaked me out. Loved the Alice in Wonderland vibes.Emmeline - A little Dracula-esque. Kept me wondering the whole time if I could trust the narrator. Good story.Verse Chorus Verse - Not familiar with the inspiration behind this either. This was strange. Loved the atmosphere, very disturbing. I would have liked a clearer ending though.Hide-and-Seek - This was fun to read. Not frightening in any way, but fast paced and vivid.The Dark, Scary Parts and All - No, I didn’t like this at all. It was too obvious what was happening, and the weirdness didn’t feel natural to me.The Flicker, The Fingers, The Beat, The Sigh - Is it weird I thought this was beautiful? I did. It got stuck in my head for a while.Fat Girl with a Knife - The narration was a little jerky and probably not on purpose. I didn’t love this, but it wasn’t bad. Had a fun ending.Sleepless - Oh my gosh, slow clap, this was fantastic. So dark. So many great clues lying around. So good.M - Fantastic murder mystery with a supernatural twist and an awesome lead character. So much tension! Loved it!The Girl Without A Face - Oh my. Things got kind of sloppy at the end, like some of the descriptions were repeated or just didn’t make sense, but the story was super creepy and surprising.The Girl Who Dreamed of Snow - This just wasn’t my kind of story. It’s really hard for me to like this kind of fantasy in short story form, but it was well written.Stitches - Really interesting take on Frankenstein. And interesting that this is the second story in this anthology involving Texas, an abusive father figure, and birds.On the I-5 - Daaaark. Awesome. I would love to have this as a full novel and get all the gut wrenching details.

Mini reviews for each story and collection as a whole.💀 Birds - ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5 - not scary, interesting, enjoyable, pretty cut and dry)💀 Forest Dark and Deep - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 - creepy and gorey, fun take on Alice)💀 Emmeline - ⭐️⭐️✨ (2.5/5 - it’s a familiar story but was entertaining, the length of this story works in its favor, not my favorite but not awful)💀 Verse Chorus Verse - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 - the build up was better than the pay off, but this story did hold my attention and I was eager to know more)💀 Hide and Seek - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 - I had to restart this story a couple times because I kept tuning out. But the final time, I was able to get to it. I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it, another story that felt familiar. I did like the final destination influence, but would have loved for the story to be...more)💀 The Dark Scary Parts & All - ⭐️✨(1.5/5 - I really struggled with this one. Some bits I found problematic, Hades vs Devil is a personal pet peeve, not as good as the other stories)💀 The Flicker, the Finger, the Beat, the Sigh - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.75-4/5 - this is one of those stories I really enjoy. I love the whole “what did we do” cliche and how it comes back to haunt them. I’m torn, part of me wanted a Simara like ghost and the other part of me loved how it ended as is)💀 Fat Girl with a Knife - ⭐️✨ (1.5/5 - yeah this was a miss for me. The story was anticlimactic and went in a weird direction. It was almost as if the build up from the first half of the story was unnecessary by the end)💀 Sleepless - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 - easily my favorite so far. I called a couple twists, but that last one was great. This story didn’t go where I thought it would, but omg where it did go was phenomenal. Also the audiobook narrator for Justin’s mom’s voice made me literally laugh out loud the first time I heard it.)💀 M - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 - it’s an okay story, but one of the more forgettable ones in this collection. I had to reread a few parts to get the full experience. I did like the fact we were following a blind MC, that added a lot of intrigue and suspense)💀 The Girl Without a Face - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 - I liked the ambiguity of this one, but also not. It was such a unique way to approach the topic of sexual assault without excusing the offender. Though the lead up to the reveal was a bit slow. Overall, really enjoyed this one.)💀 A Girl Who Dreamed of Snow - ⭐️⭐️ (2/5 - At the time of listening this could have been closer to a 3, but this one was so forgettable that I had to look at another review for the plot/reread a bit to remember. Also, this one had no horror elements. It was entertaining, but not what I wanted in a horror anthology)💀Stitches - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4/5 - such a creative take on Frankenstein and creepy as hell. I did see the big reveal coming a little before the reveal, but I still enjoyed the story. Definitely on the gorge side, but still entertaining.)💀 On the I-5 - ⭐️⭐️✨ (2.5/5 - not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed. I kept holding out for the big wow moment, but it just went in such a predictable direction it kind of lost it for me. Also, as the final story in this collection, I was expecting something....more)💀 Collection - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 - I enjoyed this anthology waaaaay more than I was initially expecting. These stories were creepy, unique reinterpretations of classic tales and such a perfect read for Halloween! The stand out stories were really fantastic, the weaker stories were still okay, and even those who don’t like anthologies may still find a tale they enjoy!)

This book is all young adult authors and all the stories in this anthology are horror or thriller stories. It is kind of like the Halloween equivalent of Summer Days And Summer Nights/My True Love Gave To Me. I will be honest with you, I have to be very careful with horror based stories, because I have an incredibly over active imagination and I have a tendency to freak myself out. So I was obviously very cautious when I picked this one up. And I have to admit, I am a little disappointed None of the stories really, well, scared me. A couple unnerved me a bit, but that was the extent of it. Which was a little bit sad, but, hey ho. Overall I loved most of these stories. I have found several new authors that I want to look into, which is always a high point with anthology's. Generally speaking the book was entertaining, a little spooky and was generally a good read. I do love a good anthology.4.5 out of 5The Birds Of Azalea Street by Nova Ren SumaWow. What an incredible way to open the book. This was really weird and really creepy. I think the worst part of this story wasn't the, strange, unexplained aspect of it, but the fact that I think every young woman/teenage girl has experienced something similar to the main idea of this story (I'm trying not to spoil anything so sorry if I'm not making much sense). I don't know. All I know is this one, really unnevered me. I instantly regretted starting this book at 11 o'clock at night. I now do not trust birds. This was a brilliant story to open on, and I am so looking up Nova Ren Suma now, who I had never even heard of before this. I want to know if everything she writes is this unnevering lol.4 out of 5In The Forest Dark And Deep by Carrie RyanWell, that was pretty messed up. I really liked this one. I've read some of Carrie Ryan's books already, and I love them. I love her style of writing And this story did not disappoint It held everything that I have grown to love about her writing, but was also very different to anything I have read by her before. This particular story switched back and forth between the past and the present, which I never expect in a short story, but it work so well. It managed to add a whole deeper dimension to the story. It was dark and twisted and strange and it left me with major chills.4.5 out of 5Emmeline by Cat WintersI quiet liked this one, but I didn't find it at all scary/spooky. It had the potential to be very scary and unnerving, but it needed to be longer. This was one of those stories that need to be further developed. It needed to be longer and more fleshed out. If this was a actual book, it would be brilliant. I mean, I did enjoy it, I just know that I would have loved it a lot more if it was longer.3 out of 5Verse Chorus Verse by Leigh BardugoOkay, this one was pretty unnerving. Nothing was explained. It was so confusing and just generally strange. Everything in this story felt off. I think that because the story was left very much unexplained and unresolved,it left me very unnevered. What is it about unanswered questions that is so creepy? Lol. I did really enjoy it though. Its a very good creepy story.4.5 out of 5Hide-And-Seek by Megan ShepherdI loved this one, but I didn't think that it was at all spooky/scary. I personally just found it really interesting A game with death? Come one, that's like the best story ever. I really did like this story. It was fast paced, intriguing, quiet unusual. I just really enjoyed it. I am now very interested in Shepherd. I will defo be looking up more of her work now.5 out of 5The Dark, Scary Parts And All by Danielle PaigeYay! A demonic romance! I quiet enjoyed this one. It was dark and twisted, with magic and flirting and basically, everything you could ever want in a short story. This was one of those stories that could work really well as a full book. It had such an interesting premise to it. I personally didn't find it overly creepy, but I did really enjoy it.4 out of 5The Flicker, The Fingers, The Beat, The Sigh by April Genevieve TucholkeI didn't like this one. I just didn't It was weird. I really didn't enjoy it. One second they where getting drunk, the next someone was dead, or they may not have been. I don't know. I just didn't enjoy this one at all. It wasn't at all spooky, it was just strange.2 out of 5Fat Girl With A Knife by Jonathan MaberryI am very torn by this story. I liked the premise for it, but I didn't love the execution of the story. It was quiet slow to get going, and then, I don't know. It just wasn't great. There was far to much concentration on Dahlia as a person, rather then on what was happening in the world. Too much character, not enough horror. Maybe in a full length book, this could work, but it didn't really work as a short story. It wasn't at all scary and I think that that was because there was just no focus on that aspect of the story. I didn't like this one2 out of 5Sleepless by Jay KristoffWell, I'm never talking to anyone online, ever again. This story was creepy AF. And I think that it was because it was about something that is so possible and I think that every single person has worried about at some point in their lives. It was odd and suspense-full. The story twisted and manipulated It was a very different story at end to the one that it was at the start. It was so creepy. I really really liked this one. This was more of what I was expecting from this book.4.5 out of 5M by Stefan BachmannI think that I liked this story, but I'm not convinced. I cant decide. I personally didn't think this one was scary, but it was a bit unnerving. I loved the idea of this little blind girl taking down a murderer, but I'm not sure if I actually liked the story or not. At times I enjoyed it, at others I didn't It was one of those stories that I couldn't make up my mind about.3.5 out of 5The Girl Without A Face by Marie Luwhy the f*ck did I read this one at night? Leave it to Marie Lu to write a story that was actually scary. This one has really creeped me out. I don't ever want to be alone in my room again lol. It was spooky and creepy. It had faceless girls and heartless boys, plus a creepy a*se closet. Basically, the perfect ingredients for a good horror story. This is the scariest story of the book so far.5 out of 5A Girl Who Dreamed Of Snow by McCormic Templemanerm, I have no idea what was happening in this story. Every single bit of it was weird as hell. I am so confused. This one was just strange and confusing. It wasn't at all spooky. I didn't like it. I just didn't It was just very strange and, I don't know, I just didn't get it.1.5 out of 5Stitches by A.G HowardI am in love with this story. It was kind of unnerving, but it was mainly just incredible It was essentially a sort of retelling of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, but in more modern times, and with a twist. It was exciting and weird, creepy, dark and twisted. It was brilliant I absolutely loved this story. I think this was probably the story that I got through the quickest. I really really liked it. I also now really want to read more by A.G Howard. If their other work is as good as this, I am hooked.5 out of 5On The I-5 by Kendare Blakeand once again I am left a little bit confused. I liked this story. It was twisted and interesting, but, I don't personally think that it worked as a short story. I feel as if this is one of those stories that would have worked better as a full length story. It just, felt very unfinished because it was so short. Which is a shame as it is a wonderful premise for a book. I really liked it. It was good, just needed to be longer.4 out of 5

I thoroughly enjoyed these spooky stories, they were great fun full of gore and scares and I definitely had my favourites amongst the stories!

Not an awful little book, but a bit disappointing.The first story especially read like it was written by a 6 year. That sort of set my expectations for the rest of the book. Other stories weren't as poor but nothing special

Not all stories were perfect, but this anthology fits the Halloween vibe so well and is so atmospheric. Loved it so much! (4.5 stars)

Brilliant. My daughter loves the stories.