Title: A Dash of Demon (Achewillow #1)

Authors: J.-F. Dubeau & Amy Frost

Release date: June 16th, 2026

*Huge thanks to J.-F. for sending me a digital ARC of this one!*

I have to admit that I really don’t listen to any podcasts. I manage to fit in maybe one of The Ghost Story Guys podcasts a week when I can and same with Ronald McGillvray & Michael Shotter’s The Post Mortem Report. The biggest part of it, honestly, is that I just don’t have the time in the day to listen to something in any dedicated fashion. It’s also why I’ve listened to a total of three audiobooks in my life (and it probably wouldn’t surprise you to know they are the three audio only Andrew Pyper books!).

I was away of Dubeau and Frost’s ‘Achewillow’ podcast though, where Dubeau and Frost were writing this crazy world of mystery and creatures and Frost was narrating.

When it was announced that a book was being released for it, I was excited. I’m a huge fan of Dubeau’s loving both of the God in the Shed books as well as his sci-fi novel ‘The Life Engineered.’ I was intrigued and when he posted on FB about any reviewers interested, I reached out and he kindly sent me a digital copy. And he also mentioned that this wasn’t the traditional horror that I might be used to, when compared to his two (with a third coming) God in the Shed books. Fine by me! I was excited to see what they’d created and dove into this one with great anticipation.

What I liked: The novel opens with our main character, 20-something Miriam DuFour being kicked out of culinary school. On top of that, she’s living in her ex-boyfriend’s apartment, funds depleted and looking up from the very bitter bottom of her life. Then, she’s contacted out of the blue. Her grand aunt has passed away and left Miriam her coffee shop in a remote small town – Achewillow. Miriam’s never heard of this aunt, nor the town, but believing she can head there and sell the place and pocket the cash, she goes.

Dubeau and Frost set things up nicely. We immediately feel like we’ve known Miriam for our whole lives and we instantly want to see her succeed, see her catch any sort of break at all. Miriam hitches a ride with a burly truck driver, one that she’s unsure of, and when the man starts telling her that bodies have started to be found in Achewillow, she wonders what she’s even doing going to the town.

Once there, the authors quickly introduce us to a cavalcade of small town people, all folks who you’ve come across before in your life at some point, and we see Miriam thrust into the centre of the mystery. Who is killing these people? And was that a demon she saw walking near the shop?

The final half is a fun who-dunnit that morphs into a survival-against-huge-odds story, one where we see Miriam grow stronger and more confident while also realizing that maybe this strange place is where she wants to call home going forward.

What I didn’t like: For me, the only thing that I wished to be different, or rather that I noticed felt off, was that a body is found and Miriam is suspected to be involved almost immediately upon her arrival (technically during her first night there), and I wished it happened a day or two after, simply so that it could’ve given us a bit more time to see some of the ebbs and flows of the town. Saying that – with this being a podcast originally, that may have simply been a result of timing/ending of an episode, which would make sense based on the beats of when this happened.

Why you should buy this: I’m not overly familiar with the huge variety of sub-genres in the dark fiction world, but I have to believe this is bread-and-butter ‘comfort horror’ yeah? I imagine it’s what ‘Schitt’s Creek’ would be like if it was mixed with ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer.’ Or more accurately, this felt like when I watched The Kids in the Hall’s mini-series “Death Comes to Town.’

Quirky, tense, mysterious and ultimately heart-warming, this novel will be one I think will catch a lot of readers off guard, while also grabbing those same readers and not letting go.

What a wonderfully done novel, one that gives you light and dark in perfect mixture.

Pun intended.

 

Title: Scratch Moss

Author: David Barnett

Release date: September 1st, 2026

*Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this one!*

I’ll admit, this one wasn’t on my ‘absolutely need to read list,’ even after seeing Kealan Patrick Burke raving about it on one of his social media pages. As you probably know, I LOVE folklore and all that comes with it, but the description of this one, with the multiple timelines had me on the fence about reading it. That changed after I was messaging with All Star reviewer, Tony Jones, who told me I’d love it. I popped on Netgalley, saw it was still available and requested it. Amazingly, I was approved and hopped onto it shortly after.

Going in, I was really excited to feel the atmosphere this one suggested and was elated to find that it had exactly that and so much more.

What I liked: The story follows down-on-his-luck author Joe, who is returning to his childhood home in Scratch Moss, to attend his father’s funeral. Though his father is viewed as a hero to many, Joe’s memories of those early years are shrouded in trauma blocking and he doesn’t remember much of Scratch Moss, or why his father spent most of Joe’s life in prison.

Soon after arriving, his mother begins to act strangely and when Joe catches up with one of his first boyhood crushes, the past begins to return to him.

From here, Barnett gives us a descending timeline all the way back to 1905, then re-ascends back to present day, sharing how the events from over a century ago played out to the townsfolk over the years and even the town itself.

There’s a lot of connecting-the-dots that take place as the story reveals itself, and learning the history of Scratch Moss was a lot of fun – though obviously dark and twisted.

As we re-ascend to present day, the reality of what needs to happen is showcased front and center and I appreciated that Barnett didn’t find a way to weasel the story out of confronting things head on. The ending – though briefly described – still works to answer a lot of those burning questions you’ll have.

What I didn’t like: Though I really liked the book, I still wasn’t super onboard with the descending/ascending timeline layout of the book. I found by the time I got back to the present day at the end, I had to remind myself about what was happening as it’d been a bit since we’d been there. I think that would read differently if you’re able to sit and read this straight through in one or two sittings, but with my current reading, I wasn’t able to do that.

Secondly, there’s an epilogue of sorts that ties this book into Barnett’s other books and because I’d not read those, the big reveal moment of tying them together had no impact with me. So, for new readers who’ve not read any of his other stuff, Barnett does describe it a bit in the afterword, but I found it unnecessary after how solid the ending was.

Why you should buy this: If you love atmospherically dark folklore with tons of timeline building and following something causing chaos over the course of a hundred years, look no further. This was like wrapping a Kealan Patrick Burke novel into an A.M. Shine novel and then having Adam Nevill rewrite the whole thing.

Bleak, haunting and absolutely captivating.

 

Title: Skinners II: The Spawn

Author: Craig Wesley Wall

Release date: February 17th, 2026

Having recently read book one in this series, I wasn’t going to wait to read book two when it landed on my Kindle on the 17th. As soon as I wrapped up one of my previous reads, I jumped in, excited to see where this one went!

This is a direct sequel to the first book, and this is 100% a case where you have to have read the first book to read the second. So, in accordance with that – everything going forward will pretty much be a spoiler for the first book. I suggest if you’ve not read book one, halt here and return after having done so!

What I liked: The book picks up immediately after the events in the first. Thom, Leland and Angie have survived the skinner infiltration where the survivors were hunkered down, but have been taken into custody by the military group that has arrived. Thom’s imprisoned in a cell with a massive biker named Zeke, unsure of where the two kids are.

Working with his new friend, he escapes and they go on a search for the kids, all while understanding the skinners are still making duplicates of those they attack.

What they don’t realize is that there’s another form they can take.

Craig does a great job of maintaining true to the tension and atmosphere of the first novella. There’s plenty of action, huge emotional moments and we get some really grotesque and fantastic skinner scenes.

Very rarely in this one does Craig take his foot off the gas, and that works to really heighten the reality these characters find themselves in. Saying that, we learn a bit more about what these things are, why the military is involved and whether this sort of thing has happened before on Earth, which I greatly enjoyed.

The ending is a one-two punch of culmination of events and what comes next, and I think it was handled perfectly to conclude things while still leaving the door open a crack for a third down the road.

What I didn’t like: The only thing that I noticed, was that early on a military leader mentions they’ve been studying things for a while and it made me feel like I’d missed something. It gets explained later on, but considering this takes place right after book one, I was momentarily thrown for a loop. Push past that spot if you end up confused like I did!

Why you should buy this: If you loved book one, book two is another creature/sci-fi/horror novella home run. Craig’s skinner creatures are a lot of fun and it’s great seeing them wreak havoc across the country side.

If you haven’t read book one and are looking for that perfect mix of 80s VHS creature-feature/sci-fi/horror that you used to rent every weekend, look no further.

This was such a good time!

 

Title: The Memory Shades

Author: David Watkins

Release date: February 17th, 2026

*Huge thanks to David for sending me a digital ARC of this one!*

I’ve read a bit of David’s – definitely not enough – and so far, everything I’ve read has been wonderful. When I saw ‘The Memory Shades’ announced, I was super intrigued. I had the same feeling when his novella ‘Rhitta Gawr’ was announced and I think about that story all the time. The difference this time was the sci-fi/horror blending, which I’m a huge, huge fan of. Knowing what Watkins did with werewolves and folklore, I couldn’t wait to dive into this one and see what he’d created this time.

What I liked: Set in the future, we arrive on a distant planet where those being woken from cryo-sleep are about to learn their new reality. Here, on this planet, those who left the remnants of Earth, will be the ones to terraform this new place so humanity can continue on. Jon is one such person coming out of a deep sleep, and that’s where he discovers the trade off he made back on Earth. To avoid prison – for a horrible crime he can’t remember – he (and the other workers) will work off his sentence. And when the watch he wears finally ticks down to zero and his sentence has been completed, his memories will be restored.

It’s with that basis that Watkins sets up the day-to-day aspect of the ‘why.’ They’re there to plant the seeds, build the walls, dig the trenches, do the dirty work to get the place up and running. But things soon begin to rumble off the tracks.

There are reports of larger ‘worm’-like creatures that live below the surface, though they seem to stay farther away, closer to the coast. A few of the guys in charge are ruthless, making them work non-stop and punish them when they slack off or take an un-authorized break. And things really begin to shift when Jon – and some of the other ex-cons – begin to see ghost-like figures. In Jon’s case, it’s a bloody and brutalized woman who follows him everywhere. He thinks it might be the victim of whatever crime he committed on Earth, but he can’t be certain, his memories locked away in the vault within his implanted chip.

From here, Watkins begins to dissect the internal workings of those seeing these figures, but also throws us into a survival thriller. Jon and a few other’s head out on a scouting/retrieval mission. Another ship sent a message and then lost contact with the base. It’s while on this job that they discover the ‘worm’ creatures have grown in considerable size and threaten to destroy the base.

Watkins uses this section to humanize the characters. Up to this point, they’ve all remained fairly surface-level in terms of depth, but this is where we really see who they are and the ends they’ll go to help each other and ultimately try and defend the base. We also learn more about the implanted chips, the odd figures only some folks are seeing and also find out why some people are remembering bits and pieces from their time on Earth.

The ending is a cinematic blast. Watkins gives us an all-guns-blazing send off, with all hands on deck and tons of splattery insanity.

What I didn’t like: There was really two things that stuck out for me here. The first was that these figures some are seeing, dubbed ‘memory shades’ (hey, that’s the title!), kind of fade away from importance as the book goes on. I was hoping to learn more about the reason each one was seeing earlier on and in a bit more depth, but instead they get pushed aside to a degree during the mission and mentioned sporadically after.

The second, and this is just me being persnickety, is how the ground/soil/dirt etc. on this distant planet constantly is called earth. The ground sloughs away and it says they get covered in earth etc. etc. It drove me batty, because they’re not on Earth. Yes, lower casing ‘earth’ is frequently interchanged with dirt/soil, but when on another planet, it would be called regolith, which differentiates from earth as it won’t have the same elements as earth. And yes, I’m sounding super nerdy, but my son and I have been reading a bunch about this stuff for his current Science section about outer space and Mars, so it’s stuck in my head! And double yes, I’m being totally persnickety, lolol!

Why you should buy this: If you’re looking for a absolutely bonkers sci-fi/horror mashup where people try to survive each other and crazy creatures on another planet, look no further. Watkins has delivered perhaps his current magnum opus – a novel layered with emotions, action and deeper themes that break through the foreign planets soil when you least expect it.

From start to finish, I was hooked and throughout the entirety of reading this I was trying to picture who would play each character when this becomes a major motion picture – and it absolutely should.

Watkins has delivered an outstanding novel, one that shows his attention to detail and ability to create page-turning books.

 

Title: Wilson

Author: Jack Finn

Release date: February 10th, 2026

*Huge thanks to Jack for sending me a digital copy of this one!*

It’s been a few years since Jack and I connected – I think first on IG – and I absolutely love the variety of posts he shares, highlighting so, so many books. Up until now, I simply haven’t managed to read one of this yet, but when he reached out and asked if I’d be down to check out his newest, ‘Wilson,’ I was all over it. The cover (from Blaine Daigle, an amazing author himself!) was great and the synopsis sounded right up my alley. It read like a monster-of-the-week X-Files episode, which had me stoked!

What I liked: Set in the 1940’s, Wilson works in a sideshow carnival, traveling the country and bringing in townsfolks to see the animals and the freaks. He’s a loner, an odd-ball, but a key component to the day-to-day enjoyment of the show to those who attend. He has a camera and he takes a photo of those who’ll pay, so they have a picture to remember the day. But his camera isn’t all that it seems to be. It has an extra button. A special button. A button that allows Wilson to connect with their soul.

Finn sets things up nicely while also playing rough shod with the idea of ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’ Wilson doesn’t care that the camera connection seems to be growing, seems to be demanding more of him and that he simply can’t control the desires he gets from what the camera gives him.

As the story progresses, we get to see the hold Wilson finds himself under, but as the darkness takes over, a light shines – Dahlia. A beautiful woman visits, one who – for some unknown reason to Wilson – attaches to him and wants to see the elephants.

There’s a marketed tone shift here and it works really nicely to let the reader know something’s off with Dahlia, but something’s off with Wilson’s addiction to the photos.

This sets up the ending really nicely, spinning the story on its head and ensuring that we get an finale that did the build up justice.

What I didn’t like: We get a little bit of a backstory regarding how Wilson gets the camera etc. but I would’ve really loved to have learned more and maybe even had a flashback or two of it previously being used. Not a big thing, but I think a slightly missed opportunity for more of the dark element that camera brought to the story.

Why you should buy this: This novella ended up being a perfect take on the ‘monster-of-the-week’ idea I was hoping it’d be when I dove in. Snappy chapters, deft storytelling and the darkness Finn gives us what a perfect mix of unsettling and brutal. This was a ton of fun, and a book I think folks will really dig, especially if you enjoy carnival/circus themed horror.

Title: Kayak

Author: Kristal Stittle

Release date: February 17th, 2026

*Huge thanks to Tenebrous Press for the digital ARC of this one!*

One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about Tenebrous Press is the wild variety of books they release. Be it through their Split Scream releases or the novellas and novels, or the collections, they don’t have a singular ‘style’ of book. They like to publish across genre’s. Secondarily, Tenebrous continues to introduce new-to-me authors. I can think of a half dozen authors who I’ve discovered through Tenebrous releases that I actively look forward to seeing new releases from. Hilariously, in this case, though I was thinking Kristal was a new-to-me author, when I started reading the book, I was trying to place where I knew her from. I knew I’d shared one of her books in my 2025 month long celebration of fellow Canadian authors, but it wasn’t until I went to Goodreads where I realized we both had a story in the ‘Dark Canadiana’ anthology in 2025! And I loved her story within.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. I’d briefly scanned the synopsis and knew aliens were involved, and that was about all it took for me to be excited to dive in to this one.

What I liked: The novel hops between present and past as we follow teenager, Keith, trying his best to survive in the new world. He’s wracked with guilt over an incident he believes has resulted in the loss of dozens of lives, and with that weighing him down, he continues to flee further up the river. Why up the river?

Well, an asteroid had landed on earth and while at first it was a celebratory event, the space rock hitting a remote, deserted island, while being live-streamed, soon stories spread of strange alien creatures – huge dog-like things, that have the ability to disappear into the dirt below. Dubbed ‘dirt devils’ an alarm is sent out – get to (and into) the water – as that’s the only safe place.

As the story unfolds, Stittle does a wonderful job of balancing emotions and tension. We see the difficulties faced by the inability to step foot on dry ground. How do you get food? Where is it safe to spend the night and get some rest? And when it rains, how long will the rain last, allowing you the time to go into the various water front cabins that now lay abandoned.

The jumps between past and present works (for the most part) to push the emotional and physical guilt that Keith is dealing with, especially in consideration with being separated from friends and family, and deftly displays the ‘why’ of some of the decisions Keith makes. This also helps heighten the ever-growing anxiety as the chapters get closer to the end.

The ending works – though I’m going to be a bit vague here about it so as to not push anything one way or the other – and dare I say it even offers some hope?

What I didn’t like: There were a few things that struck me and came back to me as I was reading this one. Up first was that I found the back and forth didn’t always work to raise the stakes, if you will. There were a few times when a present chapter would suggest something and when it was then revealed in the past chapter, the impact wasn’t as big as it could’ve been. I know that’ll happen with the time jump stuff – I’ve been in that situation before as well – but in this case, it happened enough times that I noticed it.

The second thing I noticed was there is a lot of ‘tedium’ throughout the chapters. While necessary in some instances, I think those repetitious instances could be enough for folks to find its moving too slow and tap out. It’s something we all deal with, especially if you’re writing about anything set in the wilderness. I just felt like a few times we could’ve done with less of the descriptions of when Keith was bored waiting for it to rain, or when he was paddling to find rocks etc. Though part of the survival element, it also greatly slowed a few of the chapters to a slog.

And lastly, I personally don’t know if the ending fully worked for me. I’m trying to be spoiler free, so what I will say, is that the novel never once really offered a ‘this is what needs to be done for humans to survive/overcome’ aspect. That’s often what folks are drawn to in alien invasion books/movies, right? The idea that if they band together and do [X] they’ll overcome and survive. I suspect a sequel might be on the horizon, as there was an ‘egg’ angle left behind without any further development and the season was changing.

Why you should buy this: A very grand novel in scope, Stittle has delivered a fantastic entry into the alien-invasion/humans try to survive subgenre, but throwing a new wrench into the mix. Much like in the movie ‘Signs,’ we see the aliens dislike/hatred of water and by isolating the surviving humans to the bodies of water around them, it made for an even higher-stakes game of ‘how can we survive.’ By taking the land out of the equation, this novel really thinks outside of the box and had me on the edge of my seat numerous times.

A great Canadian-based speculative novel from a Canadian author, this book was a lot of fun and one that reminded me about why it’s important to push your characters to the very edge and see what happens if they fall over.

You can snag it here – https://store.tenebrouspress.com/products/kayak-ebook

Title: Skinners

Author: Craig Wesley Wall

Release date: August 3rd, 2017

A few weeks ago, I saw Craig post on IG that his novella ‘Skinners’ was currently free in anticipation of the sequel, ‘Skinners 2’ releasing in February. Now, if you’ve followed my reviews for any length of time, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of Craig’s works. His novel, ‘The Briar’ lives rent free in my head and his novel ‘You’ll Do As You’re Told’ was fantastic. I still have to read his ‘Invasive Species’ trilogy, which was recommended to me a while back by Edward Lorn. So, when Craig shared about book one and book two, I rushed to Amazon to grab book one and preorder book two. And, as so often happens, I discovered that I’d purchased book one way back in 2020. Sheesh.

Well, with book two arriving in a few weeks, I needed to fix the fact I’d not read the first, so I dove in, wondering what craziness Craig would deliver with this sci-fi/horror novella.

What I liked: How’s this for a set up? A community celebrates a meteorite shower by throwing a big party. Almost everyone is there to watch it. But then strange, glowing spores erupt from the space fragments and every person who comes into contact with them grows insane, massive worms within their bodies.

Awesome, right?!

The story follows low level thief, Steve (which I gotta say, I wasn’t too thrilled at that name choice, Mr. Author!), who – along with his girlfriend, Lisa – head to a convenience store to rob the place so they can buy more drugs. This takes place at the same time as the meteorite shower and while there, someone comes in, they erupt into a writhing mass of space worms and all hell breaks loose. The worms like to strip peoples skin from their bodies, eating it so they can grow more worms.

Steve, alongside retired military man, Thom – Thom with an H! – manage to survive and in the process connect with teen girl and her younger brother. The two youth were unaffected at the party.

From very early on, it’s evident that this book is a ‘who will survive’ story and for the most part, nobody is safe, nobody is ‘definitely going to make it,’ which I greatly appreciated.

As it progresses, we get some light background on a few of the characters, as well as a few new locations where the worms arrive and seek to slurp the skin off all who move and time and time again I had a huge grin on my face at just how fun this creature-feature was. It’s a throwback to the glorious B-Movie monster age that I grew up with, where movies like ‘Tremors’ kept me awake and had me equally entertained and terrified.

Now, considering this was released almost a decade before the sequel arrives, the ending can be seen as a definitive ‘ending’ in the sense that the story concludes, but considering the events in the sky and the fallout that would occur, there’s also no reason why this couldn’t have a follow up and having finished it, I’m excited that there will be.

What I didn’t like: There’s a whole sub-plot about acceptance that focuses on Steve, his past and working with Thom and I felt like it just didn’t get expanded upon enough to really make any waves. There’s not a lot of space in this one to really expand upon it, though potentially it might’ve happened if this would’ve been a novel, but considering the page count, it would’ve been nice to have seen just a bit more of that storyline to give it the emotional whump the ending could’ve gave us.

Why you should buy this: I’m a huge sucker for sci-fi/horror novellas and this was just a blast. Wesley Wall throws us faaaaaaar into the deep end immediately and from there it’s up to us to sink or swim. The creatures were great, the characters were formed just enough to make us care while also not bogging us down with significant backstory and the action moments were really well done.

This will be a single-sitting read for many people and with a follow up coming shortly, this is the perfect time to grab it and enjoy!

Title: Split Scream Volume Eight: Cursed Places

Authors: Sonora Taylor & Matthew Pritt

Release date: April 21st, 2026

*Huge thanks to Tenebrous Press for the digital ARC of this one!*

Tenebrous Press continues to release new and exciting books and their Split Scream project is something I see so many people continually rave about. Shamefully, I believe this is the first one I’ve managed to read, but when I heard that Sonora’s novella was going to be in this, I wasn’t going to miss this one!

A few years ago, Sonora and I were working on a unique release together. It consisted of a singular novella that told the story of two writers facing the end of the world and in their final hours, they each write their own last novellas, in the hopes that should humanity manage to survive, maybe they’ll find these and read them. We sent it to a few places, had a few nibbles but then ultimately decided to shelve it and we took our individual novellas and tweaked them to send them out further into the wide world. For my part, I actually can’t recall what my own novella was about! It very well might be the sci-fi/horror novella I have sitting there waiting for me to finish. But when Sonora shared that hers had been picked up by Tenebrous, I was ecstatic.

On the other side, when this project was announced, I read the synopsis for Pritt’s portion and was over the moon. Having already read Sonora’s and loving it, pairing it with this insane sounding folk-horror piece seemed perfect and I couldn’t wait to dive in!

Let’s start with Sonora’s piece.

Passing Glance by Sonora Taylor

What I liked: This novella takes place at the secretive Moore Mansion, a building in Washington, D.C. that has a history filled with odd occurrences, strange disappearances and intrigue stacked on wonder. Dylan arrives to celebrate her friends 30th birthday, equally excited to celebrate the milestone while also learning more about the history of the crazy place.

Sonora sets things up well, including giving us an early glimpse at both a potential tryst between Dylan and another party guest, but also the mansion’s oddities. Things keep getting odder and after Dylan finds a hidden hallway, things really go off the rails. Sonora takes Dylan on a terrifying descent into the truth within the walls as well as her own madness as she grows more and more disoriented.

The ending was a lot of fun, though it will make you question a few of the five W’s regarding how it ends.

What I didn’t like: In this particular case, I wished that a few more of the party goers would’ve had odd experiences as well, as the novella focuses solely on Dylan and it would’ve been fun to see the others deal with the puzzle/trappings of the mansion.

Lash Egg by Matthew Pritt

What I liked: What could only be described as speculative folk horror (I think, lol!) Pritt’s ‘Lash Egg’ walks the line between Bizarro and Dystopian, while focusing on environmental horror elements.

The novella follows Ben and his daughter, Lydia, who’ve only lived in the land of the Doe for about six years. After a madness took hold of the inhabitants – human and animal alike – in the land of the Bear where they lived previously, they fled, being hunted by everything, until they managed to arrive at the land of the Doe and since then, they’ve been trying to keep their lives aligned with the balance the Doe requires. But that’s not easy. Because Ben doesn’t believe.

The story ramps up when their reliable chicken lays a lash egg, a rubbery, mound of pus. Soon, the chicken itself is filled with pus and other animals around their farm seem to catch the same thing, becoming disoriented and bursting open, their insides mush.

Ben knows it’s because of him, but he wants to keep Lydia safe.

Pritt does a wonderful job of bringing us into this strange new way of life, where people farm and make their own clothing and do what is needed to survive, which is part of the crux of the story for Ben. What does he need to do to maintain his own balance? And how will that effect his daughter?

The ending is powerful and, as one would expect, pushes Ben to make the hardest decision of his life.

What I didn’t like: In this particular one, I found it odd that they’d lived there – at least in that particular area – for as long as they did and Ben still struggled with some of the basics of ‘The Balance.’ Sure, even if he didn’t believe, if he was worried about them kicking him and Lydia out of the area, I feel like he should’ve done as much as he possibly could to make sure he lived within the alignment.

Why you should buy this: As I’ve said a hundred times over the years, Sonora Taylor should be an auto-buy/auto-read author for everyone. This was my first go around with Pritt and I loved his entry so much. These two play in the same sandbox, though at very different sides of the horror world and that’s what makes this pairing so much fun. Each story pushes their characters to the edge of what they can handle and we get to see what happens when they realize they’re just one step away from toppling over that edge. And as readers, you kind of want to see what happens then, right?

Two fantastic novellas from two fantastic writers – and one release you definitely don’t want to miss out on!

Title: Where the Wicked Lurk

Author: Joseph Mulak

Release date: January 15th, 2026

*Huge thanks to Joseph for the digital review copy!*

Over the last few years I’ve read a couple fantastic books by Mulak – ‘Ashes to Ashes’ was a great take on the zombie genre, and ‘Devil Music’ was a great mix of haunted house and heavy metal – so, when this newest one was announced, I was stoked. Saying that, Joseph announced it and then shelved it and it looked like it wouldn’t see the light of day. Thankfully, folks rallied around him, and convinced him with kindness to stay the course and get the book out.

I wasn’t totally sure what to expect within, as I don’t think I even read a synopsis about the book prior to reading it, but I knew I’d be in for a treat. A Mulak book will always throw short, snappy chapters at you with a growing sense of dread as the story progresses. And sure enough, those two things were here in spades.

What I liked: The book follows a down-on-his-luck guy, Marty, who is in a transitional stage in his life. He’s married, with two kids, and working a job he hates. His wife, Audrey, lives on the top floor, he lives in the basement, and they share the middle floor to co-parent. Marty and Audrey have grown apart and she’s requested they try having an open marriage, something Marty agreed with, but detests, especially as he can hear his wife and her random men through the vents going at it.

Things take a sinister turn after they learn that a suspected serial killer previously lived in the house and not long after, odd sounds begin in the basement.

Mulak does a great job of showing the internal struggle Marty is dealing with. Between struggling to be an attentive father, making ends meet and dealing with the open marriage aspect, Marty is barely treading water, his head dipping below the waves more frequently with each passing day.

Soon, those ‘random’ sounds take the shape of footsteps, and then heavy breathing on the other side of his basement bedroom door. Mulak shows us how Marty tries to figure out what is causing the sounds, the family even going to the length of getting the church involved to kick out any evil spirits.

The ending brings together all the pieces, and though it didn’t conclude in a surprising manner – I expected what happened to happen – it’s done in such a way that it still makes you wonder whether it was madness that caused it, or a supernatural entity.

What I didn’t like: The story is told through two different timelines, 2024 and 2025 and it hops back and forth from chapter to chapter. In this case, I personally didn’t find it added anything to the tension and pacing and I think it would’ve worked just fine if it was told in a linear fashion.

Why you should buy this: Well, technically, you don’t need to buy it. You can get this book for free by signing up for Mulak’s newsletter! Link below! So, as for why you should read this, well, Mulak gives us a strained family scenario, where real-life stress continues to push them to their wits ends and the age-old dynamic of ‘are they or aren’t they’ crazy worked perfectly here. Fans of Gran’s ‘Come Closer’ will dig this more extreme take on that subgenre!

Sign up and get the book free here;

https://www.josephmulak.com/

Title: The Haunting of Sorrow’s Leap

Author: Chris Sorensen

Release date: November 28th, 2025

Over the last number of years, I’ve devoured everything Sorensen has released – be it his wonderfully dark Messy Man series, to his two creature features, ‘Suckerville’ and ‘Bee Tornado’ – both of which you need to absolutely read!

 Sometime in early 2025 – I can’t remember when – Chris reached out to me about beta reading his next novel. Unfortunately, I was swamped and couldn’t give it the time it would need. When the book was announced, I made sure to buy the Kindle edition, excited to dive in. *I will add here – unbeknownst to me, Chris actually sent me a physical copy of the book! So very kind and unexpected!* 

Funnily, at least to this reader, I didn’t make any connections between this and the Messy Man series. But sure enough, upon cracking this bad boy open, there was Ellen Marx. Now, I will say – you can ABSOLUTELY read this without having read the Messy Man trilogy. In fact, I’d almost suggest if you read this one first, you’ll get a deeper experience if you pivoted and then read Messy Man, but either way, you’re in for a treat.

What I liked: The story picks up years after the end of the events in the Messy Man series. Ellen’s ‘gift’ has faded, her ability to see dead people and connect through touch with people diminished to the point where she questions if it ever was really much of a gift. She’s hawking product at a horror convention, selling candles and pictures and crystals and trinkets. It’s here where she has an odd encounter with a girl named Zivy, and from there, herself, Zivy and two other ‘gifted’ individuals are selected. 

Their reward? To travel to a reclusive authors mansion. Why? They don’t find out until they arrive. And once there, they learn that they’ve been invited to try and un-haunt the mansion. Renovations have been hampered because ghosts and spooks are terrifying the workers, and James Utter, the author, is sick of the delays.

Sorensen weaves a multi-layered tale where things are never really as they seem and as we get more details from Utter’s right-hand-man Carter, we learn that there are off-limits areas. Then, an event happens, a gathering of shadows of sorts, which really opens up the story and gets those others chosen – JJ and Quan joining Ellen and Zivy – working as a team.

I’ll add – on their way to Utter Hall, Ellen purchased ‘Sorrow’s Leap,’ one of Utter’s last big bestsellers from a roadside convenience store. This comes into play in a number of ways, both with an world on the other side they need to deal with, but also with some nifty elements that I can’t share due to spoilers. But it gave it a really solid aspect of over here/over there that felt very 80’s-esque, but in the best way possible.

The lead up to and the finale itself were a lot of fun, with the group figuring out how to use their gifts as chess pieces, becoming moving pieces themselves to try and triumph over the ghost who has taken up residence in Utter Hall.

What I didn’t like: This actually relates back to the Messy Man series, but Ellen and her mom’s relationship morphed here. Whereas in the Messy Man series we dealt with Ellen’s mom’s horrendous behavior and narcissist ways, here it became an odd toxic reimagining where Ellen somehow appears to be the bad guy at times with how she treated her mom in key moments at the end of her mom’s life, while we know – and even see within the pages of this book – that her mom was a horrible, horrible person and treated her daughter with nothing but abuse.

Secondly, I found there was too many attempts at levity and humor within, especially when the ghosts arrive and things take a sinister turn. Every time something serious would begin to unfold, I’d expect a one-liner or set up for a joke to occur and it would. It was as though Paul Rudd was casted to be the comic relief. I could’ve handled far less of that – but I’m also a reader who doesn’t typically enjoy humor in his horror.

Why you should buy this: Overall, this haunted mansion tale was a ton of fun and another solid story from Sorensen, who has a knack of creating quickly relatable characters and dark, dark worlds. 

‘The Haunting of Sorrow’s Leap’ was a tense, fast-paced story that forced quirky, socially awkward characters to work together and overcome huge obstacles and that’s always something that makes for an entertaining read.