A host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’s April Genevieve Tucholke.
Each story draws from a classic tale or two—sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not—to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. There are no superficial scares here; these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any reader looking for a thrill.
Fans of TV’s The Walking Dead, True Blood, and American Horror Story will tear through tales by these talented authors:
Stefan Bachmann, Leigh Bardugo, Kendare Blake, A. G. Howard, Jay Kristoff, Marie Lu, Jonathan Maberry, Danielle Paige, Carrie Ryan, Megan Shepherd, Nova Ren Suma, McCormick Templeman, April Genevieve Tucholke, Cat Winters.
Pub Date: August 18 2015 | Page Count: 400 pp | Publisher: Dial Books
Rating 3.5 Stars | Horror, Suspense, Thriller, YA
Review
Originally posted on Goodreads on Sep 25th 2015
A few months ago I wrote a few short reviews for some of the stories in SLASHER GIRLS AND MONSTER BOYS, and never got around to posting them here. I gave each of them different ratings, I thought this was the most honest way since the stories were very different from one another. Out of the 12 stories, Carrie Ryan’s IN THE FOREST DARK AND DEEP was the one I liked the most.
The Birds of Azalea Street by Nova Ren Suma – 3 Stars
Three teenage girls playing with things they shouldn’t. Enjoyable, creepy and a bit twisted. The first few pages reminded me of Shia LaBeouf’s movie Disturbia. The writing evoked a slightly eerie style. I liked the ending, interesting how karma works, even if someone intervenes.
In The Forest Dark And Deep by Carrie Ryan – 5 Stars
Another AiW retelling, I seem to have thing for these. This one had graphic gruesome scenes. Simple straight forward writing. The MC Cassidy could easily belong in a Gillian Flynn novel. Marvelous suspenseful ending.
“Darkness grew where it would and took what it wanted. It staked its claim and never let go”
Emmeline by Cat Winters – 3.5 Stars
Classic ghost story filled with longing, fueled by sentimental aspects this one was very short and precise with a couple of metaphorical sentences.
“The next night my old friend the moon would return, casting his silvery spell, and I would wait. I was always a patient girl. I could wait.”
Verse Chorus Verse by Leigh Bardugo – 1 Star
It reminded me of Britney Spears’ downward spiral back in 2008 and when Miley Cyrus did that cover shoot for Vanity Fair in which she shows her bare back and everyone was so scandalized by it.
This piece had too much history and more background than a short story might need. Plot wise, it felt too dense. I wasn’t even sure if this was a mystery, or suspense, or horror, at times it was a bit of everything.
Hide-And-Seek by Megan Shepherd – 4 Stars
It starts with a fable. Clever main character trying to cheat death. Very fast paced and engaging.
The Dark Scary Parts And All by Danielle Paige – 3 Stars
Casper style, girl with peculiar clothes moves with her father to creepy mansion. Interesting and suspenseful enough events were unfolding but the story took a turn I wasn’t particularly fond of.
The Flicker, The Fingers, The Beat, The Sigh by April Genevieve Tucholke – 3.5 Stars
I didn’t enjoy the writing and dialogues for the most part of this story, a bit too cheerful and annoying for my taste, and sadly it didn’t fuse well with the last page which was wonderfully melancholic.
Up until this point I’ve accidentally ignored the footnotes…
Fat Girl With a Knife by Jonathan Maberry – 1.5 Stars
Two years ago I started reading Maberry’s Rot and Ruin and after only 8 pages, I gave up on it. The thing is, there wasn’t anything inherently wrong with that book like it wasn’t with this short story either, but neither of those managed to grasp my attention and interest. But I love Zombieland and I appreciate how the author injected the same kind of humor into his short story.
Sleepless by Jay Kristoff – 4.5 Stars
Although I knew of the film, I haven’t seen Psycho and didn’t know its plot, so I didn’t know where this was going. I read this story three days ago and I’m still having flashbacks. I’m always so iffy when there’s online chatting within a story but in this one it was obviously an essential part of the plot and ugh the beginning was so convincing, I mean, with horror or mystery stories we’re always looking for clues to decipher whatever is happening. Like I said…still thinking about it.
About April Genevieve Tucholke
April Genevieve Tucholke is the author of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Between the Spark and the Burn, and Wink Poppy Midnight. She also curated the horror anthology Slasher Girls & Monster Boys. She has received four starred reviews and her novels have been chosen for the Junior Library Guild, Kids’ Indie Next picks, and YALSA Teens Top Ten. When she’s not writing, April likes walking in the woods with her two cheerful dogs, exploring abandoned houses, and drinking expensive coffee. She has lived in many places around the world, and currently resides in Oregon with her husband.
Website | Twitter | Goodreads Author Page
Other Books by April Genevieve Tucholke
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I read this book a while ago and liked it a lot. I was surprised that I enjoyed in most of the stories – some more, some less. But it was a quick and “fun” read 😀
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hehe me too! All of them were very different from one another!
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I wondered where I’d heard her name before. Wink Poppy Midnight. it’s such an intrifuing title and I never expected it to be short stories. Sounds like a mustread! Verse Chorus Verse might have beenna full length novel that she decided to shorted 😛
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Yes! This is actually an anthology by various authors. Verse Chorus Verse is written by Leigh Bardugo, and I agree I thought about that at some point!
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