Horror Quickie: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (Re-Post)

It’s Spooky Season! Enjoy some of my favorite horror novels from the past few years.

Available now

What Moves the Dead is a deliciously creepy Gothic horror that is deeply unsettling. T. Kingfisher has given us a gorgeously written retelling of Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher” that is both atmospheric and utterly terrifying. Told through the eyes of Alex Easton, a retired soldier, this slim little novel takes us on a horror-filled journey to uncover the mysterious afflictions that have fallen upon Alex's childhood friends. With the help of mycologist Eugenia Potter and a doctor, James Denton, Alex battles forces no one is prepared to believe.

Fair warning: This book is incredibly graphic, incredibly horrifying, and gave me nightmares for weeks. I’m not complaining about the nightmares-I love when a book is powerful enough to be nightmare inducing.

Incredibly atmospheric and chilling, What Moves the Dead is sure to leave readers deeply disturbed and thoroughly satisfied. If you’re interested in your own copy, you can click the cover for ordering options or click here.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw (Re-Post)

It’s Spooky Season! Enjoy some of my favorite horror novels from the last few years.

Originally posted October 2021

Available October 19, 2021

CW: Suicide

This is a terrifying and chilling story that brings Japanese mythology to life. Set in an ancient mansion with a dark past, a group of college friends gather for a weekend of drinking and celebration. What should have been a joyous weekend celebrating the marriage of Nadia and Faiz turns into a gruesome nightmare when they awaken the spirits of the house.

From the cover, we know that we are in for a wild and horrifying adventure and Khaw does not disappoint. This is by far one of the scariest novellas I’ve read this year and I loved every single sentence. Khaw’s writing is quiet and almost delicate but packs a massive punch. The characters within are college friends who have grown both incredibly close and also far apart. Brough together for the wedding between two of them, stresses of the last year threaten to ruin the mood of the weekend but politeness and booze both help to smooth things over. It’s one friend’s massive amount of money that allows the friends access to such an ancient and haunted home, but it’s that same wealth that creates such friction between them. Our narrator Cat has recently experienced a mental health episode that may or may not be coloring her version of past events so her narration may or may not be reliable. And while the friends seem like such a close group-they were all gifted first class flights to Japan to stay in an ancient mansion that required government permits to visit, there is an unbearable tension between them. As their secrets unfold, the secrets of the house reveal a devastatingly dark history.

A horrifying, haunted mansion story that will chill you to the bones, Nothing But Blackened Teeth, is a must read for all horror fans. If you would like to add this to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post also contains affiliate links and as an Amazon associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Horror Quickie: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Available now

What Moves the Dead is a deliciously creepy Gothic horror that is deeply unsettling. T. Kingfisher has given us a gorgeously written retelling of Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher” that is both atmospheric and utterly terrifying. Told through the eyes of Alex Easton, a retired soldier, this slim little novel takes us on a horror-filled journey to uncover the mysterious afflictions that have fallen upon Alex's childhood friends. With the help of mycologist Eugenia Potter and a doctor, James Denton, Alex battles forces no one is prepared to believe.

Fair warning: This book is incredibly graphic, incredibly horrifying, and gave me nightmares for weeks. I’m not complaining about the nightmares-I love when a book is powerful enough to be nightmare inducing.

Incredibly atmospheric and chilling, What Moves the Dead is sure to leave readers deeply disturbed and thoroughly satisfied. If you’re interested in your own copy, you can click the cover for ordering options or click here.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Romance Quickie- Kick at the Darkness by Suleikha Snyder

Available now for only 99¢!

Reader Friends, this is a kick ass romance set during a zombie apocalypse! That’s right! Zombies and pants feelings! Emran’s future was ripped away from him but Mona’s teenage starry-eyed crush. But when the world is overrun by zombies five years later, returning to her is his sole mission. Now the two are trapped in her family’s mansion with only a panic room and a highly prized wine cellar between them and the hordes of zombies outside. Together, they must find away to survive the apocalypse and their explosive feelings for each other.

This was so good! I was immeadiately invested in Mona and Emran’s relationship and was blown away by all the obstacles they had to overcome. Both Emran and Mona grew and changed as people over their five years apart and their reunion was quite eye opening for both of them. I think the author did a great job balancing the tension between the characters with the very real danger they faced in the outside world. There’s a really great scene in the wine cellar where I know I would have made a different choice than Mona, but I also would’ve died because of it. Luckily Mona is one smart woman who knew exactly the right decision to make.

It’s fast paced, exciting, and very hot. Extremely hot, thank you very much! I definitely recommend this one when you’re looking for a quick, powerful escape from this wild world we’re currently living in. Although, it may not be all that different from our world…

If you would like to add this apocalyptic romance novella to your bookshelf, you can find ordering information here:

Want more Suleikha Snyder? I’ve read Big, Bad Wolf and loved it! Here are a few more of her titles to try:

This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I earn from qualifying purchases. Please remember, all mistakes and opinions are my own.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

Available October 19, 2021

CW: Suicide

This is a terrifying and chilling story that brings Japanese mythology to life. Set in an ancient mansion with a dark past, a group of college friends gather for a weekend of drinking and celebration. What should have been a joyous weekend celebrating the marriage of Nadia and Faiz turns into a gruesome nightmare when they awaken the spirits of the house.

From the cover, we know that we are in for a wild and horrifying adventure and Khaw does not disappoint. This is by far one of the scariest novellas I’ve read this year and I loved every single sentence. Khaw’s writing is quiet and almost delicate but packs a massive punch. The characters within are college friends who have grown both incredibly close and also far apart. Brough together for the wedding between two of them, stresses of the last year threaten to ruin the mood of the weekend but politeness and booze both help to smooth things over. It’s one friend’s massive amount of money that allows the friends access to such an ancient and haunted home, but it’s that same wealth that creates such friction between them. Our narrator Cat has recently experienced a mental health episode that may or may not be coloring her version of past events so her narration may or may not be reliable. And while the friends seem like such a close group-they were all gifted first class flights to Japan to stay in an ancient mansion that required government permits to visit, there is an unbearable tension between them. As their secrets unfold, the secrets of the house reveal a devastatingly dark history.

A horrifying, haunted mansion story that will chill you to the bones, Nothing But Blackened Teeth, is a must read for all horror fans. If you would like to add this to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post also contains affiliate links and as an Amazon associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghvi Vo

Available Now

I am an entire year behind in finally getting my hands on this darkly beautiful novella. You may have seen all the well deserved buzz about it’s gorgeous cover and it’s sequel, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, also has an equally lovely cover. But even more gorgeous is the writing. It’s an absolutely captivating tale of royal intrigue, true friendship, and the force of female anger.

When a young girl named Rabbit is sold to the Emperor’s palace to make up for missing baskets of dye, she forms an unlikely bond to the Emperor’s new wife. This new empress, sent from the North to create a political alliance, finds herself lonely and mostly dismissed by the other wives and staff. When she is exiled after the birth of her son, Rabbit accompanies the empress In-yo to her new home.

Years later, an old woman has a chance encounter with a young cleric named Chih and shares her tales of the life she lived with the Empress. A life, that turned out to be far more adventurous than she had ever believed possible.

This is a fascinating story and I loved every single page. Chih, as a cleric, is drawn to stories and preserving historical records and Rabbit’s character keeps her enthralled with tales of courtly gossip and machinations. It soon becomes clear that there is far more to Rabbit than her simple upbringing and In-yo shows herself to be a cunning and insightful empress. I don’t want to give away any more of the plot, but know that it’s an excellent way to spend a few hours and I absolutely loved it.

If you would like to add this to your collection, click the book cover for ordering information. Big bonus, as of 4/8, this is only $3.99 US on Kindle.

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.

Silver in the Wood and Drowned Country by Emily Tesh

The Greenhollow Duology

Available Now

I had seen a lot of buzz around Emily Tesh’s latest novella, Drowned Country, and never once did it click in that it’s the second book in The Greenhollow Duology. So, much to my dismay, I had to wait for book one to come from the Library before I could dig into it, but the wait was more than worth it. 

Both books in this series are novellas so it’s pretty hard to discuss them without major spoilers. In Silver in the Wood, we are introduced to Tobias Finch who has a deep connection to Greenhollow Wood. He protects the woods from harm and in return, the wood provides him shelter. Living in the woods for centuries, he has seen many landowners come and go but none have captured his interest like Henry Silver. Silver, young, intelligent, and fascinated by the lore surrounding the wood is even more interested in the giant man living in the woods. When a dark force returns to the woods and places Silver in danger, Finch must confront dark secrets from his past to save him. 

Drowned Country continues the story of the Greenhollow Wood and delves deeper into its secrets and history. We also get to know Silver’s mother better and she is a powerhouse of a woman! 

Both of these novellas are just wonderful. I love Tesh’s writing style. The stories feel very dreamlike and are incredibly atmospheric. You can feel the trees moving in the wind and the vines growing around the cabin. There are dryads, nymphs, and other woodland creatures that live in the woods and the way the woods will move and shift to protect Tobias was magical. Tobias is a quiet man, used to his own company and that of the wood. He is able to communicate with the wood and has a close relationship with the dryad Bramble who is very clear on her feelings towards Henry and his presence in her woods. Henry is the complete opposite of Tobias. Talkative, inquisitive, and brash, he turns absolutely adorable in the presence of Tobias. He is also obsessed with his study of folklore and is always writing notes in one of his many notebooks. The lore surrounding the wood was fascinating and I love how each book gave us insight into the history and magic of the forest. 

They are both very quick reads and incredibly delightful. It takes real skill to create such an atmospheric and magical world in so few pages and Tesh pulls it off beautifully. 

If you would like to add these books to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Like many of you, my days are packed full of holiday planning, shopping, baking, scheduling, and everything else that still needs to get done in a day. With my head nearly ready to spin off, I was able to find a few minutes to decompress with one of the funniest and most original books I’ve read in a long time.

All Systems Red is the first of four novellas that make up the Murderbot Diaries. Now, if you’re anything like me, I was sold at Murderbot Diaries. Murderbot, who has named itself after hacking it’s software, is a security robot that is hired to protect a team of scientists on a research mission. Martha Wells has created an absolutely excellent character in Murderbot and I’m in love with his journey. But here’s the thing-Murderbot finds humans very annoying and really just wants to watch t.v. Yep. T.V. Set in a future run by the Company, it’s full of murder, mystery, politics, and self-discovery.

Since it’s a novella, I don’t want to risk giving anything away by discussing too much of the storyline. Just know that it’s very funny, very original, and the writing is excellent. It also comes from Tor and I have yet to come across a book from them that hasn’t been amazing. They definitely know how to pick high quality science fiction. I really enjoyed it and I passed up the Library Holds list and just bought them for myself as a Christmas present.

If you’d like to treat yourself, or your favorite sci-fi fan, you can pick up a copy and help support the site here: