Book Review: Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga edited by Lindy Ryan

 

From the publisher:

Deep in the dark forest, in a cottage that spins on birds' legs behind a fence topped with human skulls, lives the baba yaga. A guardian of the water of life, she lives with her sisters and takes to the skies in a giant mortar and pestle, creating tempests as she goes. Those who come across the baba yaga may find help, or hinderance, or horror. She is wild, she is woman, she is witch—and these are her tales.

Edited by Lindy Ryan, this collection brings together some of today's leading voices of women-in-horror as they pay tribute to the baba yaga, and go Into the Forest.

My Thoughts: This is an interesting anthology. They come at it as if Baba Yaga is a kind of being as opposed to only one witch. The foreward by Christine Henry is interesting regarding this.

There are 23 stories in the anthology. Some I liked better than others, but as I rated all of them I was pleased to find that most of them fell into the 4 and 5 out of 5 star range. There was only one story that I gave a 3 to and that was  because while pretty much well written, I kept waiting for the action to start.

The short story,"Last Tour into the Hungering Light" by Gwendolyn Kiste I loved for among other things the language and imagery. A few stories had Baba Yaga posing as the witch in Hansel and Gretel. These were interesting. I liked the one where the Baba Yaga is slightly morally ambiguous and one of the bad guys is a parent. There are other stories that are definitely straight up horror for things like depiction of cannabalism. The blurb from the publisher states that sometimes Baba Yaga is a help. While this is true, there is always a price. Sometimes the price wasn't clear until after the protagonist received the aid. Other tales tackled the hut and its origins. And one story has Baba Yaga as a romantic interest. All together, these tales make for interesting and entertaining reading.

Into the Woods was released November 8th, 2022 from Black Spot Books. I received a copy of this book as an arc from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Overall, I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. The stories are interesting and imaginative. If you enjoy witchy tales and fairy tales, I think you should check out this book.

Book Review: Darling by Mercedes M. Yardley

 

From the publisher:

Darling has its demons.
Cherry LaRouche escaped the claws of Darling, Louisiana at sixteen. When she is forced to return after her mother’s death, Cherry and her children move back into her childhood home where the walls whisper and something sinister skitters across the roof at night.

While Cherry tries to settle back into a town where evil spreads like infection, the bodies of several murdered children turn up. When Cherry’s own daughter goes missing, she’s forced to confront the true monsters of Darling.

Darling by Mercedes M. Yardley was published August 23rd, 2022 by Black Spot Books.

My thoughts:

The book comes across to me as Southern Gothic. Cherry is something of an antihero. This book is her story. She is a little hard to like at times because of the choices she makes. So many of those choices bring her trouble. Moving back to Darling is one of them, though it's kind of going from the frying pan into the fire. 

Setting wise, there's the somewhat dilapidated house that Cherry has inherited. She and her two small children move in even though it's creepy. And then there is the town of Darling as a setting with characters. Some of the townspeople treat her well at first. Some treat her badly from the beginning, mainly the cashier at the one grocery store in town. The ugliness of the cashier in her treatment of Cherry is just the tip of the iceberg.

There were other things too that lead me to believe that this is a Southern Gothic piece. There's a suggestion of the supernatural. The way that Cherry's past affects her present as well as how some of the characters seemed to be one thing, but were really another also made me think that way as did the exploration of madness.

The plot moves along at a decent rate. There are some lulls, but many of them have a creepy aspect and help advance the plot. I didn't expect the way it ended. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Overall it's not a bad example of a Southern Gothic piece. The characters are interesting - even the unlikable ones. The plot moves decently. And the ending is twisty. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy gothic stories, those who enjoy thrillers and suspense, and some horror readers.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my review.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #421: Into the Forest ed. by Lindy Ryan

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher:

A collection of new and exclusive short stories inspired by the Baba Yaga. Featuring Gwendolyn Kiste, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Mercedes M. Yardley, Monique Snyman, Donna Lynch, Lisa Quigley, and R. J. Joseph, with a foreword by Christina Henry.

Deep in the dark forest, in a cottage that spins on birds' legs behind a fence topped with human skulls, lives the baba yaga. A guardian of the water of life, she lives with her sisters and takes to the skies in a giant mortar and pestle, creating tempests as she goes. Those who come across the baba yaga may find help, or hinderance, or horror. She is wild, she is woman, she is witch—and these are her tales.

Edited by Lindy Ryan, this collection brings together some of today's leading voices of women-in-horror as they pay tribute to the baba yaga, and go Into the Forest.

Into the Forest ed. by Lindy Ryan is expected out November 8th, 2022 from Black Spot Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I like the idea of the exploration in fiction of the baba yaga. It seems to be her year. Last week I highlighted a book that explores the idea of what if she passed and had American heirs. And there is another on the horizon entitled The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore due out September 20th, 2022. This book seems like it will explore the baba yaga from different perspectives. And it is female horror writers doing it. I look forward to seeing how they handle the topic.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Book Review: Hold My Place by Cassondra Windwalker

 

From the publisher:

When librarian Sigrun falls head-over-heels for the sophisticated and very married Edgar Leyward, she never expects to find herself in his bed—or his heart. Nevertheless, when his enigmatic wife Octavia dies from a sudden illness, Sigrun finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance worthy of the most lurid novels on her bookshelves.

Sigrun soon discovers Octavia wasn’t Edgar’s first lost love, or even his second. Three women Edgar has loved met early deaths. As she delves into her beloved’s past through a trove of discovered letters, the edges of Sigrun identity begin to disappear, fading into the women of the past. Sigrun tells herself it’s impossible for any dark magic to be at play—that the dead can’t possibly inhabit the bodies of the living—but something shadowy stalks the halls of the Leyward house and the lines between the love of the present and the obsessions of the past become increasingly blurred—and bloody.

Hold My Place by Cassondra Windwalker was published January 25th, 2022 by Black Spot Books.

My Thoughts: 

I really liked the character of Sigrun the gothic librarian. Edgar, I didn't trust almost from the start. I kind of expected a Bluebeard's wife kind of story going in, but it seems as the story goes on, nothing is out of bounds when it comes to his former wives. He is sort of disturbingly open on that topic. Sigrun finds herself reading a cache of letters from each of the former wives to Edgar. The more she reads, the creepier it feels.

Much of the book has a dreamlike quality. It's definitely gothic in nature. The book gains momentum as the end nears. And there is quite a twist to the plot. 

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. Sigrun makes a good main character. It's set during Covid times. I did not see the twist coming. If you enjoy gothic type stories, you will probably enjoy this one.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Teaser Tuesday: Hold My Place by Cassondra Windwalker

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Librarians have the most degenerate taste in literature there is. Why do you think we're forever trumpeting the cause of banned books? (4% through on my Kindle)

Hold My Place by Cassondra Windwalker was released January 25th, 2022 by Black Spot Books.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #407: Classic Monsters Unleashed ed. by James Aquilone

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher:

Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Moreau, the Headless Horseman, the Invisible Man, the Phantom of the Opera, the Wicked Witch of the West—they're all here, in this collection of horror short stories that reimagine, subvert, and pay homage to our favorite monsters and creatures.

Written by the biggest names in the genre—including Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Morton, Owl Goingback, Richard Christian Matheson, Maurice Broaddus, Dacre Stoker, Seanan McGuire, Linda D. Addison, Alessandro Manzetti, Tim Waggoner, John Palisano, Mercedes M. Yardley, Lucy A. Snyder, Gary A. Braunbeck, Rena Mason, and Monique Snyman.

And monstrously illustrated by Colton Worley and Mister Sam Shearon.

Classic Monsters Unleashed edited by James Aquilone is expected out July 12th, 2022 from Black Spot Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I enjoy reading short stories. And I enjoy the classic monsters. I recognize many of the names of the authors included as among the best in the business. It looks like it will be a very good book with quality writing.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Hold My Place by Cassondra Windwalker

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I wrapped both hands around the crystal and sipped slowly, already covetous of these brief moments we'd stolen. The rich liquid slid down my throat, and I imagined that one of Edgar's long, broad fingers traced its path on my skin. (7% through on my Kindle) 

Hold My Place by Cassondra Windwalker is expected out January 25th, 2022 from Black Spot Books. The teaser comes from an ARC, and therefore neither it nor its location may appear the same in the final copy.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!