Mini reviews: quick horror titles from authors I adore — Empathy, Bellamy, and Below

ORIGINALLY REVIEWED: OCTOBER 2022

Nothing more sinister than empathy.

What a dark, messed up, sad little story. I kept expecting this piece to go in one direction, but then it went somewhere totally different and caught me fully off-guard in the end. I love horror shorts with a technology element behind them, and the idea of a guy being this haunted by an online snuff film is one I hadn’t seen written before, plus I always love Kealan’s writing — needless to say, I enjoyed this a lot.

WARNINGS (click to expand):

violence, PTSD, hallucinations, grief, death

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ORIGINALLY REVIEWED: OCTOBER 2022

There was something wrong with Bellamy. She had been running from it for most of her life. It had brought her home, though. Perhaps it had always intended to.

This is definitely one of Darcy’s cozier titles, and it hit me in the feels in all the right, subtle ways. I loved how atmospheric the Bellamy setting was and the way Leanne’s memories slowly came back to her, making her a bit of an unreliable narrator at times. I could see this making such a good horror movie, especially reminding me of something Guillermo del Toro might direct: gothic, isolated, and a bit heavy. I definitely recommend it to anyone who’s already a fan of Darcy’s or anyone looking to try out her work in a quick, bite-sized portion. (Plus, for it to be such a short story, it felt very developed!)

WARNINGS (click to expand):

grief, child/sibling disappearance (implied death), a side character appears to be terminally ill

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ORIGINALLY REVIEWED: OCTOBER 2022

“Came outta nowhere, didn’t it?”

There are four things that I love, all of which are present in this book: cryptids, feminist horror, Laurel Hightower’s writing, and a story so action-packed I have to devour it in one sitting.

I love cryptid stories in general, and like many cryptid lovers, I have a soft spot for Mothman. (I’m a diehard member of the “Mothman isn’t bad, actually, he’s just trying to help” club, in case you were wondering.)

When I heard Laurel was writing a story involving him, I was immediately sold, though I did force myself to patiently wait a little while to read this because I knew one of my favorite bookish groups was planning to read it in October. It was so worth the wait!

I loved Addy’s character and how angry and full of spite and pain she was over the misogyny she’d faced throughout her life, especially from her ex-husband. When we meet her, she’s already jaded and mistrusting of men she meets, and honestly, it was very easy to relate to her concerns and wariness. But that element of the story takes a backseat pretty quickly because let me tell you, shit hits the fan fast in this novella, and once it does, it never lets up until the end.

I was totally captivated and loved every second of this. It would make such a fun horror movie adaptation (*cough cough, side-eyes streaming services*), and I absolutely recommend it to anyone who likes cryptids, creature features, and/or horror with badass, tough feminist heroines. I can’t wait to see what Laurel comes out with next!

WARNINGS (click to expand):

violence, death, gore, vehicle accidents, misogyny

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— destiny ♥

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