Becky Spratford
Recent Reviews
G Willow Wilson
Rave Booklist This is a novel that thoughtfully contemplates the meaning of love, power, religion, and freedom. But even while exploring all of these heavy issues, this is a fun, immersive adventure that moves at a brisk pace through lush settings, across dangerous terrain, and eventually out to the open sea. This ultimately life-affirming tale of a young woman who rejects her dismal fate and creates her own family will appeal to readers of S. A. Chakraborty’s City of Brass, Helene Wecker’s The Golem and the Jinni​, and Naomi Novik’s fairy tale-esque Uprooted​.
Molly Tanzer
Positive Booklist Compelling ... Once again, Tanzer expertly weaves an authentic historical setting into a tense, engrossing supernatural frame with lush descriptions and a steadily building pace. The alternating points of view of the two female protagonists, unwilling to live within society’s confines, really stand out. Despite the supernatural, historical setting, readers will see themes and issues that reverberate eerily with our present.
Jeremy C Shipp
Positive Booklist Magnifies the dread while also keeping the story moving at a compelling pace. Readers will obsessively turn the pages to see what is coming next, even as they are afraid to know. Filled with claustrophobic fear within a terrifying occult frame, this is a great choice for readers who like their horror with a side of intense psychological suspense, as in Peter Straub’s A Dark Matter, Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World, and Jennifer McMahon’s The Winter People​.
Sarah Pinborough
Rave Booklist Pinborough is back, throwing down the domestic-suspense gauntlet with this tension-driven page-turner ... a satisfying counterpart to the \'girl\' thrillers, Cross Her Heart is unapologetically feminist, driven by the strong relationships between women, for better or worse. This will be an easy sell for fans of all domestic suspense, but you should especially target fans of Liane Moriarty and Megan Abbott.
Dacre Stoker & J. D. Barker
Rave Booklist \"In this officially sanctioned prequel to the classic, Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew, Dacre Stoker, and thriller writer Barker tell the story of Dracula from the point of view of its author ... Dracul is interesting because it sheds light on the original characters and author. Adding just the right touch of suspense increases the pace and ratchets up the tension, which appeals to the contemporary reader. While the book comes with a built–in audience—fans of the original—suggest it to those who like menacing, supernatural historical novels. \
Grady Hendrix
Rave Booklist Hendrix...brings his quirky sense of humor to an energetic Faustian tale ... This is a fast-paced ride, firmly rooted in the pulp horror tradition, but with thought-provoking social criticism and a sense of fear that rises from the terrifying implication that we are all willing to sell our souls on the cheap. Hendrix’s darkest novel yet will leave readers begging for an encore.
Paul Tremblay
Rave Booklist \"...another thought-provoking, page-turning horror novel ... Alternating between unreliable narrators, Tremblay captures the intense emotional struggle, especially in flashbacks into the lives of the odds-defying family of Wen, Andrew, and Eric, while dread and terror permeate every sentence. This is a novel with the heart and tone of The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, but will also appeal to fans of Ruth Ware, Josh Malerman, and Joe Hill.\
Joe Hill
Rave Booklist These tales are terrifying and compelling, filled with intense anxiety throughout, but it is that final story, set entirely in the real world, that is the most menacing of the bunch. After getting two 700-plus-page novels in a row, fans will be thrilled to take in Hill’s malevolent mind through these masterfully crafted single-sitting reads reminiscent of the very best of the short works by giants of the form like King, Gaiman, and Miéville. Hill is not only maturing as a writer of relevantly chilling tales but he is also emerging as a distinct voice for our complicated times.
Carmen Maria Machado
Rave Booklist ...[an] inventive, sensual, and eerie debut horror collection ... The writing is always lyrical, the narration refreshingly direct, and the sex abundant, and although the supernatural elements are not overt, every story is terrifying. These weird tales present a slightly askew version of the world as we know it and force us, no matter our gender, to reconsider our current life choices and relationships. Readers of authors as varied as Roxane Gay, Jeff VanderMeer, and Karen Russell will find much to enjoy here.
Benjamin Percy
Positive Booklist Dark Net can get gruesome, and the body count is high, but Percy keeps it suspenseful and compelling from the first page. The authentic Portland, Oregon, setting with a pivotal scene in Powell’s Bookstore is also a draw. Think twice before accessing this on an e-reader, unless you think can handle the extra layer of terror.