Review- Strange Girls by Azzurra Nox

  BOOK SUMMARY:

For fans of American Horror Story, Shirley Jackson, and Creepshow.

You know them. Those girls that aren't quite like everyone else. Those girls who stand out in the crowd. Those girls that dare to be different. Those girls are dangerous.

In Strange Girls, twenty-one authors dare to tackle what makes the girls in this collection different. Vampires, selkies, murderous mermaids, succubus, and possessed dolls take center stage in these short stories that are sure to invoke feelings of quiet terror and uneasiness in the reader. Following the successful debut of Women in Horror anthology with My American Nightmare, Strange Girls is the sophomore effort to showcase these talented women in a genre that is often dominated by the male gaze.

Dare to take a walk on the dark side.

Stories in the Anthology:

24 Hour Diner by Charlotte Platt
Sideshow by Jude Reid
The Doll's House by Alyson Faye
Blood by Red Claire
Self-Portrait with Pears by Rachel Bolton
Personal Demons by Angelique Fawns
Friends with Benefits by E.F. Schraeder
Night Terrors by Angela Sylvaine
The Girl Who Never Stopped Bleeding by Sam Lauren
Leda and the Fly by Marnie Azzarelli
Jenny's Bobo by Hillary Lyon
Extinguishing Fireflies by Rebecca Rowland
The Eyes of the Dead by Danielle R. Bailey
My Mirror Wife by Ash Tudor
Patterns of Faerytales by Azzurra Nox
Campfire Tales: The Bloody Rings by Emma Johnson-Rivard
Cracked by Regan Moore
Angel of Death by Phoebe Jane Johnson
Her Garden Grows by Maxine Kollar
Revival by Madison Estes
A Song Only She Can Hear by Wondra Vanian
Tribal Influence by Erica Ruhe

Release date: February 18th 2020

Published by: Twisted Wing Productions

Page numbers: 344

REVIEW: 

An anthology of twenty two short stories by women writers, Strange Girls is an excellent collection that it is just the right amount of spine-chilling, without leaving you feeling overly terrified. While an horror anthology, the stories cover up a variety of topics, some of them being fantasy, paranormal and science fiction, with an element of horror. Each story is unique and engrossing in its own way.

Since the association of dolls with horror intrigues me in general, I had an alarming (in a pleasing way) time reading Alyson Faye’s The Doll’s House and Regan Moore’s Cracked. Being an ardent admirer of Azzurra Nox who has put this collection together, I loved her story titled Patterns of Faerytales, as well. Not a big fan of science fiction, but because these were short stories done in a meticulous and simple manner, I liked reading Night Terrors by Angela Sylvaine and Tribal Influence by Erica Ruhe as well. Jude Reid’s Sideshow, Charlotte Plat’s 24 Hour Diner, Angelique Fawns’s Personal Demons, Danielle R. Railey’s The Eyes of the Dead, Hillary Lyon’s Jenny’s Bobo, Rebecca Rowland’s Extinguishing Fireflies are some more honourable mentions that were superbly done.

It goes without saying that the other stories were just as brilliant and I truly had a delightful time reading, exploring and imagining each one. A short stories collection exclusively by women writers that is all about women power, Strange Girls isn’t so much about strange girls as it is about the dangerous and dire consequences of just being a girl, which I found inspiring and unputdownable. Put down in the most astounding manner, each story from this collection is simply incredible.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Azzurra Nox in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.