Review- My American Nightmare - Women in Horror Anthology by Azzurra Nox

My American Nightmare on Goodreads

 BOOK SUMMARY:

For Fans of American Horror Story, Stephen King, Joe Hill, and Danielle Vega.

America, land of the free, land of the brave, land of nightmares? A group of female authors come together in this collection of creepy tales and psychological horror stories to bring you chills and disturbing images that won't leave you long after you're done reading. From zombies to rural small towns, to the foggy New England to the glamour of Hollywood, each story focuses on a diverse aspect of living in America and the horror found in bullying, being the “new girl,” starting your first job, and navigating the murky waters of adolescence and all the terrifying changes that come with it. Bold and haunting, My American Nightmare encompasses daring stories from new voices in the horror genre. This collection will unsettle your nerves and linger in your mind, demonstrating that women can show you a nuance of horror that isn't always evident from the male perspective.

Dare to take a walk on the dark side.

Angela Sylvaine - Ballad of Sorrow and Lila 
Amelia Kibbie – We Kill The Skullman
R. A. Goli – Mr. Buttons' Tea Party 
Jamie Kahn – The Poison & The Ivy 
Rachel Bolton- The Girl & The Yellow Wallpaper 
Hillary Lyon - Boys' Night Out 
Nicky Peacock – She Looked Like Krystal Sparkle 
Spinster Eskie - Angie's Change 
Sheri Kreitner - The Pickman Sisters of Salem 
Sierra Ryan – Volunteer 
Kara Nelson - The Eye 
E.F. Schraeder – Night Moves 
Andrea Teare – 39 Days 
Heather Miller - The Stars 
Marnie Azzarelli – When Evacuating Pennsylvania 
Erica Ruhe - Perle 
Phoebe Jane Johnson - Ruby 
Azzurra Nox - Whatever Happened to Peyton Rose?
Kara Dennison - Billson

Release date: October 31st 2017

Published by: Twisted Wing Productions

Page numbers: 250

REVIEW: 

When author Azzurra Nox contacted me about My American Nightmare, I could not say no to reading it because I loved her Doll Parts and was waiting for something more ever since. One of the points that intrigued me is the fact that My American Nightmare is a collection of nineteen horror stories written by female writers, which is so cool and exciting. Now I tend to be a chicken when it comes to horror stories, but I knew I had to give this one a go, and I'm so glad I did because all the stories in this anthology were spine-chilling, super duper interesting and so well written.

Every story in this collection is so unique and well done that it made me want to have each one as a separate novel because I either wanted to know more or I thought it would make for a great book. Not that the stories weren't great on their own; in fact, they were straight up breathtaking. Some of my absolutely favourites of the nineteen (and the ones I'd definitely reread in the future) are: The Eye by Kara Nelson, The Poison and the Ivy by Jamie Kahn, Angie's Change by Spinster Eskie, The Ballad of Sorrow and Lila by Angela Sylvaine and Whatever Happened to Peyton Rose? by Azzurra Nox. And if I am to shortlist two stories is that are an absolute must-read, they would have to the last two of the ones mentioned, although I really, really loved The Ballad of Sorrow and Lila the most; it was such an incredible story! 

My American Nightmare is a perfect October read and came as a refreshing read because usually anthologies are made up of romance stories or stories from a variety of genres. Azzurra Nox has really brought the best of the best together and packed amazing stories in this one collection, which is sure to satisfy any reader. Plus, the whole deal with having women writers on board... More power to women! These stories were really mysterious and sometimes so spooky that the chicken in me had to read them with a light on at night. But that is what horror stories should be like, so they served their purpose.

I would highly recommend this anthology. I loved it to bits and enjoyed reading it.

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

Guys! The book releases tomorrow, so make sure you grab your copy here! 

Buy the book: AMAZON (.in)/ AMAZON (.com)

Review- The Other Side by Faraaz Kazi and Vivek Banerjee

Goodreads Summary: 

"A slow rasping sound made me turn. I jumped back, the cell phone leaving my hands and smashing against the concrete floor. Someone was seated on the chair, rocking back and forth. Through the fallen light, I could see those hands placed on the arms of the chair, two gruesome wrinkled limbs with ugly boils plastered over the black skin. The red bangles on its wrists shone in my eyes, momentarily blinding me. That thing and I call it a thing because I could sense it wasn't human as no human could have such a hideous form, as vile an existence as the one seated opposite to my horrified self."

From a honeymoon in the hill that goes horribly wrong to an obsessed lover who wants his first love in life and in death; From a mentally deranged man who collects body parts of various women to stitch together his dream girl to a skeptic who enters a mansion of horrors to win a bet and much more, this book is filled with scenarios that are guaranteed to give you goosebumps and sleepless nights.

'The Other Side' is a collection of thirteen tales of the paranormal; a world that our eyes refuse to see, our ears deny hearing and our senses ignore the feel of. This is a book for someone who is brave enough to take up this invitation to journey through uncharted waters along with the authors, who were inspired by some bizarre experiences to pen down this work where the lines of reality have been blurred by the footsteps of imagination.

Each story takes you on a tour de force of unadulterated horror and draws upon the deepest fear in the human mind- the fear of the UNKNOWN!

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of The Other Side from author Faraaz Kazi in exchange for an honest review. We thank Faraaz for the book! 

Except for one single ghost story series and a few short stories here and there, I hadn't ever read any horror stories and I was never quite inclined on trying out the genre either. But then I had the awesome opportunity to host a blog tour for Faraaz Kazi and Vivek Banerjee's horror stories collection, The Other Side. 

I do like to believe that where is there is normal, there is paranormal and where there is natural, there exists the supernatural. In spite of my initial apprehensions about feeling scared (which I hate to admit) and not being able to devour the book as much as a horror fan probably would, I am proud to say that I thoroughly enjoyed The Other Side. 
Before I begin writing about the stories in general, I have to say that The Other Side has the most bone chilling and frightening foreword I've ever read. It actually made me look here and there to make sure no unusual activity was going on around me. From then on, I knew it would be best to read the book in broad daylight and that's what I did. 
The stories weren't exactly scary or frightening but they were pretty creepy and they gave me goosebumps. They all had more of a redemptional and karmic than a nightmarish aspect to them. Just when it seemed like the usual haunted house, a woman in white and people of science or non-believers theme started recurring, something different would be thrown in the next story. Some stories were disgusting, some horrifying while some others were just quite normal in the sense that they didn't scare me at all. What I liked most was how spirits were shown as both good and bad and the whole what goes around comes around dictum was subtly portrayed through that. 

Most of the times, I felt like the stories were actually very similar to supernatural incidents I've previously heard from my elders and various members of the family. In the Indian context, these are stories we've all grown up on and The Other Side made me look beyond and dig a bit more in the unknown. When it comes to short story collections, there's no such thing as the best or the worst story, but my most favourite ones were The Lady In The Pub and A Mother's Love. 
Being short stories, the book is very easy to read and the writing is quite undemanding and user friendly which makes it an easy read. The Other Side promised to be a one of it's kind read on the Indian commercial horror scene and because I have nothing to compare it to, for me, the book delivered the promise it made, which is always a good thing. If I were to describe it in one word, it was creeptastic. 

RATING: