Month: May 2026

Posted in Horror

Little Red Riding the Dark Web

Posted on by Mama

Title: Little Red Riding the Dark Web

Author: Anne Snow

Pages: 45

Genre: Splatterpunk/Extreme Horror

Ruby seeks validation from the place she calls home, the web. No matter how dangerous, she will stop at nothing to feed her cravings. Unrestricted internet access from a young age, parental neglect, and unlimited pills are a deadly combination. How far will she go to be seen? How many scars are too many?

THIS IS OF THE EXTREME HORROR GENRES. READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. If you can’t handle it, you have many opportunities to close it.

Hello Brave Bookworms!

I’ve got another one for you and this one goes to a place most of us don’t venture. So as always before reading this book….

⚠️Please read the trigger warnings before diving in.⚠️

This is the fourth installment in the Fairytales for Freaks series, and Anne takes readers into some very dark corners with this one. It’s an unsettling cautionary tale about loneliness, desperation, and the dangers lurking behind a screen. A reminder that some doors are better left unopened, some questions are better left unanswered, and not everyone online is who they claim to be.

Ruby is a protagonist you’ll find yourself deeply invested in. Her isolation, frustration, and overwhelming need to be seen are palpable from the start. Even when she makes choices that are difficult to watch unfold, it’s impossible not to empathize with her. You understand why she craves attention, validation, and the fleeting rush that comes from feeling noticed after everything she’s endured.

When her source of comfort and recognition suddenly disappears, Ruby begins to spiral. Then a mysterious stranger slips into her private messages, and what starts as curiosity and a growing crush quickly descends into something far more sinister. The tension builds relentlessly as the story becomes increasingly bloody, disturbing, and impossible to look away from. The feeling that someone is always watching hangs over every page, and the consequences are devastating.

Anne has written a phenomenal novel that evokes a wide range of emotions while exploring deeply uncomfortable subject matter with incredible skill. The glimpse into the darker side of the internet feels chillingly believable, and that ending? Completely blindsided me. I never saw it coming.

If you’re looking for a blood-soaked, deeply unnerving read that crawls under your skin and stays there, this one deserves a spot on your shelf.

But as always….

⚠️Please read the trigger warnings before diving in.⚠️

Your mental well-being always comes first.

Meet you after dark.

💀Your cozy-macabre book bestie

Posted in Horror

Where the Tide Leaves its Dead

Posted on by Mama

Title: Where the Tide Leaves its Dead

Author: Bray Mattheson

Pages: 290

Genre: Horror

By night, the sea returns the dead.
By day, the jungle eats the living.
Casey Jones has to survive both.

On a remote Pacific island, the ocean drags its dead ashore—sailors, fishermen, pirates—reanimated as soulless hunters for an ancient sea god. Armed with scavenged weapons and his hell pig, Puaka, Casey fights to stay alive.

But the island offers no refuge. Beyond the beaches lie cannibal caves, volcanic badlands, and desperate survivors praying to carved gods. When Casey and his friend Izzy are drawn to a coastal settlement promising safety, they discover something far worse than the dead.

As the tide rises, so does the army of the dead, and Casey must decide whether to continue his fight for survival by night…or risk everything to challenge the oceans god.

WHERE THE TIDE LEAVES ITS DEAD is a savage, tiki-soaked tale of survival horror packed with mythology and monsters. Dive in—before the tide turns.

Ahoy Brave Bookworms!

I have a new book review for you and this is what happens when paradise starts eating people. It’s pure coconuts and carnage!

Where the Tide Leaves its Dead is a mix bag of horror, dark humour and survival. It’s set on a tropical island with unforgiving terrain, a treacherous ocean – especially when night falls, and all in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. The undead come from the sea once night approaches and they are aggressive and relentless in their hunt for human flesh. However, it’s not just the sea that’s terrifying, the land houses deadly cannibals, hostile survivors and an ancient mystical witch doctor watching from the jungle.

We immediately meet our protagonist Casey and his lovable, fierce and trusted boar Puaka. Casey is a transplant from Texas who is rough around the edges, earns his currency by hunting and killing sea corpses for their lower jaws or “jowls”. Puaka fights along side him to collect his currency, but also for protection. But we soon see that his charismatic personality begins to attract new friends as he treks across the island seeking the War Club – a place where other survivors are coming together to fight against the waterlogged undead in larger numbers. Casey’s journey is harrowing and grueling, and he quickly learns that not all rumours or allies are trustworthy.

This novel is fantastical, action-packed, fast-paced and full of some intriguing characters. At no point in this do you feel that the characters, especially Casey, are safe. But instead you feel pure chaos and tension the whole way through.

There is a beautiful swirl of horror with dark fantasy as well, incorporating an ancient sea God – Vaekoro (the leader of the sea corpses) and mystical witch doctor named Manu. It’s a great amalgamation of old world and new. And to be frank, Manu is by far my favourite character in the entire novel and needed more page time if I’m honest. She was quirky, mysterious and oddly charming. Puaka comes in second next to her. Yes, you definitely read that right, the little warrior pig was a gem and a wonderfully written companion.

The story finally comes to a head though; after Casey endures some cruel abuses, only to lead up to the final confrontation with Vaekoro and the sea corpse army. To say the ending was terrifying, intense and heart-wrenching is understatement. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and frankly, I couldn’t get enough!

It’s hard to believe that this is the author’s debut novel because this one is slashing through paradise. Completely recommend throwing this on your TBR and will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Bray Mattheson’s work in the future!

Hope you enjoyed the review and as always…

Meet you after dark.

💀Your cozy-macabre book bestie

Posted in Horror, Novella/Short Story

Granny’s House

Posted on by Mama

Title: Granny’s House

Author: CJ Shafer

Pages: 92

Genre: Horror, Novella

Do you believe in ghosts?

When a family home that has haunted his mind for decades is listed for sale, an independent author becomes obsessed on proving that ghosts reside within its walls; while simultaneously trying to gather material for a new book.

Evenin’ brave bookworms!

It’s me again… your macabre book bestie (we’ll skip the possibly copyrighted intro 😏).

This one slid across my Instagram feed and immediately had me hooked. The author, CJ Shafer, was calling for ARC readers and honestly, who am I to resist a haunted house story? I reached out (boldly, and as per his instructions…as one does) and was lucky enough to receive a copy. Huge thanks to CJ for trusting me with this one. I hope I do it justice.

If you’re craving an all encompassing paranormal ride, this one delivers.

We’re pulled into a slow, spiraling descent into unease, all rooted in what first feels like the most beautiful, memory-soaked family home. CJ paints it with this nostalgic, almost comforting brush, that is until the cracks start to show. From childhood fears of a dark, looming basement (and yes… those open steps. Why are they always like that in creepy basements?), to teenage years shadowed by something not quite right on the top floor, and into adulthood where those memories refuse to stay buried.

There’s this thread of quiet obsession running through it all. Even decades after the house is sold, the pull never really lets go. And when a trick of fate nudges CJ back into its orbit; even though it’s changed on the surface there is still that same watching presence…you just know nothing good is coming.

Let’s just say… a little B&E into the old house turns into something much more than anticipated.

The paranormal elements? Completely unsettling. The kind that creeps in slowly and then lingers a little too long after you’ve put the book down. I won’t lie, there were moments that genuinely got under my skin.

But here’s the thing this book is not just eerie, it’s fun. The twists keep you second-guessing everything, including your own sense of reality while reading. And as someone who does believe in the paranormal (and has a few stories of my own 👀), this one still managed to make me pause and question a few things.

Highly recommend adding this to your TBR, especially with its release set for June 5, 2026.

Hope you enjoyed the review and as always…

Meet you after dark.

💀Your cozy-macabre book bestie

Posted in Horror, Novella/Short Story

Dead Zoo

Posted on by Mama

Title: Dead Zoo

Author: Mike Harris

Pages: 66

Genre: Horror, short story

There’s something wrong with the animals.

Located a short drive off the highway, Highland Zoo entertained children and families for generations. Until one day, it didn’t. Now an unwitting group of fresh graduates on their last summer road trip are about to discover why the once beloved roadside attraction suddenly shut down and learn life’s harshest lesson.

Somethings should stay dead.

Hello brave bookworms!

Back with a short story review and this one is equal parts fun and gruesome.

This was a buddy read with some of my fellow Bookstagram friends (and if you’re not following along over there… what are you doing? 👀). I’ll be sharing their takes alongside mine too, which makes this one even more fun to dive into.

The premise immediately hooked me: a group of friends stumble across an abandoned zoo… except it’s not quite abandoned. Intriguing, right?

We follow Jenna, Ray, Troy, Abby, and Lee, a group with wildly different personalities and just enough underlying tension (especially between the girls) to keep things interesting. What starts as a spontaneous road trip detour quickly spirals into something much darker when they pull up to a zoo in the middle of nowhere; no cars, no families, no staff… just that heavy, wrong kind of silence.

And from there? Things unravel fast.

What they find lurking inside is far beyond anything they expected. As fear sets in and survival instincts take over, the story really leans into the question of who people become when pushed to their limits and it’s not always pretty.

The atmosphere is consistently eerie and unsettling, and the animal descriptions? Absolutely monstrous and grotesque in the best way, blending horror with something almost fantastical. I ate it up!

Bonus: it’s a super quick read, which makes it perfect for when you want something creepy without the full commitment.

If you’re in the mood for something spooky, fast-paced, and just a little bit brutal….this one’s definitely worth picking up!

Hope you enjoyed the review and as always…

Meet you after dark.

💀Your cozy-macabre book bestie