Cemetery Dance Reviews

Review: Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce

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cover of Something in the WallsSomething in the Walls by Daisy Pearce
Minotaur Books (February 2025)
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)

Doesn’t this cover just call to you? In this book we meet Mina who is still grieving the death of her brother. In a bereavement group, she meets Sam, a journalist, who thinks she should investigate Alice Webber. Alice is a teen who says she is being haunted by a witch. As her behavior becomes more and more disturbing, they delve into the town’s history and evil traditions. Exploring grief, loss and faith, this book also explores whether or not supernatural things are actually real or just a reflection of our own human darkness. This is a great read for those who love folk horror mixed with cults, curses and of course, witchcraft. Continue Reading

Review: Fever Dreams of a Parasite by Pedro Iniguez

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Fever Dreams of a Parasite by Pedro Iniguez
Raw Dog Screaming Press (March 2025)
Reviewed by Elizabeth Broadbent

All horror is political (Gabino Igelias says it, so it must be true). The best authors hand us stories alongside their politics; it’s only after we’re wowed by their words that we stand back and marvel at the message. And if the author is very lucky, their message hits at the right cultural moment. Their theme becomes not important, but culturally vital. We need their voice. We need them to speak up and speak out. In the midst of this moment, Pedro Iniguez pulls this off with panache in Fever Dreams of a Parasite. Continue Reading

Review: White Line Fever by KC Jones

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cover of White Line FeverWhite Line Fever by KC Jones
Tor Nightfire (March 2025)
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

County Road 951. Not exactly a name that evokes chills, is it? Maybe not, but go ahead and spend a little time on this 15-mile stretch of road, this “two-lane scar across the Cascade foothills of Central Oregon,” and let KC Jones show you why it’s better known as “The Devil’s Driveway.”Continue Reading

Review: The Order of the Circle by Levi Cory, Elisabeth Mkheidze, Maria Letizia Mirabella and Eva de la Cruz

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banner that reads The Comic Vaultcover of The Order of the CircleThe Order of the Circle by Levi Cory, Elisabeth Mkheidze, Maria Letizia Mirabella and Eva de la Cruz
Dead Sky Publishing (February 2025)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Levi Cory is a new graphic novelist fresh off the farm. With a degree in Playwriting and studies in film and theater, Levi brings a deep understanding of narrative structure and character development to their work. They have written and directed films and TV shows such as Living… and Snakemagic.com. In addition to their work in film and TV, Levi has authored several written works, including The Comfort of The Womb, Robbing Stupidity, and The Sick Rose. Their playwriting has earned significant recognition, including a Texas Playwright Award. Known for blending deep thematic exploration with innovative narrative structures, Levi continues to captivate audiences across both written and visual media, pushing creative boundaries with each new project. Cory’s newest book, The Order of The Circle, is available on Dead Sky Publishing.Continue Reading

Review: Demo Reels and Arthouse Madness by Vince A. Liaguno

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Demo Reels and Arthouse Madness by Vince A. Liaguno
Raw Dog Screaming Press (February 2025)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Vince A. Liaguno is an award-winning writer, anthologist, critic, and poet. He is the Bram Stoker Award®-winning editor of Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet (co-edited with Chad Helder) and the acclaimed Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology (co-edited with Rena Mason), which was a finalist for both the prestigious Shirley Jackson and World Fantasy Awards. His debut novel, 2006’s The Literary Six, was a tribute to the slasher films of the eighties and won an Independent Publisher Award (IPPY). His newest collection is Demo Reels and Arthouse Madness, a collection of narrative poetry.Continue Reading

Review: Akogun: Brutalizer of Gods by Murewa Ayodele and Dotun Akande

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banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of AkogunAkogun: Brutalizer of Gods by Murewa Ayodele and Dotun Akande
Oni Press (March 18, 2025)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Recipient of the (Lagos Comic Con 2023) Fist Award for Writer of the Decade, Murewa Ayodele is the writer of the Nommo-nominated comic book series New Men, the critically acclaimed webcomic series My Grandfather Was a God, and several Marvel comics. He is also the co-founder of Collectible Comics NG, a Nigerian comic book studio founded with artist Dotun Akande that was nominated in the Comic Studio of the Year category at the 2018 Fist Awards.  Dotun Akande is an award-winning comic book cover artist and graphics designer who has worked with some of the biggest brands in Nigeria. He was the recipient of the (Lagos Comic Con 2018) Fist Award for Best Cover Artist and has created comic covers for comic book series like I Am Iron Man, Vengeance of the Moon Knight, Black Panther, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, and Heirs of Apocalypse. Their newest collaboration is the mythic adventure tale, Akogun: Brutalizer of Gods.Continue Reading

Review: The Get Off by Christa Faust

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cover of The Get OffThe Get Off by Christa Faust
Hard Case Crime (March 18, 2025)
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

In 2008’s Money Shot, former porn star Angel Dare was introduced to readers…and then promptly shot and left for dead in the trunk of a car. It wasn’t a flashback, and it wasn’t the end…not of the book, and not of the character.

Dare showed up next in 2011 in Choke Hold, emerging from a witness protection program to help out the son of a former co-star. At that point it felt like author Christa Faust was gearing up for an entire series of Angel Dare books, something I and a lot of other pulp/noir readers would have been ecstatic to have.

That’s not how things ultimately played out, and for a while it felt like we’d just have to be happy with two excellent entries. Luckily, Faust wasn’t done, bringing us to 2025 and the last of the Angel Dare trilogy, The Get Off.Continue Reading

Review: The Wages of Belief and Other Stories from the Dark Side by Elizabeth Massie

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cover of The Wages of Belief and Other Stories from the Dark SideThe Wages of Belief and Other Stories from the Dark Side by Elizabeth Massie
Macabre Ink (February 2025)
Reviewed by Dave Simms

The skill involved in creating top shelf short fiction is an elusive one. The number of writers who can pull it off with relative ease is very small, no matter the genre. To be able to succeed at both the short form and novel length exists as a tier that is much, much more exclusive. Yet Elizabeth Massie has always been able to pull that off, time and time again.

Continue Reading

Review: Black Magick: 13 Tales of Darkness, Horror & the Occult Paperback edited by Raven Digitalis

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cover of Black MagickBlack Magick: 13 Tales of Darkness, Horror & the Occult Paperback edited by Raven Digitalis
?Moon Books (March 1, 2025)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage 

Black Magick is an anthology compiled and edited by occult author Raven Digitalis. Each story uniquely integrates occultism and magick, deepening the mysteries of the shadow. Raven Digitalis himself is an award-winning author best known for his “empath’s trilogy,” consisting of The Empath’s Oracle, Esoteric Empathy, and The Everyday Empath, as well as the “shadow trilogy” of A Gothic Witch’s Oracle, A Witch’s Shadow Magick Compendium, and Goth Craft. Originally trained in Georgian Witchcraft, Digitalis has been an earth-based practitioner since 1999, a Priest since 2003, a Freemason since 2012, and an empath all of his life. He holds a degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Montana, co-operated a nonprofit Pagan Temple for 16 years, and is also a professional Tarot reader, editor, card-carrying magician, and animal rights advocate.Continue Reading

Review: The House At Black Tooth Pond by Stephen Mark Rainey

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Crossroads Press (February 2025)
Reviewed by Dave Simms
Stephen Mark Rainey is one of the greatest unsung masters of the genre and has churned out solid, entertaining work for decades. From Deathrealms magazine in the eighties and nineties to several dozen short stories to many novels that both embraced the classics and pushed the envelope, he has carved out his own piece of horror history.

Review: Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

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cover of Victorian Psycho

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito 
Liveright (February 2025) 
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Victorian Psycho is soon to be a feature film from the horror fan-favorite A24, starring Margaret Qualley (The Substance). I heard the news before picking up Virginia Feito’s psychological and gothic horror debut, so I enjoyed envisioning Qualley as the bloodthirsty Ensor governess, Winifred Notty. This read was one of those rare instances where every responsibility of life feels like an interruption. I could not get back to it quickly enough. Continue Reading

Review: Alex’s Escape by L. Andrew Cooper

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cover of Alex's Escape

Alex’s Escape by L. Andrew Cooper
Horrific Scribblings (February 2025)
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)

“Fourteen-year-old psychopath Alex Packard has his own house, a shadow version of his parents’ house that THEY help him build.” That alone caught my attention immediately. Alex takes his victims there to kill them in the most entertaining of ways with his final victims in his hometown being his own parents. Police can’t catch him because there’s no physical evidence to tie him to the crimes. What happens in his house, doesn’t happen the exact same way in the real world.Continue Reading

Review: Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

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cover of Bury Your GaysBury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
Tor Nightfire (July 2024)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Bury Your Gays was my first Chuck Tingle read. The cover features Hollywood’s bright colors, palm trees, and a bloodied sledgehammer to break apart the pretense of glamor. The imagery reminds me of Ti West’s characters, Maxine and Pearl, and their fierce fight for fame.Continue Reading

Review: American Rapture by C.J. Leede

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cover of American RaptureAmerican Rapture by C.J. Leede
Tor Nightfire (October 2024)
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)

 A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust. Sophie, a good Catholic girl, must traverse the hellscape of the midwest to try to find her family while the world around her burns. Along the way she discovers there are far worse fates than dying a virgin.

 Let me just say that I’ve heard about C.J. Leede from just about everyone I know who reads the same genres that I do. First, it was about Maeve Fly (which is on my to-be-read list) and then this beautifully covered read, American Rapture. After turning the last page, not knowing my breath had been held for so long, I can certainly see why this book has become so popular, so quickly.Continue Reading

Review: Wake Up And Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman

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cover of wake up and open your eyesWake Up And Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman
Quirk Books (January 2025)
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)

Holy smokes, folks! What did I just read?! Readers, oh readers. This is a hard review to write because there is just so much to say but I’ll keep it as simple as possible. Let’s take a look at this “fast-paced supernatural horror novel about a mass demonic possession epidemic that spreads through the internet.”Continue Reading