Reviews Archives - Cemetery Dance Online

Review: ADAK by Keith Minnion

Cemetery Dance OnlineNovember 12, 2025October 23, 2025ReviewsADAK, Dave Simms, Keith Minnion, Reviews, White Noise PressLeave a comment

cover of ADAK ADAK by Keith Minnion
White Noise Press (August 2025)
Reviewed by Dave Simms

When is an apocalypse novel not an apocalypse novel? When it’s ADAK by the incredibly talented Keith Minnion. ADAK shares some ingredients with Contagion, The Thing, and the best of the action-adventure novels of the ’70s and ’80s. It’s a thriller novel at heart that marries the theme of Michael Crichton with Preston and Child — intelligent, but never slamming the reader with scientific details that make readers’ heads spin.

Review: MrBallen Presents: Where Nightmares Live by MrBallen and Andrea Mutti

Cemetery Dance OnlineNovember 10, 2025October 13, 2025Reviews, The Comic VaultAndrea Mutti, Joshua Gage, MrBallen, MrBallen Presents Where Nightmares Live, Reviews, The Comic VaultLeave a comment

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MrBallen Presents: Where Nightmares Live by MrBallen and Andrea Mutti
Ten Speed Graphics (September 2025)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Better known as “MrBallen,” John B. Allen is a former U. S. Navy Seal, the founder of the multi-platform content company Ballen Studios, and the creator and host of the popular podcast MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories. Allen uses his platform to give back and founded the MrBallen Foundation with the mission to honor victims and support families of heinous crimes through education, training, and financial support.

Andrea Mutti began his career illustrating DNAction for Xenia Edizioni, Sergio Bonelli Editore, and Star Comics. He’s worked with Marvel, DC, Vertigo, MadCave, Stormking, Dark Horse, IDW, Image, BOOM! Studios, and more. His titles include Maniac of New York, Bunny Mask, Rebels, Batman Eternal, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He’s a member of the National UFO Center and resides in Sarasota, Florida. Continue Reading

Review: Nightmuse: Poems of Speculative Darkness by Scott J. Couturier

Cemetery Dance OnlineNovember 5, 2025October 13, 2025ReviewsJackanapes Press, Joshua Gage, Nightmuse, poetry, Reviews, Scott J. CouturierLeave a comment

Nightmuse: Poems of Speculative Darkness by Scott J. Couturier
Jackanapes Press (November 2025)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Scott J. Couturier is a Rhysling-nominated poet and prose writer of the weird, liminal, and darkly fantastic. His work has appeared in numerous venues, including The Audient Void, Spectral Realms, Tales from the Magician’s Skull, Space and Time Magazine, Cosmic Horror Monthly, and Weirdbook; his collection of Weird fiction, The Box, is available from Hybrid Sequence Media, while his collection of autumnal & folk horror verse, I Awaken In October, is available from Jackanapes Press. His newest collection of speculative horror poetry, Nightmuse, is available on Jackanapes Press. Continue Reading

Review: The Graveyard Club by R. L. Stine and Carola Borelli

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 31, 2025October 13, 2025ReviewsCarola Borelli, Joshua Gage, R.L. Stine, Reviews, The Comic Vault, The Graveyard ClubLeave a comment

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The Graveyard Club by R. L. Stine and Carola Borelli
Boom! Studios (October 2025)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

R.L. Stine, of Columbus, Ohio, is one of the best-selling children’s authors in history. His Goosebumps and Fear Street series have sold more than 400 million copies around the world and have been translated into 32 languages. He has had several TV series based on his work, and two feature films, The Goosebumps Movie (2015) and Goosebumps 2: Hunted Halloween (2018), starred Jack Black as R.L. Stine himself. Just Beyond is his first-ever series of graphic novels. Bob lives in New York City with his wife Jane, an editor and publisher. The Graveyard Club is his newest graphic novel.Continue Reading

Review: Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 27, 2025October 9, 2025ReviewsCrafting for Sinners, Haley Newlin, Jenny Kiefer, ReviewsLeave a comment

Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer
Quirk Books (October 2025)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

In Jenny Kiefer’s latest release, Crafting for Sinners, Ruth walks the aisles of a craft store in Kill Devil, Kentucky. There’s fall decor from floor to ceiling, but no sign of ghosts, witches, or black cats for Halloween, the holiday omitted entirely. Emblazoned glass jars read: Be Pure, for those who give themselves to immortality will suffer the punishment of eternal fire. A placard with two vintage handguns forming an X, barrels overlapping, declares: Righteous judgment will be revealed on the day of His wrath – Romans 2:5. Continue Reading

Review: White Flight by Peter O’Keefe

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 20, 2025October 4, 2025ReviewsElizabeth Broadbent, Peter O'Keefe, Reviews, White FlightLeave a comment

White Flight by Peter O’Keefe
Uncomfotably Dark Horror (October 2025)
Reviewed by Elizabeth Broadbent

Everyone loves a good haunted house story. Make it short and quick, throw in some serious tension, stir in a few vivid characters, add a dose of disorientation — you’ve probably got a hit. Peter O’Keefe does this one better in White Flight, out October 21 from Uncomfortably Dark. His fast-paced, nail-biting little gothic novella delivers something unexpected: a seriously squirm-worthy look at American racism. Continue Reading

Review: The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 17, 2025October 7, 2025ReviewsHaley Newlin, Isabel Canas, Reviews, The Possession of Alba DiazLeave a comment

cover of The Possession of Alba Diaz The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas
Berkley (August 2025)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Isabel Cañas is a gothic horror revivalist who would appease and astonish the founding mothers of the genre and excite the readers they continue to lure in today. What makes Cañas stand out is her use of classic Gothic tropes — such as isolation, family turmoil, claustrophobic settings, and hauntings —but she re-centers them in Mexico. She symbolizes historical trauma, evangelization, colonization, generational violence, and misogyny throughout her work in a way that’s accessible and impactful.

In her latest genre-defying release, The Possession of Alba Díaz, Cañas conjures an unforgettable, wicked tale so compelling and cinematically evocative that readers will talk about it for years to come. It’s haunting and gory. Fierce and uncanny.Continue Reading

Review: Feral and Hysterical by Sadie Hartmann

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 13, 2025October 7, 2025ReviewsFeral and Hysterical, Mother Horror, Reviews, Rowan B. Minor, Sadie HartmannLeave a comment

cover of Feral and Hysterical Feral and Hysterical by Sadie Hartmann
Page Street Publishing (August 2025)
Reviewed by Rowan B. Minor

Sadie Hartmann, also known as Mother Horror, is a writer and editor from the Pacific Northwest. She is the co-owner of the horror fiction subscription company Night Worms and has been the editor-in-chief of her own horror fiction imprint, Dark Hart Books. Hartmann is a 2023 Bram Stoker Awards Winner for her book 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered from Page Street Publishing. Her most recent book is Feral and Hysterical: Mother Horror’s Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women, also from Page Street Publishing.Continue Reading

Review: The Witch of Willow Sound by Vanessa F. Penney

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 10, 2025October 7, 2025ReviewsReviews, Rowan B. Minor, The Witch of Willow Sound, Vanessa F. PenneyLeave a comment

Cover of The Witch of Willow Sound The Witch of Willow Sound by Vanessa F. Penney
ECW Press (September 2025)
Reviewed by Rowan B. Minor

Vanessa F. Penney is a new author who was born in northern Newfoundland and raised in rural Nova Scotia. Currently living in Dartmouth, NS, she is most inspired by “the coal-black ocean depths and bone-buried shorelines of the East Coast.” The Witch of Willow Sound is her debut novel. Continue Reading

Review: The Widows of Winding Gale by Kealan Patrick Burke

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 7, 2025October 6, 2025ReviewsDave Simms, Earthling Halloween Series, Earthling Publications, Kealan Patrick Burke, Reviews, The Widows of Winding GaleLeave a comment

Cover of The Widows of Winding Gale The Widows of Winding Gale by Kealan Patrick Burke
Earthling Publications (October 2025)
Reviewed by Dave Simms

For those readers who have read Kealan Patrick Burke, a familiarity with gorgeous writing is a given. The stories themselves are varied, the voices far-ranging, but no matter how far the author stretches his wings, somehow, it all comes back to his style and craft. Like Peter Straub and Gwendolyn Kiste, one knows they are in the midst of a singular voice that entrances. For musicians, the tone of a famous saxophone player or blues guitarist can be unmistakable once the song begins.

Review: When Shadows Burn by Todd Brown

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 1, 2025October 4, 2025ReviewsReviews, Rowan B. Minor, Todd Brown, When Shadows BurnLeave a comment

When Shadows Burn by Todd Brown
Köehler Books (October 14, 2025)
Reviewed by Rowan B. Minor

Todd Brown is a neurodivergent computational sociologist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, National Geographic, Forbes, USA Today, and other publications. He currently lives in Virginia, and has spoken in seven countries and at dozens of venues, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, Harvard, and more. His debut novel, When Shadows Burn, is a southern gothic haunted house story.Continue Reading

George Northy and Rachele Aragno Unleash YULETIDE’S Christmas Creatures

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 29, 2025September 21, 2025The Comic VaultColumns, Danica Davidson, George Northy, Rachele Aragno, Reviews, The Comic Vault, YuletideLeave a comment

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George Northy, a writer/producer whose credits include Charmed for The CW, is launching Yuletide, a horror comic about the darker side of the holiday season. While the comic won’t be published until October (by Oni Press), it’s already been acquired by Valhalla Entertainment to develop into a movie. Cemetery Dance spoke with writer Northy and artist Rachele Aragno about working together, what’s going on with Valhalla Entertainment, and how to mix horror with a holiday not generally associated with horror.Continue Reading

Review: The Whistler by Nick Medina

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 25, 2025September 24, 2025ReviewsHaley Newlin, Nick Medina, Reviews, The WhistlerLeave a comment

The Whistler by Nick Medina
Berkley (September 2025)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

For fear of summoning evil spirits, Native superstition says you should never, ever whistle at night.

Henry Hotard was about to hit the big time. He’d gained a huge online following with his ghost-hunting videos. But things changed one day, a day he wishes he could forget, and now he’s navigating a new reality — life in a wheelchair and back on the reservation where he grew up, and relying on his grandparents’ care.

Growing up on the reservation, one hears all sorts of stories, cautionary tales with wicked creatures and anecdotes. Myths. But some superstitions shouldn’t be ignored. Continue Reading

Review: Hank Flynn: The Return by Candace Nola

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 22, 2025September 21, 2025ReviewsCandace Nola, Elizabeth Broadbent, Hank Flynn The Return, ReviewsLeave a comment

Hank Flynn: The Return by Candace Nola
Uncomfortably Dark (July 2025)
Reviewed by Elizabeth Broadbent

I’m generally not a fan of Western horror, though it’s an interesting subgenre. I’m revising that idea after Candace Nola’s Hank Flynn: The Return. Haven’t read the original Hank Flynn? Don’t stress. I hadn’t either. In Hank Flynn: The Return, Nola pulls off an incredibly difficult trick: a sequel with familiar characters and storylines that can still be read solo (though it will spoil the first Hank Flynn, so reader beware). Continue Reading

Review: If You Knew Me by S.P. Miskowski

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 17, 2025September 14, 2025ReviewsDave Simms, If You Knew Me, Reviews, S.P. MiskowskiLeave a comment

cover of If You Knew Me If You Knew Me by S.P. Miskowski
Thomas & Mercer (September 23, 2025)
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Move over Annie Wilkes — there’s a new ultra fan in horror-thriller literature: Ann Mason (yes, the first name checks but the author goes way beyond the iconic character here). If you’ve never read S.P. Miskowski, this is a fine place to start. If you’re a fan of the Skillute cycle of stories, this is a step up in storytelling, which is quite a high bar to jump. She wields the exquisite skills to marry the best of horror with the razor wire tension of thrillers.

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